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On the computer, Aron's HP instantly recovered to full, not only astonishing Brock but also leaving Misty and Joe wide-mouthed, unable to utter a sound.
They had initially not understood this strategy, but after Brock's explanation, they mostly grasped it.
However, as Brock said, this strategy had a fatal flaw: Aron's Endeavor could only be used once, as its Sturdy ability wouldn't activate if it wasn't at full HP.
Yet, before Brock's doubts had even ended, reality slapped him twice – Aron's HP was full again!
Although he didn't know how it was done, if it could be repeated every time, then following the normal flow… wouldn't Aron be able to sweep the team?
Ash clicked the Endeavor move while explaining how Aron recovered: "The item Aron is holding is a Shell Bell, which restores one-eighth of the damage dealt as HP. The opponent's level seventy Pokémon, even if it's only one-eighth, is still more than Aron's full HP. So, as long as Endeavor hits the opponent, Aron's HP will inevitably recover to full."
As he explained, Ash had already used Endeavor to defeat Karen the Elite's second Pokémon.
This gimmick strategy seemed cheap, but in reality, there were many ways to counter it. However, that required specific Pokémon, or certain abilities and moves.
After a long pause, Karen's AI seemed to finally come up with a solution, sending out Tyranitar as her third Pokémon!
Ash also clicked Endeavor, leaving Tyranitar severely weakened. He then noticed that the Sandstorm ultimately failed to finish off the opponent.
After a brief moment of surprise, Ash realized that this Pokémon called Tyranitar must be Rock or Steel type. This was one of the flaws of this strategy; if it encountered Pokémon of these two types, it couldn't rely on Sandstorm to finish them off.
But the two Pokémon he carried were precisely for this purpose.
Ash first used Tackle to forcibly deplete the opponent's last sliver of HP. Immediately after, Karen sent out her fourth Pokémon, Honchkrow, which easily took down the not-at-full-HP Aron with a Wing Attack.
However, Ash had two Arons!
Ash sent out his second Aron, then repeated the Endeavor strategy. Honchkrow was taken down again without surprise. Karen then sent out her fifth Pokémon, Absol, but it still couldn't escape the Endeavor plus Sandstorm combo!
In this way, Karen's Pokémon were directly taken down five times by Aron using the same move. However, Ash also faced a disadvantage.
Data has its advantages and disadvantages. In the real world, weather moves are calculated by time, but in the game, they are calculated by turns. After Tyranitar's delay just now, the Sandstorm had already ended.
Karen only had one Pokémon left, Houndoom, which was also Karen's ace Pokémon in the real world.
If this were the real world, perhaps Houndoom could directly turn the tide of battle, but sorry… this was a game.
After two consecutive attacks, Aron fainted, but Houndoom was also left with only a sliver of HP due to Endeavor.
And in Ash's reserves, there was still a level one Hippopotas!
As long as Hippopotas was released, and its ability used to kick up sand again, the opponent's Houndoom would be taken down by this final Sandstorm.
However, Ash didn't choose to use Hippopotas, but instead sent out Gyarados.
After tricking the opponent for so long, it was time for a head-on clash!
If the opponent were the real Karen, she would definitely be cursing.
Look at the tiny bit of HP Houndoom had left, like a candle in the wind, falling with a touch. How could this be a head-on clash?
Gyarados, holding a Choice Scarf, had its speed increased by fifty percent from its base, making it faster than a Houndoom of the same level!
Finally, Gyarados took down the opponent with a Waterfall, securing Ash's victory in this battle.
Looking at the words 'Congratulations on defeating the Elite' on the computer screen, Joe momentarily thought he was dreaming.
A Trainer who debuted less than a month ago… defeated an Elite Four level simulated battle? How was that possible?!
"Clap, clap, clap, truly a brilliant strategy. I never thought an Elite Four level challenge could be defeated so easily one day."
"That's amazing! Which school's Giselle are you from?"
"How did that strategy work? What's its core? Can you explain it to us?!"
"…"
When Ash defeated Karen and let out a sigh of relief, the sudden clamor behind him startled him.
Ash turned around and saw that many students from this school had gathered around him, some young, and some more mature. As for the clapping sound at the beginning, it came from a beautiful woman, and the people around her seemed to be led by her.
"Who are you? And who are all of you?" Ash hadn't yet realized why so many people would gather to watch him play a 'video game'.
"She is Giselle, the top student in the junior division. Her strength is already comparable to a Trainer with four badges. She's not even sixteen this year, and if she wanted to, she could upgrade to the intermediate division anytime," Joe whispered to Ash from the side.
"Giselle…" Ash looked at the other party. She had an undeniable air of arrogance about her. Even as she spoke words of admiration, her face still conveyed a domineering presence.
But it had to be said, this girl was indeed very beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, and features as if painted. Dressed in a JK uniform, she showcased her figure perfectly.
"Are you a graduate from another Pokémon research institute?" Giselle asked Ash with some curiosity.
"No, I'm just a Trainer who started traveling less than a month ago," Ash shook his head, denying it.
Upon hearing this, Giselle's pretty face showed surprise: "Just started traveling less than a month ago? Are you kidding me? How could someone who started traveling less than a month ago defeat an Elite Four level difficulty, and using such weak Pokémon? If you didn't have in-depth research on Pokémon, you would absolutely not be able to come up with that kind of strategy."
They had arrived halfway through Ash's battle and had personally witnessed his various maneuvers. Although they hadn't seen the level one Hippopotas use its ability to unleash a Sandstorm at the beginning, this didn't prevent them from seeing Ash sweep the opponent's team with two level one Pokémon and one Gyarados.
The person who could devise such a strategy was just a Trainer who had traveled for less than a month?
Are you messing with me, treating me like a Spoink? Don't be so ridiculous!
Ash shrugged, spreading his hands, and said: "I have no reason to lie to you. Right now, I've only gotten two Gym Badges. The main reason we came to this academy is because we got lost in the forest… Oh, by the way, how do we get out of this forest? We need to go to Vermilion City, could you give us directions?"
Mid-sentence, Ash also remembered their main purpose for coming to this school, which was to ask for directions!
As for defeating the Elite's AI, it was just Ash wanting to test the gimmick strategy devised by Tactician Ash in the group.
Facts proved that against AI with relatively fixed thinking, this gimmick strategy could achieve unexpected and miraculous effects.
But if someone thought this strategy could defeat a real-world Elite, then it could only be said that person's brain was absolutely waterlogged… However, if it was just a game, even Ash, who had only debuted for less than a month, could say — Elite? They're just weaklings!