Pokémon: Starting with a Pokémon Ranch.

Chapter 368 Ash vs. Leon

Even Su Yu was quite surprised to see Ash send out Pidgeot.

After all, this one is often forgotten by Ash in the anime. When Ash put Pidgeot in charge of the Pidgeys outside Pallet Town to fight off those fierce Spearows, he clearly promised to come back and bring it back soon.

But this wait lasted for more than 20 years.

However, Pidgeot didn't have many complaints about Ash. It flapped its wings and took flight, its eyes fixed on Bricaron not far away.

Like Charizard, it didn't slack off during its time in the forest. Its strength also improved considerably.

……

Wait until the results of the competition are in.

The four finalists of this tournament—Ash, Su Yu, Leon, and Lance—all appeared on the tournament organizers' big screen.

In the second round, Su Yu will face Lance, while Ash will face Leon.

"Once we get to the second round, it'll be 6v6..."

After thinking it over, Su Yu finally decided to send Mega Blastoise, Wooloo, and Alcremie to lead the charge.

Blastoise knows many Ice-type moves, which is perfect for countering Lance's "Dragon-type army" in terms of coverage.

And Alcremie, a fairy-type, is even more of a perfect match. Its immunity to dragon-type moves reminded Su Yu of a famous line from his past life—"Let me kiss you."

This team pairing sent a chill down A-Wu's spine, who was standing not far away. He hadn't expected that this time, unlike in the anime, he wouldn't be defeated in the first round due to Karuno's advantage. But in the second round, he still ran into Su Yu.

That is, a few days later...

Before going on stage, Alcremie was a little unsure of herself, worried that she, a newbie with almost no battle experience, would hold Su Yu back.

But once it entered the arena, it went on a killing spree.

With his professionally tailored "Gigantamax Happiness," he silenced all the Dragon-type Pokémon.

Blastoise stood leisurely beside Su Yu, sipping a steaming cup of green tea. It glanced at the arena; it seemed there was nothing for it to do in this match.

After that, it was Ash's turn to battle Leon.

Ash knew that, on average, Leon was far superior to him. So, before the battle, he was filled with a do-or-die mentality.

—As long as it's a one-for-one trade, it's not a loss. And if it's a one-for-two trade, then it's a huge profit!

Under these circumstances, facing Cinderace, Infernape immediately went into Blaze and defeated its enemy despite being severely injured.

However, Emperor Dan quickly dispatched Thousand-Faced Escape Artist, who swiftly finished off the weakened Monkey King.

Ash is quite optimistic about this. Although it's essentially a one-for-one trade, he still made a small profit.

"Thank you for your hard work, Infernape." Ash comforted Infernape after putting it back into its Poké Ball. At least, Infernape had forced out information about Leon's second Pokémon, allowing him to face the situation more calmly.

"Next up, it's you, Lizard King!"

As he spoke, Ash sent out a Pokémon that had a blade of grass in its mouth and looked rather carefree.

This one can be said to be his most important asset during his time in Hoenn.

But to his surprise, the Thousand Faces of the enemy had actually learned the Bug-type skill [U-turn].

After making a cut on Sceptile with a chopstick, Inteleon returned to Leon's Pokémon, which was completely unexpected by Ash.

Seeing this, Daigo in the audience also laughed:

"Dan Di's command is as meticulous as ever."

Faced with Leon's Ice-type Puppet following closely behind, Ash still chose to meet the challenge head-on. Type disadvantage? That's my specialty!

But this time, Ash failed. Ice-type Puppet defeated Sceptile first, albeit with minor injuries.

He had a slight advantage before, but in an instant it became 4v5.

The scallion soldiers sent out later were also defeated by the strong mental power of the ice-treading puppet.

"This... if I remember correctly, Sirfetch'd's type is Fighting, right?" Daigo frowned.

The Ice-type Puppet is Ice/Psychic. Sending out Farfetch'd in this situation is clearly not the best choice, as Psychic types are super effective against Fighting types.

"Cough cough..." Su Yu coughed. Could he say that Xiao Zhi couldn't play unless he was low on health?

He simply continued watching quietly, and the next moment, as if a battle hymn had been played, Ash unleashed one of his trump cards—Greninja.

Of his remaining three Pokémon—Greninja, Pikachu, and Charizard—they are the strongest half of his team. The outcome of this match is still uncertain!

And just as Su Yu said, after Greninja entered the battle, Ash achieved a one-versus-three victory, defeating Ice Beam, Dragapult, and Rillaboom.

However, in the end, Greninja was also killed by Rillaboom.

The battle suddenly became a 2v1. However, Leon's Charizard was also his strongest trump card. The audience held their breath, eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Noticing the gazes of the surrounding audience, Dan looked around and revealed a satisfied smile.

After becoming the Galar Champion at the age of ten, he remained undefeated for a long period. This earned him the nickname "Invincible Leon."

He hadn't experienced such a closely contested battle in a long time. This battle with Ash made him very happy.

"In that case, let's enjoy this thrilling championship moment together!" Dan patted his cheeks, regaining his composure. Then, he sent out his ace, Charizard.

Ash's team also sent out Charizard. However, the difference was that one team used Mega Charizard, while the other team used Gigantamax Charizard.

"Roar—!"

After completing its Mega Evolution, Ash's Charizard was brimming with fighting spirit. Although its figure was so small compared to Leon's Gigantamax Charizard.

……

Ash's Charizard was ultimately defeated.

After all, Leon's Charizard far surpassed it in raw power. Moreover, it also had the advantage of Gigantamax.

After that, Ash and Pikachu teamed up to use a Z-Move and ultimately defeated their opponent.

When the dust settled and the defeat of the Charizard was revealed, the entire audience erupted in cheers.

You have to understand, this is Leon! He was the strongest trainer, even acknowledged by League Chairman Darma before the tournament!

Many champions have stated that they were no match for Dan in private matches.

And yet, this very person was defeated by a teenager from Pallet Town?

"It's unbelievable!" Yang Hao exclaimed in surprise.

After the excitement subsided, Daigo looked at Su Yu and said with a smile:

"If I remember correctly, the finals were held at Donghuang, right?"

"Looks like I can come to your ranch to freeload again."

"You're welcome anytime." Upon hearing this, Su Yu nodded.

(End of this chapter)