Pokémon from Galar

"Didn't I already tell you this on the phone? Do you want me to tell you again?"

"A phone call isn't enough! Why do you always seem to have these kinds of good things happen to you?!"

"Take it easy. Besides, you already have one by your side. Aren't you satisfied?"

Mary pouted in the direction of Mugentana.

"How can that be the same? Forget about that, tell me quickly what that place is like. You unlucky kid, why didn't you remember to take a picture?"

"You're even taking photos? What if they get leaked? You're supposed to be a researcher, can you please stop leading the way in saying things like that?"

"Hey, I was just saying."

Sonia chuckled twice, raised her hand and pinched Mary's cheeks twice, but her hand was slapped away just as she was about to pinch her a third time.

Mary looked up and glared at Sonia, but still answered her questions and recounted what had happened that night.

……

After lunch, while everyone was resting in the carriage, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, followed by...

"Wow—!"

The loud sound pierced the sky, drawing everyone's attention to the outside.

I couldn't wait to get off the car. As soon as I got off, I could see the three divine birds eating the huge tree fruit. Since the initial commotion, the three divine birds had become much more well-behaved. Although they were still a bit noisy, at least they wouldn't rush towards the town.

"So handsome! He looks completely different from the Kanto style!"

"Pikachu!"

"Pikachu! Let's go challenge them!"

"Hey?!"

Ash is usually quite agile, but he becomes exceptionally quick in situations like this. Before Marie could even stop him, Ash and Pikachu had already dashed off together at incredible speed. Marie was confident that she couldn't catch up with him without the help of her Pokémon.

"Really... Hahaha~ As expected of Ash."

Dr. Kukui was stunned at first, then laughed with his hands on his hips, while Lillie and the others were nervous and hesitant about whether to follow.

"The Three Divine Birds! Let's battle!"

"Pikachu! (Let's battle!)"

Ash's voice carried out, and Moltres in mid-air only glanced at it before losing interest, while Articuno looked at Ash and Pikachu with great interest, but did not make a move.

Only the most restless Zapdos tilted its head back and swallowed the last piece of fruit, its sharp eyes fixed on the intruding humans and Pokémon. It subtly adjusted the angle of its feet, slightly spread its wings, and then—

boom--!

With a sonic boom, the ground was turned upside down, and Zapdos appeared in front of Ash in the blink of an eye, looking down at him.

The strong wind from the high speed even blew Ash's baseball cap off his head, which landed not far behind him. Ash seemed oblivious, fearlessly meeting Zapdos's gaze with Pikachu.

Just as Ash and Zapdos were facing off, Eternatus suddenly looked as if he had just realized something and said:

"Ah... these three are definitely not the same three as back then. Although I didn't have high expectations, it's still a bit of a pity."

"Hmm? It's a good thing it wasn't during your time, otherwise who knows how big a fuss would have gone."

After hearing this, Mary shrugged, feeling a bit of lingering fear.

"But I'm quite curious, putting aside your frequent naps, wouldn't those who are always active become incredibly powerful?"

"That makes sense, but it's really rare to find someone who stays active all the time. Their elders are probably sleeping somewhere deserted right now, otherwise they wouldn't have stopped coming to Galar to eat berries for so long. Back then, those were their favorite."

Wuji Tai pouted and smiled.

"However, even though you're a junior... you've experienced the power of strength, haven't you, Marie? That Pikachu was going up against Zapdos, which is known for its speed, so it probably won't come out on top."

Eterna was somewhat interested in the slightly overpowered Pikachu, but it was still a bit lacking compared to Zapdos.

Marie thought for a moment and suddenly remembered that Eterna didn't seem to know any information about Ash. Marie herself had never seen Eterna's signature Z-Move, but it was said to be incredibly powerful, so it was something to look forward to.

"Didn't I tell you that Ash also has a signature Z-Move? I haven't seen it myself, but maybe there will be a surprise."

"uh-huh?"

"I don't know the specifics, it seems to have happened when I fell into another world. Lillie and the others said it was pretty amazing."

While Marie and Eterna were still chatting, Pikachu, under Ash's command, had already started fighting Zapdos.

The reason Galar's Zapdos is called that, even though it's not an Electric-type, is because it's as fast as lightning. And just as Eternatus said, Pikachu simply can't handle that speed.

It can only barely use Thunderbolt for wide-range attacks to prevent Zapdos from hitting it in one hit.

The exact attributes of the three legendary birds of Galar are still unclear. Zapdos is only speculated to have a Fighting attribute, and whether a second attribute exists is still undetermined, since Zapdos cannot fly, and whether it has a Flying attribute is still under debate.

However, Marnie still remembered that Zapdos is a Fighting/Flying type, while Pikachu has the advantage in typing. If Pikachu had the chance to use its signature Z-Move, although winning would be difficult, it shouldn't have been so embarrassing.

Chapter 377 Ten Million Volts

"Electric grid!"

Pikachu's Quick Attack had been continuous since the start of the battle, but even so, Ash struggled to mount an effective counterattack. The electric net quickly spread out in front of Pikachu, successfully blocking Zapdos's attack once again.

Zapdos' speed is indeed extraordinary, but it seems to be due to the explosive power of its legs; its movements are not actually that agile, which is why Ash was able to hold his own against it.

Although Ash may seem like a reckless person, he is actually surprisingly bold and careful in battles. However, he is still lacking in this aspect when it comes to dealing with Pokémon like Zapdos, which pushes speed to the extreme.

Zapdos suddenly appeared not far away, looking at Pikachu and Ash with some impatience. He could sense that Pikachu could unleash even greater power, but the simple test just now seemed to indicate otherwise.

"Ash and the others... are they alright?"

Mao, who was watching from the sidelines, unconsciously clenched her fists and stared nervously at the arena. Shaymi in her arms shifted uncomfortably, but did not make a sound to disturb them.

"Wow—!"

Ash understood the urging in that cry, and since he was already looking for an opportunity to use his special move, he immediately responded.

"Pikachu! Here we go!"

She raised her hand and placed her baseball cap on Pikachu's head. In that instant, Z Crystal underwent an indescribable change, not just in appearance.

Mari and Mugentana, standing outside the arena, had exceptionally clear perceptions, with a faint hint of breaking through their limits mixed in.

A large amount of light began to gather on Ash and Pikachu. This scene aroused Zapdos' interest. It slightly pulled back its right foot, its claws digging into the ground, ready to meet Pikachu's attack.

"Oh—that move is indeed quite good. In terms of power alone, it is enough to cause considerable damage to Zapdos."

Mujita subconsciously leaned forward slightly, sensing the energy flow of this move with great interest.

"Our super-powerful power will become even stronger!"

Ash's light began to tilt towards Pikachu from the Z Crystal, and the surging, scorching energy brought with it an invisible wind pressure. Ash raised his right fist, and with his movement, a mark representing a Z-Move condensed in front of Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Ten Million Volts!!"

Accompanied by Ash's voice, Pikachu leaped into the air, its seemingly effortless stomp causing the ground to explode. Pikachu locked onto the still-moving Zapdos in mid-air.

The clear, cloudless sky began to rapidly gather dark clouds pulsating with lightning, obscuring the sun!

"Pikachu!!"

Seven colorful lightning bolts erupted from Pikachu, each one like a thunderbolt from the sky, filled with a chilling aura.

The blinding light spread out, making Pikachu appear as if it had transformed into the sun, scorching yet deadly.

Zapdos's feathers bristled, and with a slight push of its feet, the ground cracked under the surge of energy, and an even stronger gust of wind spread out from Zapdos's center.

"唳——!!"

The moment Zapdos opened its mouth wide and let out a sharp cry, it vanished from its spot, the drawn-out sound seemingly piercing the sky!

Zapdos excitedly charged head-on at the seven bolts of lightning, its powerful legs shooting out, layer upon layer of Fighting-type energy intertwining on them, tearing through the air with a piercing boom.

boom--!!!

The two powerful attacks collided head-on, and a deafening explosion engulfed the entire area. The rampant energy and smoke even buried half of an ancient tree.

A dazzling golden beam of light shot straight into the sky, a terrifying spectacle that could be seen even from hundreds of miles away.

The little nine-tailed fox flashed to protect Mary and Yuri, its tail sweeping out, the cold wind mixed with ice and psychic power, creating a high wall in front of everyone, blocking the indiscriminate attack of overflowing electricity and flying dust.

Articuno reacted quickly, controlling its body to fly away from the explosion and avoid the aftershocks of the attack. Moltres, on the other hand, used its rising black flames to forcibly burn away the energy that was engulfing it.

"Cough-cough-"

Compared to those outside the arena, Ash, who was at the center of the explosion, was in a much worse state. Last time he fought Nihilego, the explosion was some distance away from him, which caused him to overlook the problem.

The beam of light was almost touching Ash's face, and Ash was directly enveloped in it. If it weren't for his superior physique and the fact that his body had already developed extremely high resistance to electricity, he might have collapsed to the ground right now and wouldn't be able to get up again.

Once the energy subsided and the thick smoke was swept away by the Nine-Tailed Fox, everyone could see the current state of the two sides in the battle.

Pikachu was actually in the best condition. As an Electric-type, she was not harmed by her own Electric-type move. Zapdos, which was taking the hit head-on, had some black smoke emanating from its body and its legs seemed to be trembling. It was clear that it had suffered a loss in the previous exchange of blows.

The most disheveled one was obviously Ash, who looked like he had suffered a disaster, with his clothes torn and charred.

"Oh...is Ash alright?"

Sonia tilted her head with some concern and asked Dr. Kukui a question.

"Judging from his expression, he should be alright."

Professor Kukui was actually quite guilty, but he felt relieved after seeing Ash's expression.

"Wow—!"

Zapdos's fletched feathers gradually closed up. There was no need to continue fighting now. He liked challenges, but he didn't always want to fight until one side was completely defeated.

Zapdos gestured to Ash, memorized his and Pikachu's scents, then turned and darted back to the tree.

"Oh—oh? You're not fighting anymore... Pikachu?"

Ash was stunned, then looked down and met Pikachu's eyes, who had understood what Zapdos had meant.

"Pickup!"

"Hmm... so you just run away after winning, Zapdos?"

Ash scratched his head, still looking troubled. Even after Pikachu explained, he still couldn't quite let go of the feeling of knowing he was no match for Pikachu and then being let off the hook.

"Be content, or your afternoon plans will be ruined."

Marie picked up where Ash left off, loudly complaining, and then, along with Yuri, rubbed Ninetales' head.

"Haha~ Mary is right. We still have other things to do. Let's get ready and get going."