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

"Game start!"

"Gengar, use Taunt!" The rules of gym battles are that the gym leader attacks first, and Ash certainly wouldn't hold back with Pendulum, launching a highly targeted offensive right from the start.

"This...this is difficult. Use the Spiral Ball!" Abi couldn't help but show a distressed expression, but he could only bite the bullet and let Shuttle launch an attack.

"Avoid the attack, use Nightshade!"

Given Shuttle's slow speed, its movements were essentially frozen in Gengar's view. Gengar shot a beam from its eye, hitting Shuttle first, and then even licked its tongue and made a face before dodging at the last moment.

"In that case... use the sharp stone attack with all your might!"

"Ignore it, keep using Nightshade!" Shuckle used all its strength to create a cluster of sharp stone blades, but Gengar completely ignored the attack.

If it doesn't use any fancy tricks, Shuckle's attack power is practically zero. Even though Gengar is a fragile creature, this Stone Spike attack won't pose much of a threat to it.

On the contrary, Gengar's next beam easily drained all of Shuckle's stamina!

"This... wasn't it supposed to be very troublesome? How come it ended so quickly?" Xiaoxia was taken aback.

"Xiao Zhi is amazing!" Xiao Gang couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

What Ash just demonstrated can be described as the most perfect way to play against Shuckle.

“The jar is very strong defensively, and ordinary special moves will hardly do any damage. Its most powerful tactic is to use Power Trick to switch between offense and defense, and then combine it with the Shell Break skill to unleash explosive damage in an instant,” Lila explained. “But the core of this tactic is changing moves, and what it fears most is Provocation.”

"I see." Xiaoxia immediately understood. Her Gyarados was also a troublemaker, and she had learned her lesson this time.

"In addition, while Shuttle has high defense, it is also very weak. As long as you make good use of special moves such as Night Shadow and Earth Throw, you can bypass its defense and take it away!"

Lila continued her explanation, and this time even Xiao Yin showed an incredulous expression.

With just two moves, Ash easily defeated an extremely troublesome Pokémon. That's Ash's command skills!

Chapter 356 Those Powerful Insects with Four Times the Weakness

"Come back, Pot Pot, there's nothing we can do about being targeted."

Having made a bad start, Abi shrugged helplessly and had no choice but to put away the dizzy pot.

Just like he said, the combination of provocation and Dark Shadow is a strategy specifically designed to counter Shuppee. If you run into Shuppee, you can only accept your bad luck.

"Next up is your turn, Heracross, the powerful Bug-type warrior!"

The battle continued, and the second one sent out by Abi was also one of the few Bug-types with high base stats, and one of the strong contenders for the Bug King.

"Gengar, use Taunt!" Ash used the same old tactic, relying on his first move to provoke him—it was sure to work!

After Gengar stuck out its tongue and made a series of funny faces, Heracross was left with only one option: a direct attack.

"It's happening again... Heracross, use Mega Horn!" Abi said helplessly. He knew that he was being led by the nose by Ash, but he could only issue the attack command.

If you attack, you might still have a chance; otherwise, if you just stand still, you'll just become a sitting duck for your opponent!

"Hera!" Provoked at the start, Heracross was already somewhat angry. Now, she gathered all her strength and launched a Horn Charge at Gengar without any regard for the consequences!

"Mental interference!"

"What?!" Abi was immediately shocked. Ash's Gengar really did have a backup plan. With the opponent's psychic power unleashed at full force, it actually managed to tightly bind Heracross's body!

"Next, we'll use hypnosis." "Geng Geng~"

After confirming that its opponent could not dodge, Gengar shot two beams of red light from its eyes, directly putting Heracross into a deep sleep.

Heracross!

"Gengar, come back! That was a great fight!" Just as Abi exclaimed, Ash had already switched out.

Next, he dispatched the same insect warrior as Abi!

"Appear, Heracross, with a sword dance!" "Hera!"

At this moment, Abi's Heracross was not only provoked but also asleep. He could only watch helplessly as Ash's Rhinoceros Beetle switched in and leisurely completed two Swords Dance boosts!

Once Abi's Heracross form is fully restored, it will have to face a similar creature with a four-stage attack power boost and incredibly destructive power!

"Be careful, Heracross. Don't let the opponent catch you off guard. Use your sharp stones to attack!" Facing such an opponent, Abi was extremely cautious. He instructed his Heracross to create a continuous barrage of stone blades, trying to create distance between himself and his opponent.

"Charge! Use Aerial Ace!" But Ash didn't give him a chance to escape. Heracross quickly locked onto its opponent and charged forward with all its might without any hesitation!

The powerful body deflected all the flying stone blades along the way, and the huge horns accurately pierced the opponent's body. Four-stage attack plus four times the restraint, one shot and the soul is gone!

"This... Mr. Ash's fighting style is really aggressive." Looking at Heracross in the arena, constantly showing off its muscles and occasionally turning around to bargain with Ash, Abi's lips twitched slightly.

To seize a weakness and attack it relentlessly—that's not just being assertive, it's downright ruthless!

I hope I don't get completely humiliated and beaten to a pulp today...

"Common, battle-strong Bug-type Pokémon usually have obvious weaknesses. As long as you seize the opportunity to launch a thunderous attack, you are very likely to win the game in one fell swoop."

Ash wasn't just making this up. There aren't many Bug-types with base stats over 500, and almost every one of the popular ones has a significant weakness.

Rhinoceros Beetle is 4x weak to Flying, Firemoose and Scizor are 4x weak to Rock, and its evolved form, Steelix, is 4x weak to Fire... It seems like Pinsir is the most advantageous, but even after Mega Evolution, it's still 4x weak to Rock.

If this were a League tournament, Ash, who was limited to carrying only six weapons, might not have encountered an absolute counter so easily.

But now it's a gym battle, and given Ash's current 21 Pokémon roster, he'd definitely win every time!

After hearing Ash's words, Silver, who was watching the battle, was also very nervous and wished he could immediately write them down in a notebook... He really didn't want Ash to find his weakness!

"I can only ask you for help now!" After recalling Heracross, Abi threw out the last Poké Ball. "Go, the magnificent Bug-type warrior, Scyther!"

"Heracross, keep battling! Double the pollen count if you win! Use Swords Dance!" Just as Ash's Pokémon appeared, Ash instructed Heracross to maximize its attack power, determined to execute a one-hit kill strategy to the fullest!

"I won't give up, Scyther, let's use Swords Dance too!" Unexpectedly, Scyther decided to go all out against Ash, and also made Scyther spin around to increase its attack!

"Alright... Heracross, Aerial Ace!" Knowing that Abyss intended to have a quick-kill duel with him, Ash naturally wouldn't be afraid of the challenge and commanded Heracross to charge forward fiercely!

"Scyther, observe the opponent's movements and use Shadow Clone Technique!" "Whoa!"

As expected of Abi's Scyther, it was meticulously bred. The moment Heracross's horn touched its body, it quickly split into several clones, dodging the supposedly sure-hit Aerial Ace!

"Next, use the rapid-fire cut!"

"Use a stand-in!"

After successfully dodging the Swallow Return, the Flying Mantis used the Shadow Clone as cover to close in and began to unleash its signature move, wielding its twin blades.

However, the slashes that were supposed to double in power were only completed on the second strike when 'Heracross' suddenly vanished from Scyther's sight!

"Oh no! Scyther, use Shadow Clone Techies to get out of the way!"

"Use a stone blade!!"

Bang!

Abi's command was incredibly fast, and Scyther quickly created clones, but Heracross gained the upper hand, using its barrage of stone blades to slightly graz its opponent's back!

With just this one attack, Scyther's stamina was already nearing its limit, and it began to pant heavily.

"If this doesn't work... then let's finish this quickly!" Abi decided to take a gamble. "Maintain the Shadow Clone state and use Swallow Return!"

"Heracross, run away quickly, don't get attacked!" Seeing Scyther charging with a blur of real and fake shadows, Ash quickly told Heracross to escape at full speed.

However, Scyther relentlessly pursued Heracross, chasing him from the sky to the ground, and then launched a full-force charge wielding its twin blades!

With a four-fold advantage, even if Scyther only has one Sword Dance, it's enough to instantly kill Heracross!

"This is what I've been waiting for~" But just then, Ash suddenly revealed a triumphant smile, "Heracross, use Stone Blade on me!"

"Hera!!" As Heracross slammed his fists down, a ring of thick stone pillars suddenly rose up from the ground around him!

"What?!" Abi was shocked, but the mantis had already pushed its speed to the limit, and it was too late to stop!

Bang!

Abi could only watch helplessly as her beloved pet crashed headfirst into a rising rock pillar, then fell from the sky with its eyes closed...

"The match is over! Scyther is unable to battle, Heracross wins, so the winner is challenger Ash!"

The referee announced the final result: the Azalea Gym was successfully defeated!

Chapter 357 Arrival in Ye Town

"Sigh, what a complete defeat."

After the match ended, Abi readily admitted his defeat.

"Mr. Ash is really strong. I'm no match for him at all."

"It was just a targeted tactic," Ash said modestly, shaking his head. "Your Pokémon are all very well-trained. If it weren't for the Gym Leader's rules, I would have had a tough fight too."

While there was an element of politeness in Xiaozhi's words, they were still a statement of fact.

With his current strength, unless he deliberately throws a fight, it would be really difficult for him to have a spectacular back-and-forth with the gym leaders in a gym battle... even those well-known veteran powerhouses.

Gym leaders only have a few main Pokémon, and they are subject to the rule that they cannot be replaced. Once they are targeted, they can only passively take a beating.

"Hearing you say that, I'm honored... This is for you." Abi took out a ladybug-shaped badge, "Proof of defeating the Azalea Gym, the Insect Badge."

"Thank you very much." Ash gratefully accepted the badge, and with that, he had obtained the second badge in Johto.

"Is Mr. Ash going to Leaf Town next?" Abi suddenly asked. "I received a message from Officer Jenny here, inviting me to Leaf Town to participate in the anti-crime operation."

“Indeed, the police are currently setting up a operation, planning to crack down on Team Rocket and the Gourd poaching group during the Pokémon Trade Fair.” Ash nodded. “If you join us, the operation will be even more successful… but you'll also have to focus on Gym battles, right?”