Chapter 81 Xia Mu: I was just saying it casually, everyone took it seriously! "Quick Attack!!!"
With a shout from Kong Nan, Pidgeot let out a sharp cry.
Completely different from Pikachu's Quick Attack, Pidgeot truly transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting straight out.
Its speed was extreme, too fast for the naked eye to follow, and there wasn't even time to give a command.
The battle arena in the gym wasn't as large as a league-level arena, and it was an indoor battle arena, so the area was very limited.
If it were larger, Xia Mu would have had time to react, but now he was indeed on the defensive and caught off guard.
Quick Attack successfully hit Charizard, causing Charizard to let out a painful roar.
Clearly, Kong Nan was also avenging Ash.
Just now, Xia Mu used Charizard's ability to fly to prevent Pikachu from launching ground attacks, forcing it to continuously use ranged attacks.
Now that Sora has landed a Quick Attack, he's also telling Ash that his Pikachu can't fly, which is why it was in such a sorry state earlier.
[This kid is quite the mentor, and with that kind of skill, no wonder he made it to the finals of last year's Indigo League. I wonder what kind of person the last champion, Arlong, really is, that he could overpower him.] Natsuki couldn't help but admire him. He immediately became serious, because Sora gave another order.
"Now! Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!!"
Aerial Ace is indeed a very difficult move to deal with and counter.
The most crucial thing is its guaranteed hit, which hasn't changed even in the anime world; in fact, it's become even more unpredictable.
This is the first time Natsuki has encountered this move in the real world, but he has a clear memory of how familiar he is with it.
In the anime, there are many ways to counter it.
The most straightforward way is to trade blows, a head-on attack!
"I think I know your tactics now. Since you want to fight this kind of war of attrition, then I'll defy your wishes! Charizard, charge in, Giga Impact!!" There was no mercy, no intention of playing around.
Sora was indeed skilled; Pidgeot was also a tough opponent.
However, this tactic was also easy to counter.
Even though Charizard wasn't a physical attacker, the power of Giga Impact was still considerable.
How could U-turn compare? Moreover, the level difference meant that even Charizard would suffer a backlash, temporarily losing mobility, but Pidgeot would definitely suffer greater damage.
'Boom!!'
The two collided violently.
In the contest of power, Charizard was clearly far superior.
Pidgeot's U-turn was exhausted, and it was sent flying by Charizard's Giga Impact, crashing onto the battle arena, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Everyone who saw this couldn't help but feel a chill.
Especially those familiar with Sora, who were all sweating bullets for him.
The man's expression was serious, his fists clenched, and his heart was pounding with tension.
He wasn't even sure if Pidgeot could withstand the attack, let alone expect Natsuki to go against the grain and choose a direct confrontation.
He had originally been very confident in his Swallow Return technique, which is why he chose this tactic, but he never imagined that this sure-hit move, which he couldn't counter, would be broken by Natsuki in such a direct and ruthless way.
In fact, the reason he taught Pidgeot Swallow Return was because he had suffered from this move at the previous Indigo League tournament, and only through diligent training had he taught Pidgeot the technique.
As the dust settled, Pidgeot's figure slowly emerged. It hadn't lost its ability to battle, but it had suffered a blow; one of its wings was clearly badly injured.
"Do you still want to fight?" Xia Mu asked, prompting a question.
It had to be said, Kong Nan was very strong, and he was certainly qualified to take the Crimson Badge from him.
However, having participated in the Indigo League, he probably already had the Crimson Badge and didn't really need it anymore…
"Pidgeot, do you still want to fight?" Kong Nan gave the choice to Pidgeot.
This action alone surpassed most trainers.
No wonder it had reached this point; trusting its Pokémon and giving it the opportunity to decide indicated a high bond, resulting in a greater power boost.
According to the percentage-based power increase described in the cheat simulator, it essentially meant unleashing power exceeding 100% to a certain extent.
'Pidgeot~~' Pidgeot let out a loud cry, then, ignoring its injury, flapped its wings and soared into the air.
A level 50 Pidgeot already possesses strength exceeding the elite level; this level is equivalent to a league champion.
"Alright! Let's continue the battle!" Seeing Pidgeot's reaction, Kong Nan's expression shifted from gloomy to sunny, his eyes blazing with even stronger fighting spirit.
Seeing this, Xia Mu glanced at the Charizard in the air: "Then let's go all out! Charizard, Flamethrower!"
'Roar!!!' A loud roar erupted, and a dense stream of flames surged from Charizard's mouth, incredibly powerful.
"Dodge, Pidgeot." Kong Nan commanded Pidgeot, watching it circle and dodge the Flamethrower, then shouted, "Now! Steel Wing!"
'Pidgeot~~!' Pidgeot's wings shone with a dazzling steel luster, like steel blades, charging straight at Charizard.
Despite being injured, its speed was still faster than lightning.
However!
Even faster speeds had been seen.
Prepared, Xia Mu's eyes narrowed, and he made a decision.
"Dragon Claw, next!"
'Roar!' With a roar, Charizard's claws were enveloped in Dragon-type energy, transforming into giant energy claws.
A deafening boom resounded.
The unstoppable Steel Wings were simply grabbed and blocked by Charizard's claws.
"What? How is this possible?" Kong Nan exclaimed in shock.
Today's battle had completely overturned his previous worldview.
All the trainers who witnessed this scene were dumbfounded, even Blaine and Mulan, who were hiding behind the scenes, were greatly surprised.
Xia Mu's fighting method was truly unbelievable; the impossible had been made possible.
"Unfortunately, Pidgeot's speed is indeed very fast after activating Tailwind, but its strength is clearly insufficient after being injured, making it unable to directly confront Charizard." Xia Mu smiled, then his expression changed again, giving Charizard the final command, "Flamethrower, end the battle."
Charizard, holding Pidgeot in its claws, flashed a fierce light in its eyes, unleashing a close-range Flamethrower that blasted Pidgeot away.
This attack hit squarely, greatly amplifying the damage.
"Pentavian!" Seeing the Pidgeot plummeting from the sky, its feathers singed, Sora lost his composure and, to avoid further injury upon impact, immediately recalled it with a Poké Ball. And so, Pidgeot was rendered unable to battle, and Sora was forced to leave the arena.
Before leaving, Xia Mu left his designated spot for the first time to deliver a powerful healing potion purchased from the system to Sora.
He didn't give him a full recovery potion or a full-healing potion because a complete cure would be too overpowered.
The potions in this real world are far less potent than those in the game world, and Xia Mu had been deliberately concealing this fact ever since he learned this, not easily revealing his best potions.
"Thank you, Brother Xia Mu." Seeing Pidgeot recover from its severe injuries, Sora was overjoyed and thanked Xia Mu profusely.
Even with powerful healing potions, the effect was beyond his expectations.
"Letting Charizard go all out was a sign of respect for you and Pidgeot; otherwise, it would have been too perfunctory! With your strength, you are fully qualified to hold the Crimson Badge, but since you participated in the Indigo League, I wonder if you still want this badge?" Xia Mu took out a Crimson Badge from his pocket and asked.
"I lost, and you still give me a badge?" Sora hesitated, looking at the Crimson Badge in Xia Mu's hand.
He really wanted this badge.
In fact, this particular badge was missing from his collection.
He had been to Cinnabar Island before, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, he hadn't been able to challenge Blaine.
"The establishment of the League Gyms is merely to assess a Trainer's strength and determine their eligibility to hold a badge. While defeating a Gym Leader is the most direct way to obtain a badge, gaining the Gym Leader's approval is what truly constitutes achieving the hidden achievement of being eligible to hold a badge." Xia Mu presented the Crimson Badge in his own way.
These words left all the onlookers speechless.
Undoubtedly, they had never experienced anything like this before.
"Thank you for your approval. I'll accept this badge, Brother Xia Mu. Next time, when I'm stronger, I'll challenge you again." Kong Nan clutched the Crimson Badge in his hand.
Without Xia Mu's words, he definitely wouldn't have accepted the badge.
But achieving the hidden achievement and gaining approval was more meaningful than defeating a Gym Leader.
Xia Mu had no idea that his actions would lead other gyms to follow suit, no longer using Pokémon of the same level as their opponents.
Later, Xia Mu learned that this phenomenon was entirely his doing, and he repeatedly thought to himself: "I was just saying it casually, but you all took it seriously.
" ...
"I'll be waiting for you to challenge me again, but next time I might not be the acting gym leader," Xia Mu said with a light smile, glossing over the matter.
Returning to his position, Xia Mu looked at the next challenger, Ahai, also known as Hai Nan.
Undoubtedly, among the many challengers, besides Kong Nan, Xia Mu valued Ahai more.
Firstly, his strength wasn't too far behind Kong Nan's, and secondly, the Pokémon he possessed were all quite outstanding and of a high level.
"Come on, I'll use Charizard again. Let me see how your strength compares to Akong's," Xia Mu smiled at him, then added, "You'd better be prepared, because I won't hold back."
"Don't worry, I'll go all out, and I don't need you to hold back, Brother Xia Mu!" Hai Nan said, then took out a Poké Ball and released Gyarados.
The moment Gyarados appeared, the situation changed dramatically.
Firstly, Gyarados was much larger, and secondly, it had a fierce appearance and the Intimidate ability.
Fortunately, Xia Mu's Charizard was a Special Attack build; otherwise, the attack reduction would have weakened it considerably.
A Water/Flying Gyarados definitely had a type advantage over Charizard.
However, that wasn't the point. Without comparison, there was no real difference.
If Xia Mu had sent out his red Gyarados, it would have caused a huge uproar.
And Hai Nan's Gyarados would definitely have been outclassed.
After all, the level difference between a level 48 Gyarados and a level 70 Gyarados is enormous.
There's also the difference in size, color, and so on; a regular Gyarados simply can't compare to the red one.
It's worth mentioning that Hai Nan's Gyarados shares the same nature as Xia Mu's Gyarados, following a special attack build.
"Go, Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!" Hai shouted.
He immediately unleashed a devastating Water-type move.
Unfortunately, at this distance, such a powerful attack could be easily dodged by any Pokémon with sufficient speed.
Charizard didn't even need Xia Mu's command; it simply darted away in mid-air.
At the same time, it looked down at the ground with an arrogant gaze, taunting Gyarados.
This clearly enraged Gyarados, leaving Xia Mu somewhat amused and exasperated.
Actually, this Charizard was good in every way, except for its excessive arrogance.
It was definitely on par with Ash's.
Its overwhelming strength led it to believe it could defeat any opponent, so it didn't even consider Gyarados a threat.
Confidence was a good thing, so Xia Mu didn't want to discourage it.
After all, with this drive and arrogant aura, Charizard wouldn't be suppressed by any opponent.
"Charizard, Air Blade!" Xia Mu thought for a moment and gave the command.
The Charizard in the air immediately stopped, found the best angle to attack, and launched several Air Blades.
Facing this attack, Hai Nan's lips twitched slightly: "Let's fly up too, Gyarados."
At the critical moment, Gyarados barely dodged the sweeping Air Blades and took to the air.
Many elite trainers knew that Gyarados could fly.
However, some trainers were unaware of this, so this was a newfound knowledge for them.
And in the next second, to Xia Mu's surprise, Hai Nan didn't waste any words and immediately had Gyarados unleash Hurricane! A storm erupted indoors, engulfing almost the entire space. Its terrifying power swirled everything in its path, even blowing hats and small accessories off trainers.
Gyarados was at the eye of the storm, its body thrashing, its tail wagging wildly, seemingly the key to controlling the tempest.
Charizard, caught in the storm's grip, struggled to maintain its balance but couldn't completely withstand it. The countless wind blades ripped through it, causing it to scream in agony before it finally lost control, completely dominated by the storm.
Even though Flying-type moves don't have double the power against Charizard, the sheer force of such a powerful attack, even as a normal attack, was incredibly terrifying.
"Give him the final blow! Gyarados, control the storm and crush him to the ground!" With a roar from Hai Nan, Gyarados,
controlling the storm in the sky, raised its head and roared, as if saying: "You dare provoke me!"
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(End of Chapter)