Chapter 86: Ash Black Wins the Crystal League Championship!

Boom!

Pikachu's astonishingly powerful "Iron Tail" fiercely struck the Wind Speed Dog that was unleashing "Flash Flame Rush".

In an instant, the Wind Speed Dog, as if flung by an invisible force, flew straight up, its massive body soaring far before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Even the hard ground was not spared from Pikachu's attack; a clear, deep fissure spread from the point of impact, tearing through the formerly flat land like lightning, scattering shards and blowing dust.

The surrounding trainers watching the battle widened their eyes in astonishment, clearly shaken by this sudden turn of events.

"Pikachu's Iron Tail defeated the Wind Speed Dog!"

The announcer stared for a moment; the scene before him clearly exceeded his expectations, and he immediately shouted in an excited voice.

He too was quite shocked by the situation; the strength displayed by this Pikachu before him was astonishing, worlds apart from any Pikachu he had seen before. Such swift attacks and precise judgments were not what a trainer of this level ought to possess.

"You call this Iron Tail?"

"This power....... looks nothing like Iron Tail at all; whose Poké Ball's Iron Tail has this kind of power."

In the stands, the spectators all let out a wave of astonished cries at once, their eyes filled with incredulous amazement as they focused their gaze on the battlefield.

Seeing that deep gash, then looking at the Yellow Skin Rat, today was truly an eye-opener—it could actually unleash such a powerful Iron Tail.

Professor Daimu had grown accustomed to it; there was little surprise at the super-strong Iron Tail that Ash and his Pikachu unleashed.

"Really strong!"

Xiaomao silently recalled his defeated Wind Speed Dog, a flicker of unwillingness and helplessness crossing his eyes; now Ash's training of Pokémon had completely surpassed his own, widening the gap considerably.

This familiar feeling made him involuntarily recall the first time he battled Ash. Back then, he too had entered full of confidence and anticipation, yet often ended up defeated by Ash's unexpected tactics and deep foundation in Pokémon training.

In every battle, Ash could always display unexpected growth and progress, making him feel both astonished and under increased pressure.

Now this feeling welled up in his heart again, making Xiaomao unable to help but feel somewhat emotional.

"That's it, you're it, Water Cannon Turtle!"

Xiaomao had only his starter Poké Ball left, the Water Cannon Turtle.

"Pikachu, come back."

Ash's complexion looked somewhat strange; a sudden odd feeling welled up in his heart, and when facing the powerful Water Cannon Turtle, he involuntarily wanted to send out his own Flame Dragon to battle.

Although, from a type perspective, Flame Dragon lacks an advantage and could even be said to be at a type disadvantage, Ash felt that after this period of growth and training, Flame Dragon's strength had undergone a qualitative leap, making it fully capable of facing the Water Cannon Turtle.

If that's the case, then let's give it a try!

"Come out, Flame Dragon!"

Deciding to follow his inner thoughts, Ash firmly believed Flame Dragon could do it, after all it had been nurtured by the Rainbow-Colored Feather of the Phoenix King, and it had trained hard itself; its goal was to become the world's number one Flame Dragon, so a mere Water Cannon Turtle was nothing it had to overcome.

"Roar!"

As soon as Flame Dragon entered the field, it vigorously flapped its strong, powerful wings, instantly sending strong gusts radiating outward from it, kicking up clouds of dust.

Its intimidating presence upon entry was already that strong.

"Flame Dragon?"

"Why not keep sending out Pikachu?"

Some people questioned, suspecting he might be holding back.

"Ash, are you really that confident in your Flame Dragon?"

Xiaomao likewise had confidence in his Water Cannon Turtle; although his own advantage wasn't great, now his Water Cannon Turtle versus Flame Dragon was still fairly easy.

But that's Ash's Flame Dragon; thinking about it now, it seems not so easy.

"Certainly, I'm full of confidence in them."

Ash replied with a smile, "You're not either!"

"Water Cannon Turtle, Water Cannon!"

Xiaomao shouted loudly.

"Dodge, then use Stored Energy Flame Assault!"

Water Cannon has a low hit rate; Xiaomao's Water Cannon Turtle lacks the Wave Guide Talent, so his control over Water Cannon's precision isn't as good as his own Water Cannon Turtle's—if a Pokémon is agile enough, it can mostly dodge it.

Flame Dragon flew in midair, turned its body skillfully to dodge the strong Water Cannon fired by the Water Cannon Turtle, then instantly its whole body was engulfed in scorching flames as it lunged at the Water Cannon Turtle.

"Ice Punch!" Xiaomao had prepared for it.

Around the Water Cannon Turtle, ice crystals appeared; its fist was quickly covered by these crystals, emitting a chilling aura as it slammed downward toward the charging Flame Dragon.

Flame and ice engaged in a fierce clash. The ice crystals rapidly melted under the flame's scorching heat, turning into wisps of steam that rose, while the flame itself grew slightly dimmer from the ice's cooling. Upon collision, both generated tremendous impact force, causing both sides to involuntarily retreat a distance.

After stabilizing its stance, Flame Dragon's eyes flickered with even hotter flames, as if the Water Cannon Turtle's strike had ignited a greater fighting spirit.

"Water Pulse."

The Water Cannon Turtle is more resistant to blows than Flame Dragon; those impacts were trivial for it. Immediately it set up its signature cannon, the barrel pointing straight at the Flame Dragon in the sky—"Boom!" a deep, powerful sound rang out as a ball of surging water shot forth from the cannon.

Although Flame Dragon promptly retracted its wings to try to block the Water Pulse, the Water Cannon Turtle's strike was simply too fierce. Upon contact, the Water Pulse erupted with astonishing power, instantly crushing the Flame Dragon; the aftermath even caused the Flame Dragon to cry out in pain as its massive body involuntarily recoiled backward.

"Water Pulse hit Flame Dragon, dealing it heavy damage."

The announcer shouted in a timely manner.

The Water Cannon Turtle, as Xiaomao's starter Poké Ball, is stronger than the other Pokémon on his team; it can be said to be the strongest Pokémon in his lineup.

Ash's face grew grave; the Water Cannon Turtle has a natural advantage against Flame Dragon, and from their earlier exchange it was clear that Xiaomao's Water Cannon Turtle was extraordinary—the power of its Water Pulse was not ordinary, having been specially trained.

"Dragon Breath."

Flame Dragon immediately sprayed Dragon Breath at the Water Cannon Turtle; the earlier Stored Energy Flame Assault had boosted its speed, and this Dragon Breath shot out instantly.

"Withdraw into Shell."

Xiaomao's reaction was also quick.

The Water Cannon Turtle instantly shrank into its shell, feeling the shell's movement.

"Dragon Claw."

Flame Dragon's attacks came in succession, its claws lashing out like lightning to hammer the Water Cannon Turtle's shell; even if the Water Cannon Turtle hid inside its shell, it would still suffer from Flame Dragon's frequent and powerful strikes.

"Kame!"

The Water Cannon Turtle looked at the scratches on its shell, took a deep breath of cool air—this Flame Dragon was truly fierce, its perfectly good shell was smashed like this.

After exchanging a few blows, the Flame Dragon grew fiercer with each strike, each attack as dense and violent as a sudden storm, making it hard for the Water Cannon Turtle to find a chance to retaliate.

"The Flame Dragon seized the opportunity, attacking the Water Cannon Turtle repeatedly, leaving it no chance to fight back."

Seeing the situation on the field, the commentator predicted the outcome.

Indeed, the Flame Dragon won this match.

"Earth Throw!"

The Flame Dragon grabbed the Water Cannon Turtle, flew up into the air, dove down swiftly, and slammed the Water Cannon Turtle hard onto the ground.

"Bang!"

A deafening boom echoed through the air, dust and debris flying everywhere, forming a chaotic cloud of dust.

The dust settled, and the Water Cannon Turtle lay still there, its shell covered in cracks, having lost its ability to battle.

"The Water Cannon Turtle has lost its battle ability, the Flame Dragon has won, so the victor is Player Ash."

"The winner of the finals is Ash from Pallet Town—he is the Champion of this Quartz Conference!"

Cheers erupted from the stands, everyone celebrating Ash winning the Quartz Conference championship.

Even the Holy Fire took the form of a Flame Bird at this moment, burning more fiercely, also celebrating this moment!!!