Chapter 388: Pikachu and Charizard: Ye He Yue's Cross-Version Strike

Crack!

The sunlight beam ice sculpture shattered into countless specks of light, and the ice sculpture encasing Bulbasaur shattered along with it, revealing Bulbasaur's unconscious form.

Compared to the previous four battles, there was nothing wrong with either the teamwork displayed between Ash and Bulbasaur or the choices made during this fight.

The only shortfall was raw strength.

Recalling Bulbasaur into its Poké Ball, Ash prepared to take all his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for treatment once the battle concluded.

Standing up, the rashness previously seen on Ash's face had vanished, replaced by a faint, contemplative look swirling in his eyes.

Clearly, although Bulbasaur had lost the ability to battle, it had also calmed Ash's impetuous heart, prompting him to think.

Perhaps in battle, this state would, at some moment, bring forth a flash of inspiration or an unconventional move that would lead him to victory.

Seeing Ash like this, Luo Mu smiled; it seemed that at least regarding battle style, Ash no longer needed his reminders.

Thinking this, Luo Mu signaled with his eyes for Ash to send out his sixth Pokémon.

Ash gripped the brim of his cap, took a deep breath, and shouted, "I choose you, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Pikachu, who had been perched on Charizard's shoulder, nimbly leaped onto the field still scattered with ice shards, crouching low on all fours, its cheek-like red electric sacs flashing with brilliant arcs of light, its eyes filled with seriousness.

The title of "God Pikachu" bestowed upon it could be traced back as far as its victory over Regice of the Battle Frontier's Brandon.

Before that, Pikachu's status as an ace had not yet been fully revealed.

But judging by the look in Pikachu's eyes now, perhaps its growth was much faster than in the original story.

Luo Mu's peripheral vision fell upon Delibird, clearly remembering that Delibird had mentioned having fought Ash and his Pokémon many times since the Mewtwo Strikes Back era, crushing them "black and blue" every time, with Pikachu displaying the strongest resilience among them.

Having not battled for a long time, Delibird was curious about how much the Pikachu that once clamored to defeat it had improved.

The battle began with Ash's command of "Quick Attack."

Compared to Cyndaquil's Quick Attack, Pikachu's not only possessed greatly increased speed but also far surpassed it in agility and power.

As if transforming into a streak of white light racing across the ground, Pikachu reached Delibird in an instant.

Delibird crossed its wings before itself, forcibly enduring Pikachu's Quick Attack, while simultaneously firing a long-charged, ice-blue lightning bolt from its mouth directly at Pikachu from close range!

"Pika—chu!"

Pikachu did not panic; electricity immediately surged from its cheeks, covering its entire body in an instant.

The next moment.

Bathed in dazzling lightning, Pikachu's unleashed Thunderbolt collided most fiercely with Delibird's Ice Beam!

Boom—!

After an explosion caused by the clashing energies, Pikachu and Delibird, who had traded blows at point-blank range with Thunderbolt and Ice Beam, retreated from the smoke one after the other.

Compared to Delibird, whose feathers were only slightly dusted with grime, Pikachu looked far more wretched.

More than half of its body was covered by a thin layer of frost, freezing it until its body trembled slightly.

From the condition of both sides, one could clearly see who had won the exchange of moves.

"Even Pikachu..."

Misty covered her mouth, watching Ash and Pikachu with worry alongside Togepi.

The gap in strength was simply too obvious.

"Don't be afraid, use Thunderbolt again!"

Ash, believing that offense was the best defense, issued the order once more.

Enduring the cold, Pikachu drove its stiffened limbs to leap up, dazzling lightning enveloping it once again as a formidable Thunderbolt shot toward Delibird.

Luo Mu narrowed his eyes: "Drill Run."

One had to admire Mewtwo; even with himself around, Delibird might not have been able to learn so many moves completely, yet it had somehow mastered even the Ground-type move Drill Run.

A swirl of earth-yellow energy gathered before Delibird's beak; as the vortex coalesced, its rotation speed increased ever faster, even emitting a shrill whistle akin to a steel drill.

Enveloped entirely by the earth-yellow energy vortex, Delibird flew straight toward Pikachu, who was falling through the sky without any foothold, charging directly into the Thunderbolt!

The Thunderbolt was completely neutralized by the earth-yellow energy vortex, and the next instant, accompanied by a cry of pain from Pikachu, Drill Run exploded against its body!

This strike was extremely effective; struck heavily, Pikachu plummeted to the ground, its scarred body standing out starkly amidst the rising dust.

In Luo Mu's calculation, even if Delibird's offensive stats were not outstanding, Pikachu, whose level differed so greatly from Delibird's, should have lost the ability to battle after taking consecutive hits, especially one that was super-effective like a Ground-type move.

But reality turned out to be far from what he expected.

"Pikachu, hang in there!"

At Ash's shout, Pikachu, lying on the ground as if unable to stand, struggled to prop its body up, its electric sacs flashing with faint currents as if cheering it on.

A few seconds later, to the surprised expressions of Luo Mu and Delibird, Pikachu truly managed to stand up, letting out a cry full of fighting spirit.

"Pika-pi, Pikachu!"

Luo Mu: "."

There it was, the Revival Roar plus the HP Lock!

However, this was also the charm of Ash and Pikachu's battle style.

With a complex expression, Luo Mu spoke: "Delibird, Ice Beam!"

An extremely cold ice-blue beam erupted from the landed Delibird's mouth; in the ongoing snowy weather, it was nearly an unstoppable force for Pikachu in its current state.

But Pikachu held an advantage in speed.

Following Ash's command of "Quick Attack," Pikachu once again transformed into a streak of white light galloping across the battlefield, dodging the Ice Beam with extremely agile movements and charging straight toward Delibird.

As if entering a state of intense electricity, Pikachu's speed now was even momentarily faster than at the very start of the match.

Delibird subconsciously pulled a spherical object with rainbow hues from its tail and threw it at Pikachu, who was now dangerously close.

The move "Present"!

Depending on probability, four effects could occur; the first three were a low-power explosion, a moderate-power explosion, and a high-power explosion.

The fourth type has a probability of restoring the opponent's HP.

Under Ash's tense expression, Pikachu collided with the spherical object.

In an instant, blinding Bai Guang filled everyone's vision, and when they opened their stinging eyes, they discovered a shocking scene.

Pikachu, who had already created distance from Delibird, not only did not lose the ability to battle, but its rapid breathing actually eased somewhat, and the scars on its body visibly decreased significantly.

"What happened?"

This was the question that simultaneously arose in the hearts of Ash and his two companions, as well as Pikachu.

Luo Mu, who had been a step too late to stop Delibird from using the move Present, helplessly explained the effect of this move to the group.

After hearing the explanation, Misty and Brock could not help but marvel at Ash's damn luck; even such a low probability could be stumbled upon by him through sheer fluke, truly...

As for Ash, he looked at Luo Mu with sparkling eyes; whether it was that snowscape, or Drill Run and Present, these were all moves he had never even heard of!

Ash felt that today's battle was already worth the price of admission just for these gains.

He chose to attack again without hesitation.

"Thunder!"

Pikachu did not leap into the air, but instead released its electricity at full power while moving at high speed.

With a boom, as if causing heaven and earth to change color, Thunder, which held the record for consecutively defeating over a hundred Spearow, stretched out its dazzling lightning branches toward Delibird like a giant lightning tree winding and growing endlessly.

Delibird had no interest in taking an electric beating for no reason.

Its expression turned serious as well; drawing upon the momentum from when it was once carried by Dragonite to challenge a storm, it constantly dodged those currents dancing wildly like lightning snakes with various high-difficulty aerial maneuvers, then approached Pikachu just as Thunder ended.

Ice Punch, ready to strike.

Watching Delibird's wings, shrouded in ice-blue cold air, draw closer and closer, Pikachu's pupils constricted sharply, and its perception of time slowed down.

It was precisely because of this that Pikachu had ample time to think.

Take Down could not ensure sufficient distance for a charging buildup.

Both Thunderbolt and Thunder could not be used because its electricity was nearly exhausted.

Quick Attack could not contend with Ice Punch.

In a situation where almost all strategies were exhausted, Ash's shout suddenly appeared beside Pikachu's ears, and following that, a marvelous sensation surged into its heart.

It suddenly recalled the scene when Delibird used Steel Wing to slice through Bulbasaur's Vine Whip.

From Luo Mu's perspective, Pikachu's lightning-shaped tail suddenly became coated with a very distinct metallic luster; immediately after, Pikachu twisted its body, and a silver figure moving at extreme speed suddenly slashed down toward Delibird's Ice Punch!

Zzzzt—

Two forces, neither yielding to the other, collided fiercely, resonating amidst the struggle between Delibird and Pikachu.

After a brief stalemate, Delibird ultimately proved slightly superior, breaking through Iron Tail; accompanied by the explosion of cold air from Ice Punch, Pikachu was sent flying, landing on the ground covered in frost, clearly having lost the ability to battle.

"Pikachu has lost the ability to battle!"

Brock's voice rang out again; his narrow eyes remained fixed on the unconscious Pikachu, as if pondering something.

Could that move be...

Delibird looked at its own wing with some surprise; that tiny scratch was so conspicuous.

Ash picked up Pikachu and said softly, "You worked hard, Pikachu."

"Pika-pi."

Pikachu responded to Ash with a faint voice.

At this moment, Ash's eyes were filled entirely with Pikachu; he had not even thought about what move Pikachu had used at the very end.

Clap, clap, clap.

At this time, the sound of Luo Mu clapping pulled Ash's attention back.

Looking at Ash, Luo Mu said with a smile, "Congratulations, Pikachu has learned Iron Tail."

"Iron Tail?"

Ash looked at Luo Mu in confusion.

Misty stepped forward to take Pikachu from Ash's arms, while Brock skillfully took out medicine to perform simple treatment.

Pikachu was unwilling to enter its Poké Ball; in order to prevent its injuries from worsening, it had to be treated immediately.

"Although it is a Steel-type move, it seems to suit your Pikachu very well."

Luo Mu explained to Ash.

Even he had not expected that Iron Tail, which Pikachu would not learn until the Hoenn region, would be mastered halfway through the Johto journey.

Among the few moves that Pikachu used most effectively, the presence of Iron Tail was absolutely significant.

In the later stages, a single Iron Tail from Pikachu could even produce an effect comparable to Earthquake, which was incredibly overpowered.

Having experienced several one-sided crushing defeats earlier, Ash and Pikachu could still unleash such strong potential, making Luo Mu look at them with new respect.

Indeed, if you squeeze hard enough, there is still some potential to be found.

After Brock performed simple treatment on Pikachu, Misty took Pikachu to watch the battle from the side.

Charizard, having waited for a long time, stepped forward with heavy footsteps; even though compared to ordinary Charizard, Ash's Charizard was much smaller in size, it was still far larger than Delibird.

The sense of oppression brought by size had nothing to do with strength; looking at Charizard, Delibird recalled the Dragonite sent out by that blue-haired woman in tight clothing during the battle at the eighth gym in the Johto region, the Blackthorn Gym.

Although it was not the Dragonite it knew, it had still won under Mewtwo's command.

If it could even defeat Dragonite, what was there to fear from Charizard?

Delibird flew into the sky first, looking provocatively at Charizard.

Even if it was at a type disadvantage, it did not matter; it would see this through to claim the final victory!

Charizard's eyes flashed with the determination to win, not wanting to waste the belief and results passed down by its partners until now.

"Roar!"

Charizard spat scorching flames toward the sky, vibrated its dragon wings, and flew upward, chasing after Delibird's figure.

Although it had been less than a month since arriving at Charicific Valley, Charizard's strength, flight posture, and move proficiency had already improved markedly.

By now, the snowy weather had vanished and sunlight poured down again; feeling the warmth on its skin, Charizard's spirit soared even higher, and it immediately engaged Delibird in a fierce aerial battle.

Brock and Misty still found it hard to imagine how Delibird's tiny frame could conceal such immense power.

Though Delibird could not match Charizard in raw strength even with a higher level, it displayed numerous aerial combat techniques learned from Dragonite, Mewtwo, and the wild, playing the big brute Charizard until its fury boiled over.

Aerial Ace, which had initially dodged Quilava's Swift, was now frequently used by Delibird to toy with Charizard, occasionally striking from awkward angles with a Water Pulse.

In the final moments of the battle, just as Charizard had forced through the onslaught with its robust physique and landed a full-power Flamethrower, Delibird gathered Ice-type energy and struck Charizard squarely with a max-power Blizzard, bringing the fight to an end.

As Charizard plummeted from the sky to the ground, Ash knew he had lost today's challenge, and lost it thoroughly—a complete defeat.

Had Pikachu and the others not drained much of Delibird's stamina, Charizard's final Flamethrower might not even have hit.

Yet he felt no frustration; instead, he was exceedingly delighted.

After all, this meant that he, who once could not even hurt Delibird, was indeed growing stronger.

Seeing Ash's party bid farewell and preparing to take Charizard to the Pokémon Center for treatment, Luo Mu called out to Ash.

Meeting Ash's puzzled gaze, Luo Mu suddenly said, "Ash, before the Silver Conference, come to Paldea for some special training."

Ash blinked, as if he hadn't quite processed the words.

Pointing to Charizard, whom he and Brock had helped to its feet beside Ash, Luo Mu said, "Bring Charizard along too; its aerial combat skills are far too rough. As a Flying-type Pokémon, it barely knows a few proficient Flying-type moves."

"It seems that while in Charicific Valley, it was entirely preoccupied with building muscle, increasing its size, and wrestling other Charizards on the ground."

As soon as Luo Mu finished speaking, Charizard wore a look of "How did you know?" and awkwardly scratched its head.

Luo Mu stepped forward, patted Ash on the shoulder, and smiled gently. "Trust me, you and Charizard will definitely need these skills in the Silver Conference matches."

So you, Morrison, think you're clever bringing Hoenn Pokémon for cross-version counterattacks?

Just watch me have Ash leap across six generations!

Though he didn't know why Luo Mu had extended the invitation, the thought of battling him again and experiencing such rapid improvement as today made Ash nod without hesitation. "Thank you for the invitation; I will definitely come!"

Sneak attack!

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(End of Chapter)