Chapter 471
Rising Dragon Badge Acquired! The main force heads to the Hammerlocke Dojo, the extremel
Chapter 471 Rising Dragon Badge Acquired! The main force heads to the Hammerlocke Dojo, the extremely luxurious Chibana!
It's no surprise that Gardevoir can easily defeat Dragonair, after all, Gardevoir isn't just a Champion-level mid-tier champion, but a Champion-level mid-tier champion with all stats at the S-rank.
In the intermediate champion category, it is undoubtedly the king.
It's not surprising at all that Gardevoir could so easily defeat Tsubaki's Dragonair.
It's not that Hakron isn't strong enough; a Champion Beginner Hakron is top-tier anywhere.
However, Gardevoir's situation is a bit too outrageous.
She is not just a champion intermediate level, but a champion intermediate level with all six dimensions at an S level.
This means that Gardevoir's stats far surpass those of other Pokémon of the same level. Even without using any special methods, she is not someone that a Champion-level Pokémon can easily defeat.
This is like two students in the same intermediate class, where others get perfect scores in a single subject, while she gets perfect scores in every subject and is always first in the grade.
In the entire Champion Intermediate category, Gardevoir is undoubtedly the king.
Moreover, she also possesses a wealth of knowledge she learned from Mewtwo, making her mental strength far superior to that of ordinary Psychic-type Pokémon.
In summary, even a Champion-level Gardevoir would be in serious trouble against it!
No matter how strong Hakuryu is, it's understandable that he would be stunned by a single blow when facing such a monster-level being.
On the other side of the field, Xiaochun remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her head.
Her face was flushed red, and she could no longer suppress her emotions, so she simply stopped hiding them.
"Ash, I've lost, and I accept it wholeheartedly."
She took out a Poké Ball and recalled Dragonair.
He then bent down and pressed the Dragonair's Poké Ball to his heart, whispering, "Thank you for your hard work," before putting the ball back into his waistband.
"You don't need to make that face, I'm fine."
She noticed Ash's slightly apologetic look and laughed instead.
"It's embarrassing, but I accept my defeat wholeheartedly. You've shown me that your reputation isn't just for show, and I still have a very long way to go to become a top-tier trainer. I have a lot more to learn."
You should work harder.
"Master Kotsubaki ————"
"Don't call me Master anymore, it makes me uncomfortable." Xiaochun waved her hand and took out an exquisite badge from her sleeve.
The badge was shaped like the head of a dragon, its black metal surface shimmering with a scale-like luster in the sunlight.
"Take it, you deserve it."
Ash took the badge with both hands and exchanged a glance with Pikachu and Gardevoir.
"I got the Rising Dragon Badge!"
"Pipikachu!"
"Sana~"
It's still the signature celebration style; without doing this, the process of challenging the gym and getting the badge wouldn't feel complete.
This is his sixth badge, which is equivalent to a seventh badge.
Next up is the last one—Kengai Dojo!
In the audience, A-Du slowly stood up and walked towards his cousin.
"This loss wasn't unjustified." He patted Xiaochun on the shoulder, his tone light, "But don't take it too hard."
"You can't find another opponent like Ash in the entire city."
"Losing to him doesn't mean you're weak; it just means you need to go out and see more of the world."
Xiao Chun pouted, "Brother Du, are you comforting me or mocking me?"
Adu chuckled: "I'm serious."
"You've been in Blackwood City for too long. The trainers who challenge you are either newbies who're just throwing away badges or intermediate trainers who're just trying their luck."
"Your elf is indeed strong, but your vision is limited by this city."
"Go out and fight a few more battles, encounter a few more monsters, and you'll know how big the world is and how high the sky is."
"When you can lose three games in a row without blushing, you'll be close to winning the championship."
Upon hearing this, Xiaochun's previously sullen expression gradually disappeared.
She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then nodded firmly: "I understand. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll go out for a walk too."
"That's more like it." A-Du ruffled her hair with satisfaction, then looked at Xiao-Zhi, "Kid, thank you."
"These two matches today are worth more than half a year of missing her."
Ash scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "It's nothing, it's an honor to battle with Miss Tsubaki."
At that moment, Cynthia also came down, her long golden hair swaying gently with each step.
"Ash, you've gotten even stronger."
She said it directly, her golden eyes full of admiration.
"The last time we met, Pikachu was still at the Elite Four level. Now, its power should be about the same as Gardevoir's."
Cynthia's gaze fell upon Pikachu, and from Pikachu's petite body, she could sense a profound...
Measurable power.
As Ash's true ace, Pikachu's power might even surpass that of Gardevoir.
"Yes, Pikachu is different from before!"
Ash's voice was full of confidence; he believed that if he could battle Cynthia's Togekiss again...
Pikachu and he will definitely not lose again!
"That's really impressive—if the timing weren't so bad, I'd love to fight you right now."
Ash's eyes lit up instantly: "Really? Then now—"
"Not now," Cynthia chuckled and shook her head. "Today isn't a good time."
"Aren't you going to challenge the Kensei Dojo next? Let's save our fight for Master Hachi. I promised you, I won't hold back when we meet him."
Ash clicked his tongue in disappointment, but had no choice but to give up.
At this moment, Dawn, who was next to Cynthia, also came up and cautiously reached out her hand to Ash.
"Ash—bro, those two battles were absolutely amazing!"
Xiao Guang's expression was somewhat excited, as if he had just learned about Pokémon battles.
"So this is how you can battle Pokémon. There are so many intricacies between Pokémon. Master was right. Watching Ash's battles has been very enlightening."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi's expression turned somewhat strange. He squeezed her small hand back and said, "Um, why don't you just call me Xiao Zhi? It sounds weird, and you probably don't like it either, right?"
Xiao Guang blushed. She was indeed a little unaccustomed to calling others "brother," and Xiao Zhi didn't look much older than her.
They should be the same age.
However, Ash's period might be a little longer.
"Then... Ash?"
"Hehe, that sounds much better." Ash chuckled, finally feeling less awkward. He then instructed Dawn, "As for Pokémon battles—watching is one thing, but actual combat is another. After a few more battles, you'll gradually become familiar with and get the hang of it."
He also started as a newcomer, and although he grew quite quickly, he did experience the newcomer phase.
Having someone to teach him is one aspect, but having many matches against him is another.
Only by engaging in more battles can one grasp the timing and methods of combat.
Cynthia added from the side, "Don't worry, Hikaru, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to see in the future."
"From now on, you and I will follow behind Ash on your journey."
"???" Hikaru was stunned. Cynthia hadn't told him about this yet.
"Following behind Ash?"
"Yes." Cynthia nodded, her expression somewhat subtle. "Because of some things, we need to travel with Ash for a while."
"And we can't get too close to Ash, lest we alert him—but it shouldn't be a problem to contact each other occasionally and say hello."
Xiao Guang nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Although she didn't know what had happened, she knew that she would be traveling with this amazing boy from now on.
She was already curious about Xiaozhi, and she was feeling a little regretful that they would be separated after today.
Unexpectedly, they were going to travel together later, which gave her more opportunities to get to know Ash.
How did he manage to achieve this level when they are the same age?
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Ash put away his badge box and stretched.
"Speaking of which, I still have to challenge the Kensei Dojo next."
"If I can defeat the Kensei Dojo, then I'll have my last badge."
Upon hearing this, their eyes lit up.
"Kunkoku Dojo, huh?" A-Wu stroked his chin. "I've seen that guy, Kibana, a few times, but I've never really fought him."
"Since I have some free time today, I'll go with you to take a look."
Cynthia chimed in with a laugh, "I haven't seen Cibanar play in a long time either. I only met him briefly in the last eight Grandmasters tournament, and we didn't even exchange more than a few words."
"Let's go and join in the fun today."
Xiaochun was even more straightforward, immediately letting down her cloak: "That guy has been running a dojo on my turf for so long, and I've never actually seen him fight."
"Let's go together!"
Goodness, this challenge to the Kensei Dojo has resulted in two champions and a trainer who is close to becoming a champion accompanying him.
Xiao Zhi's lips twitched, but he didn't refuse; it's more fun with more people.
After getting ready, the group headed towards the Quan Guan Dojo in a grand procession.
On the way, Tsubaki walked beside Satoshi and suddenly remembered something.
Ash, why don't you go to the Pokémon Center first?
"In that battle just now, your Dragonite and Greninja were both seriously injured, and Gardevoir also used up a lot of energy."
"Kings Gate Dojo is not an easy place to beat. That guy, Kibana, is one of the top fighters in Johto."
Kotsubaki was underestimating the situation. In reality, not only in Johto, but in the entire world, Qibana's strength was...
It's second to none!
As for her, she's not even in the same league as Cibanavi.
Although Ash defeated her, if he were to actually face Raihana, he might not be able to defeat her even with just one Gardevoir.
Qibana has a Champion-level Pokémon in his possession.
It is a level higher than Gardevoir in terms of rank, and the other Pokémon are not to be underestimated either.
To put it bluntly, even if Ash restores Dragonite and Greninja, these two Pokémon wouldn't be of much use against Raihana.
But recovery is better than no recovery!
More Pokémon, more choices!
Especially that Greninja, after undergoing that special evolution, even Tsubaki doesn't know where its peak strength lies.
Maybe—she could rival the pinnacle of the Heavenly Kings—haha, she must be insane.
They actually came up with the absurd idea that a junior professional could rival a top-tier player.
When faced with Tsubaki's suggestion, Ash waved his hand and said, "No need."
"The Pokémon I challenged at the Motostoke Gym are not the same ones that challenged you. We can take them to the Pokémon Center together after we've finished battling them all."
Xiao Chun paused for a moment. Was it not the same batch?
In other words, the Pokémon that Ash sent out to battle her was not Ash's strongest.
Oh right—Ash said when he saw Gyarados that I wasn't planning on using it, but since you've given me the chance, I'll use it.
The Poké Ball he used at the start wasn't Greninja, but another Pokémon.
Ash also has other, even stronger Pokémon in his possession.
Xiaochun also remembered something else, which was what Cynthia said: Ash's Pikachu was already an Elite Four member when it battled Cynthia.
Now it is no weaker than Gardevoir.
In other words—the harmless Pikachu on Ash's shoulder has the strength of a Champion-level player?
A Pikachu with Champion-level skills — has the world gone mad or am I?
Looking at the boy's back in front of her, Xiaochun couldn't help but smile bitterly.
She had originally thought that if she used her three main Pokémon to battle Ash, the outcome might be uncertain.
But—not only did she not use her full strength, Ash didn't use his full strength either!
Moreover, Ash's strength was even greater!
After a wry smile, Tsubaki became somewhat expectant again, wondering what kind of intense sparks would fly between Ash and Raihana?
What is Ash's true strength?
If it's Raibou, Ash should be able to use his full strength!
After walking for about ten minutes, the Quan Guan Dojo came into view.
The building was ten stories high, with a dark gray, heavy stone exterior and a steel frame structure supporting it, making it look like a miniature Galatian castle.
Above the main entrance of the dojo hangs a huge flag with an orange and black background and a leaping golden dragon embroidered in the center.
The outline of that giant dragon was clearly that of an aluminum-steel dragon.
When Ash and his friends saw the gym, they were all dumbfounded.
They had seen dojos stationed outside their region before, but those dojos were all extremely low-key, usually just simplified versions of their own regional dojos.
The most extravagant of them all is Denji's gym. He likes to tinker with gyms, so he built it rather luxuriously.
However, Denji's dojo is nothing compared to the Hammerlocke dojo!
This is a one-story skyscraper!
"Building such a large dojo on someone else's turf, Qibana really doesn't know his place," Adu exclaimed in amazement after seeing the dojo.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a luxurious overseas dojo.
This guy is really loaded!
Xiao Chun rolled her eyes: "When he first arrived, it took him three months to report to the Alliance, and he also spent a lot of money to buy the land in Yanmo City."
"If you really want to investigate, they are operating a legitimate business."
Xiao Zhi and his friends: ————
Good grief, they just bought a piece of land? Do they have money to burn?
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