The Salamence hit by the Ice Beam let out a cry of anguish; the quad weakness was absolutely fatal for Salamence.
Even though the attacker had a significant level gap, the quad weakness compensated for it, and with Blastoise's MEGA evolution boosting its ATK, it could inflict some damage even against an Elite-level Salamence, let alone with this quad-effectiveness attack.
Previously, Salamence was hit multiple times by attacks from both sides. Although it launched several attacks, Torterra skillfully dissolved them, taking on the role of a tank. Otherwise, if Gary's Blastoise were hit even once, it would likely have no strength left to fight.
This attack from Blastoise became the final straw that broke Salamence. After an unwilling roar, Salamence finally fell down weakly.
At this moment, two Salamence suddenly descended from the sky, making Gary and Paul go green. Were they seriously going to have to battle again? Wait, that's not what the sign at the entrance said!
The rules and victory conditions of the Dragon Trials were written on a sign at the entrance. Otherwise, even though neither of them understood Pokemon language, they couldn't possibly know they could only use one Pokemon in the battles against Salamence.
But the entrance sign didn't state that after battling one Salamence, they would have to continue battling. If they were limited to one Pokemon, they simply didn't have the strength left to defeat the other two Salamence!
However, after landing, one of the Salamence picked up the fallen Salamence, placing it on its back, and directly flew into the Inner Island, while the remaining Salamence nodded at the two, indicating for them to sit on its back.
Paul and Gary exchanged a glance and then retrieved their Pokemon, with the MEGA form of Blastoise ending as well upon recall.
The duo sat on Salamence and flew into the depths of the island. Within two minutes, Salamence descended from the sky, and Gary and Paul spotted someone familiar below—Ash!
They were aware that Ash had entered the island earlier, something that counted as a Champion's privilege. Since they hadn't won the championship, they had no complaints. Compared to Ash, they spent a whole day and a half just getting inside.
Maybe Ash had already chosen his Pokemon, while they were wasting their time getting to the Inner Island.
But now, they saw Ash with a Dragonair, seemingly doing something… Was he training Dragonair? It looked kind of silly.
"...Actually, flying is quite simple. You just need to get used to the sensation in the sky, then learn to control the wind. Although I don't know what controlling the wind feels like, isn't this an innate ability of yours? If other Dragonair can do it, you definitely can too!"
"Though I can't tell you how to harness the power of the wind, I can show you how I fly." Ash finished speaking, stood up slowly, then stomped the ground hard, leaping into the air!
In the air, Ash stomps forcefully, creating visible waves, instantly swapping positions elsewhere in the air.
"Strictly speaking, this method can't really be considered flying. It's more like using the impact of the stomp to Levitate myself. But I feel it's quite similar to utilizing wind power. See, isn't it simple!"
Ash shouted down to the Dragonair, emitting muffled sounds while hovering in the air.
The next moment, Ash spotted the bewildered Salamence in the air, along with the equally stunned Paul and the slightly resigned Gary sitting behind it.
"Gary! Paul! You're here too!" Ash greeted them while 'Levitate' in the air.
Paul looked at Gary with a shock, his eyes seemingly saying, 'Is this guy Ash?'
Gary nodded helplessly, saying, "You're not mistaken, that's Ash. He is a freak unaffected by typical limits of a human. Flying or traversing the earth, it's nothing for Ash. He usually trains with Pokemon, even more diligently than the Pokemon themselves. I don't need to explain what that implies, do I?"
Paul: ...
For a moment, Paul almost thought his ears were betraying him. What did Gary mean by flying and the training intensity exceeding that of Pokemon? Is this guy even human?
It turns out Ash was not only strong with his Pokemon but also a freak in his own right!
Come to think of it, in the Quartz Conference, Ash flashed into the arena once and caught his own Pokemon. Back then, he didn't know what that meant...
That was merely the tip of the iceberg of Ash's superhuman prowess, and now it's showcased with even more intensity!
Weren't you here to find Pokemon on Dragon Island? What are you doing now? Teaching a Dragonair to fly???
'Turns out, I still can't comprehend this guy's thought process.' Paul silently admitted to himself, unable to understand Ash's thinking.
Perhaps he initially had some understanding, but with this scene unfolding before him, he's utterly baffled by Ash's reasoning. In normal circumstances, would anyone spend their time like this upon entering the urgent Dragon Island?