Pokémon: Start with a Mewtwo Invitation.

Chapter 114 The Gap Between a King and a Champion

"boom!!!"

The scissors and the poisoned blade collided, triggering a violent explosion.

The pursuit did not end there, but continued.

Naturally, the bee chased after the cross-bat.

The cross-bat never imagined that one day it would be chased and attacked by an insect, and that it would have no power to fight back.

"Since we can't dodge it, let's face it head-on! Crossbat, use Cross Poison Blade repeatedly!!" A-Ju shouted, giving this order as a desperate measure.

Xia Mu narrowed his eyes slightly, and without needing to give any commands to Beedrill, Beedrill continued to use its cross-shaped scissors.

No matter how Crobat retaliates or attacks, Beedrill can easily block it.

In fact, Beedrill can annihilate Crobat anytime, anywhere, if it so desires.

The level difference is too great; even having an attribute advantage is useless under such a gap.

"Is there such a big difference in strength? It seems I underestimated you. With your strength, you shouldn't have been unknown in the past," A-Ju murmured.

This battle reminded him of his battles with powerful Pokémon trainers when he was young. Although he could fight back, his efforts were utterly ineffective.

Xia Mu's strength is definitely champion-level!

A-Ju suddenly realized that this might be part of a larger scheme by the Xia family.

At this crucial moment when the Quartz Conference is about to open, Natsuki suddenly appears and sweeps everyone away.

They're aiming for the championship.

Otherwise, would it be necessary for someone with such strength to challenge the dojo? Even if it was because they knew his strength was at the Elite Four level that they challenged him...

The first thing A-Ju thought of was that Xia Mu had come to scout ahead.

Little did he know that he was completely overthinking things.

Although Natsuki does have ulterior motives, all he's aiming for right now is to win the Kanto region's Quartz Conference this year.

……

On the edge of the battle area, Ah Xing, Ah Ya, and Sonia watched the battle intently.

For Sonia, having experienced a lot, she knew just how powerful Natsuki was, so she wasn't surprised at all by Beedrill's performance.

In particular, Beedrill hasn't even undergone Mega Evolution yet, meaning that the power it's currently displaying is only a fraction of its full potential.

She knew how powerful Beedrill was, but Ah-Xing and Ah-Ya didn't.

Their eyes were now wide open.

They accepted that Muk couldn't beat Lucario, since Muk is a rare Pokémon from other regions and not comparable to ordinary Pokémon.

But now we're featuring the door bug, a household name in the Kanto region.

Are Beedrill really that powerful?

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it was true.

"Is this for real? The Crossbat has been suppressed to this extent. Father, did he not fight with his full strength?" Ah Xing still had some wishful thinking, but Aya, who was beside her, had already seen that her brother had not held back and was now in a helpless situation.

Over the years, she has witnessed her brother's growth, becoming stronger and stronger, until today, when he is about to ascend to the throne of the Heavenly King.

[Who exactly is this Xia Mu? The only one who can leave my brother so helpless is that champion, A-Du.] Aya thought to herself.

She had recently witnessed the battle between Champion Lance and her brother, so she was certain that Natsuki's Pokémon were just as strong as Lance's.

……

"It seems this is the end." Natsuki suddenly spoke to Akiko, his gaze following the movement of the Beedrill.

At this moment, A-Ju felt a chill run down his spine. He naturally knew that Xia Mu had been holding back all along.

Otherwise, the Crossbat would have lost its fighting ability long ago.

"I have to say, the pressure you put on me is even greater than that from A-Du, especially since I've never seen such a powerful Beedrill before. I always thought Giovanni's was already incredibly strong, but I never expected yours to be even more terrifying." A-Ju's words taught Natsuki a lot.

For example, A-Ju fought against Champion Wataru and was soundly defeated.

Then there's Giovanni. I'm sure I've fought Giovanni before, and I know a lot about Giovanni's Beedrill.

"I should be meeting up with Sakaki soon, and I'd love to see his Beedrill," Natsuki said with a smile. "As for Lance, I think we'll have a showdown sooner or later, but when that will depend on how things develop."

The communication abruptly ceased. Natsuki looked at the Beedrill, which was still chasing and teasing the Crobat, and gave the final command without hesitation.

A-Ju was clearly unnerved by Xia Mu's casual commands.

Xia Mu treated him, this Heavenly King, like an ordinary opponent, and didn't even take him seriously.

It was very frustrating, but that was the reality. Even if Xia Mu wasn't serious, he still couldn't beat him.

In fact, it was because of the huge difference in levels that he was unable to use any of his countless fighting methods.

In a battle between powerful Pokémon Trainers, the Trainer will often immediately put the opponent into their rhythm, thus laying the foundation for victory.

Right now, Beedrill is keeping him at a loss; Crobat has no chance to take the lead, nor does it have the strength to do so.

The few Flying-type moves it knows can't do any damage to Beedrill; they're easily countered. How can it possibly fight back?

Even if you use a Poison-type move, Beedrill also has the Poison type and is a Bug type, so the damage will be even lower if it hits.

Finally, at Natsuki's command, Beedrill launched a malicious pursuit and took Crobat away.

Malicious Pursuit, a move of the Dark attribute, doubles in power if the opponent has already taken damage this turn.

Xia Mu had mastered the Pokémon's moves perfectly. While Beedrill was constantly damaging Crobat, he was also calculating how to KO it with a single blow.

Actually, other attacks could have done the same thing, since enough energy has already been consumed, but this move would be more effective and wouldn't cause any unexpected problems.

After all, Bug-type moves have always dealt very little damage to Crobat, which is a Flying/Poison type.

Otherwise, the Crobat would have already lost its fighting ability.

"Crobat is unable to battle... Beedrill wins..." Although she really didn't want to announce this result, Aya was the referee and had to stop the battle.

Ah Xing, who was beside her, had a blank look in her eyes and had fallen into despair.

She has finally realized that she was too arrogant and conceited...

Looking back at myself at the beginning, I realized that I had actually provoked Xia Mu, which was simply reckless.

She can easily defeat even her own father; she was just playing along with her earlier.

She had thought that Xia Mu was able to easily defeat her because Charizard had a type advantage, but now it seemed that was just her wishful thinking.

When facing their own fathers, they use Pokémon whose types are weak against them.

……

"Come back, Crobat, thank you for your hard work." Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Aju returned Crobat to her Poké Ball.

Like him, Natsuki also took out a Super Ball to retrieve Beedrill.

The third match will be Arcanine's turn to battle, which was planned from the beginning.

Even if you're in a hurry and have planned ahead, you still have to wait for A-Ju to release his three Pokémon.

"I already know how strong you are. Although I am no match for you, I will not surrender without a fight. So, my third one is this, Poison Skull Frog!" As A-Ju spoke, he also summoned his third main general.

Toxtricity is a Pokémon found only in the Sinnoh region.

Therefore, at this time, A-Ju already possessed Poison-type Pokémon from other regions.

Poison Skull Frog

【LV: 65】

[Gender: Female]

[Attributes: Poison, Fighting]

Personality: Cheerful

【Characteristic: Danger Detection (can detect dangerous moves used by the opponent)】

[Skills: Poison Needle, Mud Throw, Taunt, Intimidate, Flatter, Kick, Venomous Impact, Surprise Attack, Bluff, Poison Strike, Deadly Poison, Trick, Mud Bomb, Burp...]

[Friendliness: 10]

[Emotion: Nervous]

……

Although Poison Skull Frog is one level higher than Muk, it seems easier to deal with.

In a sense, although Toxicroak has a high base stat total of 490, its defenses are not particularly high. Its only redeeming quality is its Attack stat of 106.

Xia Mu remembers using the Poison Skull Frog in battles when he played games, but he used it more often in team battles.

The poisonous skeleton frog, Ah Ju, is actually not suitable for him.

The personality is good, but the danger foresight trait is somewhat of a gimmick.

The best ability is naturally the hidden ability Poisonous Hand, which can poison an opponent simply by making contact with them.

Even a slightly less desirable option would be dry skin, which would restore stamina in rainy weather or when attacked by water-type moves. Conversely, stamina would decrease in sunny weather or when attacked by fire-type moves. However, if you use Toxicroak strategically and start the game with a Rain Dance while keeping the weather unchanged, you'll already have a significant advantage.

This ability is even more powerful, especially in the real Pokémon world.

Once the rainy day is activated, as long as you don't get instantly killed, you're basically invincible.

At least in matches between players of the same level, this is an absolute advantage.

"So, what's your third Pokémon? Let me see, Natsuki," Aju said to Natsuki.

After losing two matches in a row, he became even more excited as he gained a clearer understanding of his opponent's strength.

It could be said that through Xia Mu, he also felt the drive that only young people have.

Although Xia Mu was much younger than him, his feeling was correct.

"My third one is this one, Arcanine." With a flick of the wrist, a High Ball was thrown out, and with a flash of white light, the agile and muscular Arcanine appeared on the field.

For Arcanine, it had been a long time since it had engaged in such a formal battle.

Excitement is inevitable, especially when the opponent is strong and you get to have a good time with them.

"Growlithe? Look at its fur color, size, and imposing presence, it's unbelievable. Now I'm even more curious about you, Natsuki," Aju exclaimed, full of praise.

Without a doubt, he sensed that Arcanine was another Champion-level Pokémon.

If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he would have found it absurd that a champion-level figure, yet with no reputation, would suddenly appear before him.

He became increasingly convinced of his own thoughts: this Xia Mu was definitely aiming to challenge for the regional championship.

Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence.

admire.

This is a very strong emotion in A-Ju's heart.

He had always thought that someone like Du was a once-in-a-century talent, but now another one had appeared before him, and an even younger genius at that.

In response to A-Ju's praise, Natsuki smiled and said, "Let's begin. In the last match, I might defeat you more directly, A-Ju, the Gym Leader."

"Then bring it on!" Ah Ju's heart skipped a beat, but she was still looking forward to it.

Xia Mu nodded, no longer hesitating, and commanded, "Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

"Woof!!"

With a loud roar, the fur on Arcanine's body moved without wind, as if it were burning with high-temperature flames. A thick jet of flame shot out from its mouth, with a power that A-Ju had never seen before.

"What terrifying power! Get out of the way, Poison Skull Frog!" A-Ju immediately ordered.

At this moment, both Poison Skull Frog and Ajumper should indeed be grateful for the danger-predicting ability.

Because the moment Arcanine unleashed its power, Toxicroak had already sensed it and immediately began to dodge.

The terrifying jet of flame swept past the Poison Skull Frog, but the intense heat still affected it.

The flame shot all the way to the ground in front of it and exploded before it finally stopped.

The ground was charred black and reeked of gunpowder smoke.

Can you imagine what would happen if you were hit head-on by this move?

Actually, Natsuki hadn't let Arcanine unleash its full power yet; otherwise, its power would have been even more terrifying.

The reason for doing so was to avoid being too shocking, otherwise it would be too outrageous.

A level 100 level of strength is beyond the scope of a champion level, and Xia Mu is now certain of that.

"Don't underestimate us, Poison Skull Frog, Sludge Shot!" With that command, Aju chose to face the challenge head-on and launch an attack.

The Poison Skull Frog seemed to sense Aju's heightened emotions, letting out a cry before its body was enveloped in a layer of deep purple energy.

This is poison gas; Sludge Shot is being sprayed from Toxicroak's mouth, heading straight for Arcanine.

It's a pity that, as the Poison-type Elite Four member, he only knows some basic Poison-type tactics. In fact, Xia Mu wanted to teach A-Ju a lesson, but unfortunately, he didn't train any Poison-type Pokémon.

"Move at high speed to dodge, strike with lightning speed!" Faced with the mud-shooting, Xia Mu quickly gave the order.

Arcanine was incredibly fast, disappearing from its spot in an instant, transforming into a streak of light that traversed the distance between them.

With a muffled boom, the speed directly sent the Poison Skull Frog flying.

Although the Poison Skull Frog was not rendered unable to fight, it was severely injured.

A-Ju's heart tightened, she clenched her fists, and held her breath.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the poisonous toad stand up again.

Xia Mu just watched, not letting Arcanine make another move. He wanted to see if Aju had any hidden tactics that she hadn't used yet.

(End of this chapter)