I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 50 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Ash's sliding entrance left the surrounding audience stunned. It was the first time a Trainer had charged directly onto the field without a second thought, and Ash's speed was incredibly shocking.
His speed was almost faster than a Pokémon's; at least, Annihilape's speed earlier didn't seem as fast as Ash's. It was almost like Teleport, appearing beneath Annihilape in the blink of an eye.
Gary smiled wryly when he saw Pidgeot falling to the ground. Even if he wanted to catch Pidgeot, he simply didn't have the speed or strength to do so!
In that case, he wouldn't be catching Pidgeot; Pidgeot would just knock him out.
"Good job, Annihilape, come back." Seeing that Annihilape had completely fainted, Ash took out a Poké Ball and tapped it on Annihilape. The previous Outrage had exhausted all of Annihilape's strength; that attack was Annihilape's final song.
After the attack, regardless of whether the opponent had lost the ability to battle, Annihilape no longer had the strength to fight again.
This was also the first time one of Ash's Pokémon had lost the ability to battle. Although this time it was completely avoidable, Ash didn't care about any undefeated legends. As long as an action benefited his Pokémon, he would do it.
Just like this time, although Annihilape lost its ability to battle, it unleashed all of its power after evolving, and even at the very last moment, Annihilape fell standing. It didn't lose its ability to battle because of the opponent's attack, but rather due to its own exhaustion.
Both Annihilape's temperament and character showed excellent growth, so Ash willingly accepted this defeat.
After recalling Annihilape, Ash stood up from the ground and looked at Pidgeot. At first, Ash thought Pidgeot had suffered too heavy a blow from Annihilape, causing it to temporarily lose strength and fall from the sky.
But now he realized that Pidgeot seemed... to have no strength to stand up again?
Had it already lost the ability to battle? Was it instantly defeated by a single Outrage? Is that real or fake?!
You have to know, this was even with Reflect halving the attack. To be instantly defeated like that, just how high was Annihilape's attack power?
Gary and the referee also noticed this situation. The former's wry smile became even more bitter, while the latter directly announced the match result: "Pidgeot, Annihilape, both have lost the ability to battle simultaneously. Both Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon. Also, Ash, please return to your Trainer's box, otherwise, you will be penalized for a foul."
The referee gave Ash a small warning at the end. Theoretically, Trainers are not allowed to interfere with Pokémon battles, but Ash's actions weren't exactly interfering with the battle; he merely came in to retrieve his Pokémon.
Furthermore, since Annihilape had already been ruled as having lost the ability to battle, Ash rushing onto the field wasn't a big deal. Some Pokémon that don't like to enter Poké Balls, after losing the ability to battle, even require their Trainers to personally go onto the field and carry them off.
Ash's actions were pretty much the same as that, so it wasn't considered a foul. However, if Ash continued to stay on the field, that would truly be a foul.
"I understand, I'm sorry. I was a bit anxious and rushed in." Ash gave the referee an apologetic smile, then quickly ran off the field.
At that moment, he truly hadn't thought that much. In his mind, he was just worried that the newly evolved Annihilape would suffer too much damage from falling to the ground. Even if it could recover later, damage was still damage.
That's why he rushed out without thinking. He could only say it was a good thing he wasn't immediately disqualified for a foul; otherwise, he would truly have nowhere to cry.
When Ash returned to the Trainer's box, Gary also recalled Pidgeot. He now had three Pokémon left, and besides Blastoise, he had two of the weakest in his team. Winning was basically impossible.
Bad news: he couldn't win at all. Good news: he at least defeated one of Ash's Pokémon, even though Annihilape wasn't defeated by him, but rather lost the ability to battle due to exhaustion.
But why was Annihilape's stamina so low? Wasn't it because he had worn down Annihilape's stamina to that point? So, when you think about it, he did indeed defeat Annihilape.
At least he set a record that all opponents who battled Ash in the Indigo Plateau Conference could not achieve, but this also had to do with Ash's unwillingness to recall Annihilape.
If Ash had recalled Annihilape, it would have been like when he recalled Blastoise during the top 16 battle against Conway; it simply wouldn't have lost the ability to battle.
In silence, both sides took out their next Poké Balls and threw them simultaneously.
"I'm counting on you, Umbreon!"
"I choose you, Lucario!"
With a flash of light, the blue Lucario and the dark Umbreon appeared on the field.
Gary's Umbreon was caught midway through his journey. This Eevee had incredibly high talent, catching up to his main team's level in a very short time and successfully joining the front-line combatants. Although its level was only Professional Level beginner, its 'age' was the youngest among Gary's main Pokémon.
Aside from Umbreon, all of Gary's main Pokémon were partners who had been with him from the beginning. Only Umbreon caught up midway, which shows how strong Umbreon's talent is.
However, no matter how strong Umbreon's talent, it is currently only Professional Level beginner. Even if both their talents are not weak, at this point in the Indigo Plateau Conference, they can only hover around Gym Leader Level.
Even with talent as strong as Ash's, none of his Pokémon have reached Elite Four Class. Elite is a huge threshold, and it will take some time to cross it.
If Umbreon is the most talented Pokémon Gary has, then Lucario's position in Ash's team is no less significant.
Lucario's level is now the same as Pidgeot's, having crossed Professional Level and reached Gym Leader Level. As a relatively late addition to Ash's team, Lucario's level is also in the first tier, and its talent is absolutely top-notch.
It's just that Ash's team has too many monsters. If it were in someone else's hands, Lucario's talent wouldn't just be called strong; it would be described as unique.
Its level couldn't just be called a main force; it would be ace-level!
But Lucario is with Ash, and there are four other monsters like him in Ash's hands... Besides Squirtle, who didn't get any special boosts, Charizard, Venusaur, Pikachu, and Gardevoir, these four Pokémon completely overshadowed Lucario, like four insurmountable high walls.
But in terms of talent, Lucario is second only to Gardevoir. This is something Charizard, Venusaur, and even Pikachu cannot compare to.
However, talent is not absolute. Pikachu and other Pokémon have come this far not just by their exceptional talent, but by other things as well.
"Lucario? This is a very rare Pokémon. These Pokémon generally inhabit the Sinnoh region, and their numbers are very scarce. I didn't expect Ash to have one!" Lucario's appearance also surprised the host.
In previous matches, Ash had never sent out Lucario, just like Primeape. It was a Pokémon making its debut. All the Pokémon Ash sent out in today's match were unseen before!
"Lucario, huh... I still remember that battle vividly. If I didn't know your Lucario couldn't use that kind of power anymore, I'd pack up and leave right now." Gary's mouth twitched as he recalled that battle.
When Lucario battled Mewtwo back then, he was one of the parties involved!
That battle was incredibly exaggerated, a divine-level battle that could almost destroy the entire Viridian City!
If Lucario could still unleash that level of power now, Gary would turn and leave immediately. Forget about dignity and fighting to the end; he wanted his Pokémon to live longer.
However, based on his observations at Oaks Laboratory, Lucario no longer possessed that exaggerated power. Although its strength was still very formidable, it was quite a bit weaker compared to that time.
Therefore, he didn't need to turn and leave... "You still remember that battle? It's been so long."
"Heh heh, if you let anyone watch that battle, they wouldn't forget it."
The two of them spoke in riddles on the field like riddle masters, leaving the surrounding audience confused and itching with curiosity. Which battle were these two talking about? It sounded incredibly exaggerated, and it was Lucario's show.
Why would they say that Lucario couldn't unleash its former power now?
All these mysteries arose in the minds of the many spectators, but they could not be resolved. Only the Elite Four, who were in the know, knew which battle Gary was referring to.
"Enough talk, let's get down to business! Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" The pleasantries ended, and Gary launched the first attack.
For Lucario, Dark-type attacks only cause minimal damage. Gary knew this, but still chose to attack with a Dark-type move.
Because for Umbreon, Dark-type is its most proficient attribute, and this attribute is perfect for a feint attack.
A dark Energy Ball condensed in front of Umbreon. The targeted Lucario, however, watched the opponent motionlessly, yet the Umbreon, who had attacked first, involuntarily took a step back.
The faint aura emanating from Lucario, and the power within its body that had a type advantage over Umbreon, made Umbreon feel a little intimidated.
"Don't be afraid, Umbreon, let's show our spirit! Shadow Ball, fire!" Gary also noticed Umbreon's slight fear, but he didn't blame Umbreon at all, after all, it was facing Lucario!
To be able to stand in front of Lucario and battle it already required immense pressure, so Umbreon's behavior was not shameful. As a Trainer, Gary's job was to encourage it, to make it face its fear and take that step!
Upon hearing this, Umbreon, which had taken a step back, suddenly stepped forward, as if to dispel the fear in its heart. Immediately after, the dark Energy Ball condensed in front of it shot out fiercely, like an arrow released from a bow, rushing towards Lucario.
"Lucario, Extreme Speed!" Ash's voice only rang out after the opponent's attack arrived, and Lucario's figure had almost disappeared from its original spot the moment the words fell.
The next second, Lucario appeared in front of Umbreon, delivering a flying knee kick that struck Umbreon hard on the chin, sending Umbreon flying into the sky!
"What fast Extreme Speed, faster than Arcanine!"
"And this level... it's already Gym Leader Level, Squirtle, how many Gym Leader Level Pokémon does Ash even have? Has he really only been traveling for half a year?"
"This is Kanto's super rookie! If we talk about quality, perhaps all the young generation of this era can't compare to Ash alone. Is Kanto really about to rise?"
"..."
Lucario's first move immediately drew gasps from the surrounding audience. Many people instantly recognized that Lucario's level had reached Gym Leader Level. So far, Ash had already showcased five Gym Leader Level Pokémon, and this might not even be Ash's limit.
It's worth noting that Ash is just a novice Trainer who has only been traveling for a little over half a year. If he had specialized in one Pokémon and trained it to be exceptionally strong, then that could be explained by that Pokémon's exceptional talent, coupled with Ash's talent as a Trainer.
Now, so many of his Pokémon are Gym Leader Level, and they also appear to be exceptionally well-trained from their appearance, not the kind of rushed leveling that completely disregards stat values.
Is this even human?
On the field, after Lucario sent Umbreon flying, Ash shouted loudly: "Press the advantage, Lucario, use Brick Break!"
Ash hadn't forgotten the Reflect that Alakazam had set up before it left. The Reflect was still on the field and hadn't disappeared. Arcanine and Pidgeot were defeated earlier entirely because Annihilape's attack power was strong enough, a power gained by sacrificing defense and stamina.
Now that there was an opportunity to break Reflect, it was better to shatter it as soon as possible. That thing, being able to halve physical attacks, was truly a bit annoying.
Lucario pushed off the ground, leaping up and instantly appearing in front of the airborne Umbreon. At this moment, Umbreon was still in agonizing pain from Lucario's Flying Knee Kick. Even though it had been weakened by Reflect, the damage from Extreme Speed was still very high, given the one major level difference between them.
By the time Umbreon realized Lucario was in front of it, it was too late to react. Lucario's palm chopped down vertically, and an invisible wall was directly split open by the palm imbued with Fighting-type energy. Then, the palm passed through the wall and struck Umbreon's head!
"Swoosh!"
"Boom!!"