Raihan looked at that aura-doubling figure and sighed sincerely.
"MEGA Evolution is truly amazing, it actually gives Pokemon such a big boost."
"Now your Lucario can barely keep pace with my Gigalith, but... that's still not enough!"
Raihan put away his previous flippancy and his expression became serious again.
But the next second, Ash's words hit him hard.
"Maybe Gym Leader Raihan misunderstood."
Ash grinned, clenched his fist: "It's not keeping pace, it's my Lucario is a bit better than your Gigalith."
Raihan: ...
Well, this kid's silver tongue is even sharper than his.
But Raihan didn't take this seriously.
Elite Peak plus MEGA Evolution, at best it's touching the threshold of Champion Junior Level, compared to the Gigalith he personally nurtured, there's still something lacking.
The foundation of Pokemon isn't something that can be raised at will, relying solely on MEGA as external force will never cross the gap of inherent strength.
"Alright, then let me see how much of your talk is true ability!"
"Gigalith, Rock Slide!"
At Raihan's command, the Gigalith in the sandstorm suddenly raised its head, the red crystal pillars throughout its body emitting a cold light.
In mid-air, countless sharp rocks the size of basketballs appeared from nowhere, raining down towards Lucario.
Each rock carried the force of Champion Junior Level, capable of gouging out a half-meter deep pit on the ground.
Dozens of rocks densely packed, completely shrouded the sky over Lucario's head.
"Lucario, shadow clones!" Ash's tone remained relaxed.
As soon as the words were spoken, Lucario's figure suddenly split into more than ten in the sandstorm, darting in different directions.
"Boom boom boom boom—"
Rock Slide crashed down successively, but those dozen clones darted nimbly through the sandstorm. Although a few clones were shattered, none truly touched the original body.
In the end, all the rocks hit the empty ground, with nearly ten Lucario clones still remaining.
Raihan was stunned.
This Lucario's shadow clones are impressive!
Though the sandstorm does not harm Steel Type Pokemon, shadow clones generated by speed are theoretically shattered by the sandstorm like an illusion.
However, Lucario's shadow clones do not manifest this phenomenon.
It indicates these shadow clones aren't merely shadows; they have even condensed into a semblance of a physical form!
Though it's unbelievable, Raihan's seasoned trainer experience tells him this is reality.
"Things are getting interesting!"
"Gigalith, use Power Gem!"
Gigalith's sturdy limbs firmly secured in the sand, the red crystal on its chest suddenly brightened.
The next moment, countless pink energy beams shot out from those crystals, chasing the nine directions where Lucario's shadow clones darted like celebratory fireworks.
Each beam cleverly twisted and turned, closely pursuing the trajectories of the clones.
"Bang bang bang bang—"
Every beam precisely hit, nine clones successively dissipating under the bombardment of the beams, morphing into faint smoke.
Yet, just as the last clone dissipated, Raihan suddenly sensed something amiss.
All gone? Where's the original body?
"Mr. Raihan, sandstorms not only obscure Pokemon's vision, but also the Trainer's vision." Ash spoke as if narrating a mundane fact.
But upon hearing this, Raihan sharply looked to the sky — nothing but blowing sand.
No trace on the ground, no trace in the sky, which means...
"Gigalith, be careful below!"
"Boom!!"
Too late!
As Raihan's voice resounded, Lucario emerged from the ground, its fist glowing in an earthy yellow light.
Dig hit!
Lucario didn't give Gigalith space to react, as the other fist equally gathered bright silver-white light — Bullet Punch!
Using two skills simultaneously is extremely challenging for ordinary Pokemon, but for Lucario, it's as simple as eating and drinking.
"Boom!"
Bullet Punch directly landed on Gigalith's body!
That punch sent Gigalith's heavy body flying, but thanks to Gigalith's massive physique, it soon landed and stood firmly back on the ground.
Ground Type and Steel Type both restrain Gigalith, the effects should be quite significant with these two moves.
Yet Gigalith's physical defense is outstanding, and Bullet Punch's power isn't high, for Gigalith, this level can still be endured.
In the audience, Serena widened her eyes, turning to others nearby.
"Wait... When did Lucario dig underground?"
"I've been watching the field the entire time, how did it suddenly pop up from the ground?"
Cynthia chuckled lightly next to her: "From the moment shadow clones were used, Lucario had already gone underground."
"Those dozen shadow clones were mere illusions for cover from start to finish."
"Raihan's attention was diverted by the clone trajectories, leaving him no room to focus on the ground beneath."
"By the time he realized, Dig had nearly finished."
Serena opened her mouth slightly, finding those dozen clones dizzying, who'd have thought Lucario could hide the true body while spawning so many clones.
Lance crossed his arms, nodding gravely.
"Being able to use Dig while managing so many Shadow Clones, Lucario's skill mastery is incredibly strong."
"Handling two completely different skills simultaneously while ensuring their quality, even Champion level Pokémon rarely achieve this."
Misty's eyes were filled with pride: "Lucario's skill mastery is indeed amazing, but more than that, the rapport between him and Ash is truly remarkable."
"From start to finish, Ash only said 'Shadow Clone' to Lucario, initially just a glance was exchanged and Lucario understood all of Ash's intentions."
"The series of interconnected tactics afterward were executed by Lucario according to Ash's thoughts."
Lance and Cynthia nodded, pure skill mastery is just a Pokémon's ability.
Such rapport, however, is something accumulated over a long time between a Trainer and their Pokémon.
Champion Trainers and their aces usually achieve this level.
Yet Ash, at just fifteen years old, Lucario isn't the only Pokémon capable of this with him.
Certainly, Ash and Pikachu can do the same.
In the center of the field, Raihan adjusted his mood and looked at Ash with a serious gaze; this youth might be more troublesome than some Champion level Trainers!
"Well done, kid, I've been on the defensive in our first encounter."
"Your Lucario and your rapport with it are much stronger than I imagined."
"However..."
His tone suddenly turned sharp.
"The battle has just begun."
"Gigalith, Stone Edge!"
Following the command, Gigalith's red crystal pillars lit up again.
The next second, the ground shattered on cue, and dozens of sharp rocks like spears emerged from beneath, rushing toward Lucario.
Each rock was precisely chiseled, glimmering coldly.
"Lucario, Close Combat, shatter them all." Ash chose to have Lucario engage head-to-head, a perfect test for MEGA Lucario's limits!
Lucario's fists suddenly burst with dazzling white light, and its slender figure charged directly at the pointed rocks.
"Bang bang bang bang—"
Those stones that could pierce steel plates shattered like biscuits under Lucario's fists.
Debris scattered everywhere as Lucario navigated agilely through the stones, untouched.
Yet as everyone's attention was on Lucario's Close Combat, Raihan's lips curled slightly.
"Gigalith, Stealth Rock."
Gigalith stamped its robust limbs heavily on the ground.
The next second, on Lucario's side of the field, dozens of ominous glowing sharp stones floated in mid-air.
These stones slowly rotated, resembling floating satellites, emitting unsettling energy waves.
"Stealth Rock!" Lance shook his head, lamenting, "This guy intentionally used Stone Edge to attract Ash's attention, creating an opening to set Stealth Rock!"
"Trust Raihan, an experienced Trainer plays this move beautifully!"
Cynthia narrowed her eyes: "Stealth Rock is a real hassle, especially in a six-on-six battle, effectively reducing the entire opposing team, the earlier used, the greater the effect."
"Moreover, with Raihan's Gym Leader rules not allowing him to switch Pokémon, it originally disadvantages him, but placing Stealth Rock constrains Ash's Pokémon switching."
"Every time Ash switches a Pokémon into the field, it'll suffer significant damage."
"Even if Ash doesn't voluntarily switch, once Raihan defeats one of Ash's Pokémon, the next one is still hurt."
Clair frowned slightly; Raihan's move is relentless, affecting every subsequent swap Ash makes.
'Ash, don't lose to this guy, you've beaten the Rising Dragon Gym, losing to an outsider Gym would dampen our Gym's reputation with Hammerlocke Gym.'
"Guild Leader Raihan truly is a top-notch Trainer." Ash looked up at the Stealth Rocks, smiling broadly.
Having Stealth Rocks laid against him, displeased him a bit.
Yet displeased or not, he had to keep fighting.
Lucario had shattered all the pointed rocks, returning to its original position.
But that series of confrontations had drained Lucario's stamina, his chest rising slightly, his breath noticeably more rapid than before.
Ash squinted, quickly calculating in his mind.
Lucario's base stats still rated a bit lower compared to Gigalith.
If they keep battling head-on, Lucario is bound to wear out first; it's time to change the fighting style.
"Lucario, get in close and engage Gigalith in hand-to-hand combat!"
Lucario received the command, swiftly transforming into a shadow figure approaching Gigalith.
His long, flexible body circuited around Gigalith, as fast as leaving trails.
"Gigalith, Superpower!"
Raihan frowned, rapidly issuing the command.
Yet Gigalith's two-ton heavy body is cumbersome, each punch like moving a mountain.
Lucario deftly slipped past beneath its fist, maneuvering to its side.
"Bang bang bang bang—"
Mach Punch and Bullet Punch rapidly pounded Gigalith's body.
Lucario's feet occasionally executed a twist, driving his silver-glinting fists into Gigalith's chin.
Tens of blows, so dense even the audience felt chills watching.
Looking at Gigalith attempting Superpower, it's utterly missing Lucario, merely absorbing hits passively.
Yet Raihan refrained from issuing further commands.
Under Lucario's attack, Gigalith's rigid scales showed numerous dents, yet it stood resilient.
"Gigalith, Earthquake!" Raihan's voice suddenly erupted.
"Lucario, jump..."
Ash instinctively reacted, but his command just came out halfway when his expression drastically changed.
"Boom—!"
The entire field violently shook! Earthquake needs charging time, but Gigalith's Earthquake triggered immediately as Raihan's words fell; the terrifying seismic waves exploded from beneath Gigalith's feet!
Lucario couldn't dodge, being tossed airborne, rolling heavy across the ground, bumping into the barrier to halt.
Lance showed a realization expression: "Oh, I see!"
"Gigalith endured Lucario's attacks, diverting all force silently into the ground."
"When all gathered to the limit, unleashing Earthquake without needing charge, it's instant."
"Raihan deliberately took hits, leveraging Gigalith's defense to time Earthquake perfectly!"
Cynthia nodded slightly, her eyes filled with appreciation.
"Gigalith bore dozens of attacks, yet this Earthquake's power rebounded all those forces."
"Trust Raihan, even with Gigalith's clumsiness against agile Pokémon like Lucario, he has countermeasures."