Chapter 116: Top 16, Ash VS Gary

Chapter 116: Top 16, Ash VS Gary

After defeating Mizuki, Ron secured his ticket to the Top 16. Soon after, the winners from the other arenas emerged as well—Ash, Gary, Ye Yue, and Xiao Fei all advanced.

But when the matchups were announced, Ron couldn't help but laugh. Ash would face Gary, just like in the anime. If Ash won, his next opponent would be Ye Yue.

Ron's opponent in the Top 16 match was Xiao Fei. When Xiao Fei saw Ron, he walked over with a helpless expression and said, "Ron, I don't ask for much—at least send out your Legendary Pokémon, so even if I lose, it won't be too embarrassing."

"Uh, you sure about that?" Ron replied. "If I send out a Legendary, your Pokémon might not even last a single round."

"It's fine. I'm ready." Xiao Fei said. "After this competition, my path of challenging the League ends. I'll be going to train under Elite Four Koga. I'm confident I'll become an Elite Four member someday."

"Mm. I wish you the best." Ron extended his right hand, and Xiao Fei shook it before leaving to select his Pokémon.

"Ron, are you really going to use Legendaries in this match?" Lillie walked over and asked.

"Yeah, it's to fulfill Xiao Fei's wish." Ron said. "I'll fight with everything I've got, that way I won't let down his determination."

Ron returned to his room and uploaded the Pokémon he'd use: Mewtwo, Solgaleo, Celebi, Zeraora, Pheromosa, and Greninja.

This was probably Ron's strongest lineup. Of course, he had others too. But Aerodactyl and Charizard had already made appearances, and both had requested to be saved for the final match. Ron had agreed to that.

The Top 16 to Top 8 round had a total of eight matches—two matches per day, which meant it would take four days to complete. Ron was scheduled for the afternoon of the third day, so he still had plenty of time. The first match was Ash versus Gary, a battle Ron was very interested in watching.

Ron and the others found Brock and Misty in the stands. The group sat down and got ready to watch. Before the match officially began, the battlefield was randomly selected—it turned out to be the Rock Field. Gary had the first move.

"Go, Nidoqueen!" Gary sent out his Nidoqueen.

"I'm counting on you, Feraligatr!" Ash sent out Feraligatr, who had a type advantage over Nidoqueen. "Feraligatr, Hydro Cannon!"

Ash made the first move with a powerful Hydro Cannon aimed at Nidoqueen. Under Gary's command, Nidoqueen used Earth Power. She stomped the ground fiercely, causing it to crack beneath Feraligatr. Feraligatr lost balance, causing the Hydro Cannon to go off course and miss Nidoqueen completely.

"Perfect chance! Nidoqueen, Thunder Punch!"

Seeing Feraligatr's foot stuck in the cracks, Gary immediately gave the order.

"We're not losing in terms of strength! Feraligatr, Ice Fang!" Ash commanded.

Nidoqueen charged toward Feraligatr, electricity surging in her fist as she punched him. Feraligatr endured the hit, then clamped down hard on Nidoqueen's shoulder with his freezing jaws, biting with all his might.

Nidoqueen screamed in pain—it was clearly a heavy hit. Feraligatr used Nidoqueen's force to pull his foot free from the crack, then, under Ash's command, used Aqua Tail to knock Nidoqueen out, rendering her unable to battle.

"Return, Nidoqueen!" Gary recalled Nidoqueen. "You're up, Scizor! Agility, then Air Slash!"

Scizor appeared and instantly became a red streak, dashing toward Feraligatr. It crossed its arms, both of which glowed white. Slashing through the air, it unleashed a powerful Air Slash at Feraligatr. A white energy wave followed, blasting Feraligatr away and knocking him out.

"So fast!" Ash exclaimed.

He hadn't expected Gary to launch a speed attack right from the start. Feraligatr didn't even have time to react before being defeated.

Ash recalled Feraligatr, thought for a moment, then said, "We're not losing in speed! Go, Pikachu! Agility!"

"Swords Dance!" Gary ordered.

Pikachu darted forward with lightning speed. At the same time, Scizor spun rapidly on the spot to boost its attack. Pikachu reached Scizor and struck it in the waist with Iron Tail, sending it flying. A small electric current then wrapped around Scizor's body.

"Iron Tail plus Thunder Wave combo?" Ron said, rubbing his chin.

Scizor stood up with difficulty, its waist aching and its body paralyzed—a terrible state.

Gary gritted his teeth. "Scizor, Flash Cannon!"

Scizor opened its pincers, gathering energy into them and launching a beam at Pikachu. Ash commanded Pikachu to dodge, then counter with Thunderbolt, which struck the immobilized Scizor. Scizor was left charred and collapsed, unable to battle.

"Go, Arcanine! Flamethrower!" Gary recalled Scizor and immediately sent out Arcanine.

Arcanine unleashed a Flamethrower at Pikachu. Pikachu used Agility to dodge, but Arcanine followed up with Extreme Speed, slamming into Pikachu. Then came a Fire Blast that struck Pikachu mid-air, defeating him instantly.

"Yikes. Are they both going for a speed battle?" Rosa commented as she watched the pace of the match.

"Gary's getting desperate," Ron shook his head.

Gary really was desperate. This kind of rapid assault showed how rattled he was. It made sense. The two had been rivals since childhood, always trying to outdo each other. Now, Ash had surged ahead while Gary was still struggling. The gap between them kept growing. Gary, who once overshadowed Ash, now felt powerless.

Perhaps this was why Gary later quit being a Trainer and chose to succeed Professor Oak as a Pokémon researcher. After all, Gary was always proud. Watching his former rival leave him in the dust—Gary probably didn't take that too well.

Ash picked up Pikachu and let him rest. Then, after hesitating a moment, he finally sent out Zapdos.

The moment Zapdos appeared, it drew everyone's attention, and the entire stadium was ignited with excitement! Ron looked at the thrilled crowd around him, rubbed his chin, and thought he really should send out a Legendary too. That'd definitely light up the whole place and earn him tons of popularity.

"Ron, that Zapdos?" Ruby frowned.

"Yeah. It's not the one we saw before," Ron replied.

There was no trace of primal energy in this Zapdos—probably the same kind as that Articuno they'd encountered before. This kind of Legendary could crush rookies but would be no match even for pseudo-legendaries. Let alone true high-tier Legendaries.

Ron didn't care about Zapdos, but to others, it was a towering mountain they couldn't overcome.

Gary was no exception. Upon seeing Zapdos, he recalled Arcanine and sent out Golem. "Golem, Rock Blast!"

Golem raised its arms, summoning a multitude of stones that floated into the air and launched them at Zapdos. Zapdos locked eyes on Golem, causing Golem's body to freeze up—its Rock Blast slowed significantly.

Ash commanded Zapdos to use Drill Peck. Zapdos spun its body and flew at Golem, generating a spiraling energy around itself. It deflected all the rocks and pierced Golem with its beak, taking it down in a single hit.

With Gary's three Pokémon defeated, there was a five-minute intermission.

Ron shook his head. The pressure aura of Legendaries might be a minor feature in games, but in real life, it was a divine ability. It pressured the opponent, putting them under full-spectrum strain and lowering all their Pokémon's stats.

If you didn't have the courage to face a Legendary directly, then your defeat was already sealed.