Chapter 83: Froakie VS Lucario!

Keerni unexpectedly looked at the scene before her,

"We made eye contact… does that mean you, Froakie, want to battle Lucario?"

Ash reached out and pressed his hand on Froakie's head, breaking the tension between the two Pokémon.

"Before that, Keerni, can you tell me why, as a Gym Leader, you could continuously face challengers in the Gym yet still insist on going out for a hundred‑win training?"

"Huh?" Keerni, who never expected Ash to ask such a question, was momentarily stunned, then crossed her arms, lifted her light‑green finger and tapped her smooth, Fair Skin chin; the gesture also revealed the Super Evolution Key Stone set into her glove, drawing everyone's eyes.

"Super Evolution Stone?"

"Yes. One day my grandfather found me, appointed me to the Gym Leader position, gave me this Super Evolution Key Stone, and told me that Lucario can Mega‑Evolve. To Mega‑Evolve, I need to go to Stone Forest Town to obtain a Super Evolution Stone that matches Lucario's key stone."

"Lucario!"

Lucario responded with a bark; she harbored a deep desire to become stronger, so upon hearing she could Mega‑Evolve, the dog could no longer contain the excitement in her heart.

She glanced at Lucario, and Keerni continued, "Before parting, grandpa told me that my current strength and Lucario's are still insufficient for Mega‑Evolution, so I thought I'd do some training on the way; a hundred consecutive wins is the goal we set."

"I see!" the others exclaimed, suddenly understanding,

Clemont adjusted his glasses in admiration, "I didn't expect Stone Forest Town to have a Lucario Super Evolution Stone vein! That's really enlightening!"

Keerni looked at Ash, "So, Ash, now that you know the answer, shall we have your Froakie battle my Lucario as a pre‑match rehearsal for the Gym battle? I can't wait to experience the power of the Legendary Duke of the Five Crown King!"

"Lucario!"

Lucario also assumed a battle stance, seeming eager for the showdown.

Ash glanced at Lucario's type.

【Pokémon】: Lucario (♀)

【Type】: Fighting + Steel

【Ability】: Unyielding Heart (when it flinches or is at a disadvantage, Unyielding Heart ignites, raising speed; triggers only once per battle)

【Level】: Lv35

【Special Ability】: Waveguide Power (Basic)

【IVs】: HP 31, Attack 31, Defense 25, Sp. Attack 30, Sp. Defense 28, Speed 31,

【Base Stats】: Total 525, HP 70, Attack 110, Defense 70, Sp. Attack 115, Sp. Defense 70, Speed 90,

The level is only thirty‑five, matching Froakie's, so it really looks like Keerni is just starting out.

It seems the other side's grandfather is probably overseeing the Gym's affairs.

Shaking his head, casting aside the speculation in his mind, since it's an evenly matched fight, let's go!

"Froakie, don't lose!"

"Froakie!"

Froakie's reply was confident and decisive,

the group arrived at a spacious open area, clearing enough room.

Sarina and the others stood on the sides of the two combatants, with Ash's Froakie and Keerni's Lucario facing each other at a distance.

"Water Pulse!"

"Froakie!"

Froakie clasped its hands together, a highly condensed water sphere shot out in an instant, streaking toward Lucario like lightning.

"Power‑Up Punch!"

"Lucario!"

Facing the incoming Water Pulse, Lucario raised its right paw and swung forward powerfully, brown energy coating it.

Bang!

The punch shattered the Water Pulse, scattering water droplets everywhere.

However, Ash had anticipated this; even at the moment Water Pulse was launched, he didn't worry about whether the attack would hit, having already given the next order,

"Swords Dance!"

Knowing Lucario's mastery of Waveguide, the shadow clone and smoke screen deceptions were completely ineffective,

Ash completely abandoned that option and instead used Water Pulse for pre‑emptive disruption.

The plan proceeded smoothly,

after all, Froakie is a Water‑type Pokémon, gaining same‑type attack bonus, so Keerni never considered making Lucario ignore Water Pulse.

Based on that, Froakie successfully used Swords Dance,

by the time Lucario dealt with Water Pulse, Swords Dance was already halfway through.

"Bullet Punch!"

Keerni almost instinctively judged and tried to interrupt Froakie's boost.

Bullet Punch, like Extreme Speed or Quick Attack, is a priority move and among the fastest attacks.

Lucario's legs suddenly surged with power, the rocks beneath cracking under the immense force! Lucario's body became a silver bullet, charging straight at the boosted Froakie.

Unfortunately, it was still a step too late! Froakie had already completed the boost.

"Extreme Speed, dodge!"

"Froakie!"

Pure white light shimmered over Froakie's body, darting left and right, narrowly passing by Lucario.

Defeat magic with magic! Counter a priority move with a priority move!

A masterfully exquisite command left Keerni and everyone else stunned.

"No… truly worthy of the Five Crown King's Ash!"

On the field, the battle continued,

while the trainer stared blankly, Lucario did not; after pausing its impact, missing once, Lucario immediately used Bullet Punch again toward Froakie.

Ash frowned,

If the opponent insists on using Bullet Punch, his enhancement plan will come to nothing.

In short... at least we need to first drive back Lucario.

"Water Break!"

Lucario launched an attack, while Frogadier waited in reserve, and its move's power was even greater; theoretically it should have the upper hand.

But the result was that Frogadier was driven back, its body staggering as it retreated several steps,

In contrast, Lucario merely stepped back half a step and steadied its stance.

At the same level, the physical attack base stat gap between Lucario and Frogadier is simply too large, far beyond what a single Sword Dance can make up for.

Seeing that this strike clearly gave him the upper hand, a flash of excitement crossed Lucario's face.

"Lucario!"

"Frogadier!"

Frogadier steadied its stance, eyes slightly narrowed as it looked at Lucario opposite, somewhat surprised,

This was the first time, since teaming up with Ash, that he had encountered being overpowered by an opponent in battle.

He was indeed not mistaken; this would be a good opponent.

Although forced onto the defensive, Frogadier showed no sign of agitation whatsoever, still awaiting Ash's command,

This formed a stark contrast to Lucario earlier, which had acted on its own without heeding orders.

"Water Pulse!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Frogadier immediately complied,

But meanwhile, Keerni and Lucario, having already suffered a loss once, thought Ash was trying to repeat the old trick and had no intention of falling for it again.

"Bullet Punch, take it!"

Bearing the brunt of the Water Pulse, Lucario forcibly closed in on Frogadier, all the while shaking water off its head.

This sight made Ash's eyes light up—what a great opportunity.

"Acrobatics!"

Frogadier, with intense focus, perfectly executed Ash's command—a heavy, powerful punch that slammed hard into Lucario's chest as it shook its head and closed its eyes,

Double effect triggered!

The terrifying force directly sent Lucario flying violently into the air, like a cannonball suddenly dropping.

The sudden change of move caught Keerni and Lucario completely off guard.

"What a brilliant change of move!"

"This is Ash! He always seizes fleeting battle opportunities!"

At this moment, Ash showed no carelessness whatsoever, continuing to expand his advantage.

"Sword Dance!"

Frogadier used Sword Dance again, and at the same time, a soft glow of evolution emanated from it.

"?"

"Evolved!"

Now even Ash felt a bit of Surprise; evolving into Ash-Greninja meant that the Greninja's bond transformation1 was finally no longer a blank slate.