Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

Xiaoxia's face paled instantly, and she subconsciously took half a step back, her breathing becoming rapid.

She could clearly hear her heart pounding wildly in her chest, almost shattering her ribs.

The shadows of her childhood, like icy seawater, instantly overwhelmed her.

Scared?

Yes, she was still afraid.

But this time, she chose to face it head-on!

Ash stood on the opposite side, taking in Misty's fear and struggle in that instant.

The playful expression on his face gradually faded, and his gaze under the brim of his hat became deep and thoughtful.

I see... So you want to get over the past?

He slowly raised his hand and grasped the much heavier Poké Ball at his waist, his voice low and solemn:

"Friend!"

"No need to say more!"

"I have realized your determination!"

"I can already sense your domineering intent!"

"Overcome your past fears and prove your magnanimity in this moment!"

"Respond to her realization—come out, you sea scoundrel!!"

Golden light flashes!

It was more dazzling and larger than Xiaoxia's Gyarados, and the shockwave caused by its heavy body crashing down even made the entire arena hum.

The golden scales shimmered under the bright light, and the scarlet dragon eyes looked down at its blue counterpart opposite it.

Two Gyarados, one blue and one gold, faced each other across this watery arena.

Xiaoxia was stunned for a moment by Xiaozhi's sudden, overly dramatic declaration. Her cheeks inexplicably flushed, and she subconsciously retorted, "What do you know! You jerk!"

She never told him that she was afraid of Gyarados!

Especially don't talk to me like that!

You bastard, do you think I'm a Pokémon?!

But inexplicably, the fear that was almost crushing her seemed to be somewhat lessened by this bastard's nonsensical yet incredibly serious words.

Xiao Zhi's words sounded unreliable.

But the power in those words was indeed conveyed.

Xiaoxia abruptly shook her head, clearing her mind of distractions, and pointed her arm forward like a sharp sword: "Gyarados! Hydro Pump!"

Almost simultaneously with the command being given, Ash's voice followed like a whirlwind: "Waterfall! Charge through!"

"Roar--!!!"

The blue Gyarados opened its massive jaws, and a thick beam of energy, imbued with high-pressure water, shot out like an enraged dragon, tearing through the air and hurtling straight toward the head of the golden Gyarados.

The Golden Gyarados let out an even more ferocious roar, its body instantly enveloped in surging water. Without dodging or avoiding, it charged headlong into the water cannon, which was powerful enough to shatter rocks.

"boom--!!!"

The water cannon and the golden figure of the waterfall collided violently.

Countless water droplets shot out wildly in all directions like bullets, causing the surrounding energy barrier to buzz and ripple.

With its superior ferocity and physique, the Golden Gyarados forcefully shattered most of the Water Cannon's energy and slammed it into the Blue Gyarados's jaw.

"Roar!!" The blue Gyarados let out a painful roar, thrown backward by the brute force.

"Now! Crush it!" Xiaoxia's command was quick and urgent, showing no panic despite being at a disadvantage in the first encounter.

Blue Gyarados suddenly steadied itself, and using the momentum of its backward lean, its massive jaws, filled with sharp teeth and imbued with Dark-type energy, viciously bit into the exposed side of Golden Gyarados's neck.

Ash's eyes narrowed: "Aqua Tail!"

The Golden Gyarados's thick tail, like a giant golden whip, swept with a torrent of water, striking first despite being behind, and with an overwhelming force that could sweep away everything, fiercely lashed at the Blue Gyarados's side.

boom--

The heavy impact sound made my teeth ache!

The water jets lashed out at the blue Gyarados, halting its jaws abruptly. The massive creature was sent flying sideways, carving deep furrows across the water's surface.

"Roar!!!"

The blue Gyarados roared angrily, and the Crunch energy that had grazed its neck tore open several scales, causing blood to seep out.

Xiaoxia's heart clenched, not because Gyarados was injured, but because its ferocious state and deafening roar, so close at hand, were constantly assaulting her nerves.

Fear, like cold vines, tried to entwine itself once more.

She abruptly closed her eyes, then forced herself to open them immediately.

Can't retreat!

Absolutely no refunds!

"Dragon Dance!" Xiaoxia's voice was sharp with tension, but it carried a resolute determination.

A surge of frenzied Dragon-type energy erupted from the blue Gyarados, its speed suddenly increased, and its massive body began to swim and circle in the water with an agility disproportionate to its size, its power rising steadily.

"I can't let you get too much power-up." Ash smirked. "Dragon Rage!"

The golden Gyarados roared, and destructive energy began to gather wildly in its mouth. The blazing orange-red light illuminated its ferocious face, as if it were holding a miniature sun about to explode in its mouth.

"Stop it! Freeze Fang!" Xiaoxia knew she couldn't let that terrifying Dragon's Fury take shape.

The blue Gyarados, enhanced by Dragon Dance, was incredibly fast, breaking through the water like a blue lightning bolt. Its massive jaws, covered in icy cold air, snapped at the head of the golden Gyarados as it charged up.

"Too slow!" Ash's voice was filled with absolute confidence. "Pulse out!"

The golden Gyarados abruptly interrupted the full charge of Dragon Rage, unleashing its extremely unstable and violent energy like a breath.

Although it wasn't the complete Dragon's Fury, the out-of-control torrent of orange-red energy still carried terrifying destructive power, blasting towards the onrushing blue Gyarados at close range.

"Oh no!!" Xiaoxia's expression changed drastically.

The blue Gyarados reacted extremely quickly, plunging headfirst into the water.

Boom——

An unstable torrent of energy grazed its dorsal fin and shot into the pool behind it, exploding violently like a depth charge, creating a huge column of water!

Water droplets fell like a torrential downpour.

The two Gyarados were temporarily obscured by the churning, murky water.

Xiaoxia was breathing heavily, her forehead covered in cold sweat, staring intently at the gradually calming water.

Fear persists, like a maggot clinging to a bone.

But another, even more intense emotion was burning fiercely in his chest—the will to fight alongside his comrades and strive for victory!

The waves gradually subsided.

Two enormous creatures reappeared, facing each other across the water. Both were wounded and panting, their scarlet dragon eyes fixed on each other, an even more ferocious aura brewing within them.

Xiaoxia looked at the golden behemoth opposite her, which still exuded a terrifying aura even when it was injured, and then looked at the blue Gyarados in front of her, which was still holding its ground despite being covered in wounds.

She suddenly smiled.

Fear remains, but the courage to face it is not lacking.

"Gyarados!"

"Let it see..."

"Our all!"

"Ultimate impact!!"

Chapter 42 [Defend] skill is a must-learn~

Ash's pupils contracted slightly as he faced the ultimate impact that roared towards him like a blue meteor.

He could feel the almost insane, resolute power contained in that self-sacrificing strike; the air itself was compressed into a piercing explosion.

"Tide Rogue - Hold on!" Ash's voice remained clear and cold amidst the roar, without the slightest hesitation.

Gyarados has a deep skill pool and can learn many skills.

The number of moves a Pokémon knows is also an indicator of its strength.

The more skills you have, the more situations you can adapt to, and the fewer situations you will be helpless in.

No matter what cards the opponent plays, we always have a countermeasure; that's a powerful safety net.

Protect is one of the skills that almost all Pokémon must learn.

In this world, Pokémon do not have a limit of four moves.

Therefore, [holding on] is essential to learn.

You can learn something without mastering it, but you must be able to do it.

You don't need to be proficient in using it continuously, but it's enough to succeed once in a dangerous situation.

However, this move is quite difficult to learn.

He only received instruction after Xiaogang joined the group.

Besides Pokémon learning on their own, skills can also be learned through normal teaching methods.

Of Ash's Pokémon, only Pikachu and Gyarados have learned it so far.

Pikachu is progressing faster than Gyarados, which is currently only at level 1 and can barely be used.

Pidgey hasn't learned yet.

Meow Meow is even further behind... and she's not even around right now.

...It can only be said that there are still differences in the individual abilities of different Pokémon.

Learning ability is one aspect that is difficult to quantify.

A hint of resentment flashed in the golden Gyarados's scarlet eyes—it longed to meet force with force and charge head-on.

It's extremely agitated right now, far less able to control its emotions than Xiaoxia's blue Gyarados.

But the golden Gyarados had already done its best.

The instructions from the trainer are like ironclad rules.

Its massive body was instantly enveloped by a layer of pale green, seemingly fragile energy shield.

The Level 1 defense was successfully used!

The instant the light mask was formed—

"boom!!!!!!!"

The ultimate blue torrent, like an out-of-control flash flood, crashed solidly into the pale green barrier.

The noise was deafening.

The entire water arena trembled violently, as if it were about to disintegrate at any moment.

The energy barrier emitted a piercing shriek under the strain, instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, flickering as if it were about to collapse completely at any moment.

The pale green protective shield emitted a teeth-grinding twisting sound under such a terrifying impact, its surface rippled violently, as if it would shatter like glass at any moment.

The massive body of the golden Gyarados was propelled backward by this overwhelming force, its thick tail carving out huge white gullies in the water.

It let out a muffled, painful roar; clearly, even though it had blocked most of the impact, the vibrations and pressure it received still made it extremely uncomfortable.

Holding firm does not make one invincible.

The terrifying kinetic energy of the ultimate impact still needs to be withstood and neutralized by its own body!

Xiaoxia clenched her fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms. Her eyes were fixed on the center of the collision, and her breath stopped.

She could feel everything her Gyarados had poured into that attack.

That was not just energy, but a resolute determination that resonated with her and transcended fear.