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Upon receiving the command, Pikachu on the field once again transformed into a bolt of electricity, fiercely colliding with Arbok.
However, Arbok, already prepared, withstood the attack, its body flickering with an uncertain light.
It had successfully charged up.
But just as Ash had thought, the critical hit effect of Electric Terrain allowed Pikachu to completely ignore the opponent's defense.
However, if one wasn't aware, it would be difficult to discern the critical hit effect.
Only by calculating the damage with extensive Trainer experience, and noticing that the damage taken by their Pokémon was unusual, would they realize it later.
Ash wouldn't be so kind as to tell Koga about the special effect of Pikachu's Electric Terrain. Since Koga was intent on increasing his defense for a war of attrition, Ash could just keep using Electric Terrain all the way through!
"Arbok, Stockpile."
Koga's next command surprised Ash, whose expression instantly changed.
Stockpile could eliminate the defense boost from charging, and instead restore nearly a quarter of its HP.
"Pikachu, stop him, Electric Terrain!!"
The best way to prevent the opponent from restoring HP is to interrupt it. Ash had Pikachu use Electric Terrain to attack once more.
If a move is effective, there's no harm in using it often.
Every time Pikachu used Electric Terrain to hit the opponent, it would immediately use the recoil to distance itself from Arbok.
After all, he was a fragile Pokémon. If he accidentally got grazed or touched by Arbok, it would result in severe injury or even loss of battle capability.
Challenging above one's level was like walking a tightrope; one wrong step could lead to utter ruin.
Therefore, both Pikachu and Ash's idea was to immediately pull back after attacking Arbok, which would also reduce the chance of error.
But their caution also gave Arbok a chance to recover.
Pikachu immediately used Electric Terrain upon receiving Ash's command, but a white light of recovery had already lit up on Arbok's body.
As Pikachu, shimmering with golden light, appeared before Arbok, he fiercely slammed into him.
If not for that recovery just now, this Electric Terrain attack might have decided the outcome.
But after recovering, Arbok could endure again. Not only that, this time Koga had also anticipated that Pikachu would use Electric Terrain to attack.
And he was prepared to withstand this move and then counterattack!
"Arbok, Poison Tail."
Arbok instantly swung its tail, which glowed with a dark purple light.
After Pikachu landed Electric Terrain on the opponent, he was, as usual, sent flying by the recoil, but in mid-air, Arbok's Poison Tail had already caught up!
Previously, Arbok had failed to counterattack multiple times after Pikachu used Electric Terrain. On one hand, Koga, as a Trainer, had been repeatedly shocked by Pikachu.
On the other hand, the force Arbok endured after being hit by Electric Terrain was simply too strong.
Each time, he was left paralyzed and stiff, so how could he counterattack?
But after enduring multiple attacks from the opponent, and with prior preparation, Arbok was now able to defend and counterattack!
This time, Pikachu wouldn't escape!
'Thunderbolt!'
Poison Tail was in Pikachu's inevitable retreat path. It was too late to use Aerial Ace now, so he could only forcefully use Thunderbolt to block it.
At this moment, Ash didn't even have time to speak, but directly transmitted his command to Pikachu using Aura.
Pikachu in mid-air instantly erupted with brilliant golden lightning, colliding with Poison Tail.
"Boom!!"
A deafening sound exploded on the field, and a terrifying, visible shockwave spread out, filling the sky with black smoke.
The next second, a golden-yellow figure shot out from the smoke, doing several somersaults in mid-air before landing steadily on the ground.
In the nick of time, Thunderbolt still managed to block Poison Tail, but this also made Pikachu's already poor stamina even worse.
Although Arbok's attacks hadn't hit Pikachu even once, Pikachu was already panting heavily.
Ash sighed softly in his heart. Battling above one's level was truly difficult. Pikachu's attacks had hit the opponent so many times, and two of those attacks were landed while Electric Terrain was active.
Yet, Arbok was still standing strong, its HP only slightly lower than Pikachu's at most.
This stark contrast was the gap brought about by the level difference.
"That reaction speed is truly fast. If it weren't for the reaction speed brought by your special ability, Pikachu would have already fallen," Koga praised involuntarily.
Trainers with special abilities were indeed enviable.
Such a huge level gap was being compensated for by the Trainer's ability. If Ash's Pokémon were at the same level as his, then this battle would have probably ended long ago.
"If not for Aura, I wouldn't even be qualified to stand before you, Mr. Koga. Let's decide the match with the next move," Ash said in a low voice.
It wasn't that the next move would decide the match; it was that the next move would definitely decide the match!
If this move failed to defeat Arbok, then Pikachu would lose. He no longer had the strength to contend with Arbok.
If Arbok were to drag out the battle again with a move like the Stockpile and Swallow combination, Pikachu would only fall in regret due to insufficient stamina.
So, he had to use his most powerful move to finish off the opponent in one go.
"Decide the match? It seems your Pikachu can't hold on any longer."
Koga said, but his vigilance was at its peak.
Pikachu would probably gather all his strength into this one move. If he could block it, then he would win. If he couldn't, there was nothing more to say.
Theoretically, all he had to do now was defend. No matter what move the opponent used, as long as he used Protect, he would win.
But he was an Elite!
Even if he were a candidate, he was still an Elite!
Facing a Rookie Trainer who had debuted two months ago, and even using an Elite-level Pokémon, yet having to rely on defense to win—even if he won, he would lose all face!
This was being broadcast live across the entire League. No matter what, he couldn't assume a defensive stance.
Since the opponent was accumulating all their strength for the next move, he would do the same.
He refused to believe that Arbok would lose to Pikachu in a head-on attack!
"Pikachu, Dazzling Thunder Light!!" Ash waved his hand, commanding Pikachu's final move.
Dazzling Thunder Light? Koga couldn't help but be stunned upon hearing the move's name.
After Electric Terrain and that move called Aerial Ace, here was another four-character move name that he hadn't heard of... Could all these moves be Ash's own creations?
The first two moves allowed Pikachu's speed to reach its limit, and its power seemed extraordinary. His Arbok, even after increasing its defense, was still badly hit, as if the opponent had ignored Arbok's boosted defense.
The latter move allowed Pikachu to briefly float in the sky and change direction in mid-air, essentially giving him a form of flight.
So what was the effect of this move?
Koga's mind raced with thoughts, but in less than a second, he directly commanded, "Arbok, use Gunk Shot!"
No matter what kind of move the opponent's move was, he would just meet it head-on with his most powerful move!
Even if it was a speed-boosting move like Electric Terrain, if the opponent dared to collide, Koga was ten-tenths confident that Gunk Shot would hit him.
Did they really think that being fast and having quick reactions meant they could do whatever they wanted?
As for a regular move collision, his Arbok had even less to fear. Elite-level versus Professional-level. Should I avoid his sharp edge? What a joke!
Pikachu erupted with brilliant golden lightning all around him, the electric flashes shooting skyward. The sky was also covered by a defensive barrier, but under Pikachu's lightning burst, the defensive barrier shattered instantly like paper!
The lightning roared into the sky, and the next moment, the sky was instantly filled with dark clouds, with golden electric flashes shimmering faintly within.
Koga couldn't help but narrow his eyes. This move seemed similar to the Electric-type ultimate move, Thunder. It appeared to be using its own lightning to draw upon the power of heaven and earth for a lightning strike.
No wonder he said he would use this move to decide the match; its power was indeed extraordinary. But so what?
Arbok opened its gaping maw, the purple light within its mouth so concentrated it had almost turned black!
"Go, Arbok, finish him!" Koga commanded coldly, and Arbok instantly unleashed the toxic power accumulated to its limit!
Black, sludge-like, poisonous energy spewed forth, directly targeting Pikachu on the ground.
"Pika—chu!!!" Pikachu leaped into the air, and with his cry, a golden bolt of lightning struck down from the sky!
The lightning's target was not Arbok, but Pikachu!
"Crack!" The golden lightning struck Pikachu, filling his body with dense electrical power. Ash also clenched his fists at this moment, his gaze becoming incredibly sharp. His and Pikachu's hearts completely aligned at this moment.
We must win! We absolutely must win!
The desire to win reached its peak in this instant, and the power of Dazzling Thunder Light erupted to its maximum on Pikachu!
Black-gold lightning burst forth from Pikachu!
Thunderbolts as thick as a bucket collided with Gunk Shot in mid-air!
"Boom!!!"
The moment the two moves collided, an unparalleled, terrifying force erupted from the center of the field. In an instant, the surrounding shield was covered with dense cracks!
Koga's eyes widened, his face filled with an expression of disbelief.
This was a barrier that could even withstand the attacks of a Gym leader at its peak, yet now it was directly filled with cracks by the aftermath of the first collision!
One must know that the shockwave caused by a moving collision is not just a single occurrence. If it were to collide again... "Thump!"
"Crack!!"
The shockwave spread out and hit the surrounding barrier once more. The barrier emitted a crisp sound and shattered with a crash under everyone's gaze!
The staff, Aya, Misty, and Brock, who were watching, were stunned, then turned and ran back without hesitation.
Without the barrier, this Gym would probably be directly demolished!
"Bang!"
The shockwave spread out a third time, but it did not hit the nearby Gym building or Misty and the others. Instead, it was blocked by a blue barrier.
Koga's expression froze, and his gaze quickly shot towards Ash's position. He found that Ash's eyes were fixed on the center of the colliding attacks, completely oblivious to the surrounding scene.
'It wasn't Ash who did it? Then who was it?'
On the other side, Misty, Brock, and the others, who had run halfway, turned back and saw a brand new barrier appear. Knowing Ash's power, they knew that this should have been Ash's doing.
However, Ash's current appearance seemed to be fully focused on the battle situation. How could he also be distracted enough to create a barrier to protect the surrounding people?
At this moment, the collision on the field intensified!
The black-gold lightning and the dark-black Gunk Shot were in a stalemate, with neither side giving way. Whoever faltered first would lose.
'Don't lose to him, Pikachu. Believe in the bond between us. The strength of Dazzling Thunder Light depends on our mutual feelings, so theoretically, the power of this move can reach infinity, because the bond between us has no limit. Suppress him!!'
"Pika... Pikachu!!!"
Ash's shout echoed in Pikachu's heart. Pikachu, who had already reached his limit, focused his expression, then let out a loud cry, and a new power erupted from his body once again!
The black-gold lightning, with unstoppable force, shattered the dark-black energy that was in the midst of confrontation. The energy beam broke inch by inch, and finally, under Arbok's terrified snake eyes, the lightning completely engulfed Arbok!
The lightning shot up from Arbok's location, completely piercing the sky!
Ten seconds later, the lightning erupting on the field slowly dissipated. Pikachu fell to the ground from the air, looking very weak.
Arbok, on the opposite side, was completely black, like a lump of charcoal, looking more than ten times more miserable than Pikachu!
The entire audience, including countless people watching the live broadcast, became dumbfounded.
He... he won again?
The Rookie Trainer defeated another one of the Elite candidate's Pokémon? And it was a main Pokémon!
Was this really not acting or holding back?
But who could act to such an extent? Even if it was acting, it had become real. There was absolutely no holding back in that final collision. Both sides had erupted with power far beyond their limits, just to win this battle.
Pikachu was ultimately superior in skill. Although he was now too weak to move, compared to that charcoal-like thing on the other side, Pikachu's condition was simply too good.
Most importantly, Pikachu had not lost consciousness and thus had not lost his ability to battle. So, the victory in this second round belonged to Pikachu.