Moreover, deploying Pidgeot allows for complete attribute suppression against Annihilape. Pidgeot's flying attribute counters Annihilape's Fighting Type, rendering Annihilape's Ghost Attribute ineffective.
Actually, compared to Arcanine, Pidgeot was a better choice for the second round, but Gary was too eager for victory, hoping to use his absolute first move to crush Annihilape outright!
On the other hand, Gary is too wary of Ash. Even though Annihilape looks like a flickering candle in the wind, he still feared it held the power to turn the tables.
So he wanted to resolve the match quickly, but ended up losing both advantage and strategy, failing to defeat Annihilape and allowing it to instantly defeat Arcanine.
The Pidgeot that Gary sent out is only at Professional Middle Level, and compared to the previous two Pokemon, its level seems a bit underwhelming. However, in Gary's team, it's already a mainstay, ranking fourth after Blastoise and the first two Pokemon.
This is also why Gary didn't use Pidgeot against Annihilape initially; he trusted Arcanine partly due to its level.
But now, there's no Pokemon more suitable to face Annihilape than Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, Gary still has such a tricky Pokemon in his hand..." Ash felt uneasy upon seeing Pidgeot. If it were any other Pokemon, it would be fine, but normal-type Pidgeot can immune Annihilape's Rage Fist.
Not being able to knock out the opponent in one blow is quite disadvantageous for Annihilape.
In this situation, it's best to recall Annihilape, but after Ash exchanged a glance with Annihilape, he understood its wish to continue fighting!
Whether win or lose, it wants to fight till the last moment for its first battle since evolution.
"I understand, then let's continue, Annihilape! Show Gary our resilience!" Ash nodded, deciding to let Annihilape continue!
"You're still using Annihilape in this situation? If I didn't know you, I'd think Ash is letting me win. But I won't hold back, Pidgeot, use Air Cutter!" Continuing with a Pokemon that has nearly no Physical Strength seems like sending yourself off.
But this is Ash, until the very last moment, you never know what kind of power his Pokemon will unleash. Even if it's lying on the ground, as long as it hasn't lost its fighting ability, it might suddenly leap up and hit you out!
Such a description is a bit exaggerated, but it's exactly Gary's impression of Ash. He himself is a miracle existence, so anything unreasonable happening isn't surprising.
Under Gary's command, Pidgeot in the sky flapped its wings, scattering countless pure white energy blade Air Cutters.
The Air Cutters fell like a dense rain, blocking all paths for Annihilape's evasion, making it seem like Annihilape has no other choice but to take them head-on.
"Detect." Given Annihilape's current strength, even using Protect would struggle to defend against so many Air Cutters. If Pidgeot keeps attacking, Annihilape will inevitably be exhausted.
So Ash chose a defensive move of the same caliber as Protect, Detect!
Detect allows the user to see flaws in all attack paths. If evasion is possible, the body will dodge automatically. Only when evasion is impossible will Detect control the body to withstand the attack with minimal loss.
Essentially, it's a skill like Protect. As long as the attack's Level isn't much higher than the user's, the damage can be entirely avoided.
Moreover, this move consumes less energy, mainly focusing on evasion. Naturally, there are downsides.
The downside is if the attack can't be fully evaded, the user will still take damage. Even if the damage is minor, Detect loses its purpose if the user still gets hurt, especially for Annihilape now.
Even the slightest damage might defeat Annihilape, so it must dodge all attacks without being touched at all!
"Swish, swish, swish!!" As the Air Cutters fell continuously, Annihilape on the ground moved with precision, narrowly dodging the attacks without any excess movement.
On the field, all you could hear was Annihilape dodging and the Air Cutters slicing through air and striking the ground.
Like a tempest, the blades hit the ground, stirring a cloud of dust. After about a dozen seconds, Pidgeot finally ceased its attacking spree.
Annihilape's figure was obscured by the rising smoke, becoming invisible.
"Annihilape, use Outrage!!"
Gary: ???
The audience: ???
This call for Outrage left Gary and the surrounding audience bewildered. As everyone knows, Outrage is a Dragon Type's ultimate move, used when Dragon Types are in dire situations, intended for a desperate turnaround.
Once the move's duration ends, the user will attack indiscriminately.
Even among Dragon Types, it's a skill that's extremely hard to master. How can a non-Dragon Type Pokemon use Outrage?
"Does Annihilape have Dragon Attribute?!" Previously, Bruno was excited seeing Annihilape, but now it's Lance's turn to be thrilled.
If Annihilape truly has Dragon Attribute, Lance wouldn't mind having one, as mastering Outrage right after evolving indicates how pure its Dragon Attribute must be!
Even Pokemon like Charizard and Aerodactyl, which have dragon in their names, find learning Outrage very hard.
Yet now, a monkey, capable of using Outrage upon evolution, and you claim not to be a Dragon Type Pokemon!!
...
No matter how shocked people around are, Annihilape's Outrage has already been unleashed. The move releases all of its power, turning into a frenzy. It's a high-damage move with severe side effects.
Annihilape's figure burst from the smoke, its massive fists brutally pounding on Pidgeot, then switched to kicking its belly. In this moment, its limbs seemed to transform into a combat machine, relentlessly assaulting Pidgeot. Because of the enormous force, it stayed suspended in the air briefly!
Pidgeot faced relentless strikes from Annihilape, showing a painful expression. Even without an attribute advantage, the original power of Outrage was extremely strong, coupled with Annihilape's higher Level than Pidgeot and its attack power exceeding its Level, this machine-gun-like assault is hard for Pidgeot to withstand.
"Pidgeot, break away, fly up!!" Gary shouted, urging Pidgeot to escape, but Pidgeot was already trapped in Annihilape's cyclone of fists and kicks, unable to break free.
Now it's under assault all over its body unless it finds a gap in Annihilape's attack or bravely repels Annihilape. However, both conditions are hard to fulfill.
Currently, Annihilape is employing a desperate fighter strategy, knowing this is its final encore.
When a gap appears in Annihilape's attack, it indicates Annihilape has burned out.
"Boom!!" A massive sound erupted mid-air, marking Annihilape exhausting all its strength, falling from the sky.
Alongside it was Pidgeot, also plummeting. Seeing this, Ash rushed to the field, amid brushing movements, reaching the center to catch Annihilape steady, the other side's Pidgeot lacked a powerful Trainer to support it, it fell directly onto the ground, resonating with a dull thud...