Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master.

Chapter 381 Daigo's Challenge

The powerful sound energy emanated from above the waterfall, instantly deterring the originally aggressive Cocodoras.

At that moment, the figure above leaped down with a glittering Metagross monster; it turned out to be a handsome blue-haired man dressed in miner's clothes.

"Daigo?"

Ash was surprised when he saw Shiny Metagross. How could he not recognize it as the signature Pokémon of the Hoenn Champion? He just didn't expect to meet it so soon.

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest "Hoenn Noble, Daigo": Find the awesome rock-digging guy on Dew Island!]

【获得奖励：联盟币+3000；体力+1；速度+1；自由属性点+1；银色王冠+1】

"Go back, CocoDoras."

At that moment, Daigo waved his hand, accompanied by Metagross's roar, and the large group of Cocoa Doraemon immediately disappeared.

Ash finally arrived. "May, Max, I'm sorry I'm late. Are you alright?"

1

"It's alright, thanks to this gentleman's help."

Hearing Ash's voice, May finally breathed a sigh of relief, patting her broad chest.

Steven, being quite knowledgeable, didn't show much surprise at Ash flying over.

"Can you fly? Is that a superpower?"

"I guess so." Ash handed May a few bottles of healing potions, urging her to treat Torchic and the others as soon as possible.

They then took Kacchan to thank Daigo again for saving them.

"Thank you so much for your help, Mr. Daigo!"

"Don't mention it. I just heard some strange noises and came to check it out." Daigo smiled gently at Ash and the others.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the young master of Hoenn; his smile was incredibly handsome, and even ordinary miner's clothes looked like luxurious haute couture on him.

However, the dirt and dust on his face revealed that he may have been happily dusting himself off not long ago, which actually added to his approachable charm.

"Speaking of which, do you know what happened up there?" Daigo took out a handkerchief to wipe his face, then tossed his hair and asked Ash and the others.

"The commotion was so loud that I thought a volcano on the island had erupted."

17

"This—" Ash glanced at the now calm ground.

"Actually, it was the Lava Team who detonated explosives on the surface of the cave, which almost completely collapsed the upper space and blocked all the exits."

Fortunately, the surface mine tunnels of the Rock Cave have long been abandoned, no Pokémon live there, and no one usually goes there, so there were no casualties.

However, based on the size of the entire cave and Ash's current location,

Even if Ash were to dig it himself, it would probably take at least half an hour to dig a passage out of the cave.

As a mining expert, Daigo immediately analyzed everyone's current situation.

"It might take us a while to get out, and what about Team Lava?"

Daigo's face darkened, and he thought to himself.

"It seems the intelligence we received earlier, that Team Magma and Team Aqua were both eyeing a certain ruin on Fighting Island, was true."

However, confident in his own abilities, Daigo was not alarmed at all when he heard the news of being trapped; he was simply deeply troubled.

"Honestly, they're all just here to cause trouble. I haven't even finished digging out all the stones yet."

Just then, Kacchan remembered the letter that Zivucci had asked him to pass on, so he quickly took it out and handed it to Daigo, who was deep in thought about whether to continue skipping work.

"Oh, is this a letter for me? Thank you for bringing this over, little brother, you've worked hard."

Daigo picked up the letter and glanced at it, first skillfully skipping over the part about his father faking illness to trick him into going back to manage the company.

He then finally managed to pick and choose the valuable parts to read, but as soon as he closed the letter, Daigo couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh dear, you're such a worry!"

Before they could even find the most important stone, the guild leader had already contacted his father to urge him to return to the Alliance quickly.

But there's nothing we can do, since the Hoenn region has been anything but peaceful lately.

The three evil organizations are getting too big for their britches with the league, and as the champion, he really can't keep slacking off.

"However, we can't just leave the situation on Martial Arts Island unresolved. Should we send one of the Four Heavenly Kings to handle it?"

But Daigo immediately rejected the idea after a second thought.

"By the time those four guys get here, Team Magma and Team Ocean will probably be long gone."

Suddenly, he spotted Ash standing to the side, touching his shiny Metagross with a perverted look on his face, and his eyes lit up.

"Xiao Sheng, look! This Metagross is being trained so well!"

"Yes, that's an extremely rare Pokémon. We're so lucky to have encountered it!"

Ash and Max, panting heavily, groped the shiny Metagross.

The color scheme of this shiny Metagross is so cool, the two of them were completely mesmerized.

Ash's desire to obtain this powerful and cool Pokémon has reached its peak.

"Do you like it? Ash, would you like to battle it?"

Just then, Steven came over with a smile and patted Ash on the shoulder.

"Really? Right now, here?" Ash exclaimed in delight.

He hadn't even started challenging Daigo yet, but unexpectedly, the other party came over on his own initiative.

Daigo nodded coolly.

"Yes, it's right here. Anyway, we just happened to be trapped together."

"There's no rush to go out, let's have a match first."

(Hoenn Guild Master: Daigo, you should be worried!!!)

Dispelling the old man's voice that had inexplicably popped into his mind, Daigo stared intently at Ash.

"Actually, I've been watching you for a long time, Ash. I've wanted to battle you for ages."

"Since it wasn't an official championship match, I only used one Pokémon, which was my Metagross and Pikachu."

"The location is the open space in front of the underground waterfall. That area is quite secure, and that's where my temporary outpost is located. I can fight freely there."

"Let me see your full power. If you defeat my Metagross, I'll give you a gift."

This was a battle between the two aces, but after saying those words, Daigo inadvertently revealed a playful expression.

"Of course, I'll need your help with a small thing afterward, really just a tiny little thing."

"No problem, let's start the battle, Daigo!"

The opportunity to battle the champion is extremely rare, and Ash would never refuse it even without any prizes.

Both sides quickly took their positions by the waterfall. May and Max obediently became cheerleaders, while Ash even released all his Pokémon to watch the battle from the sidelines.

"Wow, it's a match against the champion! I'm so moved to see it in person."

Xiao Sheng took out the Navigator and turned on the recording mode. He was going to go back and watch this match ten times.

At this moment, Xiaoyao suddenly produced two cheerleading pom-poms from somewhere and enthusiastically cheered for Xiaozhi.

"Ash, Pikachu, it's good that you did your best. Your opponent is Steven, the Hoenn Champion. It's okay if you lose. Good luck!"

"I won't lose!"

Saying discouraging things before the game has even started, I really don't know who Xiaoyao is cheering for.

On the battlefield, Ash crossed his arms, and Pikachu stood in front of him in the same pose, both the trainer and the Pokémon displaying the demeanor of experts.

Of course, they were still a little nervous, after all, it was their first time facing a champion-level powerhouse who was going all out.

Shiny Metagross is still Steven's ace, so this battle is definitely going to be tough.

"Let me make it clear first, I'm the strongest trainer, so I won't hold back. I'll be the one to win in the end."

Although he is elegant and easy-going in his daily life, Steven is never modest when it comes to Pokémon battles.

"I couldn't ask for more, so bring it on, Mr. Daigo!" Ash and Pikachu were ready.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a new epic quest, "Challenge the Hoenn Champion (Roadside Battle)": Defeat Steven in a one-on-one battle!]

【奖励：联盟币+4000；攻击+3；防御+3；自由属性点+4；金色王冠+1；技能「钢翼」+1】

On the battlefield, both Pokémon revealed sharp eyes and confronted each other with their strongest aura.

"Very good, then let the competition begin!"

"Pikachu, unleash Thunderbolt!"

Since it was going all out, Pikachu unleashed its full power without reservation.

It instantly unleashed an electric current attack that was more than ten times stronger than usual.

This startled everyone around.

"Is Pikachu really that strong?" Xiao Sheng was shocked. This was the first time he had ever seen Pikachu unleash its full power.

Although I knew Pikachu was strong when I saw it training with Ash by lifting those exaggerated boulders, I never imagined it could be this strong.

"No wonder Ash doesn't usually use Pikachu in battles."

The forest lizards' gazes towards Pikachu changed even more dramatically; they never expected their usually gentle elder brother to be so terrifying when he unleashed his fury.

"Wow, that's incredibly powerful! Truly excellent!"

The impact of 100,000 volts created huge waves that made Daigo's hair flutter everywhere, and his heart was instantly excited.

"Metamorphoses, with Psychic, unleash a 100,000-volt attack into the sky!"

Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck Metagross with overwhelming force, an attack that Metagross could not dodge.

Of course, it didn't intend to hide at first; as the champion's ace, its strength was formidable.

With a roar, the enormous thunder dragon monster was covered with colorful light.

The powerful electric current surged and crashed, yet it failed to actually reach Metagross's body at the last second.

With a powerful upward thrust of its two white, metallic claws, the thunder dragon abruptly veered and crashed straight into the cave ceiling.

"What?!"

This was the first time Ash had seen Pikachu's full-power Thunderbolt attack be directly countered.

"But that's precisely what makes it interesting!"

Although the current was absorbed by the soil, the impact still created a large hole above, and small clods of soil fell down.

It temporarily blocked Metagross's view.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Metamorphose, use Earthquake!"

"roar--!!"

While everyone else was stunned by the power of Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Metagross did not hesitate at all and slammed its large claws into the ground.

The earthquake attack struck instantly, interrupting Pikachu's charge forward.

This trick is extremely effective.

"Pikachu uses its tail as a spring to jump!"

As a muscular monster, Pikachu has muscles all over its tail.

The lightning bolt-shaped tail instantly acted like a super-powered spring, launching Pikachu's entire body high into the air, escaping the earthquake's damage.

Pikachu's figure kept spinning vertically in the air.

"Now! Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

"Making good use of Pokémon's own physical characteristics? That's a great command."

"But we won't lose, Metagross Comet Punch!"

Without holding back at all, Pikachu's Iron Tail made a sound like an explosion as it sliced ​​through the air—this was a genuine Beast Slash!

Steven's Shiny Metagross was not to be outdone; its body was quickly enveloped in a blue energy, and its figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

All that remains on the field are four huge claw-shaped craters created when it jumped.

Comet Fist and Iron Tail collided in mid-air with a loud thud.

Two powerful forces were locked in a fierce struggle, finally exploding in mid-air in a violent explosion.

"Wow, this is incredibly powerful! Both sides are amazing."

The violent shockwave made it impossible for Xiao Sheng to open his eyes. He could only hide behind his sister and cling tightly to a nearby rock to avoid being blown away.

"But is it really okay for the whole cave to be shaking like this?"

Daigo initially said this place was quite sturdy, but now it clearly looks like it's about to collapse.

Xiaoyao and Xiaosheng watched from the sidelines, trembling with fear.

Pebbles kept falling from above, and it was only thanks to the forest lizards that she was there that the girl was safe, otherwise she would have been covered in bumps.

"Hahaha, I'm finally totally excited!"

At this moment, Steven was extremely excited. Besides digging for rocks, his favorite thing was Pokémon battles.

Being able to fight against a powerful opponent is as exhilarating for Daigo as finding the precious stone he's always longed for during the New Year.

It is precisely because of this that Daigo was able to defeat one formidable enemy after another through continuous efforts.

Become the strongest in Hoenn, become the League Champion!

Originally, this was just a small battle he used to casually test Ash and Pikachu's strength, but now Steven has gotten carried away with the battle.

They didn't care about any testing or verification; enjoying the battle was the most important thing.

Ash on the other side was also bursting with excitement, unconsciously entering a super rookie mode and resonating with Pikachu.

Amidst the smoke of the explosion, the two Pokémon retreated swiftly like bullets, returning to their respective halves of the field.

"Are you alright, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!"

At this moment, Pikachu stood on the battlefield, its muscles bulging to their maximum.

Feeling that it was in the same state as Ash, it excitedly pounded its chest, making a thumping sound, and its fur stood on end like steel needles, sweeping away all the fatigue and dust on its body.

"Good job, Pikachu! Use Iron Tail again!"

"Metamorphosis, Bullet Punch!"

Pikachu's speed was even faster than before; it was so fast that Ash could barely keep up with it.

Thanks to its attributes and its tough body, Metagross takes less damage than Pikachu.

Seeing Pikachu disappear, it immediately readjusted its posture, and its four sharp metal claws instantly emitted a terrifying metallic luster once again.

Its terrifying brain, like a supercomputer, worked frantically, instantly calculating Pikachu's most likely attack location and successfully defending against the initial Iron Tail attack.

But then it was hit by Pikachu's rapid attacks again.

"You can adapt, Metagross!"

"Roar~!"

The shiny Metagross's giant claws spun rapidly on both sides of its body, its brain potential being pushed to the limit during the battle.

Finally, Metagross figured out Pikachu's movement trajectory.

"Roar roar roar!"

"Megakarp, follow up! Bullet Punch!"

Two flashes of light, one yellow and one white, flickered wildly on the open ground in front of the waterfall, making it impossible to see May and Max, who were now two Pokémon, clearly.

All that could be heard was the constant clanging of metal and the large craters that appeared on the ground from time to time, signaling the intensity of the battle between the two Pokémon.

Ash and Steven kept their eyes glued to the clash of moves between the two Pokémon on the field, and finally, at the same moment, they made the same judgment.

"Pikachu's body has reached its limit, use Volt Impact!"

"Metamorphosis, Comet Punch!"

Pikachu and Metagross quickly broke free from their entanglement and returned to their respective halves of the field, both now battered and exhausted.

But at the same time, it charges towards its opponent amidst the trainer's shouts.

"Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu—"

"Ho-!

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