"So amazing, to actually gain the upper hand despite a level disadvantage!"
"That's Gym Leader Whitney! I don't know how many opponents I've watched that Kangaskhan defeat. Could there really be a day when she gets suppressed?"
"Come on, that's Ash! Do you guys even know who Ash is?"
"Who?"
"The Indigo Conference Champion, the Trainer who defeated Elite Four Lorelei! Although Kanto's Elite Four Lorelei is called an Elite Four, she's practically a Champion. Do you understand Ash's caliber now?"
Thanks to the informed spectator explaining things, the people around gained a brand-new understanding of Ash. After all, although Ash was famous, not everyone in the world knew him. But now, everyone present knew Ash. Being able to watch a Trainer battle of this level, and without even needing to buy a ticket, was a huge bargain.
"Kangaskhan, Crunch!" Seeing herself attacked first, Whitney didn't panic, continuing to command calmly.
Kangaskhan abruptly turned her head, opening her wide mouth. Sharp teeth glowing with a dark aura bit toward Heracross.
"Heracross, Detect!" A sharp gleam flashed in Heracross's eyes, and its body instinctively dodged Kangaskhan's attack.
"Now, Brick Break!" Heracross's right arm was raised high, the edge of its palm glowing with a white light like a sharp battle axe, slashing fiercely down toward Kangaskhan's shoulder.
Kangaskhan's current state was just like when she had used Fake Out earlier. Her body simply had no way to react in time to Heracross's attack.
Brick Break landed solidly on Kangaskhan's shoulder, the white light bursting open with a muffled, thunderous roar. Kangaskhan let out a cry of pain, her massive body staggering two steps to the side, a clear mark appearing on her shoulder.
Super effective. Fighting-type moves had a super effective advantage against Normal-type Pokémon, and coupled with Heracross putting its all into this strike, even with the level gap, it still dealt considerable damage to Kangaskhan.
"Kangaskhan, Headbutt!" Kangaskhan steadied her posture, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes as her thick neck suddenly exerted force, her head slamming toward Heracross like a cannonball.
"Dodge!"
This time the distance between the two was extremely close, making it extremely difficult for Heracross to dodge. Not to mention that Heracross had just finished using a move. Although the real world wasn't turn-based, finishing a move inevitably resulted in post-move lag. Only after leveling up and overcoming it through training could one eliminate that lag. Heracross obviously couldn't do that right now.
Kangaskhan's head slammed solidly against Heracross's chest. The force of this blow was astonishing. Heracross's body flew directly backward like a baseball hit by a bat.
"Hera!" Heracross tumbled through the air several times, its wings beating frantically in an attempt to steady its posture, but the impact of Headbutt was simply too strong. In the end, it still failed to completely neutralize that force, crashing heavily onto the ground and sliding several meters before stopping.
An exclamation came from the spectator stands.
"What an amazing move! This hit's power is no joke!"
"Gym Leader Whitney isn't backing down either! The Gym Leader of Goldenrod City won't lose to an outsider Trainer! No matter what Ash or Big Ash you are, Gym Leader Whitney will beat you all flat!"
Whitney's counterattack obviously made the surrounding spectators even more excited. Even though they already knew Ash was a celebrity, when it came to choosing sides, they still stood with Whitney. After all, they were people from Goldenrod City.
"Heracross, are you alright?" Ash asked with concern.
"Hera."
Heracross struggled to climb up from the ground, shaking its somewhat dizzy head. A clear crack had appeared on the shell of its chest. This blow had knocked away nearly half of its stamina. The level gap was right there. Even though Heracross had performed well enough, easily defeating Kangaskhan wasn't going to be that simple.
"Can you still stand up? Not bad." A trace of admiration flashed in Whitney's eyes. "However, things won't be so simple from here on out! Kangaskhan, Body Slam!"
Kangaskhan let out a low roar, her massive body leaping high, pressing down toward Heracross like a small mountain. With the shadow enveloping it, Heracross looked up to see Kangaskhan's huge figure blocking the ceiling's light, smashing down fiercely upon it with the full momentum of a Body Slam.
If this strike hit, given Heracross's current state, things looked dire.
Yet Ash didn't have Heracross dodge.
"Heracross, Endure!"
Heracross clenched its teeth, a resolute light flashing in its eyes as its feet nailed firmly into the ground.
Kangaskhan's body smashed heavily onto Heracross. The entire battle arena trembled violently under this strike, the floor caving in with a noticeable depression and gravel flying everywhere. Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, everyone held their breath.
"Heracross!" Serena couldn't help but exclaim.
As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Heracross was still standing in the center of the sunken crater, covered in wounds, but it hadn't fainted. Endure had allowed it to forcefully weather this attack.
"Right now, Heracross, Counter!" Ash's voice exploded across the arena.
Counter. This move could reflect the physical attack damage dealt by the opponent back at them with double the power. The damage Heracross had just sustained would now all be converted into Heracross's attacking power.
Heracross's body suddenly tensed, and a visible wave of energy erupted from within. A fist carrying unmatched power struck fiercely against the Kangaskhan in front of it, and Kangaskhan's massive body flew backward directly as if hit by a heavy hammer.
"Kangaskhan!" Shock laced Whitney's voice.
Kangaskhan rolled twice in the air, crashed heavily onto the ground, slid several meters before stopping, and let out a painful moan. The damage dealt by this blow was even more terrifying than the previous Brick Break. Counter returned double the damage of Body Slam.
Even with Kangaskhan's higher level and stronger defense, this level of counterattack could still deal extremely devastating damage to her.
Whitney bit her lip. She hadn't expected Ash to hold such a trick up his sleeve.
"Kangaskhan, can you still battle?" Whitney asked.
Kangaskhan let out a low roar, wobbling to her feet. Although she had very little stamina left, her eyes still held no trace of backing down.
"Alright! Then let's decide the winner with one final strike!" Whitney clenched her fists. "Kangaskhan, Giga Impact!"
She hadn't expected that a Kangaskhan with a level advantage would be pushed to this extent, and now she had to go all-in against Heracross with a finishing blow. Otherwise, if the battle continued like this, Heracross, having both Detect and Endure, might just defeat Kangaskhan by maneuvering around. It had to be a quick resolution.
Kangaskhan's body was enveloped in white light, transforming her into a meteor that rushed toward Heracross with destructive momentum. If this blow hit, victory and defeat would be decided instantly.
"Heracross, Close Combat!" Ash's voice rang out at the same time. He wasn't going to play any fancy tricks anymore. Since she wanted to decide the outcome in one strike, then they would decide it in one strike. Heracross's only S-rank stats were in attack. When it came to raw power, it wouldn't lose to Kangaskhan.
Heracross's wings whipped fiercely, its body gathering Fighting-type energy, and then it lunged forward violently.
A deafening explosion erupted in the arena, shockwaves spreading in all directions and kicking up clouds of dust all over the field. In the center of the explosion, Kangaskhan continuously squeezed the energy from within her body, while Heracross's fists had already punched out afterimages, the look on its face growing increasingly ferocious.
This was its first time battling for Ash, and it had reasons it couldn't afford to lose.
Kangaskhan on the other side was the same. Except that every battle she fought had reasons she couldn't afford to lose. She had to secure every victory for her Trainer.
The roars of both sides rang out in the center of the arena, triggering a second explosion. The violent shockwave spread again, and everyone in the spectator stands couldn't help but close their eyes, blocking their faces with their arms. Even Whitney couldn't help reaching out to shield her face.
On the other hand, Ash's body remained standing straight, his gaze fixed into the interior of the smoke. After a moment, a gratified smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you for your hard work, Heracross."
Following Ash's whisper, the commotion on the field slowly subsided, and the smoke and dust gradually dispersed.
On the field, both Heracross and Kangaskhan lay on the ground, motionless. The shell on Heracross's body was shattered all over, its wings hanging limply, eyes tightly closed, with not a shred of strength left. Kangaskhan lay not far away as well, covered in bruises with weak breathing, her massive body unable to stand again.
The referee was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly ran over to check. "Kangaskhan is unable to battle! Heracross is unable to battle! Both sides are down at the same time!"
Silence filled the entire stadium. A moment later, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the spectator stands.
"So brilliant!"
"Both fell at the same time! This is way too dramatic!"
"Ash's Heracross is way too strong, actually fighting to a tie with Gym Leader Whitney's Kangaskhan!"
"Strictly speaking, didn't Ash still win this exchange? Being able to achieve mutual destruction under a level disadvantage, isn't that coming out on top?"
"Can you not bootlick without dying? A tie is a tie, what the heck kind of 'coming out on top' is that? Following your logic, if I, a rookie Trainer, duel a Champion's Pokémon and last three seconds, does that count as a win?"
"Exactly. A tie is a tie. 'Coming out on top' appeared out of nowhere. Are you an Ash fanboy?"
Discussions rose and fell, while Ash and Whitney on the field had already recalled their respective Pokémon.
"Thank you for your hard work, Heracross. You did great."
"Rest well, Kangaskhan. Leave the rest to your partner."
Comforting a Pokémon that was unable to battle was something any normal Trainer would do. Which served as a pointed callout to a certain Trainer from yesterday who had stayed completely silent after his own Pokémon had been defeated.
"I really didn't expect your Heracross to push my Kangaskhan this far." Whitney looked at Ash, her eyes full of fighting spirit. "However, the battle is only just beginning! My second Pokémon is this one. Go, Clefable!"
Whitney retrieved a Poké Ball from her waist and tossed it high into the air. As a flash of light crossed, a pink Fairy-type Pokémon appeared on the field. Clefable's size was a circle larger than a regular Clefairy, with sharp, long ears, small wings on its back gently fluttering, and its roly-poly body looking both cute and carrying a somewhat unfathomable aura. It put its hands on its hips with a bright smile on its face, looking like a very gentle Pokémon.
Clefable, a Fairy-type Pokémon, though years ago this Pokémon had still been considered Normal-type. Until one day, Fairy-type energy appeared in the Pokémon world, and the Fairy-type power within some Pokémon was unlocked, with Clefable being one of them. So it was quite reasonable for a Normal-type Gym Leader to have a Clefable.
But Fairy-type Clefable was somewhat disadvantageous to the next Pokémon Ash had planned to send out. Yet Ash didn't hesitate at all, throwing out the Poké Ball he had prepared long ago.
"I choose you, Annihilape!"
A figure slowly emerged from the light. That was a robust primate Pokémon, its entire body covered in thick, dark-gray fur, its arms as thick as steel pillars, and an expression on its face that exuded authority without being angry. Overall, it looked like a Pokémon that had walked straight out of the underworld. It formed a sharp contrast with the cute and gentle Clefable.
"What Pokémon is that?"
"I've never seen it! What species is this? Is it Fighting-type?"
"Such a gloomy aura, but it's so cool!"
The spectator stands exploded into chaos, everyone widening their eyes, trying to identify this never-before-seen Pokémon.
Whitney was also stunned, carefully observing Annihilape's appearance and feeling it looked somewhat familiar, yet unable to place where she had seen it before.
"Ash, what Pokémon is this?" Whitney couldn't help asking.
"Annihilape." Ash wiped his nose with a proud smile on his face. "It's Primeape's evolved form."
"Primeape's evolution?" Whitney's voice pitched up sharply, her pretty eyes widening into circles. "Primeape can evolve too?"
It was no wonder Whitney was so shocked, because in the understanding of the entire Pokémon world, Primeape's final evolved form was Primeape itself. There had never been any records of Primeape being able to evolve further.
"Currently, only I own an Annihilape in the world." Ash added. "It appeared a few times at the Indigo Conference and evolved around that time. But perhaps because it hasn't appeared for too long, many people have forgotten about it.
However, Professor Oak will soon release information and evolution methods regarding Annihilape, and by then its fame will be known to the public."
Although Professor Oak had made research notes on Annihilape, he hadn't yet published the data and evolution methods, so right now even using a Pokédex couldn't look up Annihilape's data at all.
On the other side, reminded by Ash, Whitney finally recalled where she had seen Annihilape. It was from the footage of the Indigo Conference.