Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

His expression froze on his face.

The faint smile at the corner of his mouth froze, then disappeared little by little.

What do you mean?

Is this a reference to his original ranking of only 16, mocking his lower original ranking?

A greenhorn, fresh out of school, made it to the semi-finals in his first year at the tournament.

And his best result in fan fighting, after so many years, is only the top 16?

Shan Dou's temples throbbed twice.

As a native of Northeast China, he was completely overwhelmed by the trash talk before the game.

After all, lies don't hurt people; only the truth is a sharp knife.

Because the truth is the truth, and the top 16 are the top 16.

"Boy."

Shan Dou narrowed his eyes, his breathing becoming heavier as his defenses crumbled.

"I didn't expect you to be so good at trash talk!"

Xiao Zhi was taken aback.

Trash talk?

Wasn't what he just said just trash talk?

He turned his head and looked at Pikachu with a puzzled expression.

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu, who had just maintained its aloof and docile demeanor, is now completely bewildered.

It never expected that Ash's attack power would be so strong.

With a casual remark, he exposed the opponent's weakness.

"Are I telling the truth?"

Ash, seeing through Pikachu's thoughts, said with an innocent expression.

"Going from the round of 16 to the semifinals is really impressive..."

After a loud discussion, Shan Dou's face turned even uglier.

Whispers spread like ripples on water from the stands.

"Was that kid serious or just pretending?"

"I can't believe it... his expression is so sincere."

"If it's an act, then the acting is just too good, isn't it?"

"What if it's true? Does he really think that making it to the semifinals from the round of 16 is amazing?"

Some people couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Doesn't that mean that in his eyes, Shan Dou should have stayed in the top sixteen?"

"puff--"

"Stop laughing, stop laughing, be serious, pfft—"

The laughter was suppressed, but the barely suppressed feeling lingered in the air.

Shan Dou clenched his fist.

"Good, very good!"

He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words.

"Then let's see who's the best!"

......

The discussion in the stands continued.

"Speaking of which, who is that kid?"

Someone asked.

A middle-aged man next to me was flipping through a picture book and answered without looking up.

"Ash is from our Kanto region. He was relatively unknown before, and it seems this is his first time participating in a tournament like this."

"First time? And you can make it to the semi-finals?"

"I guess it was just luck?"

Someone muttered.

You can't say that.

A middle-aged man with a thick beard interrupted.

"You guys didn't watch the previous matches, did you? This guy used a Primal Rush to wipe out all the players in an entire region—not just one or two, but all of them!"

"Infernape?" someone asked with interest. "That's definitely something, but why haven't we seen Infernape today?"

Only then did everyone notice—

Standing next to Ash is a Pikachu.

The Pikachu was squatting on the grass, its fur gleaming in the sunlight.

It looks a bit more muscular than a regular Pikachu, and you can see the lines of its muscles.

But... Pikachu is Pikachu.

Someone couldn't help but speak up.

"They used Primala to get into the semifinals, but then switched to Pikachu in the semifinals?"

"Isn't this ridiculous?"

"Is the Primeape injured?"

"That's such a pity... I was hoping to see him fight that royal masked man."

"Fight the royal masked men?"

The person next to him shook his head.

"Don't even think about it. That masked man's strength is on a completely different level from the others."

"If Xiao Zhi were to run into him, he would only last for two more minutes."

"That's true, but second and third should be fine, right?"

"We'll see how they perform. But today's match... using Pikachu? That's risky."

"Although Fan Dou was in the top 16 before, he has been training his Quick Punch for many years and is very experienced. Pikachu is just Pikachu, what kind of trouble can it cause?"

In a corner of the stands, in the VIP section, Shiba crossed his arms and listened to the surrounding chatter.

His imposing figure was slumped in the chair, yet he still exuded an aura of power, as if he might stand up at any moment.

He shook his head.

The movements were very light, yet they carried a certain knowing in their hearts.

He's still so young, his eyesight is terrible!

Pikachu?

What happened to Pikachu?

Even among the weakest races, there can be a few individuals who are absolutely astonishing.

......

In the center of the arena, the breached fan-shaped structure no longer wanted to utter a single word.

He stared intently at Xiaozhi opposite him, his chest heaving, each breath as if trying to suppress the fire in his chest.

But the fire not only didn't go out, it burned even brighter.

The moment the referee announced the start of the battle.

He then pointed with his hand and took the initiative.

Since we can't win with words, let's let our strength speak for itself!

"Fast Fist Man, Sonic Fist!"

"Yebi!"

The instant the command was given, Quick Fist Man moved.

Its legs stomped hard on the ground, lifting a small patch of grass.

It lunged at Pikachu with a whooshing sound.

His right fist was tucked to his waist.

Muscles tense, joints poised for action.

One punch!

Swift as the wind!

A gasp of surprise immediately erupted from the audience.

"So fast! I can't see it at all!"

"That punch is almost at the speed of sound!"

"A true sonic punch!"

As the Pokémon with the fastest punch, it used the fastest punching move.

This speed... is definitely not something that ordinary trainers and Pokémon can handle!

Unfortunately, the opponents were not ordinary trainers and Pokémon.