Pokémon, Inkaros, my starter Pokémon

However, at this crucial moment... Jag's third punch of his three-hit combo had not yet been delivered!

Gag leaped into the air and caught up with Squirtle.

The moment it threw that final punch, another change occurred.

A familiar power, seemingly emanating from the depths of his bloodline, was ignited once more, and a dazzling crimson light suddenly burst forth from Gag's right fist!

The instant kill characteristic has been activated once again!

At this moment, Squirtle's Water Pulse had also been fully formed and was slammed towards Gag, who was right next to it.

"Gager, hold on!"

A glint of madness flashed in Gag's eyes. Without dodging or avoiding, the long-term accumulation of blows had greatly increased its defense and special defense. It actually withstood the surging water wave and, with unstoppable momentum, delivered a powerful uppercut from below to Squirtle with its fist burning with crimson light.

Squirtle sensed the terrifying power contained in the red light, a hint of fear flashed in its eyes, and it retreated back into its shell.

however……

There was no other way but to retract into the shell this time.

The red-glowing fist struck Squirtle's shell squarely.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening sound echoed outwards. This time, Gag's attack was no longer a mere tickle, but an absolute force capable of destroying everything in its path!

“Jenny!!!”

Squirtle let out a short, shrill scream as its small body was violently thrown by the irresistible force, crashing straight into the gym's towering ceiling with a dull thud!

Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, Squirtle limply fell from the ceiling and landed on the ground with a "thud," its eyes turning into spirals, completely losing its ability to fight.

"Squirtle...how could this be...?"

Xiao Zhi's smile and confidence froze completely, replaced by utter shock and bewilderment.

"Squirtle is unable to fight."

"Bu Miao announced."

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PS: To be honest, it's been three years since Ash left the anime, but I still miss him terribly. After all, Ash was the first DVD I ever watched as a child, and he's been my constant companion since I grew up.

I'm happy he won the championship, but I'm also sad that he's leaving the TV screen. If a kid ten years from now asks me "Who is Ash?" while watching Pokémon, I'll definitely feel terrible.

I was even thinking of writing a travelogue about Ash, hahaha~

Chapter Sixty-Four: Circle Bear: Only after leaving Brother Mantis did I realize how simple the world is.

Ash looked at his fallen friend, his face filled with disbelief and disappointment.

Just a moment ago they were evenly matched, how did it all suddenly...?

"Ash, your teamwork and adaptability with Squirtle are excellent. But Pokémon battles are full of uncertainties. Sometimes, the seemingly weaker side may unleash power far beyond the norm at crucial moments. The important thing is to trust your partner regardless of victory or defeat and learn from every battle."

Tokito looked at Satoshi and offered guidance as needed.

It's actually a hoax.

It's just that Gag triggered the Instant Kill ability, but teaching him to trust his partners is also the right thing to do, and Ash did indeed trust his partners...

Only Charizard can defeat Articuno.

Only then could the Lizard King awaken from Darkrai's black hole and instantly kill Darkrai with a single strike.

Only Infernape could unleash a super-powerful fire in a desperate situation to defeat Shinji's Electivire.

Pikachu was able to use Friendship Thunderbolt to completely defeat Charizard in its battle against Leon.

"I understand, Mr. Tokito. Thank you! Squirtle, you did a great job, get some rest. I'm counting on you now, Pikachu!"

Upon hearing this, Ash nodded vigorously, recalled Squirtle, took a deep breath, and sent out his most trusted partner.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu leaped from Ash's shoulder onto the field, its cheeks crackling with electricity, its fighting spirit soaring.

Pikachu? According to some interpretations, it could also be called Pikachu Super.

"The battle continues," BuMiao announced.

"Gagg, use your fists!"

Gag once again focused white light on his fist and launched a swift attack!

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge!"

Facing the incoming punch from Gag, Pikachu transformed into a streak of yellow lightning, moving sideways at an even faster speed. It not only easily dodged the punch but also, in the instant it passed by, slammed into Gag with the force of a flash of lightning.

Jag was knocked off balance and stumbled.

"Now! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Ash seized the opportunity and launched a fatal blow!

"Pikachu!!!"

A dazzling golden thunder dragon erupted from Pikachu's body, instantly engulfing Gag, who had just regained his footing. Powerful electricity raged, and Gag didn't even have time to scream before he turned into a small black figure in the golden light, collapsing to the ground in black smoke, unable to fight.

"Great! Pikachu!" Ash jumped up excitedly and swung his fist.

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang also smiled.

"Well done, Ash! It's a tie now. Pikachu's speed and attack were perfectly coordinated."

"Mr. Shidou, how are we?" Ash looked at Shidou smugly and asked as if he were showing off.

"Yes, that's good. The timing was perfect."

Looking at Ash's triumphant expression, Tokito smiled slightly and affirmed. However, before Ash could be happy for long, Tokito changed the subject, and the smile on his face took on a hint of intrigue.

"However... it's about time to finish the warm-up exercises..."

"Now, I'm going to get serious~~"

Before he could finish speaking, Tokito had already thrown a heavy Poké Ball.

A flash of white light appeared, and an aura far more ferocious and violent than Gag descended. A massive, mountain-like bear, standing upright with fierce eyes and gleaming claws, landed heavily on the field. It roared to the sky, and the powerful sound wave, carrying a wild pressure, instantly filled the entire gym.

The challengers, who had just been in high spirits after winning a game, suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Ash's smile froze, and Pikachu subconsciously took a half step back, adopting a more vigilant posture.

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang were completely dumbfounded.

Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex, pointed it at Ursaring, and the Pokédex's mechanical voice sounded:

"Urbear is a hibernating Pokémon. It has a very fierce personality and will use its claws to mark tree trunks to declare its territory. It is very strong and can easily overturn a car."

"Extremely violent...easily flipped over a car..."

Ash looked at the description in the Pokédex, then at the giant bear radiating a terrifying aura, swallowed hard, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The ease they felt from their "evenly matched" battle with Gag was completely gone, replaced by a heavy pressure that weighed on Ash and Pikachu's hearts.

Xiao Gang, sitting in the audience, analyzed with a serious expression:

"This Ursaring is very well-bred and has a fierce aura; its level is probably quite high. Ash, be careful."

Xiao Zhi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and his mind raced as he thought of a solution.

Large Pokémon are usually weak in speed, just like Mr. Lt. Surge's Raichu, which can win by using speed!

So Ash decisively ordered, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack to get close to Ursaring and use your speed to distract it!"

"Pickup!"

Upon receiving the command, Pikachu instantly transformed into a golden bolt of lightning, rushing towards Ursaring at incredible speed. It then began to skillfully circle and change direction around Ursaring's massive body, leaving behind afterimages in an attempt to confuse its opponent and find an opportunity to attack.

However, Shi Dou's response was simple and brutal.

"Circle Bear, use the heavy-arm hammer."

The Circular Bear let out a deep roar. Facing the "Little Yellow Wild Dog" darting around him, it did not hesitate at all. Its thick arms suddenly rose high, and violent fighting energy instantly condensed, turning its two arms into a giant white hammer!

Instead of trying to pinpoint Pikachu's exact location, Ursaring slammed its massive hammer, imbued with terrifying power, into the ground in front of it.

"Boom——!!!"

As if a meteorite had struck the ground, the entire gym trembled. Centered on the point where Ursaring's fist landed, a terrifying shockwave, mixed with shattered floor fragments, spread violently in a ring outwards!

Pikachu, which was moving at high speed around Ursaring, had no time to dodge the devastating area-of-effect attack. It was violently thrown away by the shockwave, tumbling helplessly in the air for several rounds before crashing heavily to the ground. It slid a distance before barely coming to a stop, covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in anguish.

"What...what terrifying power..." Xiaoxia was so shocked by this pure violence that she turned pale.

Xiao Gang hurriedly stood up and shouted a warning: "Xiao Zhi! Did you see that? You absolutely cannot get close. Ursaring is too strong. You can't completely avoid this kind of area attack with speed. If that Heavy Arm Hammer hits Pikachu directly, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"I understand, Pikachu, create some distance and use Thunderbolt!" Ash gritted his teeth, nodded, and changed tactics.

"Pikachu!!!"

Pikachu struggled to its feet, gathering all its electricity, and a dazzling golden thunder dragon roared out once more, accurately striking Ursaring's massive body.

"boom!"

A hundred thousand volts exploded, and lightning danced across the teddy bear's body. Even more surprisingly, a faint, paralyzing spark seemed to flash within the lightning.

Xiaoxia exclaimed, "Great! It's a paralysis effect! The paralysis effect of the 100,000 volts has taken effect!"

Xiao Gang: "We're really lucky! This will significantly slow down the Circle Bear's speed and disrupt its movements, giving us our chance!"

However, their joy lasted only a second.

"Roar--!!!"

The bear, struck by 100,000 volts, did not become sluggish due to paralysis. Instead, it roared like a ferocious beast that had been completely enraged, even more ferocious and terrifying than before!

The next moment, the circle bear's eyes instantly became bloodshot and turned crimson, its muscles bulged and veins stood out, and an even more dangerous aura swept out like a storm!

Guts trait, activated!

When a Pokémon is in an abnormal state, its attack power increases dramatically. The discomfort caused by paralysis becomes the source of its destructive power!

"What...what's going on?!"

Ash was completely stunned to see that Ursaring, which had not only not been weakened but had become even more ferocious, was now completely unfazed.

"This is Urgency, a trait of Urgency Bear. When it is in an abnormal state, it will not easily fall down, but will instead unleash even greater potential, and its attack power will be greatly enhanced," Shidou explained calmly.

"Under abnormal conditions...it actually increases attack power?!"

Ash muttered to himself, realizing the situation was extremely critical.

This circle bear's attack power was already terrifying, so what level would it reach if it were to be further enhanced?

The answer was revealed to Ash in the next second.

"Circle Bear, use your combined attack!"

The Circle Bear, engulfed in a state of "perseverance," roared as it condensed a highly compressed energy ball, shimmering with an unstable azure light, between its giant paws—the Energy Convergence Bomb!

Then, Ursaring suddenly hurled the ball containing destructive energy toward Pikachu.

"Pikachu, get out of the way!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.

Pikachu reacted extremely quickly, using all four limbs to leap to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming Focus Bomb. The Focus Bomb slammed into the ground behind it, creating a shallow crater.

However, Pikachu's body was still suspended in mid-air, with nowhere to gain leverage...

In this absolute dead end, where old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet emerged, Ursaring's massive body displayed an explosive power that was disproportionate to its size. It suddenly took a step forward and instantly closed in on Pikachu's falling trajectory.

That giant arm, wreathed in ferocious fighting energy, was already raised high!

"Heavy Arm Hammer".

boom--! ! ! !

The heavy hammer, imbued with terrifying attack power enhanced by "perseverance," struck Pikachu squarely as it began its descent!

"Pikachu!!!"