"Oh? You can tell Arbok's level?"
"Mr. Koga, didn't you know I have special abilities? I can intuitively see the energy contained within a Pokemon, so even without engaging, I can gauge its general strength." Ash attributed his insight to Aura Power.
"That's quite a convenient ability... Don't blame me, Ash. You were the one who chose this difficulty, and by sending out Arbok, I'm acknowledging your strength. I can't let you win this battle, as I have a reason why I must win," Koga remarked with a sigh.
Using an Elite Level Pokemon against a trainer who has only been on the road for two months, even at their request, is rather shameful.
This is taking advantage of the weak to an extreme.
But there's no choice. Who knew this 'small' was unexpectedly strong, so this 'big' also had to forcibly increase his strength.
"I feel honored, Mr. Koga... Pikachu, how about it? Can you fight?" Ash looked down at Pikachu and asked.
"Pika Pika!!" Pikachu stared at Arbok, feeling a bit intimidated, but recalling its role as the leader of its team, it mustered its confidence, patting its chest to assure Ash—a guaranteed win!
"I'll leave it to you then; it's decided that it's you, Pikachu!" Ash gave Pikachu a thumbs-up, then took off his hat and placed it on Pikachu's head.
Koga noticed this gesture. Although he found it a bit strange, he merely thought that Ash was trying to encourage Pikachu in this way.
After all, Ash's hat seemed to be something very precious to him, and wearing it on Pikachu might inspire powers from within Pikachu.
The most magical aspect of Pokemon is their ability to form bonds with humans that cannot be explained by science or phenomena, creating countless miracles.
In summary... Koga felt that if Pikachu won, it would only be due to a miracle.
He wasn't underestimating it, but a Pikachu... really is hard to take seriously.
No matter how highly he regarded Ash, he couldn't see Pikachu at the same level!
After donning Ash's hat, Pikachu leapt onto the field, but Arbok's intimidating presence immediately weakened its strength significantly.
The Intimidate ability is quite useful, especially since Ash's Pikachu primarily excels in physical attack.
Taking a deep breath, Ash felt the Aura Power surging within him.
"This is the first time... combining two forces, not sure what will happen, but if I want to win, this is the only way." Ash murmured as his body's Aura Power flowed into Pikachu!
Partner form combined with Aura Fusion!
When battling Lt. Surge previously, Ash had considered using this move, but didn't expect Lt. Surge to be so easy to defeat; a single partner form was enough.
Since then, Ash hadn't faced an opponent that required the combination of these two forms; they were either too strong for Pikachu to battle or too weak to need such tactics.
Today marks Ash's first time using this ultimate move.
Pikachu emanated gusts of wind, even whipping up a small whirlwind around it.
Koga's eyes widened at the sight!
A Professional Level Pikachu?! It's at a higher level than the Charizard from earlier!
Is it possible to train a Pokemon like this in two months? Was this Pikachu already at Elite or Professional Level when captured?
But observing the interaction between the duo, this level of rapport couldn't be cultivated in just ten days or half a month. This Pikachu likely had been with Ash for a long time, with a bond even deeper than with Charizard.
So how did it reach Professional Level?!
And it wasn't just this level that was astonishing. From the aura emanating from Pikachu, it seemed to have received a huge boost, just like the earlier Charizard!
Koga didn't need to be told; he could guess that Ash had infused Pikachu with his special ability.
Without using those special flames, Charizard combined with Ash's special ability nearly had the combat power equal to Gym Level!
Could this Pikachu be stronger than Charizard?
But it didn't matter. No matter how much it improved, it couldn't reach Elite Level. The level gap was too vast, not even in the same league, unless this Pikachu also had a special move akin to Charizard's colorful flame.
"Remarkable, to have raised a Pikachu to this level. If you were challenging Professional or even Gym difficulty, you might have won effortlessly."
Koga lightly clapped his hands, verbalizing his admiration.
But his implied meaning was... facing Elite Level difficulty, Ash had no chance of winning.
"Don't underestimate my Pikachu. Along the way, those who looked down on Pikachu didn't fare well."
"I'm not underestimating your Pikachu, but in terms of level and species, your Pikachu is at a disadvantage. How do you plan to win?"
"Win like this, Pikachu, Zippy Zap!" Ash suddenly commanded Pikachu to launch the attack.
Koga was ready, and the moment Ash spoke, he also gave a command: "Coil."
No matter what attack the opponent was planning, strengthening Arbok was the priority.
Arbok was about to coil its body, but in the next moment, a golden electric light flashed across the field. Enveloped in golden electricity, Pikachu appeared in front of it and slammed hard into its head!
"Boom!!"
The impact resounded, and Arbok shot out like an arrow and crashed into the barrier behind it, causing cracks to appear.
This scene left Koga, who was contemplating various winning strategies, in a daze.
No way... What was this? What kind of move is Zippy Zap? Why is it so fast?
The distance between the two sides was at least half the field. How did that Pikachu reach Arbok in the blink of an eye?
Even Elite Level Pokemon aren't that fast! Why does this Pikachu have such speed?!
Misty, standing nearby, inadvertently caught sight of Koga's expression and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The expression matched what she showed when Ash first used Zippy Zap on her.
Indeed, upon first encountering Zippy Zap, everyone should have this expression!
Because this move is so OP! (OP: overpowered)
The release speed of the move rivals that of Extreme Speed at the same level, not to mention it always lands a critical hit!
It's important to note that when a move hits critically, it ignores the user's decreased stats and the opponent's increased stats.
This means that even if Intimidated, Zippy Zap's power remains full!
The most outrageous thing is it has no limitations and is a same-type move!
Look at Grassy Glide; it requires a grassy terrain, while Zippy Zap is entirely cost-free!
If this move weren't exclusive to Ash's Pikachu, the entire Trainer World would be thrown into chaos.
"Pursue the victory, use Thunderbolt!" Koga was in a daze, but Ash wasn't.
Ash, knowing the basic principle of attacking when your enemy is down, quickly instructed Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on the still-dizzy Arbok.
Koga finally came to his senses upon hearing this, but golden lightning had already snaked its way like a thunder serpent and struck Arbok hard!
"Chaa-bo!!" Arbok let out an agonized howl, and Koga's voice belatedly followed, "Dig!"
Enduring the pain, Arbok quickly dug underground, barely evading continuous Thunderbolt attacks.
But in these two exchanges, Arbok suffered twice already, and at this moment, Koga was starting to doubt reality.