I caught a Pokémon

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground echoed throughout the battlefield...

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Chapter 427 Battle against Lucario

Seeing Metagross fall to the ground, Ami wasn't surprised by the outcome.

When facing a champion, winning is the best outcome, but losing is not an unacceptable thing.

Having watched his matches, Ami knew this man well; he had won the Indigo League with an undefeated record, so his strength was terrifying.

Moreover, his Metagross wasn't without a chance to fight back. It had cornered Blastoise several times during the match. In the end, Xia You was the better player, and his Metagross was indeed no match for Blastoise.

However, she didn't know that Xia You's Blastoise hadn't fought in a long time. If she had known this, she probably wouldn't have been able to remain as calm as she was now.

For Xia You, this match was also not an easy victory.

Amami's Metagross is really strong, as can be seen from the scars all over Blastoise's body. If it weren't for the fact that Blastoise's damage to Steel-type moves is halved, it would probably be Blastoise that fell in the end.

Of course, that's how Pokémon battles are—fair yet unfair, there are no "what ifs" in reality.

Regardless, both of them acknowledged each other's abilities.

Ami had already recalled Metagross and took out a second Poké Ball.

"Next up is this guy!"

As she threw the Poké Ball far away, a flash of blue light appeared, and a light, gray-blue Pokémon, about 1.2 meters tall, appeared on the field.

This Pokémon looks a bit like a real dog, but it stands upright. It has a spike on the back of each hand and on its chest, and its upper body is thin, making it look rather majestic.

Xia You also recognized the Pokémon's identity.

It's Lucario!

Who would have thought that Ami's second Pokémon would be this!

You know, this Pokémon is very popular and loved by many people. If given the chance, Xia You would also like to catch one.

After all, who wouldn't want to be a Waveguide Hero!

Take out the Pokédex and point it at Lucario.

Pokémon Pokédex entry: "Beep, Lucario, Aura Pokémon, Fighting/Steel type. Lucario possesses the ability to detect auras. Through auras, they can read people's thoughts and actions, understand human language, and even learn the emotions of opponents up to 1 kilometer away. It is said that by capturing auras, Lucario can also perceive opponents that were originally invisible. Because it can understand human thoughts, it will only befriend trainers with upright hearts."

After recalling Blastoise, Xia You pondered which Pokémon to send out next.

Lucario's Fighting and Steel attributes make him even more powerful in close combat, forcing him to choose his targets carefully.

Xia You slowly ran her fingers through the Poké Ball, finally taking out the Charizard Poké Ball.

Since Ami was able to bring out Lucario at the last moment, it means that it is definitely her ace Pokémon, and I also need to bring out the corresponding strength.

Of his other Pokémon, only Charizard was completely unaffected, aside from Gengar against Lucario.

As the blue light flashed, Charizard appeared on the field. It flapped its wings, flew into the air, and scrutinized its opponent with a scrutinizing gaze, looking very imposing. Lucario on the ground was not to be outdone and glared back at it as well!

Once the two Pokémon were ready, the battle resumed as the referee waved the flag.

This battle started off with intense intensity.

This attack was initiated by Xia You. Under his command, the Charizard in the air used Flamethrower to launch a ranged attack, while Lucario was not to be outdone and countered with Aura Sphere.

A blue-green energy ball formed in Lucario's hand and flew into the sky, colliding with the flames that filled the air.

The collision of the two energies resulted in a violent explosion, and the shockwave from the wave missile extinguished most of the flames.

Having failed in its first attack, Charizard looked for another opportunity.

However, this time, he changed his strategy.

It spread its wings and accelerated through the air. Once it gained enough speed, it swooped down on Lucario.

This is a Flying-type wing attack that approaches the target at extremely high speed and severely damages the opponent. Moreover, because it attacks from high altitude, the impact will not only cause damage to small and medium-sized Pokémon like Lucario, but will also knock them to the ground, exposing their weaknesses!

Seeing this, Ami hurriedly shouted, "Quickly use Insight!"

A glint flashed in Lucario's eyes as it stared intently at Charizard's every move. In an instant, Charizard's movements seemed to slow down in its eyes, like a slow-motion movie, with every detail clearly visible!

To others, Charizard was gone in the blink of an eye, arriving in front of Lucario in the blink of an eye!

Lucario leaped to the side, dodging the attack. As the two Pokémon's bodies crossed, Lucario instantly grabbed Charizard's wing, then used its arms to forcefully fling it to the side!

However, it ultimately underestimated the Charizard.

Not long after being thrown off course, Charizard flapped its wings violently and abruptly changed direction in mid-air, charging towards Lucario once again!

At the same time, Charizard burst into flames and accelerated again, crashing heavily into Lucario.

This is a fire-type ultimate move – Flame Charge. This move is extremely powerful. Although you will also take some damage, once it hits, it can cause a lot of damage and has a high chance of inflicting a burn status on the target!

Lucario clearly didn't expect Charizard to have this trick up its sleeve, being able to retaliate even after being thrown!

It couldn't dodge in time and watched helplessly as it was hit squarely by Flame Charge. With a loud bang, its body flew straight backward like a kite with a broken string!

"Richardo!!" Ami shouted nervously.

She couldn't help but worry. Although Lucario had excellent attack power, its small size made it far too fragile! It simply couldn't withstand more than a few hits like that!

thump!

Lucario crashed heavily to the ground and rolled backward several times. As it struggled to get up, two crescent-shaped air blades swept across the field and came straight at it!

"Get out of the way!"

Amidst Ami's urgent cries, Lucario tried to dodge to the side, but just as it was about to move, a burning pain suddenly swept through its body, rendering it unable to move!

Looking down, I realized I was already burned!

puff puff!

Just then, the air blades arrived, and with the two tremendous forces striking, Lucario's body was sent flying backward once again!

Chapter 428 Steel Badge

Lucario struggled to its feet, its body covered in burn marks, and trembling slightly uncontrollably due to the burns.

Clearly, it was in very bad shape, suffering greatly, and was in grave danger.

Having suffered two heavy blows in succession, its stamina was in dire need of attention. Fortunately, it still had a strong will and had not given up the fight.

"Lucario, use Close Combat!!"

Ami clenched her fist and gave the order again. In fact, she was also very worried about Lucario's condition. She wanted to stop several times, but her Pokémon did not give up, so how could she give up!

Knowing that this was Lucario's last stand, Xia You naturally dared not be careless.

Close-quarters combat is one of the most damaging fighting skills, capable of unleashing massive damage in an instant. If you let your guard down at this moment, you'll definitely suffer a huge loss!

"Charizard, get out of the way!"

Charizard leaped backward, creating distance and dodging several punches from Lucario.

Seeing this, Lucario took a deep breath, and the next second its body instantly glowed red, as if its blood had been burned out, and it charged towards Charizard without hesitation!

It's a life-or-death struggle!

Xia You narrowed her eyes.

This is a move that attacks the opponent with all one's might. Although it will put the user in a near-death state after use, it will deal damage to the target equal to the user's current state.

In other words, the more seriously injured you are, the harder you will be hit!

It seems that Lucario wants to trade blows, forcing Charizard into the same desperate situation, intending to take it down with it!

That's just how Fighting-type Pokémon are. They're fierce and aggressive, and the more seriously injured they are, the sharper their attacks become, and the more willing they are to risk their lives for others.

However, now that Xia You knew its plan, she naturally wouldn't let Lucario succeed.

At his command, Charizard flew into the sky, but facing the Charizard high above, Lucario no longer had the strength to use Aura to attack.

Due to the double weakness, Lucario couldn't even lift its legs. It could only raise its head slightly and look at Charizard with resentment!

In mid-air, Charizard's belly swelled up, flames gathered in its mouth, and then it opened its mouth, spewing out a blazing flame that instantly reached Lucario.

This time, Lucario didn't even have the strength to dodge and was directly engulfed by the flames.

Flames roared, and in the firelight, Lucario's body could be vaguely seen slowly collapsing...

A few seconds later, the flames quickly disappeared.

When the last spark died down, Lucario collapsed to the ground, his body charred and burnt.

The referee took a step forward and, seeing that Lucario was completely unconscious, raised the green flag and announced the result of the match.

"Lucario is unable to battle. The winner of this battle is challenger Xia You!"

After recalling Lucario to its Poké Ball, Ami walked up to Xia You with a calm expression.

"The pace was suffocating; I accept defeat wholeheartedly!"

The Charizard landed beside Xia You. Xia You first touched its neck, then turned to look at Ami.

"Your Metagross and Lucario are also very strong; they are among the top opponents I've faced in these gyms."

Xia You's words were not meant to comfort Ami, but rather to show that Ami's two Pokémon were indeed very powerful, especially her Metagross, which could be said to have been trained exceptionally well!

Ami smiled slightly; receiving praise from a champion was undoubtedly a very happy thing.

She reached into her pocket, took out a badge that gleamed with a metallic sheen, and handed it to Xia You.

"This is my steel badge, please keep it safe."

Xia You thanked him, took the badge, and looked down at it. The badge was octagonal with a smooth, gray mirror-like surface, just like a piece of ordinary steel that had been polished.

Compared to other gym badges, the Steel Badge is undoubtedly extremely ordinary.

Just as they put it into the badge collection box, Rika walked up to them from the audience.

"It was a very exciting match." She looked at Xia You and smiled gently. "Especially the first match, I even thought your Blastoise would lose."

Knowing she was joking, Xia You went along with it and teased her in return, "Then I'll disappoint you. Clearly, I'm the better one!"

Seeing his smug and arrogant expression, the two women couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

After chatting for a while, Xia You took the initiative to say goodbye.

Ami wanted them to stay a little longer, but Xia You refused.

It was clear that she wanted to spend more time with Lijia, but seeing Xia You's resolute attitude, she had no choice but to give up.

She looked at Lijia and said sincerely, "Miss Lijia, I hope you can come and visit me again after your trip!"

"Don't worry," Lijia nodded to her. "I'll definitely come back to see you when I have time, and this time, I promise I won't forget you again!"

……

After leaving the Asagi Gym, Xia You first returned to the Pokémon Center to treat the two Pokémon that had participated in the battle. After the treatment was completed, he did not send Blastoise back, but planned to let it stay with him for a while longer.

After having lunch at the Pokémon Center, the two decided not to linger and instead head to the next Gym City.

Then, two more different routes appeared before them.

Alternatively, you can take the waterway, passing through Whirlpool Island, to reach Cyan City and challenge the Cyan City Gym.

Alternatively, you can head directly south, first reaching Goldenrod City to challenge the Saffron Gym, and then continuing southeast to Azalea Town to challenge the Azalea Gym.

Another choice is looming...

There are only these three gyms left. Once you get three more badges, you can challenge the Silver Tournament. So no matter which direction you choose, you need to challenge all three gyms. The only problem now is the order in which you do them.

Too lazy to think about it, Xia You simply threw the question to Li Jia and let her choose the route.

After a slight hesitation, Lijia finally chose Azure City.

"Then let's go to Azure City." She looked at the distant blue sea and sighed, "I've been flying in the sky or traveling on land these days. It's time to change the environment and relax by boat."

"Taking a boat..."

Xia You naturally had no objections and walked with her toward Asagi Wharf. However, he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he clearly felt that Rika seemed to have undergone some changes after leaving the Asagi Dojo.