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

Chapter 952 VS Daigo, a battle of attrition after continuous substitutions!

"Go, Cradle Lily!"

"You're chosen to go first, Snorlax!"

The two sent out their Pokémon almost at the same time. Steven used Fossil Flower, which is unique to Hoenn, while Ash started with Champion Scholar!

"For this one... Cradle Lily, come back first!" Steven was very cautious. As soon as Snorlax landed, he immediately told his partner to return the Poké Ball.

"It's your turn, Skarmory!"

"Snorlax, use Shot Down!"

Steven replaced the famous Sky Shield, and as Skarmory leaped out of the ball, Snorlax suddenly picked up a rock and threw it at him.

The powerful attack gave the rock extremely high kinetic energy, and it flew to the sight of the armored bird in the blink of an eye!

"Skeleton, immediately dodge and use Taunt!"

"Continue using the shoot-down technique!"

"Land using Feather Perch!"

Steven's Skarmory was indeed well-trained, reacting in a very short time, dodging the first stone bullet while also applying a status condition to Snorlax.

But the second stone that came hurtling towards it left it with no way to avoid it!

Left with no other choice, Steven had to let Skarmory take the brunt of the stone projectiles head-on, and use its healing ability as it was shot down.

When it landed, it had temporarily lost its flight ability and was no longer able to fly.

What surprised everyone even more was that Snorlax had already pounced over with thunderous strides!

In the final battle, Ash abandoned his previous conservative and tentative approach and launched a series of aggressive attacks from the start!

"Skeleton, use Iron Defense!" Seeing that Skarmory was already shrouded in a huge shadow, Steven immediately commanded his partner to boost its defense to the maximum extent.

"Snorlax..." Ash was about to give the attack command, but in a flash, he suddenly realized something.

Steven dared to send Skarmory to block his Snorlax, and he certainly relied on more than just Skarmory's superior defense!

I also have a Steel Bird, so... I'll take a gamble!

"Snorlax, use Desire!" As the two Pokémon drew near, Ash finally made up his mind. After a slight pause, Snorlax swung its paw in a seemingly adorable manner.

Bang!

This slap sent the archea tumbling, but the damage it caused was actually quite limited.

On the contrary, Snorlax looked as if it had been pricked by a needle, with a pained expression on its face.

It kept swinging its arms, only to find a helmet-like object on its palm, covered with many protruding metal plates.

"It really is the 'Bumpy Helmet'. Looks like I made the right bet." Ash smiled with satisfaction. It seemed like Snorlax was more seriously injured this time, but he had already gained the upper hand.

The basic attack, Desire, is a low-damage move, but it has a useful effect: when you don't have any items equipped, you can steal the opponent's items by attacking!

With this move, Snorlax suffered a recoil damage equal to one-sixth of its health, but successfully caught Skarmory out of its key position to stay on the field!

"It was stolen..." Daigo frowned. "You're too prescient. How did you know that Skarmory was wearing the Bumpy Helmet?"

"Because I have a Steel Crow, which also wears a bulging helmet... So after you got the Bird's Nest Iron Wall, I was already thinking about whether you should use items to reflect damage and wear down your opponent."

"This works?" Daigo was speechless.

Can this kid's Pokémon provide support even when they're not actively playing?

Speechless as he was, Daigo continued his actions, immediately catching the Skarmory.

Continuing to linger in the field will not end well; no matter what status condition Skarmory inflicts on Snorlax, it can simply take a nap to recover.

The helmet has also ended up in someone else's hands. If we force an attack, we'll be the ones who get hurt instead.

"It's been replaced..." Ash was a little disappointed. He wanted to explore Skarmory's fourth move.

Steven's Skarmory wasn't using the popular Spikes and Blow-Away tactic, but that's understandable.

Ash just knocked out Wallace with a spike in the last battle, so he definitely knows how to counter terrain tactics; besides, Skarmory's level is undeniable, and it can't blow away any of Ash's six top-tier weapons.

Simply planting nails without forcing replacements is meaningless.

"It's your turn, Claydol!" Seeing that Snorlax had taken the item for himself, Steven decisively changed tactics.

The helmet's damage reflection ability requires the use of contact moves, while Claydot is generally a ranged special attacker.

"Shoot it down! Then come back!"

"Use mental interference to disrupt the defense!" Daigo released his psychic power to deflect the flying rocks, and he couldn't help but admire Ash's comprehensive knowledge.

Claydol can use a trick move to snatch the item back... Although Steven didn't intend to do so, Ash didn't want Snorlax to take risks, so he decided to take a hit and run away.

After Snorlax, he sent out Megami Tentacles, who had performed exceptionally well in the previous match.

"Claydol, Light Screen!" Steven calmly began setting up the field, having Claydol create a glowing barrier to reduce the opponent's Special Attack damage.

"Mildanos, use Whirlpool!" Milotic immediately launched an attack, completely disregarding whether the opponent had any defenses, and directly slammed a spinning torrent down, using the power of the vortex to firmly lock the field.

This round, it's its turn to catch people!

"Clay Doll, teleport!" Unfortunately, Daigo brought an escape technique.

Teleport not only allows you to change your position on the field at any time, but it also allows you to break free from restraints and trade with a Pokémon in your reserve.

As for replacing the psychic clay puppet, it was Cradle Lily from the opening scene.

"This one is the same, Milotic, use Whirlpool!" Ash didn't care which one to catch, and had Milotic use Whirlpool to rush straight towards Cradle Lily.

In fact, Cradle Lily is easier to catch than Claydol because it cannot learn to switch moves.

Another point is that Cradle Lily's main strategy is to catch and wear down opponents, so Daigo might not replace her directly.

"Cradle, use the relentless attack!" Sure enough, Daigo made Cradle Lily take the hit of the sweeping whirlpool, and then immediately countered with a Bug Plague, using Bind against Milotic!

Now, neither side can back out.

Moreover, this Cradle Lily has the Suction Cup ability, so Milotic can't even force a trade with its tail, and can only fight it to the death!

On the surface, Milotic is at a slight disadvantage. When Claydol leaves the field, it leaves a Light Screen, which reduces Milotic's Special Attack damage.

So what? Ash is going to give it a try!

"Milotic, use Blizzard!"

"Cradle Lily, jump up and absorb billions!"

"Slide to get out of the way!"

Both sides opened their mouths and attacked at the same time. Milotic opened its mouth and spewed a cold wind forward; Cradle Lily also reacted very quickly. The roots under its body exerted force and it suddenly jumped into the air, blowing out a suction storm in return!

But Ash's Milotic was equally agile, twisting its body and dodging to the side.

"Use Blizzard again!"

"Absorb billions!"

In another exchange of blows, the two Pokémon were finally unable to dodge and took the hits from each other, both of them starting to pant heavily.

"Self-regeneration!" *2

Ash and Steven's voices were unusually in sync, and the two Pokémon responded at the same time... and a smug smile appeared on the faces of the two trainers at the same time.

"Ash, you were careless! Take a good look at Milotic and see what's on it!" Steven pointed forward, and on Milotic, a hidden seed was sprouting.

It's a parasitic seed. Cradle Lily just mixed the seed into the Mega Absorption technique, and Milotic was caught off guard!

"Really... But I think Cradle Lily's problem is more serious." Ash remained unmoved, pointing at the other person as well, "Take a closer look and see what's inside it."

“This is…” Daigo’s expression stiffened after he looked away.

A purple venom bubble suddenly appeared on Cradle Lily's body!

It was actually poisoned?!

"If you can mix seeds into billions of absorptions, then of course I can use a blizzard as cover to release deadly poison." Ash smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Let's see who can last the longest this time!"

“This…” Daigo’s face turned bitter; he knew he was about to be defeated.

The damage from being poisoned is terrifying; after two or three rounds, self-regeneration will completely reverse the damage.

Even if our side activates Light Wall, and even if Cradle Lily has a large root that enhances absorption, we still can't outlast Milotic!

Chapter 953 Different Pursuits, Sniping the Key or Maximum Loss?

The duel between the two capturers ultimately ended with Milotic emerging victorious.

In the end, Milotic basically just ran around the field in his Whirlpool, which looked ridiculous and absurd compared to his previous flashy and violent performance.

But the results are encouraging; Cradle Lily's massive absorption can't keep up with it, allowing it to save on several self-regeneration attempts, and maybe even catch another one!

However, Steven clearly didn't want to give Ash that chance.

"Skeleton, go! Use Roost!" Skarmory, which had returned to the field, chose to land from the air before even engaging in combat.

The Flying type is no longer needed; the remaining Steel type is actually better resistant to Blizzard.

As for the whirlpool, feel free to smash it if you want.