Chapter 327: Sniping Moltres
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Wooo—"
The Victreebel, which had been so ferocious just moments before, fainted on the spot after taking a full-power Flying Press head-on, collapsing where it stood, Unable to Battle.
Pikachu, however, landed steadily with a backflip, even having enough energy left to flash a V-sign at Ash.
An effortless One-hit KO.
"That move... what in the world was that?" Trainer A recalled his Victreebel, a shocked expression on his face. A Body Slam that could dodge moves and had a built-in Flying Type... he had never heard of such a move.
"Pokedex Beep. Flying Press, a dual Fighting and Flying-type Move, dear." Ash's Pokedex helpfully explained.
Towards outsiders, it was always so patient and considerate.
Both Fighting and Flying are extremely agile Types. This was what allowed Pikachu to pull off such an extreme maneuver to dodge the attack, even while plummeting from high in the air.
"Hmph, my Pikachu wasn't just losing weight this past month!" Ash said, quite pleased with himself. Over the last month, he and Pikachu had taken the time to watch several documentaries on Electric Mouse Pokémon. One of them mentioned a type of flashy Pikachu from the Hoenn Region called Wrestling Pikachu, the kind that specialized in Punching in an Arena. Their signature move was this very technique.
Flying Press.
After watching it a few times, Pikachu successfully managed to Copy it, instantly raising its Proficiency from 0.01% to the max.
"Haha! Victory Road can't stop me, Ash from Pallet Town, the future Pokémon Master!" After his victory, Ash pounded his chest, put his hands on his hips, and roared with overflowing Battle Intent.
"Hm?" "Who's that barking?" "What insolent fool?"
The moment he spoke, a dozen blood-red gazes instantly shot toward him, staring straight at Ash.
To meet someone's eyes was to initiate a battle, and in that instant, Ash had successfully met the gazes of over a dozen people.
"Ash of Pallet Town, I, Elite Trainer B, challenge you!"
"I, Hiker D, challenge you!"
"I, Lass E, challenge you!"
Before long, Ash was surrounded by dozens of Trainers. His previous declaration was a clear Taunt here.
Seeing no way out of it, Ash didn't even try to dodge. He took a wide step forward, adjusted his Hat firmly, and then pulled out several Poké Balls at once, holding them up before tossing them all out.
"I choose you, Wartortle! Ivysaur! Pidgeot! Gengar! And Pikachu!"
The next second, his five great generals appeared in a circle around him, ready to face the surrounding Trainers. Each one was wreathed in a powerful Aura, clearly having trained hard over the past month as well.
"Hmph? Is that all?"
"Who are you looking down on? Five isn't enough, hurry up and send out your sixth."
The surrounding Elite Trainers also threw out their own Poké Balls, initiating a group battle against Ash.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
A kaleidoscope of colorful and flashy Type Energy flew everywhere. In an instant, the light of flames and explosions soared into the sky along the narrow path of Victory Road...
The process... is omitted.
Several hours later.
Ash and his group were standing in the lobby of a Pokemon Center at the end of Victory Road.
"*Huff... huff... huff...*"
Ash was sitting on a lounge chair, panting heavily and chugging tap water.
Even someone with his iron-like constitution couldn't take it anymore. His body was too weak to move from overexertion. He could only watch helplessly as Nurse Joy carried away his Poké Balls and the equally exhausted Pikachu on a platter that looked like a Meal Tray.
"Beep-boop, beep-boop-bop..."
Energy Recovery in progress.
A continuous series of high-intensity battles. He hadn't counted, but there were at least twenty Elite Trainers, each with a minimum of three Pokemon. Not only was Ash exhausted, but his Pokemon were also completely out of Stamina. Towards the end, Wartortle had run out of PP for its Moves and could only resort to scratching at its opponents with its claws.
"Hmph!"
Thinking of this, Ash couldn't help but let out a cold snort, feeling quite pleased and proud.
Even so, he had successfully achieved a Win Streak of over twenty. It seemed his prospects for the Indigo League Conference were already showing great Future Potential.
"They were all just Fodder!"
Ash mentally compared them to himself. These twenty so-called Elite Trainers were way too weak, probably at the level he was at when he had four or five Badges. It wasn't very difficult.
"No, the truth is, you've gotten stronger," Red couldn't help but make his Presence known from within the Soul Space, speaking up.
Ash and his Pokemon's current Strength was on a completely different level now. Naturally, this Fodder couldn't stop him, which is why it felt so easy.
"But if I hadn't entered this World, perhaps the original Ash's Strength would have been the same as that Fodder?"
Thinking of that dream, and the battle in that dream that was labeled Top 16 but felt like child's play, Red couldn't help but have a bold idea. But he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. In any case, getting stronger was always a good thing.
"*Huff... huff... huff...*"
Still, the high-intensity, continuous battles were a bit much to handle. Ash was still panting, trying to recover his composure. Meanwhile, his three companions were leisurely chatting and drinking tea nearby.
This caused ripples in Ash's Mental Fortitude.
He immediately took out his Pokedex and opened a long-bookmarked app in the top-right corner. It was a live-streaming software.
The screen opened to a top-down view of a vast Ocean.
In the very center of the screen was a Lava Beast with a fiery red Shell and black-lined patterns, walking slowly through the Ocean.
Seeing this scene, Ash's Mental Fortitude instantly stabilized. An immense courage welled up within him, and for a moment, it was as solid as a rock.
"Volcano Deity, thank you," he muttered silently.
Whenever Ash felt physically and mentally exhausted, his Mental Fortitude wavered, or he felt like giving up, all he had to do was watch this live stream. Seeing the back of the Volcano Deity, who, despite its tortoise-like speed, was still determinedly heading home one step at a time, was so moving and infectious that Power would surge anew in his heart.
This had become a Trending Topic just yesterday and had dominated the charts, its popularity yet to wane.
"The Volcano Deity is working so hard, what reason do you have not to?!"
In an instant, the Volcano Deity gained countless fans. The phrase "Groudon goes home" had reached a status comparable to stories from Ancient Books like "The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains" or "Jingwei Fills the Sea."
Even though it had been less than two days, the resilient figure in the live stream had already inspired countless people.
With a flame-like Fighting Spirit reignited in his heart, Ash couldn't help but look over at his three companions, who were leisurely drinking tea and watching the stream. His expression turned serious as he asked:
"Todd Snap, tell me, is there any news on Moltres yet?"
At this moment, they were technically already on the Indigo Plateau. The Indigo League Conference was still about a week away from officially starting. Ash had already made plans for this week.
To snipe Moltres.
"Yes, yes, there is."
When it came to official business, Todd Snap's expression also grew serious. After all, his original purpose for joining the team was to photograph the Moltres here.
*Hmm... might not be three updates today, got writer's block.*
(end of chapter)