It was safe to say that since his debut, Ash had never experienced this kind of weakened state. No matter how poor his condition, no matter how much stamina he expended, he had never fainted. But this time he actually did. You could imagine how extreme the drain had been.
The problem was, even Ash himself found this stamina depletion inexplicable, because he hadn't done anything that should have consumed his stamina.
Although partner form and Aura fusion shared some similarities, compared to Aura fusion, partner form was actually more like Mega Evolution. While there was a connection between Trainer and Pokémon, they didn't directly share stamina.
Furthermore, even if it had been Aura fusion, it wouldn't have affected him to this degree. Unless he fused with a Mewtwo-level Pokémon and was completely exhausted, only then would he faint.
So what exactly had happened?
"Ash, what was wrong with you just now? Why did you suddenly faint?" Misty also looked extremely puzzled as she asked. Before this, Ash had never fainted, and the moment he fell, her heart had almost stopped.
She'd rushed down, fearing something unexpected might happen to him. Finding that he had only fainted, she'd breathed a sigh of relief. But even after Ash woke up, her heart still hadn't settled.
Serena, although also very worried, hid all her emotions, only looking at Ash with a slightly anxious gaze.
"Actually, I don't know why. But just now, Pikachu and I underwent some kind of transformation. It combined our spiritual energy and physical strength, so Pikachu and I both fainted simultaneously. Furthermore, my memories of the recent battle are a bit hazy. I simply can't remember what I did. It's really strange." Ash also looked puzzled.
Misty and the others were stunned, and so was he. He'd even forgotten some of the battle details. At that moment, he had only known he had to fight with all his might. His whole body had felt like it wasn't his own anymore.
"In short, Pikachu unleashed incredibly terrifying power just now. It even tore a crack in Mewtwo's shield, and Mewtwo even came out of the Poké Ball. Did you notice, Ash?"
Only then did Ash notice that Mewtwo had appeared outside its Poké Ball at some point. It was floating silently in mid-air, watching him and Pikachu, a thoughtful expression on its face.
"Mewtwo? When did you come out?"
"You were focused on the battle at that time. It's normal that you didn't notice me. However, the power you and Pikachu unleashed was definitely not normal. If that power had been aimed at me, even I might not have been able to defend against it."
Mewtwo's words caused Brock and the others' faces to change drastically. What did it mean that even Mewtwo's defense couldn't withstand the attack? That last attack from Pikachu had even surpassed Mid god level.
"Is it really that powerful?" Mewtwo's assessment surprised Ash. Even he hadn't expected that Pikachu's burst of power could almost overwhelm Mewtwo. If Mewtwo hadn't used its shielding to block the shockwave, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"May I ask, Ash, what level is your Pokémon?" After a long silence, Brandon suddenly spoke. During that silence, he had been observing this strange Pokémon known only as Mewtwo. He had witnessed countless Pokémon, even encountered countless Legendary Pokémon in person, and had studied historical documents on those he hadn't seen. The number of Pokémon he couldn't recognize was incredibly small.
And Ash happened to have one. And the shield that had enveloped the entire field seemed to be Mewtwo's doing. To be able to break the legendary Regice into that state, Pikachu's attack power must have been immense. So how strong must a Pokémon capable of defending against that attack be? Could it have reached God level?
Mid god level.
Mewtwo's nonchalant voice echoed in everyone's minds.
Brandon, along with Paul, who had been silently watching all of this from the stands, all had their expressions change drastically.
Mid God level?
What a joke. Ash actually had a Mid god-level Pokémon in his possession. Historically, the number of Trainers who had possessed god-level Pokémon could be counted on one hand.
Moreover, those other Pokémon, without exception, had also been Legendary Pokémon, not trained by those Trainers themselves, but temporarily under their control. What exactly was the origin of this so-called Mewtwo? It actually possessed Mid god-level power. And it was Ash's Pokémon.
This fact was even more shocking than Ash's Pikachu defeating Regice. Regice, which had easily annihilated all of Paul's Pokémon, had been defeated by Pikachu. That was already a huge blow to Paul. But the even more shocking revelation was yet to come.
Ash, at his age, younger than Paul, actually possessed a god-level Pokémon. It was simply outrageous. Utterly unbelievable.
"Wait a minute. You said you're Mid god level? Then you just said that even you couldn't defend against Pikachu's attack." Paul suddenly remembered something. Mewtwo had said that even it might not be able to block Pikachu's attack.
According to theory...
Not bad. Pikachu's attack just now surpassed Mid god level. From what I could tell, it probably had the attack power of High god level. As for the specific force, I didn't directly observe it, so I'm not entirely sure. You could wait until Regice recovers and ask it.
Mewtwo's words directly confirmed that Pikachu's attack power just now had reached god level. Although that state wasn't stable, and could even be considered a miraculous one-time burst, if it could appear once, it could appear a second time. Theoretically, did that mean Ash's team contained two god-level combatants?
This was simply too abnormal. Brandon shook his head, his expression beyond description, even at a loss for words. A fifteen-year-old boy.
He possessed a god-level Pokémon, and even an Elite Four-level Pokémon that could unleash god-level combat power. A Pikachu. Brandon predicted that, given this young man more time to mature, he would eventually conquer the entire Pokémon world.
After all, he was only fifteen years old. He hadn't even been around for a year since his debut. Even Cynthia and Lance, who had been raising Pokémon before their official debuts, couldn't compare to Ash at this stage. Even the current strongest Trainer, Leon, was far behind Ash when he'd been young.
As long as Ash could maintain his current trajectory, no, even if he slowed down a little, he would undoubtedly become the strongest Trainer in the not-too-distant future. And if you included Mewtwo and Ash's own combat power, then he was already the strongest Trainer right now.
After all, among the Trainers currently active, there wasn't a single one who possessed god-level combat power. Not even Leon.
"Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older. These young people nowadays have already developed to this point. It seems that before long, we old veterans will be able to retire." Brandon shook his head, speaking with a sigh.
"Don't say that, Mr. Brandon. You're one of the top Trainers of our time."
"I'll take that as encouragement. Here, this is a token of victory in the Battle Pyramid challenge. Keep it." Brandon took out a round yellow medal and gave it to Ash. The medal had a square in the center, and a cross cut out of it, resembling four pyramids engraved on its face.
This was the Brave Symbol, the symbolic proof of victory in the Battle Pyramid. In reality, this thing and a Gym Badge were almost the same, just with a different name.
"I got... cough cough... the Brave Symbol!" Ash wanted to shout his usual victory declaration, but used a little too much force and immediately coughed. His body wasn't strong enough to support that kind of activity right now.
"Pika... pika." Pikachu in Serena's arms also let out a weak sound. His head might be spinning, his body might be wrecked, but Ash's victory declaration had to be acknowledged.
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter. For a moment, the atmosphere throughout the pyramid became warm.
However, the shock that Ash had just caused still lingered in the hearts of both Brandon and Paul. Especially Paul. His gaze toward Ash was completely different now.
Before today, he'd thought that with a little more time, he could surely catch up with Ash's pace. But after the appearance of Mewtwo, he felt that there was an insurmountable gap between himself and Ash. This wasn't a gap that could be closed with time or effort, but a fundamental, unbridgeable difference.
Bond. Friendship. Could he really have been right all along?
In the face of such an absolute disparity in strength, Paul couldn't help but start to reconsider Ash's methods. In the past, he'd felt that attachment, affection, and those vague, illusory things couldn't possibly compare to scientific training methods and rigorous discipline. Useless things should be discarded.
Only gifted Pokémon had the right to be trained. Yet Ash had trained a Pikachu to this level. Everyone knew Pikachu was just a common, unremarkable Pokémon, yet he had trained it to a level comparable to a god-level Pokémon. This reality had a massive impact on Paul's values.
At the last Indigo Conference, Ash had already changed him somewhat. And this time, perhaps he would change even more.
Paul looked at the Poké Balls on his belt, as if he could see through them and perceive the worn-out forms of the Pokémon who had fought for him. He decided to try something completely different. Perhaps he had truly gone down the wrong path.
"Ash, are you really alright?" Brandon looked at the pale-faced boy in front of him.
"Nothing. Just a little rest and I'll be fine!" Ash waved his hand. Although his movements were still a bit weak, his spirits had recovered considerably.
"That's good then." Brandon nodded, then revealed a rare smile. "But having said that, your challenge sequence is really reversed."
"Huh?" Ash was startled, not catching his meaning in time.
"Ordinary challengers usually start by challenging the other six battle facilities, accumulating experience and strength, and only then challenge my Battle Pyramid." Brandon crossed his arms in front of his chest, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness. "You, on the other hand, took down my Battle Pyramid first. How are the remaining six facilities supposed to compete?"
Ash scratched his head and chuckled.
Brandon shook his head and took out a dark blue square box, handing it to Ash.
"This is for you."
Ash accepted the box, opened it, and inside lay a TM shimmering with emerald green light.
"TM for Endure." Brandon explained. "In this battle, your Pokémon's offensive capabilities are very strong, but their defensive abilities are still somewhat lacking. Especially your Charizard and Pikachu, which are typical examples of using offense for defense. Endure is extremely important for Pokémon. You can skip other moves, but you must learn this one."
"Endure." Ash looked at the TM in his hand, his eyes shining brightly. This was a lifesaving move. Although many of his Pokémon already knew Endure, they'd learned it themselves, and the coverage across his team wasn't wide. With this TM, he could let more Pokémon learn this critical survival move.
The most outstanding example was Pikachu. It was hard to believe, but Pikachu could unleash a god-level attack, and it didn't even know Endure. If Pikachu had known Endure, the battle just now wouldn't have been nearly so perilous.
"Thank you, Mr. Brandon!" Ash solemnly put away the TM and bowed to Brandon.
"No need to thank me. This is what you've earned." Brandon waved his hand. "Rest well. In the future, if there's a chance, we'll fight again. I've heard that new Regis have appeared in the Hisui region. When you and I fight again, I'll be coming at you with six Regis."
Hearing this, Ash not only wasn't afraid, but his eyes lit up. "Really? It's a deal! When you subdue all six Regis, Mr. Brandon, we'll fight again!"
...
STONES 💎
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