svetikya Chapter 137 The Swim-Steam Weasel Who Learned Something Strange?
Chapter 137 The Swim-Steam Weasel Who Learned Something Strange?
The next day.
Although the Tournament of Fate has ended, the impact it had on Hikaru seems to linger.
On the stands of the Yori no Gym, Hikari yawned sleepily, looking drowsy.
"You're not so excited about winning the Fate Tournament that you haven't been able to sleep, are you?"
Looking at Xiao Guang, who was wearing a cheerleader uniform but seemed completely listless, Xiao Gang couldn't help but ask.
"Ah... um... yes, right..."
"?"
Xiao Guang's ambiguous manner made Xiao Gang suspicious, while Bo Jiaman, who knew everything, stood on the railing, arms crossed with a knowing look, nodding repeatedly like a little adult.
......
The commotion in the stands didn't reach the audience below. Ash and Melissa stood on either side of the arena, and before the match began, Melissa didn't forget to praise them:
"Your performance yesterday was really amazing, full of surprises. Speaking of which, Ash, do you really not have any intention of officially participating in the Contest, just like Shōji?"
"No, I only participate in the Grand Contest occasionally. I prefer the stage here to the Grand Contest."
"Pickup!"
Pikachu also looked at Melissa with a fierce gaze, and after Ash finished speaking, it made a sound that also expressed its determination.
"Hehe." Seeing this, Melissa stopped talking, simply closed her eyes, and then slowly opened them.
"Let's leave the pleasantries here. The rules of the match are three against three. The first Pokémon to lose their battle ability is the loser. Only the challenger can change their Pokémon. Is that alright?"
On this day, while the referees were resting, Melissa explained the rules of the Affinity Tournament, which Ash, of course, had no objections to.
After the rules were agreed upon, each side sent out their respective Pokémon.
"I need your help, Gengar!"
"I choose you, Itachi!"
Round 1: Gengar vs. Swimsuit Itachi.
......
In the audience, after seeing Ash choose the Snorlax, Dawn couldn't help but ask with concern.
"This must be the first time Ash has partnered with Focal since catching it, right? Is it really okay facing an opponent like Melissa...?"
Although Xiao Guang doesn't pay much attention to what the gyms are doing, Melissa's reputation is among the top tier of the eight gym leaders, so it would be hard for anyone not to know about Melissa's strength.
"It's hard to say. If their compatibility is good, even if it's their first time fighting together, Ash can work very well with it..."
"Yeah......"
As Hikari answered, the image that flashed through his mind was the first time he and Ash fought side by side.
......
The match officially began on the field.
"Gengar, use Shadow Punch!"
Seeing that Ash didn't make a move and didn't seem to intend to strike first, Melissa took the initiative and commanded Gengar to launch an attack.
"GEN!"
Gengar's right fist flashed with a dark light as it charged towards the Swim-Style Weasel below.
Ash and Snorlax watched Gengar's actions silently. Ash was at least somewhat serious and focused, while Snorlax had already crossed his arms, giving off a sense of disdain for his opponent.
The two had closed the distance considerably, and now Ash's command and Swim-It were carried out simultaneously.
"Freeze Punch!"
"Hey!"
Facing the Gengar that was about to come into contact with him, Swimsuit immediately gathered a layer of frost on his right fist and went straight for the Shadow Punch that Gengar was about to throw at his body.
"boom!"
The two fists collided, sending dust and smoke billowing everywhere.
......
"Huh? That Steam Weasel can use Ice Punch? I've never seen it use it before..."
Dawn recalled the scene when Ash caught Snorlax. At that time, Snorlax had not used a move like Ice Punch, but now...
"Maybe it's because the Snorlax learned from Ash's former friends in Professor Oak's backyard? Or maybe it learned it from Snorlax? After all, Ash's Snorlax can also use Ice Punch."
This is how Xiao Gang explained it to Xiao Guang.
Although it was just a guess, Xiao Gang's guess was indeed correct.
Ash had hoped that Sceptile would spend more time with Buizel, so that it would become more reserved and composed.
However, when Ash was training Sceptile this morning, he discovered that Sceptile didn't seem to have learned anything else from Sceptile except for the skill of picking up a twig and spitting it out.
It's no surprise that Swimsuit learned Ice Punch from Snorlax. According to Professor Oak, Swimsuit apparently saw Ursaring get instantly defeated by Snorlax's Ice Punch and then developed a strong liking for it, even sacrificing two of its three daily meals to receive Snorlax's instruction.
Fortunately, I did manage to learn it.
.......
Gengar and Swim-Itachi distanced themselves from each other, and Melissa's expression became somewhat serious, or rather... thoughtful?
From the very beginning, Ash had no intention of striking first. Even after Gengar and Buizel had created some distance between them, Ash still didn't think about taking the initiative. Ash's fighting style was different from that of his challengers so far.
Faced with trainers eager to defeat her, Melissa can easily counter them using the hypnosis abilities of her Pokémon, thus ending the battle in one fell swoop.
But when faced with a trainer like Ash who insists on counterattacking...
"Could it be?" Melissa laughed and asked, "Ash, where did you hear about my fighting methods, which is why you insisted on counterattacking?"
"Perhaps."
Xiao Zhi smiled as well, but his answer was somewhat vague.
But for Melissa, that answer was enough.
"If you really think I'm that simple, you're sorely mistaken. You're about to pay the price for your naivety! Gengar, go!"
"GEN!"
Gengar responded quickly, its body transforming into a shadow and disappearing into the ground.
Ultimately, Melissa's counterattack is based on surprise. As long as the opponent cannot detect the actions of their Pokémon, hypnosis becomes exceptionally easy.
Ash watched the figure constantly darting across the ground, remaining impassive until the dark shape reached the feet of the Swimsuit. Only then did Ash call out:
"Escape by spraying water!"
"It's too late to dodge now! Shadow of the Night!"
Faced with the Swim-Style Weasel riding the water current and rushing into the distance, Gengar simply manipulated its shadow to chase after it at an even faster speed. Only when the shadow reached the bottom of the Swim-Style Weasel did Gengar quickly change the position between itself and the shadow.
Melissa smiled.
"We've already checked the mate! Use hypnosis!"
Ash and the swimming ferret, enveloped in water, both looked up upon hearing the command, and smiles appeared on their lips simultaneously.
"Now! Counterattack the protective shield!"
"Hey!"
As Ash's voice faded, the counterattack phase officially began.
......
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