Chapter 106: Battle Against Ash

Chapter 106: Battle Against Ash

A few days later, Ron successfully made it to the finals without any issues, while Ash also fought his way through to the finals.

The final match was about to begin. Ron and Ash arrived at the battlefield. Looking at Ash on the opposite side, Ron sighed, "As expected, I'm facing you, Ash."

"Heh heh. I told you, I've gotten much stronger," Ash said.

With the referee's signal, Ron and Ash each sent out their Pokémon. Ron sent out Gyarados, while Ash once again led with Kingler.

"Then, let's take the initiative!" Ash said. "Kingler, Bubble Beam!"

Ron said, "I'll borrow your move. Gyarados, Twister!"

Kingler shot a stream of bubbles at Gyarados, but Gyarados spun rapidly, forming a Twister. The Twister absorbed a large amount of water and turned into a Whirlpool, enveloping Gyarados within. The Bubble Beam hit the Whirlpool but had no effect at all, unable to break through its defense.

"Kingler, Hyper Beam!" Ash gritted his teeth and commanded.

Kingler fired a powerful energy beam from its claw, piercing through the Whirlpool. However, after the Whirlpool dissipated, Gyarados was nowhere to be seen on the water's surface.

"It's in the water. Kingler, dive in and use Crabhammer!" Ash shouted.

Ron chuckled. After using Twister, Gyarados had hidden in the water and started using Dragon Dance. Judging by the time, it had been going on for quite a while. Now, Gyarados was extremely powerful!

"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" Ron commanded.

Gyarados created a massive wave in the water, its tail clashing heavily against Kingler's Crabhammer. Kingler was sent flying out of the water, crashing hard against a stone pillar before bouncing off and landing on a rocky platform.

"It's over," Ron said with a smile.

"Kingler, come on! Get up, you can do it!" Ash cheered loudly for Kingler.

Then, to Ron's shock, Kingler stood up. Ron rubbed his eyes. Kingler's HP should have been zero—how was it standing? This wasn't scientific!

"System, scan Ash for me," Ron secretly contacted the system. Something felt off.

"Ding. Scan complete," the system responded, displaying Ash's data:

Character: Ash Gender: Male Age: 11 Height: 160 cm Weight: 46 kg Strength: 10-300 Stamina: 10-9993 Intelligence: 10 Spirit: 30 Special Abilities: Aura, Ho-Oh's Blessing, Suicune's Blessing.

Ho-Oh's Blessing: When Ash cheers for his Pokémon in battle, there is a chance of restoring their HP and a very small chance of allowing a Pokémon to regain its fighting ability.

Suicune's Blessing: When Ash cheers for his Pokémon in battle, there is a chance to remove status conditions.

Ron stared speechlessly at the sky. What was this? Ash was the real one with cheats!

"Gyarados, Hurricane!" Ron decided not to give Ash any more chances.

Gyarados leaped out of the water, creating a powerful Hurricane aimed at Kingler. However, Ash quickly commanded Kingler to dive into the water to evade it.

"Rain Dance, then Thunder to finish it!" Ron said.

Gyarados launched an energy orb into the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and rain started falling.

"Now! Kingler, Guillotine!" Ash shouted.

Kingler jumped high out of the water, its massive claw aiming for Gyarados. Ron smirked, "This is exactly what I was waiting for. Gyarados, Thunder!"

Gyarados emitted a surge of electricity. Though its Special Attack wasn't particularly high, it was more than enough to deal with the weakened Kingler.

Before Kingler could get close to Gyarados, it was struck by Thunder. Its body turned charred, and it fell into the water, losing its ability to battle.

"Kingler is unable to battle. Gyarados wins. Ash, please choose your next Pokémon," the referee announced.

"Return, Kingler. You did great," Ash said. "Then, for the final round, go, Feraligatr!"

Ron also recalled Gyarados. "Alright, I'll go all out too, Ash. Go, Greninja!"

Greninja appeared on the battlefield's stone platform, staring coldly at Feraligatr and Ash. Its eyes showed a sharp determination. Then, Ron formed a hand seal, activating the Bond Phenomenon. Water surrounded Greninja, and as it dissipated, Ron-Greninja appeared on the battlefield.

"This is perfect! Feraligatr, let's give it everything we've got!" Ash said excitedly. "Feraligatr, Aqua Jet!"

Feraligatr was covered in water, charging straight at Ron-Greninja. Ron-Greninja remained calm, countering with Water Pulse.

The powerful Water Pulse exceeded Ash's expectations. Feraligatr clashed with the attack but was completely overpowered and sent flying, crashing into a stone pillar before slipping weakly into the water.

"Ron's Greninja has gotten even stronger," Ash noted, realizing the battle was tough.

Feraligatr's speed was no match for Ron-Greninja, and now even its Water Pulse was incredibly strong. Going head-to-head would be reckless.

"Then, we'll take a gamble. Feraligatr, Outrage!" Ash commanded.

Feraligatr leaped out of the water, wildly swinging its powerful arms at Ron-Greninja, paying no attention to its own defense.

Ron-Greninja drew its Water Shuriken from its back and held it in front. Feraligatr's Outrage struck against the Water Shuriken repeatedly, but suddenly, Ron-Greninja disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ash and Feraligatr were momentarily stunned.

Ash quickly realized, "Not good, it's a Substitute! Feraligatr, be careful!"

But it was too late. From all around the water's surface, multiple Ron-Greninja clones emerged. They all launched Water Shuriken, striking Feraligatr repeatedly. While the damage wasn't high, it successfully restricted Feraligatr's movement.

Ron chuckled. "Let me show you something cool!"

He struck a Z-Move pose. "Super Aqua Whirlpool!"

Ron-Greninja leaped into the water. Centered around a stone platform, a massive whirlpool formed. The platform couldn't withstand the centrifugal force and cracked apart. Feraligatr, standing on the platform, fell into the vortex. The powerful currents tore at Feraligatr as Ash watched helplessly, knowing the match was decided.

As expected, when the whirlpool dissipated, Ron-Greninja leaped onto a stone platform, while Feraligatr floated unconscious in the water.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle! The winner is Ron from Pallet Town!" the referee announced.

Ron listened to the crowd's cheers, feeling a rush of excitement. Finally, he had enough popularity points!

Immediately, he opened the system's cheat page and spent two million popularity points to remove the restrictions on the main quest.

No way—if he was going to face legendary Pokémon trainers in the future, he couldn't afford to be at a disadvantage. Besides, Ash had already obtained Articuno, meaning more legendary Pokémon would appear. According to the system's prediction, things would only get harder. There might even be restrictions in future tournaments, allowing only new Pokémon to compete.

Ron understood that opponents would only grow stronger, and the system's limitations would become stricter. So, he decisively spent a huge amount of popularity points to remove this restriction altogether.