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"I didn't see wrong, did I? Koga-san actually lost again?!"
"Unless my eyes are also faulty, then no, I didn't see wrong."
"Who exactly is that little boy? He's so powerful; he's already defeated two of Koga-san's Pokémon consecutively!"
"And the second one was defeated by Pikachu! That's a bit too outrageous!"
"Why does that Arbok look like Koga-san's main Pokémon to me?"
"Heh heh, that's a good joke, but it's not very clever. Koga-san's ace is Elite Four Class! You're telling me an Elite Four Class Pokémon was defeated by a little boy and a Pikachu? Are you kidding me?!"
"..."
On the surrounding buildings, the spectators were all discussing animatedly.
Koga's consecutive losses indeed surprised them. After all, very few challengers had managed to defeat Koga before, and most of them looked much older than Ash.
Ash had only been traveling for a little over two months, and the childishness on his face hadn't faded yet. His age was pretty much obvious at a glance.
So, discerning Ash's age was not a rare occurrence.
However, the surrounding amateur spectators weren't very clear about the control of Pokémon levels.
Although they felt that the destruction caused by both sides in these two battles was a bit outrageous, many people didn't think in the direction of the Elite Four Class. At most, they just wondered if Koga had deployed Professional Level Pokémon.
Previously, Koga's battles were mostly Elite Level. Now, the battles were a bit more intense, and the destructive power was higher, so upgrading to Professional Level was a reasonable guess. As for Gym level… how could a Trainer of this age possibly defeat a Gym level opponent?
Let alone Ash, even for Trainers who had traveled for two years, those who could reach Gym level were few and far between. Such individuals could basically be called geniuses.
And from Ash's appearance, he didn't look like a Trainer who had traveled for two years.
Therefore, many people around this battle believed it was a professional-level clash. Even so, it already left them greatly astonished.
A seemingly very young Trainer actually defeated a Professional Level Pokémon with Pikachu. This level of skill was absolutely among the top tier of the young generation in Kanto.
But… there were still a few sharp-eyed individuals in the crowd. They saw that in these two battles, the Pokémon Koga used were his main Pokémon, which meant… Elite Four Class!
This meant that the two Pokémon Ash defeated were all Elite Four Class Pokémon!
This result made those who clearly saw the level of Koga's Pokémon somewhat incredulous. Since when was the Elite Four Class so easy to beat? And the one who won was a little boy who, at most, looked only sixteen years old!
This guy wouldn't just look young but actually be in his twenties or thirties, would he?
This guess was truly outrageous, but compared to the scene where Pikachu unleashed Elite Four Class power and defeated an Elite Four Class Pokémon, this outrageous guess didn't seem so outrageous anymore.
Even if Ash was really in his twenties or thirties, a Pokémon like Pikachu couldn't be trained to this extent just by having enough training time.
As a common Pokémon in Kanto, among the powerful Trainers currently known, no one used Pikachu as their main Pokémon, nor had any Pikachu been able to surpass Professional Level.
Even if there were Gym-level or even Elite Four Class ones, they would have evolved into Raichu. What powerful Trainer would keep using Pikachu all the time! Isn't that just making trouble for oneself, suffering needlessly?
Well, today, we found someone suffering needlessly… To train a Pikachu to this level is absolutely unheard of and unprecedented. This alone was enough to leave the surrounding Trainers speechless with shock… Oak's Laboratory backyard—
Upon seeing the 'charred' Arbok, Professor Oak and Ash's surrounding Pokémon all cheered.
"This kid, he actually won! That was one of Koga's main Pokémon, an Arbok that's even mid-to-high tier among his main Pokémon. He actually won with a Pikachu that defies its species! He truly is… he truly is a Trainer from Pallet Town!"
Professor Oak praised, his words, which almost slipped out, seemed to be forcefully stopped and changed into other sentences, making it sound a bit strange.
However, only Ash's Pokémon were around, so no one paid attention to Professor Oak's awkwardly transitioned words.
Butterfree, Primeape, and Gengar were all cheering and celebrating for Ash. Gengar even subtly shed some tears, muttering things like 'the child has grown up, he doesn't need him anymore'.
These words added a touch of oddness to Professor Oak's excited expression. What the heck, the child has grown up? Someone who didn't know would think Ash was raised by you.
But then again, previously, Ash's only means of facing Elite Four Class Pokémon was to send out Gengar.
If Gengar didn't intervene, Ash, even with all his Pokémon, wouldn't be able to defeat an Elite Four Class Pokémon.
But now, Ash, without relying on Gengar, defeated two Pokémon commanded by an Elite Trainer. This involved information asymmetry, the predictive ability of Aura, the power unleashed by the Pokémon, and various other factors.
Perhaps if Ash challenged him again, Ash might not necessarily win.
But at least in this battle, Ash won. And with just a little more time for Ash to grow, the next time he faces Koga, he will win even more easily!
Of course, this is considering Ash's own abilities. As for when Ash can defeat Elite Four Class Pokémon without relying on his special abilities… that remains to be discussed.
At least it would have to be after the Indigo Plateau Conference.
His strongest Pokémon reaching Professional Level in two months has far exceeded Professor Oak's predicted progress. However, increasing levels beyond Professional Level isn't that easy, and the Indigo Plateau Conference starts in nearly four months.
If Ash can train one Gym-level Pokémon in four months, that would be considered a success.
"But I'm a little curious, Ash didn't bring me along. Charizard and Pikachu, although not completely knocked out, are basically unable to battle anymore. So who will Ash send out for the last match?" After 'crying', Gengar's expression turned serious, and he asked a genuine question.
That is, what Pokémon Ash would send out last.
Although he wasn't always by Ash's side, he knew most of the Pokémon Ash had.
Besides Charizard and Pikachu, only Gardevoir could stand on par with them.
And while that Gardevoir was powerful, at most, it was on the same level as Charizard; it couldn't compare to Pikachu.
Charizard won because it faced the opponent's weakest Pokémon and also unleashed that mysterious flame. Otherwise, ten lives wouldn't be enough to fight.
Now, Koga has already lost two Pokémon. For the final Pokémon, to ensure victory, he might directly send out his ace!
In any case, it wouldn't be a low-level Elite.
So if Ash wants to win against Koga, this last Pokémon must be even more powerful than Charizard and Pikachu!
Where would Ash have such a Pokémon!
Hearing this, Professor Oak also fell into deep thought. To talk about a Pokémon that could serve as a trump card, besides Gengar, he couldn't think of any other possibilities.
But Gengar is at Oak's Laboratory right now. Ash can't just stop mid-battle and say, "Wait a minute, I'm going to the Pokémon Center to get a Pokémon, then I'll come back and fight."
Is that even realistic?!
So what other trump card does Ash have to deal with Elite Four Class Pokémon?
...On the streets of Fuchsia City—
Exclamations of surprise echoed through the streets. Ash had once again defeated an Elite Four Class Pokémon, and he did it with a Pikachu!
This was a Pikachu!
A common, roadside-dog-level Pokémon well-known in Kanto. As a pet, it's certainly popular, but for battling… It's only slightly more popular than Raticate.
After all, Raticate's appearance and species are pretty much on par with Pikachu, but Pikachu can at least evolve into Raichu, though the evolution cost is a bit high, requiring a Thunder Stone.
If Pikachu could evolve normally, it would be extremely popular among both battle enthusiasts and collectors.
But now, a Rookie Trainer, using a Pikachu that hadn't evolved into Raichu, defeated an Arbok, a snake Pokémon that is naturally strong against rodents by species, was Elite Four Class, and was commanded by an Elite Trainer.
With all these debuffs stacked, let alone Pikachu, even Raichu wouldn't know how to win!
But somehow, he won!
Now, no words of astonishment can describe their amazement at this battle!
It's too exaggerated!
Ash's battle at Fuchsia Gym today will likely be recorded in the League's history books!
An Elite Charizard battling an Elite Four Toxicroak, a Professional Pikachu battling an Elite Four Arbok, and they both won!
Such a monstrous record, how could it not be recorded in history?
Gary watched Ash, who had entered the arena and was holding Pikachu, on the television screen, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
At this moment, his heart was as bitter as if he had eaten Coptis.
The gap is too big… the difference is simply too great!
He now had to use all his strength just to deal with Elite Level Pokémon, finally managing to barely defeat Erika. In contrast, Ash had already started battling Elites!
What the heck, did they really start their journey together?! Why is the gap between them so huge?
You know, during their last battle, his Wartortle could still cause some trouble for Pikachu. Although it quickly lost, the difference was definitely not as great as it is now!
If they were to battle again now, even if Wartortle had evolved into Blastoise, it probably wouldn't be able to withstand one attack from Pikachu.
"Sigh… you, why can't you go a little slower? I also have to fight for my life now!"
...A villa in the Sinnoh region—
"Mmm, I know, I'm watching it now."
"Hmm, I started watching when Pikachu battled Arbok. That Pikachu is truly extraordinary."
"Oh? He also defeated a Psychic with an Advanced Elite Four Class Pokémon? Then this last battle is quite something to look forward to."
"Fifteen years old, huh… that's much stronger than I was back then. I had already raised a Garchomp before I started my journey."
"Alright, I'm hanging up. Let's talk after the match."
The woman, dressed in casual home clothes, gently closed her flip phone and casually placed it on the sofa beside her.
The woman had long, golden hair, naturally flowing, with black butterfly knot decorations interspersed, adding a touch of playfulness.
Her features were delicate, her light grey eyes seemed to hold a faint weariness and serenity, her eyelashes were long, her facial lines soft, and her fair skin appeared extremely fine in the light and shadow.
Her long legs rested naturally on the table in front of the sofa, like jade; they glowed like warm, white mutton fat jade under the light, delicate and with a soft luster.
This person was the youngest Champion in history, Cynthia, known as the Sinnoh Valkyrie!
Cynthia was originally lying at home, enjoying a leisurely holiday, when Lorelei suddenly called, telling her to turn on the TV and watch the Kanto official channel's live broadcast.
Confused, Cynthia turned on the TV and saw Ash sending out Pikachu to battle Arbok.
With her sharp eye, even through the television, she could tell at a glance that Pikachu's level was only low Professional, while Arbok was already mid-Elite Four.
Such a huge level difference could no longer be compensated for by tactics.
Moreover, Ash looked extremely young, perhaps a Trainer who had been traveling for less than a year. Compared to Koga, a potential Elite, his training level might not even be on the same playing field.
Theoretically, Ash was bound to lose this battle.
When she first started watching the live broadcast, Cynthia didn't even understand why such a battle with a huge power disparity would be on the Kanto League's official broadcast, and why Koga's face was so solemn when facing Ash, who looked like a Rookie Trainer. What was the reason Lorelei called her to watch the match?
It wasn't until the battle began that all of Cynthia's doubts were instantly resolved.
Goodness, a Professional Level fighting an Elite Four Class to a draw… No, not a draw, but completely dominating the Elite Four Class Arbok!
The moves that Pikachu used were all unheard of: Electric Terrain, Floating Fall… she had never heard of them.
And the most outrageous thing was, how could a Professional Level Pikachu have such strong attack power and incredibly fast reaction time? Coupled with those several bizarre moves, Koga and Arbok were completely disoriented.
Cynthia had seen many high-level battles, and she herself had fought many, but in all the battles she had seen and fought, none had ever been as interesting as this scene playing out on TV.
Ash's name was deeply etched into her heart.