Chapter 130 Overwhelming Strength, No More Acting!
"Dragon Pulse!"
With that command, Xia Mu immediately had Lucario launch another ranged attack.
The immobilization technique did have some effect, preventing Lucario from using Aura Sphere for a short time, but for Xia Mu and Lucario, disabling one Aura Sphere had no impact.
Dragon Pulse shot out from Lucario's hand, its power so great that it sliced through the poison gas on the field.
The poison mist that had covered the entire field was suddenly split in two, creating a passage leading directly to Muk.
Dragon Pulse hit Muk, but Muk avoided the fatal blow thanks to its agility.
This situation caught A-Ju off guard.
He never expected Lucario to be able to use Dragon Pulse.
Actually, this is a misconception, because most people believe that Dragon-type moves are generally unlearnable by Pokémon, except for some unique ones.
Lucario happens to be one of those unique Pokémon.
"Did it sense the impending crisis and avoid most of the damage? Truly worthy of being a Pokémon trained by an Elite Four member," Xia Mu praised.
These words made A-Ju's face darken, and Muk was equally angry.
They had a basic understanding of their own strength, and although Xia Mu was praising them, it sounded somewhat sarcastic to them.
In other words, they considered themselves to have reached Elite Four level strength, while Xia Mu, although also a powerful Pokémon trainer, didn't yet possess that status.
To put it simply, they, as near-Elite Four members, were being praised by a junior?
What was this?
Shouldn't he be praising Xia Mu?
A-Ju's mind was in turmoil, many thoughts flashing through his head, but he couldn't utter a single word, because Xia Mu truly had the ability to say such a thing, and this Lucario was indeed above Muk's level.
"Losing focus during battle is a major taboo, Gym Leader Ajum," Xia Mu teased, then immediately shouted at Lucario, "Extreme Speed! End the battle!"
These words jolted Ajum, who was still lost in his own daydream, into a chill that ran from his feet to his brain.
"Oh no! Muk, use Melt!" Disrupted, Ajum opted for a different strategy.
Melt, a Poison-type buff move from Generation I, is only known to a select few Pokémon.
After using Melt, the user's Defense rank increases by two stages.
With a strong Special Defense and an extreme boost to Physical Defense, Muk had undoubtedly become a tank.
However, even with such a high Defense rank, it was nothing against Lucario.
The level difference meant from the start that the battle would end with an overwhelming advantage.
The difference between level 100 and level 64 might not be obvious enough, but if we compare a level 100 Pokémon to a legendary Pokémon and a level 64 Pokémon to an ordinary one, the gap becomes even more pronounced.
Muk was initially confident that its unique physical characteristics would allow it to block Lucario's Extreme Speed attack.
However, it only realized it was utterly helpless after feeling its body being blasted into the air by Lucario.
Its body was completely sent flying, and the intense pain overwhelmed Muk's brain, rendering it incapable of thinking.
To outsiders, it looked as if Muk had been kicked away by Lucario with lightning speed.
A deafening 'BOOM!!!' echoed.
The ground erupted as if struck by a bomb, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke and dust. The shockwave caused A-Xing and A-Ya, who were nearby, to cover their mouths and noses.
Fortunately, Sonia was some distance away and was unaffected.
A-Ju was stunned; his mind was completely blank.
Under so many circumstances, Muk still couldn't withstand that Extreme Speed attack, making A-Ju even more suspicious of Xia Mu's true strength. He
had previously thought Xia Mu's strength was at least at the Champion level, or at least not much weaker than his own. Now, comparing them, it was far more than just Champion level.
This Lucario was definitely Champion-level.
A Champion-level Pokémon… Aju's gaze towards Xia Mu grew increasingly cautious.
Little did he know, Xia Mu's Lucario was far beyond Champion-level.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that Xia Mu's challenge to the Fuchsia Gym was entirely motivated by his impending Elite Four status.
The smoke cleared, revealing Muk lying on the ground, unable to battle.
[As expected, it's unable to battle. Looks like I've been used as a stepping stone in this challenge… This kid's ambitions are perhaps greater than I thought…] Aju thought to himself.
"Muk is unable to battle, so Lucario wins…" As the referee, Aya had to announce the result, even though it wasn't what she wanted.
"Dad… how could… how could Muk lose?!" Axing was incredulous, but the reality was undeniable.
For a daughter who had always idolized her father, the sudden defeat of her invincible father by a stranger was a devastating blow.
"Victory and defeat are common in war. What's wrong with losing? Ah Xing, there are always people stronger than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. Losing this battle is actually a good thing, it means that both Mud and I still have room for improvement." A-Ju smiled slightly, seemingly unaffected by the defeat.
It's no wonder he became the Poison-type Elite Four member of the Chengdu region with this mindset.
Hearing A-Ju's words, Ah Xing was greatly affected.
A good father can often help his child grow up to be more outstanding. A-Ju had put a lot of effort into raising Ah Xing, but because of him, Ah Xing had developed some bad habits. Now, A-Ju was correcting these habits to make his daughter even more perfect.
"Come back, Mud, thank you for your hard work." Taking out a Poké Ball and recalling the Mud that had lost its battle ability, A-Ju looked at Xia Mu again and said seriously, "The Xia family has produced a powerful young generation. Compared to you, we old folks are really insignificant.
"After so many years of hard training, I still can't compare to a young man like you. In you, I see the shadow of A-Du."
By comparing Lance to Natsuki, Aju was already subtly stating the truth.
Natsuki smiled slightly, not taking it too seriously: "Oh, you're joking. I just have a little bit of strength." Unassuming
and composed, he remained calm and collected.
Aju was even more surprised by Natsuki's demeanor.
It was truly unimaginable that a young man of only 18 could be so composed and mature, as if everything was under his control.
"My second Pokémon is this one. Come out, Crobat!" Taking out another Poké Ball, Aju unhesitatingly sent out her strongest Pokémon.
[Crobat]
[LV: 69]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Poison, Flying]
[Nature: Jolly]
[Ability: Cleave (Can penetrate opponent's barriers or Substitutes to attack.)]
[Moves: Poison Blade, Ultrasonic Wave, Drain, Toxic, Whisper, Black Eye, Startle, Tailwind, Poison Fang, Quick Guard, Air Blade, Bite, Haze, Venom Juggernaut, Spectral Light, Air Blade, Drain…]
[Friendship: 10]
[Mood: Serious]
…
The level 69 Crobat truly shocked Xia Mu once again.
He really hadn't expected that A-Ju's strongest main force was close to level 70.
What does level 70 mean?
In the game, even the first-time Champion's strength is far inferior; only the second-time Champion's Pokémon level exceeds 70.
In this real world, the strength level of the Elite Four Champions is significantly higher, meaning that the Champion's strength is very likely to exceed level 70, reaching level 80.
"Come back, Lucario." Xia Mu took out Lucario's Ultra Ball and recalled it.
He had planned the three-on-three battle from the beginning, so he wouldn't let the same Pokémon fight twice in a row.
Seeing Xia Mu recall Lucario, A-Ju's face showed a surprised expression.
But before he could ask, Xia Mu threw another Ultra Ball, and Beedrill appeared on the battle stage.
'Buzz~~!!!' After entering the arena, Beedrill immediately unleashed an extremely powerful aura.
[What a high level! Another Champion-level Pokémon! How did this kid train it?] A-Ju was shocked.
How could he have imagined that Xia Mu had the help of a cheat simulator, and many training methods could be achieved by purchasing game items from the system store.
Others need to experience it little by little, but he could train more level 100 Pokémon just like playing a game, as long as he had enough money.
"It's truly astonishing. I was thinking of having another good battle with your Lucario, after all, Crobat is the strongest in my team... Now it seems I'm glad I didn't say that, otherwise I would have been contradicting myself. Your Beedrill is in no way weaker than Lucario." While he couldn't avoid praising him verbally, A-Ju's words also revealed his inner bitterness.
If he had known from the beginning that Xia Mu had this strength, he wouldn't have come out.
Now, not only had he come out, but he had also originally planned to go easy on Xia Mu, at least to give him face in the end and give him a badge... Now, he was on the hot seat, unable to refuse, and even more embarrassed to surrender.
A bad premonition filled his mind, making him extremely uncertain even in a battle with a type advantage.
[Do I have a chance to win?] A-Ju asked himself inwardly.
The Flying-type Crobat does indeed counter the Bug-type Beedrill, but Crobat specializes in Poison-type attacks, while Beedrill also has the Poison attribute. Therefore, in a real battle, Crobat would be completely outclassed by Crobat.
"You flatter me. Let's begin the second match!" Xia Mu didn't say much more.
His Aura had already sensed the emotional fluctuations within A-Ju. Initially, A-Ju was quite calm, so there wasn't much fluctuation in his aura. But as the battle unfolded, A-Ju's previously tranquil state of mind was now turbulent.
Although he didn't know what A-Ju was thinking, such tension must be due to being stimulated by his strength.
[If I were facing a stronger opponent after confirming my own strength, wouldn't I feel the same way?] This was Xia Mu's truest thought.
To use a scene from the original anime as an analogy, it's like Ash, brimming with absolute confidence, suddenly encountering a legendary Pokémon blocking his path, completely powerless to retaliate.
A-Ju took a deep breath, looked at the Crobat in the air, then at Xia Mu's Beedrill, and made up his mind.
Since things have come to this point, they must fight to the end.
"Come on!" His eyes suddenly changed, and his momentum surged again.
"Alright! Beedrill, use High Speed Boost, charge forward, X-Science Cutter!" Xia Mu's aura also changed.
Although the opponent couldn't compare to Mewtwo from before, it was still quite good, especially in a type-reversal battle, as the opponent was Crobat with a base stat total of 535 and a Speed stat total of 130.
If it weren't for the 31-level difference, Beedrill's speed would be no match for Crobat.
After all, a Beedrill that doesn't Mega Evolve only has a total base stat total of 395, and a Speed stat of only 75.
"Good! Crobat, use Air Blade!" Without hesitation, A-Ju quickly gave the command.
Although there was a big level difference, and Crobat was an expert in Poison-type moves, it also knew Flying-type moves. How could a Champion-level player not master basic combat?
Air Blade continuously flapped from Crobat's four wings, turning into air blades with great power.
Beedrill charged straight at the opponent, its massive needles gleaming brightly as it fearlessly slashed repeatedly, shattering every attack from the Air Blade.
This sight shocked everyone.
The Bug-type not only directly countered the Flying-type's moves but also remained completely unharmed.
This fighting style was naturally being secretly directed by Natsuki using Aura.
This was another application of the combo attack he had discovered after returning to Tsuburaya Island a few days ago. Combo attacks weren't necessarily used to hit the opponent; by continuously doubling their attack power, they could also be used to defend against attacks.
Under the boost of combo attacks, Beedrill's needles became incredibly hard, completely able to withstand most attacks of low level.
Under Crobat's incredulous gaze, Beedrill had already closed in, unleashing its X-Scissors attack, transforming it into a cross-shaped wave of attacks that slammed into Crobat.
Even though the effect was only moderate, the level difference amplified the power.
"Pursue, Beedrill!" Crobat was blasted away, but Natsuki didn't hesitate and continued to command.
Seeing Beedrill about to attack again, Aju was tense: "Don't fall so easily, Crobat, counterattack! Poison Blade!!"
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