Melli temporarily placed Skuntank aside, then swung his arm and shouted.
"Go, Crobat!"
"Crobat!"
The Crobat, which had been hovering at the back, spread its four wings and quickly flew to the center of the field.
After seeing Skuntank get knocked out almost defenselessly by Pikachu's single blow just now, his expression was noticeably more cautious than at the start of the previous match.
The four wings continuously adjusted their position, always keeping a certain distance from Pikachu on the ground.
Ash lifted his head and glanced up, his expression immediately turning a bit strange.
"Using a Flying-type against Pikachu?"
What's going on?
Could it be that today he actually met a challenger for his title as the Negative Attribute Master?
Melli certainly knew that Flying-type is restrained by Electric Attribute. Yet after Skuntank's swift defeat, he was more serious than ever before.
The Quick Attack earlier utilized no actual Electric Attribute moves, yet Skuntank was still instantly defeated, which already showed that Pikachu possesses extremely exaggerated speed and power.
If Drapion were sent out now, whether it could confront Pikachu's power head-on is one thing, but simply matching its speed might be impossible.
Among the three Pokemon he had, the only one that could truly claim an advantage in speed was Crobat.
So even with a Negative Attribute, he had to give it a try!
"My judgment was off earlier, but now I'm serious. Let me show you the real battle style of the Warden of the Diamond Clan!"
Melli waved his big hand.
"Crobat, use Agility!"
"Crobat!"
Crobat's four wings suddenly flapped faster, and the purple figure, initially hovering in mid-air, vanished.
In the next second, it reappeared dozens of meters away, then continuously changed direction within everyone's view.
As its speed increased, it became difficult to directly capture Crobat's true position in the air.
Only a succession of purple afterimages flitting back and forth could be seen, turning its Agility move into a display akin to Double Team.
Ingo's eyes slightly changed.
This time, Melli's choice was not flawed.
Given Pikachu's clear physical advantage over Skuntank, leveraging Crobat's superior speed and flight ability to seize the initiative was more appropriate than sending Drapion for a direct confrontation with Pikachu.
Ash understood Melli's strategy as well, but his expression grew even stranger...
This guy intended to race Pikachu in speed?
Among Pokemon of the same level, Ash hadn't seen many that could outpace Pikachu.
Competing in speed with Pikachu, Melli would soon understand what true cruelty means.
"Pikachu, pinpoint Crobat's true location and use Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu lowered its body slightly, its red eyes locking onto the purple shadows darting across the sky, yet it didn't rush to attack.
With Crobat constantly changing direction via Agility, its afterimages filled the surrounding air, and it even feigned sudden returns, making its actual flight path hard to discern.
As time ticked by, Melli became the one anxious.
The Pikachu, just quietly standing on the ground, even looked rather cute, yet Melli inexplicably sensed a growing pressure emanating from it.
Those eyes never wavered.
As if, in Pikachu's eyes, Crobat's myriad purple shadows held no confusion whatsoever.
The next moment, Pikachu moved!
Bang!!
The ground under its feet cracked outward, flinging small stones and spreading a fierce wind around.
This time, Melli couldn't even track which direction Pikachu moved, as the yellow figure that had stood in the field's center vanished completely.
"What?!"
Melli's eyes widened in surprise.
Soon after, a painful scream erupted from the sky.
"Crobat—!!"
All eyes snapped to the sound's origin, only to see Pikachu somehow appear mid-air, its small body colliding with Crobat's abdomen during its high-speed flight.
Crobat's golden eyes widened, utterly unable to comprehend how Pikachu, previously on the ground, caught up.
Bam!!
The impact from Quick Attack coursed through its body, breaking Crobat's rapid flight rhythm and forcing it to spew a mouthful of acid due to the stomach hit.
But this time, Pikachu clearly controlled its force, ensuring Crobat wasn't sent flying with the impact.
Instead, it clung close after the collision, preventing Crobat from immediately reopening the gap.
Ash's next command echoed.
"Knock him down with Iron Tail!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu's lightning-shaped tail gleamed with a metallic luster, and utilizing the momentum from the Quick Attack, it twisted mid-air, bringing its now steel-hard tail crashing down.
Bam!!
The Iron Tail struck Crobat's head, breaking the purple figure's aerial balance and sending it plummeting to the ground.
Boom!!
The ground trembled violently, large clouds of dust and stones were flung outward, and an obvious crater formed at the field's center.