Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

He really doesn't know what to do now...

He originally thought that Ash would order protection in order to deal with the sure-hit move, but he did not expect that the other party was so brave that he was willing to die together with him!

Of course, Rai Si was unaware that Xiao Zhi had already seen through his tricks.

His Staraptor has the Divine Strike ability, which increases damage by 20% when using recoil-based moves like Brave Bird or Divine Slam.

It is precisely because of this highly aggressive Hidden Ability that Staraptor earned the nickname "Suicide Bird."

Therefore, U-turn is definitely not the decisive move. Raikou's only intention is to bait out Protect and then finish with Brave Bird, but Ash will not give him that chance.

"Brother..." On the distant stands, Shinji unconsciously gripped the railing in front of him.

"Your brother's composure is completely gone; the outcome of this match is already decided." Xiao Mao shook his head and turned to leave the venue.

At this moment, all he wanted to say from the bottom of his heart was…

Xiao Zhi is a perverted old bastard!

It's already the semifinals, and this guy is still holding back!

Aside from the Pikachu that swept five opponents in a row, he had no intention of bringing out his real main force!

"Dragon King Scorpion, I can only ask you for help..." Having exhausted all other options, Lei Si could only send out his general, "Use deadly poison!"

As soon as it appeared, the equally ferocious-looking scorpion sprayed a thick spray of venom at the armored creature!

Faced with this attack, Pinsir didn't need Ash's prompting at all; it proactively raised its defenses.

After that came a series of explosive flying stones!

"Use the missile pins quickly!" Lei Si's command was timely, and the Dragon King Scorpion immediately fired a series of energy spikes forward, which barely neutralized most of the attack.

"Is that... a prop?" Only then did Lei Si notice that Da Jia was wearing a dark, unremarkable stone.

"Attack with all your might, Dragon King Scorpion! Use Poison Strike!" Lei Si, determined to go all out, commanded the Dragon King Scorpion to press forward at full speed, unleashing its purple-glowing claws at the Great Armor!

"Block it!" "Shh!"

After a successful experience, Da Jia became more and more adept at blocking, and this time he actually managed to grab both of the Dragon King Scorpion's claws at the same time!

"Now! Knock it down!" However, the Dragon King Scorpion's attack was not stopped. Suddenly, it swung its tail and lashed down on the head of the armored giant like a whip!

"Hah!" But the result was the same as with the Big-tailed Tanuki. As soon as the Dragon King Scorpion made a move, the pincers of the Big-tailed Tanuki clamped down on its tail!

"Keep using Knock Off!" A smile finally appeared on Lei Si's face, and the front part of the Dragon King Scorpion's tail, which was being clamped, suddenly trembled and lashed out at the armored body!

Bang!

Faced with such a powerful sneak attack, Da Jia staggered, and the hard stone he was wearing fell to the ground.

The Dark-type Knock Off move can knock away the opponent's items, and the damage of this attack will also be increased!

"Huh?!" Da Jia was stunned for a moment, then his eyes suddenly shot out a terrifying cold light!

I was actually tricked by the other party?

"Well done! Dragon King Scorpion, keep using Flame Fang like this!" Lei Si excitedly gave the order, finally seeing a glimmer of hope in defeating the Great Armor.

Compared to the pincers and hands of the armored giant, the Dragon King Scorpion not only has a tail, but also teeth that can be used for attack!

"Getting angry... then so be it, here comes the guillotine!"

Sensing the burning rage within Pinsir, Ash simply agreed to let it attack.

Since the overall situation is already decided, one more move won't make a difference.

"No...no way?" Lei Si, who was just overjoyed, was suddenly plunged into endless astonishment.

He completely underestimated the power of the giant armor. The opponent actually gave up restraining the Dragon King Scorpion's claws and tail, and instead used both hands to grab the Dragon King Scorpion's huge mouth full of flames, directly trapping its neck on the pincers above its head!

Clang!

A flash of blade, a single, fatal blow!

“Dragon Scorpion…” Lei Si blankly took out a Poké Ball and put it back, seemingly still not having realized the result.

Da Jia completely ignored his defeated opponent, simply picked up the hard stone and put it back on his body, while casually dusting off non-existent dust from his shoulders.

"Well done, come back and rest." Ash also put away his Pinsir at the right time and put on the last one to appear today. "Crobat, the battles from now on are yours."

"Big-tailed Tanuki, I'm counting on you." Seeing this, Lei Si sent Big-tailed Tanuki back, but he knew in his heart that he had no power to turn the tide.

And that was exactly the case. The Crobat vividly taught Lei Si a lesson with its black mist, showing him exactly what anti-enhancement really meant!

While restoring the black mist, Crobat also displayed ghostly speed. Just as the raccoon flashed out of the mist, Crobat had already caught up and slammed it to the ground with a cross-shaped poison blade attack!

"Breaking through the air!"

When the raccoon finally managed to get up, it only saw a sharp wind blade flash by before losing consciousness completely…

"I can only ask you for help in the end, Mukutaka!" Raiji gritted his teeth and sent out his last partner, "Show some spirit, use Swallow Return!"

"Stardust!!" In response to its trainer, Stardust let out a long cry and chased after Crobat with fierce momentum!

"Now! Use Brave Bird!!" The two Pokémon circled in the air for several rounds before Staraptor finally closed the distance with Crobat. Raigu also gave the order for a desperate attack!

boom!

The Starhawk seemed to be engulfed in flames, folding its wings and fiercely ramming into the Crobat's back!

"Fair wind!"

Just when Starhawk thought it was about to catch up with Crobat, the latter suddenly spread its wings and took off, doubling its speed and easily dodging Starhawk's fatal attack!

"Cross-shaped Poison Blade! Sky-Piercing Slash!"

Bang!

The bat wings, glowing with purple light, struck the back of the Mk Eagle with pinpoint accuracy, and the ensuing wind blades completely engulfed its body...

"Staraptor is unable to battle! The match is over, and the winner is Ash from Pallet Town!!"

Chapter 221 Before the Finals

"Come back... Starhawk, you've really worked hard..."

After the match ended, Lei Si was stunned for a while before recalling the Mk Eagle.

He looked at Ash across from him and saw that the Crobat was excitedly circling around Ash, still full of energy.

No wonder, ever since Crobat came out, Raikou has been unable to mount an effective counterattack and has been completely on the defensive.

That's so fast...

Lei Si even had a feeling that the Crobat that Ash sent out last might actually be the strongest of the four!

Once it activates its tailwind, its speed is even much faster than Blastoise when it has fully hatched. Combined with the cover of the black mist and its ability to fly silently, it is simply impossible to defend against!

Four against six, I really suffered a complete defeat...

"Ash, I've lost completely." Lei Si slowly walked up to Ash, his expression somewhat downcast, but he still offered Ash his congratulations.

"Your strength is truly remarkable. Congratulations on reaching the finals, and I wish you the best of luck in winning the championship!"

"Thank you~" Xiaozhi politely shook hands with Lei Si.

However, seeing how devastated the other person looked, he swallowed back some of the things he should have said.

If nothing unexpected happens, Lei Si will challenge the pioneering area later. At that time, other elders will naturally help him with his questions, so he won't need to interfere now.

...

"Great! Ash, congratulations on winning!"

Upon returning to the athletes' village, Serena immediately offered her congratulations.

She's beaming with joy right now, as if she herself had won a match.

Xiao Zhi was equally happy.

Reaching the finals means you're one step closer to the championship!

For Ash, the tournament championship is undoubtedly a curse, a regret that he has been traveling for over twenty years but was forced to miss out on Alola for various reasons.

But this time, Ash will not allow the championship to be taken away by someone else... even if the opponent is Gary!

"By the way, where's Gary?" Ash couldn't help but wonder, thinking of his rival, that Gary wasn't with the others.

"He hasn't shown up since he defeated Lily. He's probably secretly figuring out how to deal with you," Xiao Lan said, shrugging.

"Oh, that's fine then~" Ash nodded in relief.

There's really no need for the brothers to have a heart-to-heart talk the night before the final. They can prepare separately and let the competition show their true colors.

"By the way, Professor Sakuragi and his wife came over earlier. They've been waiting to see you. I've arranged a reception room. Are you going now?" Xiao Lan asked.

"Alright." Xiao Zhi thought for a moment and decided to go with Xiao Lan to meet the other party.

They've come all this way to thank me in person, so Xiaozhi has no reason to avoid them.

When Xiaolan led him to the reception room, Xiaozhi discovered that Professor Sakuragi and his family of four were all there.

Professor Sakuragi and his wife Yoshino, the reserved-looking Haru, and Haru's younger brother—a cute little boy who seems to be named Sota—are hiding behind their mother, peeking at Satoshi.

"Ash!" Professor Sakuragi greeted Ash immediately upon seeing him. "Congratulations on making it to the tournament finals! The battle just now was so exciting, even I was thrilled!"