Chapter 1104: The Two Pillars Strike!

All Baimu didn't get to converse with Korrina for very long.

His ranking was relatively low, making it easier to match with opponents, and the festival organizers had arranged a massive number of matches for him to boost publicity.

——This was naturally excellent.

It would be best to charge straight into the Ultra Class like last time, saving him the trouble of searching everywhere for opponents.

"Champion! Champion!"

"Show us your Legendary Pokémon!"

"The Legendary Giant—"

The cheers from the spectator stands were deafening; everyone wanted a glimpse of the Pokémon they rarely saw in daily life.

Without a doubt.

The greatest source of All Baimu's popularity wasn't his exaggerated strength, but the Legendary Pokémon he possessed.

Brandon the Pyramid King was elusive, as was Tobias; the number of Trainers who publicly declared they owned Legendary or Mythical Pokémon could be counted on one hand.

Given various reasons, how could they not look at All Baimu differently?

Commentator: "What enthusiastic cheers! All Baimu from Iron Town is truly worthy of being a rising star among young champions in recent years. Perhaps we can look forward to his performance in higher-level matches!"

Not to mention the Normal, Ultra, and Master Classes; they might not even be enough to reflect All Baimu's true strength.

Everyone was very clear on this point.

And All Baimu, as the audience wished, released Regidrago.

Bang!

"Long-long-long! Lei! Ji! Dra!"

The Dragon Pillar's loud voice echoed throughout the small arena, and the strong wind stirred the bushes in the Grass Field, sending countless leaves fluttering and dancing.

The audience erupted into excited cheers, with screams ringing out incessantly.

The Dragon Pillar lowered its volume.

"Long-long-long..."

It had always been uncomfortable with the feeling of being surrounded by a large crowd of humans; the painful memory of being sealed away after being defeated by Calyrex back then remained vivid.

The problem was that Regieleki had already adapted, and its companion's transformation forced it to try harder as well.

To be honest, the fact that the Electric Pillar, which should have hated humans and Calyrex the most, could adapt to its new life so quickly was something the Dragon Pillar truly couldn't understand.

But in reality, the Electric Pillar simply didn't care.

Its reasons for following All Baimu's orders were only two—

One, it had started to find him agreeable.

Two, he could help it become stronger so that one day it could beat Calyrex into the ground.

By comparison, the Dragon Pillar's mood was very complicated; it wanted to transfer its goodwill toward All Baimu to other humans, only to find it completely impossible.

It wanted to be friends with the Electric Pillar, but the Electric Pillar had absolutely no interest in it.

It tried to be friends with the three Legendary Giants, but always felt it couldn't fit in.

As for the other Pokémon...

Those that didn't even have a core weren't worthy of speaking to it!

Regidrago didn't look much like a dragon, yet it possessed the arrogant personality unique to the Dragon type.

At this very moment.

It decided to vent all the pent-up frustration in its heart, just like it had in the past.

Meanwhile, All Baimu's opponent was cheering on their Pokémon, completely unaware of the hell they were about to face.

"Go, Granbull! You're a Fairy type!"

"Awoo! Woof!"

The pink-purple-skinned Granbull, with its pair of thick, long lower canines, barked loudly, triggering the Intimidate ability.

"Long—"

A blue light lit up on Regidrago's body.

It was just a pity that the reduction was so weak it could be ignored; when the gap between both sides was too large, even the strongest ability effects were negligible.

As the Rotom Phone announced the start of the match.

"Play Rough!"

"Hyper Beam."

Both sides issued commands simultaneously.

But unfortunately, as Granbull whipped up a pink-colored light stream and charged with all its might toward Regidrago in mid-air, a terrifying black-purple energy beam had already torn through the air!

Boom!!

The air seemed to be compressed, emitting a muffled thunderous sound.

"Awoo—"

Granbull, in the middle of its charge, had no time to dodge and was instantly swallowed by the black-purple beam, with a massive surge of chaotic energy exploding outward!

Bang!

Amidst the deafening explosion, countless grass clippings and leaves flew into the sky with the smoke and dust, then slowly drifted down.

The commentator's shout rang out within the arena.

"A familiar one-turn victory! Unparalleled strength! This is the Champion! Is the Battle Festival going to become a one-man show for the Champion?"

There's more than one champion here, you know.

All Baimu turned his head to look at the spectator stands, and sure enough, he saw Ash, his face full of excitement and his eyes shining; he could almost imagine him shouting "Sere-sere!"

And besides Pikachu, there was a puppy-like Pokémon beside him.

Riolu, huh.

It was hard to imagine if the production team had lost their minds, stuffing Ash with a bunch of popular Pokémon from previous generations this season.

There were only two from the Galar region—Sirfetch'd and Dracovish.

His gaze returned to the arena, seeing a Dodrio land and dash rapidly toward the stunned Regidrago.

"Drill Peck!"

"Goo!!"

Dodrio leaped up, air currents spiraling around its three long beaks, piercing the front of the Dragon Pillar like three impact drills!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

Sparks flew, and smoke exploded with a bang.

Dodrio landed steadily, and the opponent waved their fist fiercely: "Direct hit!"

In their expectant gaze, a Y-shaped azure dot matrix suddenly lit up in the ethereal smoke, and a wind of flames swept out in an instant!

"Dragon Breath."

Whoosh!!

The azure dragon flame storm flew rapidly toward Dodrio, which immediately dodged backward relying on its superior mobility.

The commentator shouted: "Drill Peck had no effect! Regidrago's defensive ability is quite outstanding!"

Actually, its HP was unusually thick, forcibly pulling up its pitiful dual defenses.

"Long-long-long—Lei! Ji! Dra!"

Amidst the buzzing, the Dragon Pillar suddenly flipped into its Dragon Head form, then spiraled at high speed to whip up an even more intense dragon flame storm!

Now Dodrio had no room to dodge; it tried to jump to avoid it, but was caught just right.

"Dodrio!"

The opponent shouted repeatedly, but their Pokémon could no longer hear them.

The storm gradually dissipated.

Dodrio, having successfully gone through one turn, fell to the ground, its three pairs of eyes all turning into black swirls.

Rotom Phone: "Dodrio is unable to battle, All Baimu from Iron Town wins!"

On the big screen, All Baimu's ranking rose once again.

After that, he battled two more opponents and successfully rose to 8031st place, while the audience was somewhat dissatisfied with the organizers.

Everyone hoped they could arrange for a higher-caliber opponent.

Watching one-hit kills too many times was getting boring.

All Baimu also hoped for someone who could fight; Nemona's high strength and ability to withstand continuous battles had spoiled his appetite.

Crucially, one-hit kills had very little impact on the simulator's cooldown time, and dragging it out was truly unnecessary.

Ogerpon was already sleepy and returned to its Poké Ball to sleep.

Ash, who had just finished his match, was still wondering where the little kid beside him had gone.

"Eh? Is that a Pokémon?"

"That's right."

All Baimu held the soft and cute Pikachu, with the slightly vigilant Riolu beside him.

Ash asked in surprise: "I couldn't tell at all. What kind of Pokémon is it? What's its name?"

"Ogerpon, it should count as a Legendary Pokémon."

"So amazing! Another one!"

"Likewise."

All Baimu teased: "You've certainly seen your fair share of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon from various regions, plus Solgaleo and Meltan!"

Ash had encountered so many Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, but the only ones that could truly count as combat power were probably Solgaleo and Meltan.

"Hehehe."

Ash rubbed his head embarrassedly.

The two "Legendary-magnet" guys chatted for a while, and a message came through on his phone.

"You have successfully matched; your next opponent is—Grant from Cyllage City."

The Poryphone broadcasted the voice.

Ash hurriedly leaned in, "Grant? Is it the Cyllage Gym Leader Grant?"

Poryphone: "That's correct."

"That's great, I also want to battle with strong Trainers!" Ash was very envious.

It hadn't even been two years since he challenged the Kalos League, and his memories of various things were very clear.

All Baimu smiled: "Don't worry, your ranking is very close to Korrina's, you'll definitely meet; I'll be going first."

——

Grant.

Cyllage Gym Leader, specializing in Rock-type Pokémon.

Similar to Roark of the Oreburgh Gym in Sinnoh, his team also had a Fossil Pokémon, Tyrunt.

He had easily taken down Ash's Froakie and Fletchinder.

If it hadn't been for Pikachu using Iron Tail to continuously deflect rocks at the critical moment, causing one of them to get stuck in Tyrunt's mouth, the outcome of that battle would have been uncertain.

Of course, the issue of Ash's combat power resetting every time he arrived in a new region was also an old story that never grew old.

Inside the arena filled with craggy rocks.

All Baimu and Grant looked at each other, nodding friendly to show respect.

The commentator said: "Amidst the anticipation of the masses, the Champion has finally encountered a strong opponent, the famous Gym Leader Mr. Grant! As a Duke of the Battle Chateau, he will surely present us with a wonderful battle!"

The Battle Chateau, a battle facility located on Route 7 in Kalos, determines a Trainer's noble rank through battles, from the lowest Baron to the highest Grand Duke.

In the games, only Champion Diantha is a Grand Duke, while Gym Leaders are generally only at the Marquis level.

But in the anime, Grant also obtained the rank of Grand Duke.

It shouldn't disappoint him too much.

All Baimu's hand hovered between several Poké Balls, finally selecting one.

After the Rotom Phone finished announcing the rules, it said:

"Please send out your first Pokémon at the same time. 3, 2, 1, go!"

Two Poké Balls flew out.

Bang, bang!

Lights flashed.

An Aurorus with deep blue and light blue skin, and yellow-white gradient aurora-shaped flesh fins on its neck, entered the arena.

——Aurorus, one of the Fossil Pokémon of the sixth generation.

It was claimed that its initial form, Amaura, couldn't survive in room temperature environments, but this rough setting was quickly retconned.

Splendid auroras spread from its gradient-colored fins, drawing gasps of amazement from the audience.

"What a beautiful Pokémon!"

The commentator also praised it.

And compared to it, Regieleki looked like a leaking light bulb.

"Beep-beep-beep—Lei~ji~ele~"

Gray-white clouds gradually brewed above the arena.

Before long.

Crystal-clear snowflakes fell, and the air temperature continued to drop, reaching the point where one could breathe out white mist.

Snow Warning ability, huh.

And it was the kind that turned from hail to snow.

All Baimu reached out to catch a flake, knowing that hail and snow were two different types of weather; the former had continuous damage, while the latter increased the defense of Ice-type Pokémon.

The awkward part was that the two types of weather combined could rival the Sandstorm next door.

Both Pokémon were in position, and their abilities had been triggered.

The Rotom Phone quickly announced: "Battle start!"

In an instant, Regieleki moved without a command, turning into a white light and charging straight at Aurorus's face!

Extreme Speed!

Its speed was too outrageous; even though Grant had prepared early, his dynamic vision couldn't complete the lock-on in time, and his command hadn't even been shouted out.

"—Aurora Veil."

"Oh!?"

Aurorus also didn't see it clearly; it only felt a blur before its eyes, and then it received Regieleki's direct impact!

Bang!

Rocks shattered, Aurorus let out a muffled grunt, the flesh fins behind its head whipped wildly, and even more dreamy auroras shrouded its body like clouds.

"Beep-beep-beep—"

The Electric Pillar retreated rapidly, its toothpick-like legs swinging in a cycle, supporting its body.

The defense-boosting effect of snow was truly immediate.

Seeing Aurorus successfully set up Aurora Veil even after being hit, All Baimu confirmed that the opponent was definitely not a small fry that could be taken down in one or two moves.

He said: "Thunder Cage."

"Beep-beep-beep!"

The Electric Pillar leaped up suddenly, its two feet releasing hundreds of dense lightning bolts, covering Aurorus like a birdcage!

Seeing this, Grant immediately said: "Mirror Coat!"

"Oh!"

Aurorus's flesh fins danced, showing a colorful luster; when it was surrounded by lightning and the current surged into its body, it endured the intense pain, using its fins to fully absorb the damage it sustained, and then poured it all out onto the Electric Pillar in mid-air!

Boom—!!

The reflected energy pierced the air in the form of two lightning bolts!

The commentator said excitedly: "Aurorus begins to counterattack! Mirror Coat—ah! It missed!"

How could the Electric Pillar, which had speed as its advantage, be easily hit? Even in mid-air, it could rely on high-speed rotation to dodge the opponent's attack.

Its extraordinary speed made its short-range explosive power even more exaggerated than Miraidon's.

If Miraidon was a supersonic fighter jet, then it was an intercontinental ballistic missile, flying at double speed!

The gold standard for the fastest Pokémon in the world wasn't just talk!

"Oh..."

Aurorus was imprisoned by the Thunder Cage; even with the protection of Aurora Veil, it became a living target when it couldn't move.

All Baimu didn't hesitate, put the Electrium Z into the Z-Ring, and performed a mysterious move.

"Lei~ji~ele~"

Regieleki jumped rapidly using the rocks in the Rock Field, and Grant realized something was wrong as soon as he saw All Baimu's move.

He shouted: "Protect!"

A spherical light shield shrouded Aurorus's body.

Who knew that the Z-Move he imagined didn't happen; when the lightning that made the field glow bloomed beneath Regieleki, Grant knew he had been tricked.

This was Electric Terrain!

At the same time.

All Baimu finished his preparatory moves slowly, seeing the Protect surrounding Aurorus dissipate, while its body still glowed, causing the natural energy in the Z-Crystal to pour into Regieleki's body.

"Beep-beep-beep—Lei! Ji! Ele!"

The Electric Pillar's arms spread out like flowers, the Z-Power cursor glowed, and the energy surging within it turned it from a yellow light bulb into a high-wattage incandescent lamp!

"Come on! Pierce through Aurora Veil! Gigavolt Havoc!!"

"Lei!! Ji!! Ele!!"

Accompanied by dazzling radiance, the Electric Pillar released a thunderous light with a width comparable to half the arena!

Based on Zap Cannon, and with the multi-fold bonuses of Electric Terrain and Transistor, the Gigavolt Havoc instantly illuminated the entire arena, turning the world into a shining bright yellow!

Boom!!

Amidst the roar of lightning that echoed through the universe, the blizzard Aurorus used to defend itself was tragically evaporated.

The faint Aurora Veil was pierced through, and the raging current went wild, continuously bombarding everything in the field, finally rushing toward the sky to form a pillar of lightning!

The commentator was dumbfounded, only reacting several seconds later, rubbing their eyes and shouting: "An unrivaled and powerful Electric-type Z-Move!"

The outcome was decided.

The Rotom Phone's Pokémon health monitoring system had the result.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1105 =====