Chapter 80 Pikachu lives up to its name, the strength of the Airman is evident
In the audience, Brock and Misty frowned, their eyes fixed on the battle on the stage, offering their commentary on the Pikachu vs. Charizard match.
"While I would also use Pikachu if I were Ash, this Charizard's level is clearly far higher than Pikachu's… This battle will be very difficult. Despite the type advantage and Pikachu's speed, it might not be able to gain an advantage against Charizard," Brock said. Misty
nodded, agreeing, "To win, it depends on how Ash utilizes the Electric-type's advantage over the Flying-type. Although I don't think Ash and Pikachu can win…"
"Let's see how he handles it. I have a feeling Ash will be disappointed this time," Brock said, somewhat reluctantly.
"He brought it on himself. He already has the Crimson Badge and still insisted on challenging. He's just been too successful lately, his nose is always in the air," Misty's assessment was spot on.
Having only been traveling for a few months, they had not only earned eight badges but also qualified for the Indigo League. It was impossible not to be proud.
In a corner of the audience, two people dressed up and a Meowth dressed as a human sat quietly.
Without a doubt, they were Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Strange, I feel like something's wrong, like we've lost some important memories... Could this guy named Natsuki really show us the way?" James said.
His words naturally elicited a reaction from Jessie, who said, "Anyway, Natsuki is really handsome."
Meowth shook its head speechlessly at her infatuated expression: "Stop fantasizing, Meowth. Let's see what's going on. This guy is fighting that brat. I wonder how many moves the brat can last against him, Meowth."
As the three finished speaking, the area quieted down.
If Natsuki were looking this way at this moment, a closer look would definitely reveal something.
And the memories belonging to Jessie, James, and Meowth were processed by Mewtwo.
The story of Natsuki sympathizing with their plight and extending an olive branch was modified to say that they infiltrated the port of Cinnabar Island, were discovered by Natsuki, were stopped by him, and finally, Natsuki revealed their identities and recruited them.
...
On the battle stage.
"Brother Natsuki, be careful, I'm going to make my move!" As the match began, Ash shouted excitedly, clenching his fist. He
even greeted them before attacking; his politeness was certainly on point.
This showed that Ash truly respected him.
"Alright, come on!" Natsuki prepared to meet Ash's attack.
Charizard looked intently at Ash and Pikachu opposite him, a meaningful smile playing on its lips.
It must be said that while Ash and Pikachu had lost their memories, Charizard's memories remained. He
vividly remembered the boy in the hat and that Pikachu.
Especially the boy's Charizard; it had fought it on the New Island and been thoroughly humiliated.
Charizard was somewhat looking forward to Ash sending out another Charizard to battle him, but it was clear that Ash wasn't foolish this time.
"Strike first, Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash waved his hand and gave the command.
Pikachu obeyed, leaping lightly like a streak of white lightning.
Ash launched the first attack, but instead of using Thunderbolt, he intended to showcase his strength through speed, hoping to impress Pikachu.
"It's indeed very fast, but what a pity... Charizard, take off!" Natsuki casually commanded.
Charizard immediately flapped its wings and soared into the sky, not only dodging Quick Attack but also surveying the ground from above, giving Pikachu no chance to display its speed-based abilities.
Ash, seeing this, wasn't annoyed and immediately shouted, "So what if it can fly? Pikachu, Thunderbolt, bring Charizard down!"
'Pikachu!!!' Upon receiving the command, Pikachu unleashed its inner energy without hesitation, golden high-voltage electricity enveloping its body, finally transforming into a 100,000-volt current that struck Charizard in the sky.
"After dodging, retaliate with Flamethrower," Natsuki calmly commanded Charizard.
Thunderbolt is indeed fast, but Charizard is even faster. After dodging Thunderbolt, Charizard unleashed a dense jet of flame that swept towards the ground.
Such an attack was incredibly powerful and terrifying.
The level difference was already apparent.
Even though Pikachu was fast, Charizard was faster.
In fact, even if Charizard took a direct hit from Pikachu's Thunderbolt, even with its type advantage, it wouldn't be seriously injured.
After all, although its EVs weren't allocated, Charizard's IVs, particularly HP and Special Defense, were top-tier.
"Quickly, dodge, Pikachu!" Ash shouted anxiously.
This kind of sweeping attack could indeed be dodged, but as long as Charizard didn't stop unleashing its moves, Pikachu remained a target.
The flamethrower chased after Pikachu, leaving a scorching mark on the battle arena, even raising the temperature in the surrounding space.
"Such power!" Ash exclaimed in amazement.
He also had a Charizard, so he knew his Charizard could never unleash a Flamethrower of such power.
Pikachu managed to dodge the Flamethrower after it finished firing.
Even so, Pikachu was exhausted.
The battle arena wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. Moving around so much was incredibly taxing for a small creature like Pikachu, requiring intense concentration.
"Not bad, Ash, Pikachu did well too," Natsuki praised.
He mainly praised Pikachu, since it was Pikachu that dodged the Flamethrower with its movement.
Actually, if another Flamethrower had hit, Pikachu wouldn't have been so lucky, but Natsuki didn't intend to defeat it outright.
This was to see if Pikachu could deliver a surprise.
"Of course!" Ash didn't understand Natsuki's deeper meaning.
Before he could continue, Natsuki smiled slightly and said, "But while it's not bad, it's not enough to defeat me!"
"Charizard, Air Blade!"
Natsuki didn't hesitate, taking the initiative and commanding Charizard to launch an attack.
'Roar!!' "!" Charizard roared, its wings flapping as several terrifying air blades slashed out, heading straight for Pikachu.
This was considered a mercy; it used a Flying-type move with half its power against Pikachu.
"Quickly dodge, Pikachu!" Ash reacted quickly.
However, he didn't know just how difficult dodging truly was.
Not all attacks can be avoided with a simple dodge.
Only Pikachu could actually pull it off. With agile movements, it constantly dodged Charizard's air blades.
Each air blade struck the ground, causing a significant explosion.
However, despite its extreme speed, its small size meant that the residual force of each explosion caused some damage.
The continuous leaps and narrow escapes left Natsuki utterly dumbfounded.
To put it bluntly: "Is that even possible?!" Putting
everything else aside, just this dodging ability alone—Pikachu is truly amazing.
"Now! One more Thunderbolt!" Seeing that all the air blades had been avoided, Ash clenched his fist and shouted.
'Pikachu!!' Pikachu leaped into the air, its body gathering a powerful current in mid-air before unleashing a devastating Thunderbolt at incredible speed.
Charizard, anticipating Pikachu's attack, quickly flapped its wings to dodge.
Thunderbolt missed again, and Charizard smiled confidently, its eyes seeming to say, "Go ahead and try, see if you can hit me.
" "Damn it! Pikachu, keep using Thunderbolt!" Ash's command abilities had reached their limit.
His tactical choices were always improvised, so without inspiration or a clear strategy, it became pure luck, relying on the Pokémon to find opportunities to win.
Unfortunately, while effective against ordinary opponents, it was suicidal against powerful ones.
Thunderbolt continued to erupt from Pikachu, used again and again, not only decreasing in power but also pushing Pikachu to its limit.
Excessive consumption in a short time was continuously weakening Pikachu's combat strength.
Ash should have retreated to advance, rather than actively attacking. He should have countered
each move, looking for opportunities to counterattack, and combined with Pikachu's speed, there was still a sliver of a chance to win.
"That's enough, Ash! Charizard, Flamethrower!" At the command, Charizard, after dodging Pikachu's next Thunderbolt, unleashed a massive burst of flame.
Pikachu didn't back down, countering with another Thunderbolt.
It did have some effect; at least it wasn't completely ineffective.
However, the greatly weakened Thunderbolt was no match for a level 55 Charizard's Flamethrower.
Clearly, Flamethrower advanced effortlessly, and Thunderbolt couldn't withstand it, being dispersed by the flame.
Pikachu couldn't dodge and was sent flying by the explosion, crashing off the stage with a scream, unable to battle.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, Charizard wins, so the winner is Gym Leader Natsuki.
Next challenger, Akong, please prepare to enter the battle arena." "
With the referee's verdict, the battle between Ash and Natsuki ended.
Next up is Akong!
Ash, Natsuki, and Akong came together, so their order is consecutive.
"Pikachu..." Ash hugged Pikachu tightly, his spirits at rock bottom.
He had been overconfident, thinking he was incredibly strong, only to end up in a battle where he was completely outmatched, severely damaging his pride.
Natsuki didn't go over, after all, he was now the acting Gym Leader, and he had to maintain his proper position.
However, he still had to ask, since they were friends.
"Ash, victory and defeat are common in war. You've already tried your best, and your Pikachu is very strong. At least at your age of ten, there are very few trainers who can defeat you." "Natsuki offered a few words of comfort.
Hearing Natsuki's words, Ash looked up, then gave a smile that was more like a grimace: "Thank you, Brother Natsuki, I know I'm still far from having enough training..."
A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit; Ash suffered a setback, but once he fully understood and cheered himself up, he would make great progress.
"The key is to understand. Come back and battle me again when you're stronger." Natsuki smiled, seeing Ash and Pikachu off.
Then, he watched as Akong walked down from the stands, brushed past Ash, offered him a few words of comfort, and then went to the battle arena.
"It's my turn, Brother Natsuki, please give me your guidance." Akong said, looking spirited, befitting the elite trainer who had defeated another challenger.
"Then let's go, I'll use Charizard again." Natsuki smiled at Akong.
Akong nodded, then took out a Poké Ball from his pocket: "Come on!" "Pidgeot!"
With a flash of white light, the robust Pidgeot appeared on the battlefield, its flight incredibly agile.
"Pidgeot? Planning an aerial battle with Charizard?" Natsuki nodded slightly.
"The battlefield is ever-changing; no one knows how it will turn, but I can use my methods to turn the tide in my favor! Pidgeot, unleash Tornado!" Akong gave the order.
His words resonated with many, and Natsuki even looked at him with newfound respect.
The original story portrayed Akong and others as incredibly weak, but in reality, they were all quite strong.
Pidgeot, for example, was level 50.
Watching Pidgeot flap its wings and create a violent tornado, Natsuki narrowed his eyes and said, "Using a tornado to restrain Charizard's movements? Unfortunately, this tornado alone isn't enough! Charizard, charge in head-on and use your Flame Vortex to neutralize the tornado!" "
This move is a battle method that Natsuki learned from a scene in the original work.
After hearing the command, Charizard rushed into the tornado without hesitation, actively using the tornado's rotation to create a flame vortex.
The two forces collided and canceled each other out, disappearing without a trace.
This scene shocked everyone.
A tornado can be countered like this? In fact, Natsuki had used this move when he used Growlithe to fight Pidgeotto, which is why Natsuki was so confident.
Natsuki has been experimenting with moves all along.
"Hmph! Since we can't restrain it, we'll win with speed. Pidgeot, create a tailwind." Akong calmly commanded Pidgeot to act.
'Pidgeot~~!' Pidgeot let out a long cry, and then an invisible wind surrounded its body.
With the tailwind, its speed increased significantly.
Natsuki frowned slightly.
According to its base stats, Pidgeot and Charizard are actually about the same speed."
Originally, Charizard would have been superior to Pidgeot due to its level advantage and the best speed IV. Now, with Tailwind activated, Pidgeot's speed clearly far surpasses Charizard's.
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(End of Chapter)