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

Chapter 450 The Battle Begins

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a new main quest, "Challenge the Petalburg Gym!": Defeat Petalburg Gym Leader Senri to obtain the Libra Badge!]

【奖励：联盟币+3000；特攻+2；特防+2；自由属性点+3；技能「再来一次」+1】

Early the next morning, Ash and Senri were already ready on the battlefield at Petalburg Gym.

The referee for this challenge was Jin Zhi, and Xiao Yao and Xiao Sheng were also allowed to watch the match with their mother, Mitsuko.

"I'm so excited! This is the first time I've ever watched my own dojo's tournament." Kacchan was very excited.

"Yeah, I'm so nervous. I don't want him to lose on either side. What should I do?" Xiaoyao hugged the Pikachu that Xiaozhi had entrusted to her care, looking conflicted.

"Pikachu~"

"What are you saying, sister? Of course we should support Daddy! Go Daddy!"

Qianli smiled and waved to Xiaosheng and the others. At this moment, Jinzhi had finished reading the rules, and the competition officially began.

"Ash, this is my first Pokémon! Let's send out Slaking!"

A gray-white sloth with lazy eyes appeared on the field, and Ash quickly took out his first Pokémon.

"You're the one for the first match, Lizard King!"

The Lizard King made his dashing entrance with his arms crossed, his angular, strong muscles and sharp, triangular eyes a true symbol of power.

With a twig dangling from its mouth, it resembled a Western cowboy smoking a cigarette. Upon seeing its opponent, the Lizard King quickly assumed a fighting stance.

"Oh, this lizard king looks to be well-trained."

Mitsuko immediately praised Ash after seeing the muscular green lizard he released.

"Compared to this, Dad's Lazy Man looks so weak. Is it really okay to send it out?"

The girl was worried.

"Xiaoyao, don't underestimate your dad's Lazybones. Back when Qianli was young, he made his name with it in his first battle."

"That's right, Dad's so amazing, there'll definitely be no problem!"

In Xiaosheng's mind, his father had never lost, so even when facing Xiaozhi, he would still firmly believe that his father would win.

Meanwhile, on the field, Ash was sizing up Senri's Slaking.

"In Hoenn, Senri is known as a man born for Pokémon, not to be underestimated, but his first lead Pokémon is Slaking? —"

It's no wonder Ash is conflicted now, considering that Slaki's base stats are pretty bad, and it also has a very fatal ability: Laziness.

Pokémon with this ability will rest after each attack, making it a purely negative ability; it's better not to have it at all.

In two rounds of combat, the opponent can attack twice, while the Lazybones can only retaliate once and must be passively attacked the other time.

Ash couldn't figure out how Slaking could defeat his Sceptile.

"Even if it's Uncle Senri's Slacker, it's still a Slacker! Lizard King, let's finish this quickly with a fast attack, use Leaf Blade!"

"You're oversimplifying things, Ash. Slacker, Shadow Ball."

As the Lizard King locked its gaze on Lazybones and charged forward, Lazybones's lazy eyes instantly brightened.

A jet-black energy ball quickly condensed between its two hooked claws and was hurled at the Lizard King's face.

The Lizard King instinctively tried to dodge, but the Shadow Ball missed completely and exploded in mid-air.

Instantly, a large amount of black smoke was generated with the explosion of the energy ball, and the Lizard King could no longer see anything.

At that moment, a flash of blue light appeared on Ash's body.

"Sceptile King, Slacker is to your lower left, unleash a barrage of Leaf Blades! Uncle Senri's move is useless against us!"

Any move that obstructs the line of sight is useless against Ash's Aura Sensing, and Senri, despite having her location exposed by Slaking, showed no panic, simply replying calmly.

"yes."

At that moment, Leaf Blade slashed down repeatedly, but to everyone's surprise, not a single hair on Lazybones' head was hit.

In the smoke, the lazy old man's body swayed irregularly from side to side. Its movements seemed slow, yet there was a mysterious quality to it, as if it were one with nature and moved with the wind.

Although Ash sensed that Sceptile's attacks were about to succeed each time, it just couldn't touch Slaking no matter what.

"It seems that verbal commands alone are not intuitive enough. Lizard King, jump out! Use Leaf Blade again after the smoke clears!"

"Cheers!"

Because the Petalburg Gym's arena is well-ventilated on all sides, the smoke on the field cannot stay for long and dissipates quickly.

At this moment, the Lizard King adjusted its posture once again, gathering leaf blades in both hands and slashing at the Lazybones who was still standing in place with all its might, followed by a loud bang.

The Sceptile's Leaf Blade slashed a large gap in the ground, but it failed to hit Slacker.

It deftly bent over just before the Lizard King's attack, perfectly dodging the blow.

"What?" Ash looked at the scene in surprise.

Senri was equally surprised to see the Lizard King's destruction of the arena.

"That's incredibly powerful, Ash. You've managed to train your newly acquired partner in the Hoenn region to this level? Amazing."

During their first practice match, Ash only had one Pikachu, but so quickly, he already had a new member in his Hoenn team who could stand on his own.

Qianli's appreciation for Xiaozhi is growing stronger.

"Even so, it's still a long way off for the Lizard King to hit my Lazybones, its rest time is up."

""

"Lazybones, it's time to pull yourself together."

"Buzz~"

At this moment, the lazy old man was still lying lazily on the ground in the same posture he had used to dodge the attack. He yawned and then opened his eyes wide and got up again.

Its movements seemed so weak and listless, yet every small step it took was so fast that it left afterimages.

"Lizard King, Seed Machine Gun!"

"Lazybones, awaken your power!"

The Lizard King swiftly pulled its leaf blades from the ground and then rapidly fired a barrage of energy bullets at the Sloth King in front of it, who had just gotten up.

But then Lazy Man subtly shifted his body, and the seed machine gun was easily dodged.

At the same time, several white energy balls rapidly grew larger between its claws, and then in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around the Lizard King's body.

"Cheers?"

These energy orbs were interconnected by special fluctuations, which directly trapped the Lizard King and sent him flying.

Although Slaking's Special Attack is low, the Elite Four Pokémon's high level still allowed it to unleash its Hidden Power attack, causing considerable damage to Sceptile.

Even after the Lizard King was knocked away, these white energy balls did not disappear.

Like a pack of hyenas chasing their prey, they relentlessly pursued the Lizard King, while the Lazybones took the opportunity to rest.

"Wow, amazing! Awakened power can be used like this." Xiaoyao felt she had learned something new.

"Yes, in previous battles, Ash was always able to quickly attack and disrupt his opponent's rhythm, and then take control of the entire battle, but I didn't expect that this time it wouldn't work against Slaking."

"Dad sent out the lazybones first because he was thinking of that scene, right?"

"You've improved, Kacchan." Mitsuko agreed with Kacchan's words with satisfaction.

"Chiri, he has also seriously analyzed Ash's past tactics."

At this moment, Ash stared at Slacker with a furrowed brow.

"It really shouldn't be underestimated."

How could someone who can appear in the main team of an Elite Four level trainer be a simple character?

Just like Pikachu in Ash's team, the most inconspicuous ones are often the most dangerous.

Ash originally thought that Sceptile would definitely be able to beat Slaking in terms of speed.

It now appears that the Lazybones on the other side has broken through the limitations of his racial talent by utilizing momentum, and cannot be viewed in the ordinary sense.

The Lizard King's fierce attack not only failed to cause any damage to the Lazybones, but it was also outmaneuvered by the awakened power.

But Ash wasn't about to sit idly by. "Sceptile jumps up and unleashes its maximum range Seed Blast!"

No matter how fast the lazy boar tries to speed up when dodging attacks, it can't escape the fact that it is still a lazy boar.

It can't run fast on the field, but as long as you expand the attack range, you can eventually hit it.

With a powerful leap, the Lizard King broke free from the pursuit of the awakened power. Then, it opened its mouth as wide as it could, and the seed machine gun rained down like a storm.

It instantly shattered all the white energy balls beneath it.

"Wow, amazing!" Qianli looked at the Sceptile again in surprise, not expecting that Ash's training in Pokémon moves was so outstanding.

Then the area affected by the seed machine gun rain quickly expanded to the half of the field where Lazy Man was located, but at this moment, Senri smiled slightly.

"Lazy Old Man, Blizzard!"

A blizzard, with a range even larger than that of the Lizard King Seed Machine Gun, suddenly swept in.

The attack of the Lizard King was immediately stopped, and Seed Machine Gun and Blizzard were locked in a stalemate on the field.

A moment later, both Pokémon stopped attacking at the same time.

After landing, the Lizard King began to pant heavily, with some ice fragments still clinging to its body. Its movements were also somewhat slowed by the blizzard.

Lazy Old Man, on the other hand, still looked lazy and didn't seem tired at all.

This time, Senri wasn't just having an ordinary dojo match; he was truly displaying the strength expected of a Elite Four member.

"This lazy giant is not only good at dodging, its skills have also been honed to a very high level."

Ash raised his hand and twisted his hat back; he was about to get serious.

At this point, having lost Pikachu and other familiar Pokémon, Ash finally began to unleash his long-dormant, extraordinary wisdom to quickly analyze the battle.

"Neither Leaf Blade nor Seed Machine Gun can break the deadlock. Although Seed Bomb is powerful, it is large and slow, and Slaking will definitely dodge it."

"Since we're indoors now, the intense sunlight and flames that require a long time to accumulate power are not suitable either —"

"In that case, Sceptile, come back and rest for now. Blaziken is yours to handle next!"

After some thought, Ash immediately switched Pokémon.

The Lizard King is too clever; he always overthinks when he attacks.

Therefore, the lazy old man who simply acts on instinct can gain the upper hand in a confrontation with less physical exertion.

"But when it comes to fighting instincts, this guy is definitely not lacking. Blaziken, use your relentless attacks to secure the first victory!"

"just!"

Two red lights flashed alternately, and Blaziken made its appearance.

As soon as it stood up, flames symbolizing its fighting spirit ignited on its limbs, instantly melting away the thin layer of snow that had remained on the ground due to the blizzard.

Blaziken sensed the powerful aura emanating from Slaking and realized that it was a formidable opponent, which immediately excited it.

"The Blaziken's momentum is quite impressive this time," Senri nodded.

"But whether it can defeat my lazy old man remains to be seen!"

"Don't worry, I definitely won't let you down, Uncle Senri! Blaziken Double Kick!"

"Get out of the way, you lazybones!"

Upon hearing Ash's command, Blaziken darted out from its half of the field and instantly appeared in front of Slaking, raising its powerful thigh high before slamming it down.

He unleashed two powerful kicks with lightning speed, but then the lazy old man resorted to his old tricks again.

Its wobbly body followed the airflow created by the Blaziken's attack, and it lay down and rolled over.

Blaziken's double kick landed squarely on the ground.

"What a pity, Ash. It seems Blaziken's speed is still not fast enough."

"It's not over yet!" Ash suddenly shouted to Blaziken.

"Now close your eyes, Blaziken, focus on Slaking's position, and quickly unleash a Flame Kick!"

"That's too risky, Ash."

Even May, who was watching from the sidelines, was taken aback by Ash's command; she had never seen Blaziken battle like this before.

"I believe this guy!"

Even when it was still a Torchic, Blaziken was able to defeat Grunt without the trainer's command.

Its fighting instincts are among the best of all Pokémon, and Ash often uses boulders to train its "Observation Haki" when he trains it.

(Actually, Ash had the Pokémon cover their eyes and then hit them with large rocks to train their evasion skills.)

Both rely on instinct, and Ash is confident that Blaziken can track Slaking's movements.

Ash's trust was also received by Blaziken.

Its eyes immediately closed, no longer paying attention to anything on the battlefield, and began to focus on sensing everything around it.

Finally, Blaziken's aura seemed to resonate with Ash's, and a figure became clearer and clearer in its mind.

At the same time, its own acceleration feature is activated, and its speed increases significantly compared to before.

After kicking straight forward, the Flame Kick quickly sweeps to the side.

With a loud bang, Lazy Man was hit.

"Blazing Chicken actually did it!"

"Pikachu!"

"Ah, Daddy's lazybones~"

With a muffled groan, Lazy Old Man crashed into the wall behind Qianli and collapsed to the ground.

Kim Ji immediately lowered the referee's flag.

"Lazybones has lost his fighting ability!"

[Ding! Blaziken: Affection +2; Intimacy +3]

Qianli looked at the lazy old man lying on the ground with surprise.

"Oops, Blaziken's speed change caught Slaking off guard, so it couldn't dodge."

He quickly returned Slaking to its Poké Ball, and then took out a new Pokémon.

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