This time, Ash once again sent out the unevolved Riolu, facing an enemy they thought impossible to defeat, although this enemy was much stronger than the time they faced Elite Koga.
One could even say they were not on the same level.
Back then, Bulbasaur was at least Elite Level, but now Riolu was only at Advanced Peak, and it was facing at least a Champion-level Pokemon. Isn't this even more despairing than facing Koga back then?
However, if Ash could make Riolu unleash the same power Bulbasaur had back then, even facing Mewtwo might not be unwinnable!
The power that Bulbasaur burst forth with was definitely the strongest that Misty and Brock had ever seen, making Elite Peak seem weak in comparison, something that normal Champion-level could not achieve.
According to their estimation, one would need to have at least mid-Champion-level power to achieve that.
So if Riolu could truly unleash power of that caliber, there might still be hope for victory!
"Sending out a Pokemon that hasn't even reached its final evolution, Ash, are you really underestimating Mewtwo and me!" Giovanni laughed bitterly.
When it came down to it, Ash really abandoned everything, despairingly sending out a Pokemon that seemed impossible to win, which left Giovanni feeling disappointed instead.
People who give up when facing difficulties have no hope of success, no matter how high their talent appears; if they do not resolve their mindset, they will remain the same for life.
Why did Giovanni go through great lengths to use Arceus's contract? Wasn't it to turn Ash's thinking towards Team Rocket without changing his talent and mindset?
If he were to win, then Ash's future thoughts would naturally lean towards Team Rocket, rather than thinking about rebellion while helping Team Rocket.
If it was only that level, he could achieve it through Mewtwo's Hypnosis.
However, he aimed to preserve Ash's growth potential, allowing Ash to grow to a Champion, or even surpass Leon, leading Team Rocket to become the strongest organization in the world!
But now, Ash's performance was making him very disappointed...
"No final evolution? Since it doesn't matter, let me show it to you then. Riolu, evolve," said Ash... or Aura Ash, still in a calm voice.
With his command, Riolu's body instantly erupted in dazzling light!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Riolu's body began to grow, finally reaching a height close to 1.8 meters, and only then did the light disperse from him.
Evolution—Lucario!
Unlike the cuteness of Riolu, Lucario gave people a feeling of being handsome, graceful, and extremely reliable.
Compared to Riolu, Lucario experienced growth all over its body, with the rock-hard part on his hands growing into sharp spikes.
Ash's command once again stunned all the onlookers. "You God of Evolution, can you make a Pokemon evolve just by saying so?"
The reason Giovanni used to criticize Ash vanished completely at this moment.
"You said I used a Pokemon that hasn't reached final evolution, so I'll just let it evolve."
Although the newly evolved form is only slightly stronger than when it was unevolved, and still weak in front of Mewtwo, Giovanni was left speechless by Ash's actions.
Today, he lost count of how many times he had been slapped in the face. Was this kid a professional face-slapper?
However, Giovanni noticed something unusual in Riolu evolving into Lucario. Ash didn't seem to have given up, looking as if he hadn't abandoned hope.
If he truly had given up, would he still appear so calm? Would he still directly evolve Riolu?
At this moment, Giovanni, like Misty, remembered the scene when Ash battled Koga, and combined with what Misty had just said about the God of Victory's favor... Could he be cheating again?
"Why, does my Riolu evolving into Lucario make you so unhappy, Giovanni?" Aura Ash casually rotated his wrist, sarcastically.
He was still adapting to this new body and could only say that it truly lived up to the power of the chat group. This body almost completely inherited his Aura Power, and combined with the Aura Power he trained himself, Ash in this world was already stronger than him in sheer personal strength.
However, if it came to fighting, Ash in this world might not be his opponent. After all, fighting not only depends on physical condition but also on fighting experience. He was trained daily against Legendary Beasts, and his experience was on another level.
"You can control a Pokemon's evolution with just a word; it seems you haven't given up hope... Are you going to use the same tactics you used against Koga? Don't tell me the God of Victory is favoring you again?" Giovanni said mockingly, implying Ash shouldn't rely on the God of Victory as an excuse. If Victini had appeared, he would have known!
Ash slightly raised his eyes and didn't respond to Giovanni. He then slowly made a gesture with his hands in front of him, connecting his index, middle, and thumb fingers, forming an inverted heart shape.
Lucario followed Ash and made the same gesture, with a powerful force ready to be unleashed rising within them.
Feeling the power rising within him, Lucario couldn't help but find it quite incredible.
He mimicked the gesture Ash made, only thinking Ash was going to merge his Aura Power with the strength within him, but the rising force inside didn't seem like it was Ash's Aura Power merging. Rather, it felt like his own innate power!
As the force rose within, Lucario felt a hundred times stronger than when he first evolved!
After evolving, his level rose to Elite Advanced, skipping two stages at once; this was the result of his accumulation.
The original plan was for him to reach Elite Junior Level and then use evolution to jump to Elite Peak in one go, but Ash had him evolve now, so he didn't reach the anticipated target.
However, Lucario didn't mind, because just standing on the field, he could feel the pressure Mewtwo exerted, an extremely terrifying force he couldn't counter before evolving.
Even after evolving, he still wouldn't last a round against it. But if Ash's Aura combined with his, there would be a slim chance of one in a million to fight against it.
But now, with that force rising within him, the pressure from Mewtwo instantly vanished!
Moments later, Lucario opened his eyes and squeezed his paws, feeling a force unimaginable.
He felt as if his whole body was floating among clouds, what an incredible power this was!
Lucario, having just gained this power, couldn't control it well, leading to a portion leaking out. Upon seeing the leaking power from Lucario, Giovanni's expression instantly became extremely dark.
Even though this force was just crudely revealed, it wasn't inferior to the restrained Mewtwo presently; how could this be? The Lucario which was originally at Advanced Peak, and even after evolving should have at most been at Elite Intermediate Level, so why did it suddenly gain this power?
Was it Ash's unique ability? No, Ash's special ability can enhance Pokemon's power, but according to his intelligence and information from the recent battle, that ability couldn't enhance Pokemon to this extent.
So, where did this power within Lucario come from? Could it actually be from that supposed God of Victory? That's nonsense! Even if Victini appeared, its power would have been as obvious as a light in the dark within Viridian City, impossible for Mewtwo not to detect.
Yet, within Mewtwo's detection, no strange power appeared around. The power within Lucario seemed to have emerged out of nowhere in his body!
What is this technique?!