Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Chapter 112 Pikachu: You're not a "baby" Pokémon!

Amidst the clamor of the departing crowd, Ash was squatting on the ground, carefully examining a minor scratch on Staraptor's wing, muttering to himself about the details of the aerial collision, his eyes sparkling.

"—Then Staraptor swooped down! That Brave Bird Attack was so powerful, even Salamence was momentarily stunned, right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu stood on his shoulder, nodding vigorously, its little paws still gesturing its name.

"Next time! Next time we'll definitely—"

Xiao Zhi clenched his fist, but before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a gaze. He looked up and met Zhang Jianying's eyes.

Xiao Zhi blinked, his intelligence suddenly kicking in! His eyes lit up instantly.

"Brother Jian!" Xiao Zhi ran up to Zhang Jianying in three quick steps, gave him a thumbs up, and smiled so brightly it was dazzling.

"Let's team up! Let's challenge Mr. Ji Xian and Ms. Ah Li together!"

Zhang Jianying nodded and smiled, "That's exactly what I was thinking. I was just thinking of asking you to give me a ride."

"No problem! Leave it to me!"

Ash patted his chest, full of fighting spirit, "Double battles, just thinking about them gets my blood pumping! Pikachu, don't you agree?"

"Pikachu!"

The two hit it off immediately and went to the organizer to register.

After registering, Ash looked around: "Looks like Shinji probably won't be participating. I haven't seen him since the tournament ended—"

The following morning, the sun shone brightly on the Great Wetland Arena once again.

After a night of buzz, the news of the doubles battle attracted even more trainers and viewers. A standard battle arena was temporarily set up on one side of the field, but some wetland features such as mud and puddles were retained.

Master Ji Xian and Master A Li were already standing on the opposite command platform.

Several teams of random trainers had already formed a challenge against them. However, Yoshinobu's Float Weasel was agile and swift, moving freely in the water, and its teamwork with Ali's Medicham was excellent.

Despite their best efforts, the challengers were unable to break through this barrier and were unfortunately defeated.

"Hahaha! Not bad, not bad, everyone's really motivated!" Yoshino laughed, encouraging the defeated trainers. "But if you want to take the badges from me and Ah-Li, you'll have to work even harder!"

Soon, it was Zhang Jianying and Xiao Zhi's turn.

The two men walked up to the command platform and stood still.

"Oh? It's yesterday's champion, and Xiao Zhi too." Ji Xian smiled. "Looks like this match is going to be very interesting! Ah Li, are you ready?"

"Anytime is fine, Mr. Yoshihiro." Ah Li nodded.

"So, the rules are double battles. Each player can use two Pokémon. The player who loses when all their Pokémon are unable to battle loses!" the referee announced loudly. "Challenger, please send out your Pokémon!"

Ash couldn't contain himself any longer. He excitedly pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it with all his might: "I choose you, Infernape!"

A flash of red light appeared, and Infernape's agile figure appeared on the field. It swung its tail, its fists collided, sparks flew, and its eyes burned as it stared intently at its opponent, its fighting spirit soaring.

Zhang Jianying: "???"

He glanced at the swamps and puddles on the field, clearly created to complement Yoshino's attributes, and the Infernape posing in the puddles, and slowly typed a question mark.

Ash, do you even know how to play?! This is clearly a Water-type's home field, and you sent in a Fire-type?

Zhang Jianying silently recalled the Greatsword's Poké Ball. Fine, today, I'll be a master of type reversal too!

He flicked his wrist, switched to a different Poké Ball, and threw it: "Sailor Moon, prepare for battle!"

"Iceman!"

A square-headed, endearingly clumsy ice goose appeared at the edge of the swamp. It hopped around a couple of times, getting ready.

"Oh?" Ji Xian raised his thick eyebrows. "An interesting combination. Ah Li!"

"Understood." Ah Li's eyes narrowed.

Two Pokémon appeared on the field. The Floatzel landed gracefully in the puddle, its tail swaying contentedly.

Çalhan stood on one foot on a slightly dry mound, his hands clasped together, his eyes closed in concentration, and a faint psychic aura emanating from his body.

"Battle begins!" The referee waved the flag.

"Float Weasel, use [Water Jet] to get close to Infernape! Use [Waterfall] to finish it off!" Yoshino took the initiative, his intention clear: to take down the obviously disadvantageous Infernape first!

The Float Weasel transformed into a rapid stream of water, skimming close to the ground as it hurtled towards Infernape at incredible speed!

At the same time, Ali calmly gave the order: "Charem, [Mind Blast], coordinate with Floating Weasel!"

Çalhan suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead glowing with psychic power, and his body shot towards Infernape like an arrow, forming a perfect pincer attack with Floatzel!

Ash showed no fear, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "Infernape, use Flare Blitz to meet them! We'll break through head-on!"

Infernape roared, and its body burst into blazing white flames, causing the temperature to rise sharply. It charged fiercely towards the two incoming attacks!

Zhang Jianying shook his head, watching the two opponents' coordinated dual-target fire. "Do they think my little penguin doesn't exist?"

"Ice Goose," he said calmly, "[Snow Scene], then shield Infernape from Medicham!"

The ice goose raised its square ice head and let out a clear call.

In an instant, a biting chill spread out from it, leaden-gray clouds quickly gathered in the sky, and fine snowflakes began to fall softly!

[Snow Scene] Weather, activated! The venue temperature plummeted!

At the same time, Ice Goose took its short legs and trotted along, "cheep cheep cheep," precisely blocking Çalhan's [Mind Hammer] path.

Çalhan's [Mind Blast] slammed squarely into the square ice block head of the Ice Goose!

"just?!"

Çalem was slightly taken aback.

The ice on the goose's head cracked with a "crack" upon impact, then shattered and peeled away, revealing a round head underneath.

Special Feature: Frozen Head! Grants immunity to one physical attack!

Ice Goose shook its ahoge (cowlick) and gave Çalam, who was somewhat taken aback by its attack being inexplicably blocked, a melancholy expression on its face.

On the other side, Infernape's Flare Blitz and Weasel's Waterfall clashed violently!

"BOOM—!!"

When water and fire clashed, a large amount of scalding white steam erupted, instantly filling half of the venue.

Infernape groaned, propelled back several steps by the force of the water, its flames dimming slightly. Floatzel wasn't faring much better, suffering burns and several scorch marks on its body.

"Now! Ice Goose!"

Zhang Jianying seized the opportunity, "Use [Blizzard] on Çalhanoğlus!"

The ice goose took a deep breath, its chest puffed out, and then it blew forward with all its might!

A violent icy wind and countless sharp ice crystals instantly took shape. With the blessing of the [Snow Scene] weather, the range was larger, the speed was faster, and the accuracy was higher. It roared and swept towards Çalem, who had not yet adjusted his posture!

Ali reacted extremely quickly: "Charem, get out of the way!"

Çalem tried to dodge, but in the [Snowy Scene] weather, the [Blizzard] had a certain tracking effect. Plus, the distance was too close; it only had time to move half a step to the side before being completely swallowed by the biting icy wind.

"just--"

As the frost dissipated, Çalam remained in a defensive stance, covered in icicles, his eyes darting around, before slowly collapsing to the ground.

With a single, decisive strike, the Ice Goose's Blizzard is incredibly powerful.

Meanwhile, the mud and puddles on the ground, under the influence of the continuous snowfall and the aftershocks of the blizzard, began to rapidly freeze over with a thin layer of ice, which continued to thicken.

"Charem is incapacitated!" the referee announced.

"Well done, Ice Goose!" Zhang Jianying praised. The little penguin shook its head.

"Wow, Brother Jian is amazing!"

Ash shouted excitedly, then looked at his partner, "Infernape, how are you?"

"Gah!" Infernape shook the water droplets off its head, rekindling its fighting spirit and indicating that it was fine.

It stomped on the now firm and cold ground, grinned, and said, "That feels much better!"

Meanwhile, the snorkeling weasel on the opposite side had a long face, looking at the rapidly freezing water around it, feeling very uncomfortable.

Without water, its speed and agility are greatly reduced.

Ali recalled Çalhan and sent out Lucario. With a somewhat serious expression, he said to Yoshinobu, "Mr. Yoshinobu, that Ice Goose has a very strong attack. Be careful."

Lucario, with its blue and black exterior, appeared on the field, its eyes sharp and its aura subtly flowing. It immediately entered a meditative state, attempting to enhance its abilities.

Ji Xian nodded, laughing heartily, "I saw it! Now that's more interesting! My blood is pumping!" He looked at the Floatweaver, "Don't be discouraged! Floatweaver, keep attacking Infernape!"

Ash was about to continue commanding Infernape when Zhang Jianying stopped him.

"Wait a minute," Zhang Jianying suddenly said. "You go and deal with Lucario, and leave the Floatweaver to Goose."

""

Xiao Zhi nodded knowingly.

"Infernape, interrupt Lucario's use of the move! Flare Blitz!" Ash commanded.

Infernape transforms into a fiery meteor and hurtles straight at Lucario!

At the same time, under Zhang Jianying's command, Ice Goose, taking advantage of the temporary speed boost from the broken Frozen Head, swiftly glided across the ice and blocked the Floating Weasel that was trying to rush towards Infernape.

The snorkeling weasel was stopped and became somewhat impatient.

Seeing this, Ji Xian simply ordered, "Snorkeling Weasel, ignore its [Water Jet] acceleration, use [Waterfall] to force its way through! Take one down first!"

The snorkeling weasel, enveloped in water, increased its speed once more and recklessly rammed into the ice goose blocking its path, attempting to knock it aside.

Zhang Jianying's eyes narrowed: "Ice-clad goose, [freeze-dried]!"

The Ice Goose deftly pushed off the ice, gliding half a step to the side and narrowly avoiding the head-on collision of the Snorkeling Weasel's [Water Jet], but the Snorkeling Weasel's [Waterfall Climb] was already upon it.

In that split second, an astonishing burst of cold air suddenly erupted from the small body of the Ice Goose.

The Ice Goose neither dodged nor avoided, but instead channeled its energy, condensing an ice block on its head and reverting to its "Frozen Head" state.

At the same time, it sprayed a white stream of icy air containing extreme freezing energy at the snorkeling weasel that was right next to it!

Freeze-drying is incredibly effective!

The snorkeling weasel's Waterfall Climb crashed heavily into the Frozen Head of the Ice Goose.

The Ice Goose was knocked back a long way, and the ice shattered again. Although it was not seriously injured thanks to its baby nature, the continuous release of powerful skills had made it somewhat weak.

The snorkeling weasel fared even worse.

The white, cold current instantly pierced through the water on its surface and invaded its body.

The extreme cold spread wildly. It maintained its forward-charging posture, and a thick layer of ice quickly condensed on its body surface. In the blink of an eye, it was frozen into an ice sculpture, standing stiffly in place, with a look of astonishment still lingering in its eyes.

"The snorkeling weasel is unable to fight!" the referee announced again.

"Ice Goose, come back and rest. You've done a great job." Zhang Jianying recalled the somewhat tired little penguin.

Meanwhile, the battle between Infernape and Lucario is also nearing its end.

Although Lucario is strengthened through Meditation, its type is weak to it.

However, Infernape's fighting style is fierce. After taking a hit from Lucario's Aura Sphere, it seized the opportunity to get close and delivered a fiery Flame Punch to Lucario's abdomen, knocking it to the ground.

Lucario is unable to battle! Infernape wins!

As Ali reluctantly recalled Lucario, the snowflakes in the sky above the field gradually stopped, and the [Snow Scene] weather ended.

Ah Li walked up to Ji Xian, somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ji Xian, I've been a bit of a hindrance."

"Hahaha!"

Ji Xian patted her shoulder forcefully, laughing heartily, "What are you saying! In a battle, no one is holding anyone back! That's what makes it interesting! I'm completely fired up!"

He turned to Zhang Jianying and Xiao Zhi, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit: "Well done, boys! Beat me, and the badge is yours!"

With that, he threw out his last Poké Ball: "Go, Gyarados!"

With a deafening roar, Gyarados's massive body crashed into the arena.

Looking at the menacing Gyarados, Zhang Jianying pondered who he should send into battle.

Before he could make a decision, he heard Ash's trusting voice beside him: "Pikachu, I'm counting on you for the second match!"

"Pikachu!"

With a flash of golden light, the tiny Pikachu landed gracefully in the arena, its cheek sacs crackling with electricity, and its tail wagging confidently.

Zhang Jianying almost burst into tears.

You idiot, you finally understand type advantages! With Pikachu around, this round is in the bag!

Pikachu stood on the field, turned around and waved its little fists at Zhang Jianying and Ash, signaling them to quickly release their teammates.

Zhang Jianying smiled as he held the gently swaying Poké Ball. This little guy had never been very interested in battling, so it was rare for Yin Tian to want to give it a try.

Since you're interested, give it a try; it shouldn't be a disaster anyway.

"Shin-chan, I choose you."

A flash of red light, and New Leaf Cat landed on the ice.

Its large, emerald-like eyes gazed at the Gyarados opposite, which resembled a small mountain, and it tilted its head.

"Meow~"

"∑（°A°I）???"

Pikachu looked at its cute and seemingly harmless teammate and glanced back at Zhang Jianying with a puzzled expression.

Zhang Jianying nodded affirmatively.

Pikachu looked away and turned back to Gyarados, a sense of responsibility as a "reliable senior" welling up in its small body.

Everyone says I, Pikachu, like to "act," but that's only when I'm facing "baby" Pokémon!

Now, my teammate is a "baby" Pokémon, how can I let it get hurt?

I'm done acting! Watch me crush them!

Pikachu's eyes have sharpened!

Golden lightning crackled around it, and its aura was completely different from before.

Ash keenly sensed the change in his partner. Although he didn't understand why, he excitedly shouted, "That's right, Pikachu! That's it! Show your fighting spirit!"

On the other side, Gyarados was preparing to roar as usual, activating its Intimidate ability to give the two little guys a hard time.

But the moment it opened its blood-red maw, a strange chill suddenly ran down my spine.

It swallowed back the roar that was about to escape its lips. Looking around suspiciously, it saw nothing unusual; what was this sense of danger?

Gyarados composed itself, staring intently at Pikachu, completely ignoring the harmless Shinyori beside it.

Although its four-fold weakness to Electric is a serious problem, Gyarados is confident that it can defeat that yellow-skinned rat before its attack arrives.

And so, Gyarados's eyes sharpened!

'

'

Through his aura, Zhang Jianying vaguely sensed the distinctly different emotions of the three Pokémon in the arena. He suppressed a laugh, decided to abandon his command, and prepared to simply coast to victory.

Ash didn't hesitate to issue the command: "Pikachu, [Volt Tackle]!"

"Pikachu Pikachu!!!"

Pikachu's figure blurred, transforming into a thick golden bolt of lightning, and it suddenly appeared directly above Gyarados's head with almost teleportation speed!

A thunderous roar crashed down!

"Huh?! What the hell?!"

Gyarados only had time to raise its astonished eyes before its vision was completely engulfed by endless golden lightning, and violent electricity instantly flowed through its entire body.

The fourfold restraint prevented it from even feeling the pain before its consciousness was plunged into darkness.

"Bang!"

Gyarados's massive body slammed onto the ice, sending up a cloud of ice shards. Its eyes darted around, and it was swiftly and decisively rendered unable to battle.

Its last thought before falling into a coma was: No, buddy, you're not [Volt Attack]

Huh? How could it be so fast? Are you sure you didn't secretly use [Extreme Speed]? You despicable trainer! You deliberately called out the wrong move name to trick me!!!

"—Gyarados is unable to battle! Challengers Zhang Jianying and Xiaozhi are the winners!" the referee announced loudly, a hint of confusion in his voice.

""

The entire hall fell silent, then erupted in enthusiastic applause and gasps of amazement.

Having waited a long time for its trainer's instructions, Newleaf, who was about to try scratching Gyarados's whiskers with Magic Leaf, froze in place, still holding its outstretched paw.

It blinked its large, emerald-like eyes, glanced at Pikachu casually stroking its ears beside it, and then at the unconscious, smoldering blue "fish" on the ground.

I haven't even made a move, and you're already down?

Then, Newleaf Cat retracted its paw, nimbly jumped to Pikachu's side, tilted its little head up, and looked at Pikachu with admiration, thinking to itself, "We're so strong! Meow~"

Pikachu looked down and saw the adorable little guy gazing at him with adoration. A blush of embarrassment rose on Pikachu's face. He pretended to be calm, called out, and patted Newleaf Meow's head.

Zhang Jianying suppressed a laugh, walked to the center of the field, and carried home the triumphant new Ye Miao.

This farcical doubles match has finally come to an end.

Gym Leader Yoshihiro recalled his Gyarados, laughing loudly, "Well done! This Pikachu is something else! I concede defeat wholeheartedly!"

Ali stepped forward and handed two badges to Zhang Jianying and Xiaozhi respectively: "It was a wonderful battle. Your teamwork and the strength of your Pokémon are commendable. These are the Swamp Badge and the Cobblestone Badge, please accept them."

The two exchanged smiles as they received the badges. Although the process was somewhat unexpected, the result was satisfactory.

"Congratulations!" Xiao Guang and Xiao Gang also came over to offer their congratulations.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder and returned to its usual lively and adorable self, as if the sharp-eyed boss from just moments ago wasn't it at all.

Curly Ears, dressed in a cheerleader vest, nestled in Xiao Guang's arms, waving a pom-pom and glaring fiercely at the green cat in Zhang Jianying's arms with a jealous expression.

"Meow?"

Xin Ye Miao was completely confused, not understanding what was going on with this friend who had eaten with her that morning.