The petite Kingdra and the massive Snorlax stood facing each other.
Although this arena was called a "Sea and Land" field, the actual land area was pitifully small. Only the platforms where the trainers stood had solid footing; the rest was water, without even a single floating platform.
Therefore, in a duel between Kingdra and Snorlax, Snorlax should be at a disadvantage. However, Ash naturally had his own strategy for sending out Snorlax.
"Snorlax… a heavyweight opponent. But can you defeat my Kingdra?"
"Hmm… is there a need for trash talk on the field?"
"Kingdra—Body Slam!"
Seeing that Ash showed no intention of attacking first, Clair had no choice but to take the initiative. After all, Snorlax was a heavyweight with presumably low agility. Combined with the unfavorable terrain, any competent trainer wouldn't let Snorlax strike first. Yet, Clair still wondered if Ash might rush to attack… the result was self-evident. So, she attacked alone!
Kingdra roared, its body gliding across the water at high speed. As it closed in on Snorlax, it suddenly leapt up! Its petite form slammed hard into Snorlax's belly! But the scenario Clair imagined—Snorlax being sent flying or knocked back—didn't happen. Kingdra's entire body sank into Snorlax's soft belly!
A bad premonition rose in Clair's heart…
"Now, Snorlax! Mega Punch!"
"Snor!!"
Upon hearing the command, Snorlax violently swung its fist with thunderous speed! The moment Kingdra was ejected from Snorlax's belly, the powerful fist connected squarely with its stomach!
BOOM!!
A violent impact sounded. Kingdra was sent flying straight into the ceiling! A deep dent appeared, and Kingdra was embedded in it, a pained expression on its face. However, thanks to the Dragon-type's resilience, Kingdra hadn't lost the ability to battle.
"Hyper Beam!" Ash didn't plan to give the opponent time to recover. He ordered Snorlax to use the powerful Normal-type move!
"Snor-LAX!!"
Bright golden energy gathered before Snorlax, terrifying power slowly radiating out. Then, the golden light suddenly erupted! The beam of destructive energy rolled through the air with scorching intensity, raising the temperature in the arena significantly!
"Hydro Pump!" Clair's expression changed slightly as she quickly responded. Escape was impossible now—they could only confront it head-on!
"Urgh… Roar!!" Kingdra reluctantly opened its eyes, enduring the discomfort to spit out a thick blue column of water.
The powerful Water-type energy collided with the destructive beam, causing a huge explosion in mid-air! However, overall, Snorlax's Hyper Beam was stronger, so the explosion's aftermath blew more forcefully toward Kingdra. The Kingdra embedded in the ceiling was blasted loose by the shockwave and fell into the pool below.
After using two moves in succession, Snorlax wasn't even winded. Even after being hit by Body Slam, it showed no sign of injury. This was the God of War, Snorlax! This was precisely why Ash had sent it out. Snorlax's stamina was outstanding among all Pokémon, and its level had reached the peak of Gym-tier. While Clair's Kingdra was well-trained, it was at best advanced Gym-tier. Of course, battles couldn't be decided by level alone—otherwise, the higher level would always win. But Snorlax didn't just have a level advantage. It could be said that aside from the terrain disadvantage and agility difference, Snorlax's other stats completely overwhelmed Kingdra! Combined with Ash's command skills… there was no possibility of defeat in this battle!
Clair now looked even more flustered, biting her lower lip. Trouble right from the start…
"Kingdra, Swift!" If physical attacks didn't work, try special attacks! Normally, Snorlax's Special Defense was much higher than its Physical Defense, but that depended on the trainer's training. Maybe Ash's Snorlax had higher Physical Defense? However, when the golden stars fell like rain on Snorlax's belly, and Snorlax merely patted its stomach, Clair knew this Snorlax… had terrifyingly high defenses in both categories! And its offensive power in both categories was absurdly strong too—evident from the Hyper Beam and Mega Punch. Neither attack was weak. Just what had Ash been training?!
Meanwhile, Kingdra, having failed to land a hit, was hiding in the water, observing Snorlax for weaknesses and planning a rear attack. A reckless assault would just waste energy; competing physically with Snorlax was a fool's errand!
"Snorlax, counterattack! Aim at the pool and use Mega Punch!"
"Snor!!" Snorlax roared angrily and slammed its chubby fist into the pool!
BOOM!
A deafening sound erupted. The pool suddenly churned violently. Kingdra, hiding in the water, was dumbfounded! What in the world?! An underwater earthquake?!
Terrifying vibrations transmitted through the turbulent water bit by bit—it truly felt like an earthquake beneath the surface! The intense shaking affected the water, and Kingdra couldn't hold out any longer, leaping out of the pool.
Snorlax seized the moment and fired another Hyper Beam! This time, the golden destructive light struck Kingdra unimpeded. Having suffered heavy blows one after another, Kingdra's stamina was finally exhausted. Its eyes rolled back, and it fainted.
Throughout the entire battle, Kingdra had been powerless to fight back. To be honest, Clair was a bit stunned. Now she believed what Liza had said. If a Snorlax was this formidable, what about Charizard…? Even if she went all out, did she really stand any chance of winning?
...
[Clair: So strong… way too strong… I didn't feel it as much watching Black Ash battle Elite Four and Champions, but facing him myself, the difference in command is glaring.]
It was like spectators watching a professional match—thinking I could do that, I could pull off those moves. But in an actual battle… the gap was so vast they weren't even on the same level. Black Ash's skill as a trainer had actually surpassed the strength of his Pokémon, reaching true Elite Four, even Champion level! Ordinary Champions couldn't suppress him! When both sides had equal information, Black Ash might be pressured, but his greatest strength was this: the opponent could never guess his full capabilities! By the time they figured it out mid-battle, defeat wasn't far off. And the Clair in the image… couldn't even grasp Ash's information, let alone anything else. Besides, she only had one Elite Four–level Pokémon. Put nicely, she was an "Elite Four–level trainer"; put bluntly, she was just a stronger Gym Leader. Compared to her cousin, she really fell short… But now, after losing to Ash, she had actually improved a lot—thanks to the evolved Dragonair and the potential… almost ready to break through. As for the Elite Four–level Pokémon in her hand… let's not talk about that.
[Lance: Clair, you still have much to learn. Now you understand what it means 'there's always someone better,' right?]
[Flint: Haha, 'my hands work when I watch, but what about when I actually play?' Classic!]
[Clair: I understand, cousin! I will definitely work hard to improve! Also… Mr. Flint, Sinnoh Elite Four, though I'm not your match now, in the future I will definitely become a trainer no less than my cousin!]
[Clair: When that time comes, I'll come to Sinnoh to challenge the Elite Four!]
[Flint: …]Was that necessary? Was it? I was just making an offhand comment, and now you're coming to Sinnoh to challenge the Elite Four?! Women… really hold grudges.
[Volkner: Well said! I support Miss Clair in knocking Flint off his Elite Four throne! Victory to the challenger!]
[Flint: ???] Okay, okay! Some friend you are! A toast to our fake friendship!!
...
In the Black World —
Clair recalled the fainted Kingdra and sent out her next Pokémon—Gyarados! Judging by its Aura, this Gyarados' strength was on par with Kingdra's, around advanced Gym-tier…
Ash wasn't surprised by this, nor did he think Clair was holding back. His investigation had revealed where Clair's true王牌 lay. This was the information gap between them!
"Return, Snorlax. Thank you." Ash smiled at the Poké Ball, soothing Snorlax, then took out a new one. He had prepared for this from the start—all three of his chosen Pokémon would get their turn! So even after winning a battle with energy to spare, Ash recalled it. Then, he threw his next Poké Ball:
"The decision is yours—Gyarados!!"
Click—
The thrown Ball opened, and a red figure appeared on the field!
A Shiny Gyarados!
As soon as the red Gyarados emerged, it raised its head and let out a mighty roar. This was its first battle after recovering and being caught by Ash, so it seemed incredibly excited. It wanted to win for its trainer… to claim victory!
"A Shiny Gyarados… Is this the Gyarados that was causing trouble in Mahogany Town? I didn't expect you to tame it, Ash."
However, Ash shook his head. "It's not that I tamed him… Gyarados and I have become family. Now… he is my family! Because we're family, we can fight together!"
"Let's go, Gyarados! Show Miss Clair that you're not some irrational monster—you are you!"
"ROOOAR!"
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