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Not only was Volkner shocked, but so was Alex. Despite being a Trainer for so long, he had never seen a Snorlax move at such speed. Isn't this just an agile fatty?!
At this moment, Manectric was already unable to dodge. Its Wild Charge had already struck, and it was caught in the inertia of the move.
Thus, Manectric could only watch as the earth-toned energy swirled around the bear paw, growing larger in front of its eyes.
"Boom—!!"
High Horsepower slammed against Manectric with incredible force!
The golden Thunder Light around Manectric was ripped apart by the earth-toned Ground Type energy upon impact, scattering into countless arcs of electricity!
Its body was like a baseball hit by a bat, flying backward at an even faster speed than it had come!
"Crash!"
Manectric heavily collided with the transparent barrier at the edge of the Gym, producing a deep, resonant sound. The barrier shook violently, causing ripples to appear.
Its damaged body slid down from the barrier and collapsed on the ground, yet after a while, Manectric managed to stand back up; it wasn't defeated by that single blow.
However, the scars left by High Horsepower were clearly visible on its body, with several parts torn open, each breath accompanied by a deep, wheezing sound.
After Belly Drum, Snorlax's Physical Attack was pushed to the limit. Not to mention, High Horsepower is a Ground Type Skill, having double restraint against pure Electric Type Manectric.
Combining the two, with just one strike, Manectric's Physical Strength was knocked down to the level of a flickering candle.
Volkner's face became extremely grim, not just because Manectric was beaten into this shape in one hit, but also because of Snorlax's anomaly.
This speed was simply not typical for a Snorlax; in terms of flexibility, it was like an agile monkey!
What kind of monster is this Snorlax?
Misty held Togepi and thoughtfully nodded: "When Ash captured Snorlax, I felt something was off. In terms of speed, this Snorlax is extraordinarily fast."
Brock slowly closed his mouth and rubbed his face, stiff from shock. That slap from Snorlax had really taken him by surprise.
Because he hadn't had much interaction with Snorlax, and basically, Ash hadn't trained it much after acquisition, mainly focusing on bonding through eating, drinking, and having fun.
After all, Snorlax is one of the few Pokemon that doesn't require training but grows stronger rapidly.
It's better to say eating and sleeping is Snorlax's training method.
So Brock had no idea that Ash's Snorlax had such special qualities!
"Ash really... none of the Pokemon he captures are normal! Each one is stranger than the next!" Brock couldn't help but remark.
"I have no idea why, but all those weird Pokemon seem to be drawn to Ash, like he has some special attraction, right, Togepi?"
"Topi~~" Togepi joyfully chimed, being one of Ash's many peculiar Pokemon!
Having Togepi seems to have further boosted Ash's luck with draws to a terrifying extent!
But that's something Misty and the others wouldn't know.
On the field, Volkner took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart.
Manectric's Physical Strength was already spent, another hit might take it down. Engaging directly offered no hope of winning; a change in strategy was necessary.
"Manectric, Electric Terrain." His voice returned to calm.
Manectric let out a low roar, and the dim Thunder Light on its body brightened again, but this time it didn't coalesce into an attack; it spread from beneath its feet outward in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was covered by a layer of golden electric grid, with delicate arcs of electricity filling the air, making a gentle sizzling sound.
Electric Terrain—while the terrain persists, the power of Electric Type Moves used by Electric Type Pokemon on the field gets enhanced.
Moreover, the terrain offers special uses for Electric Type Pokemon; under electrified conditions, Manectric's Speed could increase!
"Manectric, Thunderbolt!" Volkner continued swiftly to give the second command.
If close combat won't suffice, then wear them down with long-range attacks.
This Snorlax is indeed agile, but that's all there is to it; in terms of actual Speed, surely it can't outrun Manectric?
As long as they can establish distance, using Thunderbolt from afar to attack will be effective; no matter how nimble Snorlax is, it won't matter. If Snorlax tries to approach, Manectric can use its speed to widen the gap!
Moreover, now with Electric Terrain's boost, Thunderbolt's power has leveled up significantly; even Snorlax's Physical Strength wouldn't withstand continuous Electric Type attacks.
Watch as he uses the last bit of Manectric's strength to toy with the opponent!
At Volkner's command, the Thunder Light around Manectric surged under the reinforcement of Electric Terrain.
A thick golden lightning bolt shot out from its body, striking toward Snorlax! That speed was astonishing, leaving only a dazzling afterimage in the air.
Ash's command echoed almost simultaneously with the generation of electricity.
"Snorlax, Giga Impact."
"Snor—lax!!"
Snorlax let out a thunderous roar, its rotund body completely enveloped in a thick white light. In the next second, it took a mighty stride, like an out-of-control heavy tank, charging straight towards Manectric!
Volkner shook his head disdainfully as he saw this: "At this distance, with Snorlax's speed, it's absolutely impossible—"
He didn't even finish his sentence.
Snorlax's massive body, under the boost of Giga Impact, burst out at a speed completely disproportionate to its size!
The speed was astonishing, leaving only a white afterimage in the air!!
The golden thunder pillar struck it, but the thick white light deflected it, as if it was being crushed flat like a speed bump!
Thunderbolt? If you hadn't told me, I'd think it was a speed bump! But even if it were, it couldn't slow him down at all!
"What?!" Volkner's eyes widened in disbelief.
Manectric tried to dodge, but having just released Thunderbolt, there was no time to evade such high-speed Giga Impact!
Snorlax's sprinting speed was more than ten times faster than Volkner had imagined!
So he never expected that using Thunderbolt would cause Manectric to hesitate momentarily, and this hesitation was undoubtedly the final straw that broke Manectric!
"Boom—!!"
The Giga Impact collided solidly with Manectric.
The blue and yellow body was knocked high into the air, drawing a powerless arc before crashing heavily to the ground, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.
The fallen figure attempted to lift, but ultimately, its head couldn't rise completely and drooped down.
Manectric, lost its ability to battle.
The entire Gym fell silent for a moment.
Alex stared blankly at the Manectric lying at the edge of the arena, then looked at the Snorlax in the arena, panting heavily but showing little sign of exertion, his mouth opening and closing without a word to say.
A full ATK Snorlax, with a direct hit from Giga Impact, even if Manectric's Physical Strength was full, this strike was enough to take him down.
What's more, it had already been reduced to a flickering candle in the wind by High Horsepower before, leaving no chance to withstand this move.
But that wasn't the most important thing; the most important was—why could that Snorlax move so fast?!
This battle completely overturned Alex's worldview, and Volkner's too…
When had they ever seen a Snorlax attack in such a manner? A normal Snorlax would plant itself and use its immense Physical Strength to seize the gaps in its opponent's attack to counter.
A Snorlax capable of doing this was already strong, and Ash's Snorlax was unreasonable, beyond unreasonable!
It wasn't a heavy artillery battery but a heavy truck!!
The terrifying ATK after Belly Drum made it impossible for common Elite Four Advanced Level attacks to withstand it head-on, and the power of its explosive straight-line dash far exceeded Volkner's expectations.
Ash's Snorlax wasn't just agile; it was agile and fast at the same time!
If he had known earlier that Snorlax could burst out at such speed, he definitely wouldn't have recklessly let Manectric attack in place, but used a more manoeuvrable combat strategy.
"Manectric lost its battle ability, Snorlax wins!" Alex's voice echoed in the Gym, with a hint of dazedness yet to fully recover.
Volkner retrieved the collapsed Manectric with a Pokeball taken from his waist.
"Good job, you did well," he consoled, looking down at the Pokeball in his hand, then focused his gaze back on the Snorlax keeping its position.
"Your Snorlax," his voice carried genuine admiration, "fast enough to be a heavyweight Pokemon, yet like those known for speed, even I, with all my training as a Trainer, it's my first time seeing a Snorlax like this."
He paused, seemingly recollecting something, added another sentence: "No, it's actually the first time seeing a Trainer like you, one which makes this Snorlax so exceptional, undoubtedly credit goes to you as the Trainer."
Ash chuckled, patting the Snorlax's sturdy back beside him, indicating that it did great, and then looked up at Volkner and replied, "Actually, I hardly did anything; it was just this guy was indeed extraordinarily talented, it surprised me even when I first caught him."
Ash wasn't being modest; he really didn't conduct any special training. If anything, was ensuring it ate so well and slept so soundly counted?
Volkner, hearing this, said no more but took another Pokeball from his waist and tossed it high.
A slender figure emerged in the arena as the light faded.
It was a quadrupedal Pokemon, covered in light yellow fur, with a fluffy mane standing around its neck, the fur all over its body bristling like a porcupine.
Jolteon, one of Eevee's evolutions.
Ash narrowed his eyes slightly, and the Eye of Insight quietly activated. In the next second, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Elite Four Peak.
This Jolteon's Level was even higher than the previous Manectric's.
Moreover, from the stable aura surrounding it, it was certainly not just at the beginning of Elite Four Peak.
The information he'd read on his phone about Volkner was now entirely beyond any reference value. This Jolteon wasn't even Volkner's strongest Pokemon; then what Level would his trump card be?
Ash withdrew his gaze and looked at Snorlax beside him: "Up for another round?"
"Snorlax!" Snorlax patted his snow-white belly with a heavy paw, making a dull sound—no problem.
"Alright." Ash nodded, saying nothing more, "Then let's keep it up, Snorlax!"
Since Snorlax said it could fight, it must be able to, Elite Four Peak or not!
Alex took a deep breath, raising his right hand: "Second match, Snorlax vs. Jolteon, begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Volkner immediately commanded: "Jolteon, start running."
With a light tread of its four limbs, Jolteon's body turned into a streamer of pale yellow, speeding through the Electric Terrain.
Its figure traced curves in the arena, footsteps so light they made almost no sound, with only the sparking electric glow on the Electric Terrain hinting at its path.
This speed was a level above the previous Manectric's… no, more than several levels above!
The previous Manectric could barely be tracked, but Jolteon's speed left Snorlax unable to even see an afterimage.
At such speed, even using Earthquake would likely be evaded for a counterattack immediately, and Snorlax couldn't strike back effectively.
Jolteon's speed was so much more than Manectric's, that even with Snorlax's better-than-average speed, it couldn't seize an opportunity to strike at Jolteon.
"Thunderbolt."
Jolteon's head slightly turned during its run, and its neck mane flared with golden light.
A lightning bolt shot out from its body, striking straight at Snorlax, and its pace didn't waver; the bolt continued output as it ran.
The Thunderbolt hit Snorlax accurately, and Snorlax let out a groan of pain, but looking along the attack path, Jolteon was already gone from the original spot.
The next second, another Thunder Beam attacked from a different angle, hitting Snorlax once more!
Golden Thunder Light struck repetitively from varying angles and directions, with Jolteon resembling a high-speed mobile artillery, continuing to pour Thunderbolt onto Snorlax under the Electric Terrain's enhancement.
Indeed, Volkner learnt from the last match's lesson; he didn't have Jolteon attack in place but in motion, slightly reducing its attack power but making Snorlax unable to track Jolteon at all!
No matter how sturdy Snorlax's Physical Strength, Jolteon could simply whittle down Snorlax with this style of attack!