[Steven: If one day you feel like you've been too reckless, just think about the fact that someone once wanted to battle Ash.]
[Bea: Daring to challenge Ash head-on! Sir Wikstrom the Knight—truly worthy of being called a top-tier powerhouse!]
[Bruno: Incredible! No matter the outcome, anyone who dares to battle Master Ash has earned my recognition!]
[Wikstrom: Huh? No, no, no—don't make things up! How could I do something like that?! I don't want to die!]
QQ Group 703216220
If the Wikstrom inside the light screen was a knight who purely embodied the Knight's Path—
Then the current Wikstrom was just an ordinary person!
He was looking at this from the perspective of a normal human being!
After all, the terrifying nature of Ash's physical body was well-known to everyone!
Wasn't this battle basically asking for death?!
[Ash: Uncle Wikstrom! Let's battle! Right now, I want to become a true knight!]
[Wikstrom: No no no, Ash, you're already a true knight! There's no need to challenge me! Really! Believe me!]
This wasn't cowardice!
This was cherishing one's own life!
...
On screen—
After receiving the battle invitation, Ash froze for a moment.
Then he immediately understood what Wikstrom meant.
He wanted to challenge him—and Farfetch'd!
Ash's expression turned strange.
This uncle… was he really that brave?!
Ash had a very clear understanding of his own strength!
If you asked which of his Pokémon was the strongest, that was hard to say.
But if you asked whose physical body was the strongest—
That was definitely Ash himself!
This was the same guy who once smashed Mewtwo's barrier with a punch!
"How about it! Ash, do you dare accept? This is the final challenge to become a knight!"
Wikstrom gazed at Ash with tear-filled eyes, flames seemingly burning in his stare!
"Come on, Uncle! I'm ready!"
Ash was fired up too—no one had challenged him in a long time!
However, Ash had clearly misunderstood.
The knightly battle Wikstrom spoke of wasn't barehanded combat—
It was swordsmanship!
Wikstrom took two longswords off the wall and tossed one to Ash.
Then he snapped his fingers.
A Pokémon covered head to toe in all kinds of keys appeared quietly beside him.
"What you need to do is obtain the key from Klefki while being blocked by Aegislash and me, and use it to open the door behind me."
Wikstrom stretched his body, his armor rumbling loudly with every movement.
Compared to the ordinary armor Ash wore, Wikstrom's armor was unbelievably heavy.
This unreliable-looking uncle actually had real strength!
Seeing this, Ash also became serious.
Obtaining the key to the knight's path wouldn't be easy!
Anyone who dared to challenge him wasn't without skill!
"Come, Ash! Let me see the coordination between you and Farfetch'd!"
As he spoke, Wikstrom swung his longsword and slashed toward Ash!
"Pika!"
Pikachu, held in Diantha's arms, couldn't help but shout a warning.
Yet even while attacking, Wikstrom still had time to explain to the worried Pikachu that the sword wasn't a real sharp weapon.
It wouldn't hurt Ash!
Actually—
Pikachu was telling Ash not to go all out!
The one who really needed to worry… was you, Uncle!
"Don't worry, Pikachu! I know my limits!"
You know nothing!
Pikachu expressed serious doubt!
If you weren't called Ash, I might've believed you!
[Mustard: Hahaha, even Pikachu thinks Wikstrom is about to suffer. Looks like he's really doomed!]
[Bruno: It's finally here! Master Ash's first proper, serious strike! I wonder if he'll use Aura—so exciting!]
[Bea: While weapon combat isn't martial arts, I'll still appreciate Ash's battle artistry!]
[Flint: Dude, you're really brave! I salute you as a true man!]
[Wikstrom: Huh?!]
Wikstrom was completely dumbfounded!
Why did his future self look even more reckless than Ash?!
Looks like he couldn't stay ignorant anymore.
He'd have to pay more attention to other Trainers in the future!
Otherwise, if a kid showed up one day with a Rayquaza and challenged him, he'd probably accept without hesitation.
(Ruby: That's right—it's me.)
...
On screen—
Though the longsword was flexible, the force behind the attack was anything but weak!
Faintly, one could even see an aura gathering behind Wikstrom!
That aura took solid form, like a blond-haired King of Britain!
Excalibur—Curry Stick!
"Clang!"
Metal clashed!
Ash wasn't intimidated by the aura—he raised his sword and blocked!
Despite being soft swords, the clash sounded like heavy blades colliding!
An invisible shockwave swept across the entire room!
"You're strong, Ash!"
"You're not bad yourself, Uncle!"
As the two Trainers clashed, Farfetch'd froze for a moment—
Then immediately charged at Aegislash with its leek!
If the Trainers were this fearless, how could it drag its Trainer down?!
So what if it was an Elite Four's ace Pokémon?!
I'll beat it anyway!
With a furious swing of its leek, Farfetch'd launched a wild attack straight at Aegislash!
Each side had its own opponent.
At first glance, Wikstrom's duo completely suppressed Ash and Farfetch'd!
After all, this wasn't Ash's specialty—barehanded combat—so he couldn't fully unleash his strength.
Being temporarily suppressed was normal!
But as the battle dragged on, the situation suddenly reversed.
And the one in trouble—
Was Wikstrom!
Something was wrong. Very wrong!
Beads of sweat slid down Wikstrom's forehead.
Why is this kid so strong?!
Every casual swing carried crushing force!
"Pika~"
Pikachu helplessly shrugged—it knew this would happen.
Ash's previous opponent had been Korrina's Mega Lucario!
Do you understand the significance of catching an Aura Sphere barehanded?!
After getting used to the longsword, Ash stopped feeling nervous.
He could even spare the attention to command Farfetch'd, who was being suppressed.
"Farfetch'd! Don't stare at Aegislash's eyes! Watch its movements! When it switches forms, that's when it's weakest! You must see through its actions!"
If Wikstrom's pressure was ten—
Then Farfetch'd's pressure was one hundred!
After all, the gap in strength between the two sides was like a chasm!
Turning the tables wouldn't be easy!
But—
"Ga!"
Duck-dad isn't made of sweet bean paste!
Look at me, you bastard!
A flash of blue light passed through Farfetch'd's wise eyes.
Aegislash's once-indistinguishable movements suddenly became traceable!
So this is Detect?!
Farfetch'd's gaze sharpened, as if everything were under its control!
The moment Aegislash switched from defense back to attack—
A white glow gathered around Farfetch'd's leek!
Secret Technique—Detect!
As if an immortal were drunk on ecstasy, shredding clouds into pieces!
The leek whistled through the air!
Before Aegislash could even complete its form change—
That leek smashed violently into its hardened blade!
The tremendous impact slammed Aegislash straight into the wall!
The wall instantly became a display stand for sword and shield!
The sudden reversal left everyone speechless.
Ash, you're a chicken-soup master!
One sentence and Farfetch'd learns a new move?!
Born with the sacred body of a breeder or what?!
"Ga ga ga!"
After landing its first effective counterattack, Farfetch'd laughed triumphantly!
See that?! This is Duck-dad's strength!
Then—
Farfetch'd clearly forgot one thing.
Aegislash was an Elite Four–level Pokémon, already brushing the edge of Champion level!
That Detect had succeeded mainly because of surprise.
For some reason, Diantha felt Farfetch'd was about to suffer.
"Pika~"
Professor Big Pika strongly agreed.
The battle wasn't over yet, and it was already getting cocky.
If not you, who else would be unlucky?!
Sure enough—
Joy turns to sorrow.
Aegislash, having perfectly imprinted itself into the wall, glared with murderous intent.
The King's Sword slashed out, releasing a psychic blade!
Farfetch'd hurriedly raised its leek to block.
Thankfully, it was a leek from Galar.
It barely managed to block the strike—
But a deep gash down to the stalk was carved into the leek.
Just a little more force—
And the entire leek would've been cut clean in half.
"Ga!"
Seeing its beloved leek so badly damaged, Farfetch'd instantly exploded in rage!
You can hit me!
But you cannot hurt my leek!
Empowered by some mysterious force—
Farfetch'd charged at Aegislash, swinging its leek wildly!
I'll fight you to the death, duck-style!
"Hehe, Ash, your Farfetch'd is really quite… unique. Just like you."
"Of course! My Farfetch'd is amazing!"
Ash clearly didn't catch the hidden meaning and accepted it as pure praise.
Diantha sighed.
He wasn't praising you…
After mastering Detect, Farfetch'd gained confidence fighting Aegislash.
Aegislash's most terrifying aspect was the switching between King's Shield and Sacred Sword—
Perfect offense and defense!
Especially for an Aegislash nearing Champion level.
Its attack and defense could practically be treated as a flat 140!
That alone was terrifying!
Yet Farfetch'd relied on flashy footwork to dodge attacks.
Occasionally, it used Detect to land a sneaky hit.
The philosophy was simple—
I can't beat you, but I can be annoying!
The originally one-sided battle was forcibly dragged into a fifty-fifty stalemate!
Viewers were utterly stunned.
You can fight like this?!
[Bruno: I see! Detect can be used as dynamic vision! Farfetch'd really deserves to be Master Ash's Pokémon! Incredible!]
[Ramos: So why is Champion Diantha just watching from the side?! OMO!]
[Diantha: Is it possible I'm just an observer? This trial is meant for Ash and Farfetch'd! Ramos, what are you even watching?!]
[Ramos: I'm watching Pikachu!]
[Ramos: ...]
Pikachu?
The Pikachu in Diantha's arms?
Or the Pikachu on her clothes?
Elite Four Ramos—your dignity has fallen!
[Lance: This topic is over!]
...
On screen—
An eerie balance formed on the battlefield.
Everyone waited for a turning point.
The strange stalemate bored Klefki.
Why wasn't anyone coming for it?
Just grab the key and clear the trial already!
Why beat the Trainer instead~
"Ash, you're really impressive. Even I'm starting to run out of stamina!"
"You're not bad either, Uncle! Among all my opponents, you rank in the top five!"
Ash said this with complete seriousness!
"Haha, is that so! I'm honored! But becoming a knight isn't that simple! Have you found your knight's path yet?!"
With that—
Wikstrom slashed horizontally at Ash!
"My… knight's path?"
Ash's eyes went blank, his thoughts sinking into the question.
Dreams. Ideals. Goals.
But what was a knight's path?!
I want to be a Pokémon Master—not a Pokémon Knight!
Yet—
In a corner no one noticed—
The Rusted Sword emitted a faint red glow.
"The path beneath your feet is your knight's path."
A gentle voice echoed in Ash's heart.
Ash's empty gaze instantly regained its resolve!
The road beneath his feet—
Was the road toward becoming a Pokémon Master!
Never had his eyes been so firm!
"Watch out!" "Ga!" "Pikachu!"
But when Ash snapped back to reality—
All he saw was a silver-white sword gleam!
Wikstrom's blade was already inches away!
It was too late to counterattack!
"Careful!"
Even Wikstrom couldn't help but warn him—this strike was with full strength!
"Crack!"
Backup QQ group: 芭九⑶玖（六）饲四⒍玲
The sword never struck Ash.
Instead, the sound of fibers being severed rang out.
Everyone stared in shock at the figure blocking Wikstrom's attack!
"Farfetch'd! Are you okay?!"
Ash reacted first, calling out urgently.
Farfetch'd turned its head—
Its eyes were filled with tears.
The moment it saw Ash, its emotions completely collapsed!
"Ga!"
Duck-dad's leek was cut!
But it still looked at Ash.
Only after confirming Ash wasn't injured—
Did tears finally spill down its face.
It had almost thought its Trainer was going to die!
"Thank you, Farfetch'd."
Ash crouched down and gently stroked its feathers.
"Ga."
"I'm fine. Let's keep fighting together! I think I've found the way to victory! My knight's path is clear now!"
"Ga?"
Hey! Weren't I supposed to understand the knight's path first?!
Seeing Farfetch'd's confusion, Ash spoke solemnly.
"Farfetch'd, your knight's path already showed itself earlier. Think back—what were you thinking in that moment?"
As he spoke, Ash patted its feathers again.
A trace of red light flowed from his palm into Farfetch'd's body.
"Ga?"
My knight's path?
When I saw Ash about to be attacked… what was I thinking?
I didn't want my Trainer to be hurt.
I didn't want my companion to suffer.
My knight's path…
It's… protection!
At that moment, Farfetch'd's gaze sharpened!
It picked up the leek that Wikstrom had split in half.
Its mind focused on one thought—
How to protect its Trainer!
If I destroy everything at the source—
Ash won't get hurt again!
"Hahaha! As expected of Ash and Farfetch'd! You've already grasped your own knight's paths!
Then—it's time for you to witness my knight's path!"
With that, Wikstrom threw aside his longsword and seized Aegislash itself.
Sword in the right hand!
Shield in the left!
An arrogant, exalted knight's stance!
High noon had arrived!
"Sacred Sword!"
Seeing this, Ash shifted his focus from Farfetch'd to Wikstrom.
At the same time, he pulled out the Rusted Sword glowing faintly red!
Zacian's phantom merged into Ash the moment he grasped the sword!
Ash.
Farfetch'd.
Zacian.
The three became one!
Facing Wikstrom and Aegislash's Sacred Sword—
Ash and Farfetch'd raised their weapons simultaneously!
Brilliant red light wrapped around them both!
Meteor Assault!
The crimson light gathered at the tip of the leek—directly facing Sacred Sword!
Farfetch'd hurled its leek like a falling star!
At the same time, Ash swung the Rusted Sword!
A crescent-shaped slash chased after the meteor!
At that instant—
Wikstrom felt pressure unlike anything he'd ever experienced!
But none of that mattered anymore!
He could see it clearly—
Farfetch'd had already found its knight's path!
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