I caught a Pokémon

Chapter 817 A Bright Future (Please Subscribe)

Struck by the dragon's breath, Articuno fell from the sky again, plummeting towards the ground.

Seeing this, Ash hurriedly commanded Charizard to go forward and try to catch Articuno. However, Articuno was no pushover either. It reacted the moment Charizard got close and dodged Charizard's two claws with a nimble turn.

This was indeed quite unexpected for Ash.

After all, Articuno had just been hit, and it was able to recover in such a short time, which shows how strong its body is.

This is something you can't experience just by watching it. Only by actually battling it can you truly appreciate how amazing the legendary Pokémon's stamina is!

Otherwise, Xia You's Articuno wouldn't have fought with Dara's Articuno for so long.

Just as Ash was wondering what was going on, Dara gave the order to counterattack.

Articuno unleashed an Ice Beam that struck Charizard squarely, but due to its type disadvantage, Charizard managed to withstand the Ice Beam and then charged at Articuno again, engaging in another battle.

However, this time, Articuno not only dodged the flames that Charizard fired, but Articuno also took the opportunity to close the distance and hit Charizard with its Steel Wing!

This time, with the change in elemental type, Charizard could no longer withstand it and plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground.

Boom!

As Charizard landed, Xiao Sheng frowned and turned to Xia You, asking, "Why does it feel like Charizard is suddenly losing to Articuno?"

“It’s not that we can’t beat them, but that our tactics have been figured out.” Xia You shook his head slightly. “Since the start of the battle, Ash has been using Flamethrower, which Dallah has already figured out. Although he tried to use Seismic Toss, he didn’t succeed. If he still wants to rely on Charizard’s type advantage to fight, the situation will probably become more and more unfavorable for him.”

"Then does that mean Ash is in great danger?"

“It is dangerous.” Xia You chuckled. “But he is Ash after all. Charizard has the advantage of type and is strong. Although he has encountered difficulties for the time being, he will definitely change his strategy later. Let’s wait and see.”

Although everyone trusted Xia You's judgment and was willing to see this trend, Xiao Zhi himself was the only one who could change the current situation.

However, Dara clearly didn't give him that time.

Just as Charizard shook its head and got up from the ground, Articuno flew above it. With Dara's command, Articuno opened its beak, condensed powerful water-type energy, and fired it rapidly towards Charizard.

A giant water sphere brimming with energy flashed past in mid-air.

With just one glance, Xia You immediately recognized it as a water-type move – Water Pulse!

Although it is said that ice and water are inseparable, unlike some water-type Pokémon that can occasionally use one or two ice-type moves, ice-type Pokémon cannot launch water-type attacks unless they do not have the water type and do not specifically learn it.

No one expected that this Articuno would have this trick up its sleeve and hide it until now!

This was completely unexpected for Xiaozhi and caught him off guard.

On the ground, Charizard couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely by Water Pulse. Water beats fire, so the damage was significant, and it even gave Ash a type advantage, making up for the loss he had just suffered!

At this moment, Ash's face no longer showed the high spirits he had at the beginning of the battle. On the contrary, his brows were furrowed, and he looked very nervous.

"This is bad..." Brock shook his head helplessly. "I didn't expect Articuno to know Water-type moves, which makes Ash even more hesitant to approach it."

Xia You glanced at Dara and chuckled, "I really didn't expect Dara to have such a trick up his sleeve. If he had used it when he was battling my Articuno, Ash would have been on guard and wouldn't have been so passive."

He then added, "Dara seems very tough, but I didn't expect him to have such a delicate side. The reason he held back until now to use Water Pulse was because he wanted to do something big, to deliver a heavy blow to Charizard when it was in a bad situation!"

Hearing him say that, Xiao Sheng and the others realized that Dara was indeed the Brain of the Pioneers, and he was not simple at all, and quite cunning!

It was only in front of Xia You that the battle just now seemed a little weak, as if the two were not on the same level. But for others, even Xiao Zhi was still very strong. If they were careless in any way, they would definitely be the ones to lose!

Let's return our attention to the battlefield.

After being hit by Water Pulse, Charizard was clearly seriously injured due to its type advantage; its body was covered in wounds.

Fortunately, they are still able to fight, which allows for endless possibilities in the outcome.

Dara pressed his advantage, ordering Articuno to launch another attack. Seeing this, Ash could only have Charizard avoid the attack and fly around the field to dodge.

The situation really did reverse.

However, it must be said that this is also in line with Ash's consistent battle style. It seems that whenever the battle is of the same type, he either gets into a tough fight or is defeated by the opponent. It's not that he never wins, but it's just that he wins very rarely!

In short, it's terrifying to watch!

Sure enough, while Charizard was maneuvering around, it was caught off guard and was splashed with ice spikes by Articuno's combination of Ice Beam and Water Pulse. Fortunately, Charizard reacted quickly and used its wings to block the ice spikes, thus avoiding greater damage.

"Xiao Zhi..."

Seeing this, Xiaoyao, Xiaogang, and Xiaosheng all felt their hearts leap into their throats.

Out of concern, Xiao Sheng was about to ask Xia You something, but then, in a daze, he felt that he had seen this scene somewhere before...

It feels like it just happened not long ago!

But... when was it?

correct!

It happened at the Ayame Tournament!

Ash seems to have encountered a similar situation back then, right?

But in the end, it seems things turned out alright, so now...

Thinking of this, he swallowed back all the questions he wanted to ask and focused on watching the game.

Forget it, let's wait and see.

Although the attack was blocked, Charizard's wings were frostbitten, greatly affecting its movement. Seeing this, Dara gave another order for Articuno to continue using the same combination attack.

Just like before, Articuno first unleashed Ice Beam, followed by Water Pulse. The two attacks collided in mid-air, creating countless ice shards that shot towards Charizard!

Ash chose to use Flamethrower to deal with it, but Flamethrower could not melt the ice instantly. The flames had just covered the ice blocks of different sizes, and before the high temperature could take effect, the rapidly approaching ice blocks had already passed through the flames and hit Charizard!

Attacked, Charizard staggered in mid-air and nearly fell to the ground again. Seeing this, Dara clearly intended to settle the score in one fell swoop!

"Articuno, it's about time to finish this! Ascend rapidly and fly above Charizard!!"

Under Dara's command, Articuno suddenly accelerated and climbed higher and higher. However, just when he thought victory was in his grasp, Ash, who had been waiting for so long, suddenly exerted his strength as well.

Xiao Zhi has clearly been waiting for this opportunity from the beginning until now.

At the same time, he shouted, "Charizard, fly above Articuno and use Overheat!"

The moment Ash gave the command, Charizard's body turned bright red, and its body, which had just been frozen, instantly regained its mobility!

That wasn't all. Charizard, like a giant fireball, rose rapidly, quickly caught up with Articuno, and overtook it, flying even higher into the sky!

This is clearly a move that Charizard learned on its own during its training in Charizard Canyon. However, the fact that it waited until now to use it is also related to the side effect of the overheating move.

As one of the most powerful ultimate moves in the fire element, it deals extremely high damage, but also has very obvious side effects.

Once used, the user will use all their strength to attack the opponent, and after use, due to the reaction, their own special attack will be greatly reduced!

It can be said that the more frequently this move is used, the lower the user's attack will become. Therefore, timing is very important. It is best to win in one blow. This is why Ash has kept this trump card until now!

As for why he used it now, it's obvious that Ash also felt the situation was critical, and it was time to decide the winner of this match!

Dara naturally saw through Ash's intentions, but he just smiled and didn't back down. Instead, he planned to compete with Ash to see who was better!

Charizard descended from above, Articuno ascended from below, one using Overheat and the other using Water Pulse. The scorching molten pillar and the energy-filled water ball collided in mid-air, causing a violent explosion that also produced a dazzling light and a large amount of steam!

In terms of sheer power, Water Pulse is no match for Overheat, given the vast difference in their skill levels. However, the problem lies in the fact that water beats fire, which puts fire-type moves at a natural disadvantage when facing water-type moves.

While Ash was waiting for the result of the move clash, he didn't notice that Dara suddenly smiled slightly. At that moment, Articuno's wings flashed and it flew out of the steam at high speed, slashing heavily into Charizard with its wings!

This is really bad.

Charizard's stamina was almost at its limit, but fortunately, this Steel Wing attack did not defeat it. However, as Articuno's figure crossed paths and returned, its wings once again shone with the light of Steel Wings!

Everyone could see that Dara was trying to deliver the final blow to Charizard!

If this attack hits successfully, Charizard will definitely finish it off with its remaining stamina!

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, wondering what other solutions Ash would come up with!

However, having used his only trump card, Ash was clearly powerless at this point and could only shout loudly to Charizard, "Block it!"

It seems that even Ash himself has pinned his hopes on Charizard.

The situation is unfavorable, physical strength is running out, and they are on the defensive.

Everything seemed to indicate that Charizard was in grave danger.

But it must be said that Charizard is Charizard. It was able to surpass Pikachu and become Ash's undisputed ace at a certain time. It also defeated Xia You's Pokémon at the Silver Conference. There is a reason for that!

Just as Articuno approached, Charizard raised its claws and caught Articuno's wings with brute force, effectively blocking Articuno's attack!

This was completely unexpected for Dara!

Seeing this, Ash's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly shouted, "Now's the time! Use Seismic Toss!"

Charizard gripped Articuno tightly, giving it no chance to break free. Using its remaining strength, it spiraled downwards with Articuno, falling faster and faster until it crashed straight to the ground from a great height!

boom!

The speed was so fast that in the blink of an eye, the two Pokémon had crashed heavily into the ground. With a loud bang, a lot of dust was released, and the huge impact made the audience feel a strong tremor!

Xiao Sheng and his friends quickly grabbed the railing, not caring about staggering, and all looked towards the battlefield to see who had won!

The smoke dissipated quickly.

Surprisingly, while Charizard lay there motionless, Articuno, with its strong willpower, struggled to its feet.

"What!?" Xiaosheng exclaimed in surprise, "Xiaozhi actually lost? But he clearly..."

This was indeed unexpected, since judging from the situation just now, Charizard should have won.

However, just as Xiao Sheng was speaking, the situation changed again.

Articuno, which had just struggled to its feet, suddenly collapsed at this moment, while Charizard, which had just been lying on the ground, slowly got up!

"This……"

After getting up, Charizard glanced at the unconscious Articuno, roared to the sky, as if to announce to the world that it had just defeated a legendary Pokémon!

"Great!" Seeing this, Ash and Pikachu jumped up with joy before Sugio could even announce the results!

No wonder he was so happy.

After all, this time, he defeated the legendary Pokémon Articuno!

This was something Ash never even dared to dream of before!

This also proves that he has truly grown up and is no longer the clueless kid he used to be!

At this moment, Sugio announced the result, and after exchanging a glance, the master and apprentice shook their heads helplessly. Sugio then skillfully took Articuno to treat its injuries, while Dara came to Ash's side.

After Xia You and the others came down from the stands to join him, Dara sighed and said with emotion, "I didn't expect that my first time using Articuno in battle would result in two consecutive defeats. You guys are indeed stronger than I imagined."

Xia You, needless to say, easily defeated him with Articuno, living up to his title of champion. What he really didn't expect was that the boy in front of him, named Xiao Zhi, although he had a certain type advantage, was able to defeat a legendary Pokémon in a one-on-one battle, proving his extraordinary abilities!

It's fair to say that he accepted his defeat wholeheartedly in both matches!

Whoever it is, they are people with unlimited potential...

Chapter 818 Touching Xiaoyao for a Hundred Years

The three exchanged a few simple compliments, and when Sugio returned, Dara took two badges from the gift box in his hand and handed them to Xia You and Xiao Zhi.

"Please accept this; it is a symbol of knowledge and proof that you defeated me."

Xia You and Xiao Zhi both thanked them and accepted the badges.

Like the previous two symbols, this symbol of knowledge is also made of pure gold, slightly larger than the bottle cap and slightly heavier than expected. It is printed with three diamond patterns and looks shiny.

After all, he had already collected two symbols. Compared to Xia You's composure, Xiao Zhi was getting the symbol for the first time, and it was a victory against such a strong opponent. Judging from his beaming face, he was extremely excited. He even held up the symbol and struck a victory pose for Xiao Yao and the others!

"I have obtained the symbol of knowledge!"

May, Max, Brock, and Ash naturally clapped and celebrated, while they all selectively ignored Ash's smug expression.

Before we knew it, dusk had fallen.

At this point, Xia You and Xiao Zhi had achieved their goal, and it was time for them to say goodbye and leave.

However, Articuno left before them.

After healing its surface injuries, Dara's Articuno fought two more battles and seemed to have had its fill. Regardless of whether its stamina had recovered, it nodded to Dara, let out a loud cry, and flew away into the distant sky.

Obviously, for Articuno, the Battle Factory is just a place to stay because of its friendship with Dara. Dara is also its friend, but it is definitely not its home. Although it will occasionally come back here to visit, it will not stay here for long.

But this is also good. Wild Pokémon are free. They don't stay here for long, and outsiders can't connect them with the Battle Factory, which reduces the possibility of them being exposed.

After watching Articuno disappear from sight, Xia You and the others finally said goodbye to Dara, Ashida, and Sugio.