"I choose you, Snorlax!" Ash threw the Poké Ball in his hand, releasing his second Pokémon. With a flash of light, a round, chubby Pokémon appeared on the field.
This Pokémon is the Snorlax that Ash caught after arriving in the Orange Islands.
This was Ash's first battle since catching Snorlax. When he first saw Snorlax, Ash was amazed. He had seen many Pokémon with S-rank talent, but this was the first time he had seen one in the wild that had honed its stats to the extreme.
Moreover, this Snorlax actually possesses an S-rank speed talent, and it has already reached the very top level.
This peculiar Snorlax is probably the only one of its kind in the entire world.
After catching Snorlax, Ash kept it with Professor Oak, but he also gave Professor Oak a special recipe for Energy Cubes so that Snorlax could get enough nutrition while staying with Professor Oak.
For Pokémon like Snorlax, ordinary food cannot satisfy him; only compressed food like Energy Cubes can satisfy his appetite.
With sufficient food, Snorlax can improve rapidly even without training or battles, and this is especially evident in his Snorlax.
With Professor Oak's unlimited supply of Energy Cubes, Snorlax usually does nothing but eat and sleep, occasionally getting up to move around. Its level has now risen from Elite High to Beginner!
Although it only involved a major level and a minor level increase, on one hand, this was something Snorlax hadn't done before.
The improvement brought about by any training is, on the other hand, a leap from elite to professional. Back in the day... well, not really back then, anyway, it was quite a struggle for Ash to train a professional-level Pokémon, taking a considerable amount of time.
Even so, his speed in training Pokémon and the speed at which they grow have been hailed by outsiders as an astonishing rate of improvement. When it comes to improving Pokémon, if he is second, probably no one in the world will be first.
And now, Snorlax's improvement rate is even faster than the rate he used to train and improve his Pokémon!
Its improvement speed is probably second only to Infernape in the team, but Infernape is different!
That guy is a workaholic. When he was at Oak's lab, he was fighting with other Pokémon every day and was always either training or on his way to training. How could his improvement not be fast!
On the other hand, Snorlax... sigh, talent, needless to say, it's just that talent, sometimes, is indeed...
It's infuriating, but Snorlax's level of power is largely due to what it eats. Even if it only eats Energy Cubes, it still costs Ash a considerable amount of money every day.
Thankfully, Ash is now financially independent. If it were when he first started his journey, he wouldn't have been able to afford to raise Snorlax; Professor Oak would have had to pay for it.
Ash chose to recall Lapras, the Pokémon that won the first match, and switched to Snorlax. Facing Kecleon's small and agile body, Ash chose to use Snorlax to deal with it.
Was he trying to use stillness to overcome movement?
The size of Kecleon is vastly different from that of Snorlax, and its agility is on a completely different level. Snorlax, despite being such a large Pokémon, is notoriously slow, so catching Kecleon would be quite difficult.
At least in the host's opinion, having Snorlax appear was less desirable than having Lapras, who had just been displaying its power, continue Fighting.
But in Drake's eyes, that goofy Snorlax had an aura that was far more dangerous than Lapras had been.
Based on his guess, this Snorlax was at least at the peak of the Elite level. Although Lapras was quite good in its application of skills and its synergy with Ash, its level was ultimately only at the beginner level of the Elite.
If Ditto didn't forcibly match the opponent's stats, Lapras would have been no match for it.
Unfortunately, this is both Ditto's strength and its weakness. If Ditto were used to deal with this Snorlax, it might be easier than using Kecleon...
But now that Ditto is unable to battle, Kecleon has no choice but to test its strength first.
"The Kecleon blend into surroundings."
"Kecleon!" The Kecleon's body quickly transformed into the same shape as the surrounding rocky terrain and disappeared from the field.
However, the Kecleon's invisibility cannot completely conceal itself. After it becomes invisible, the pattern in the middle of its body will retain its original color, and this red pattern stands out conspicuously in a brown rocky arena.
"Snorlax, see that? Use Ice Beam!" Ash pointed at the red spot and gave the command to Snorlax.
"Huff~ Huff~" Ash responded with a soft snore, which almost made the confident Ash stumble.
Good heavens, he didn't even notice that Snorlax was actually asleep!
Normally, he didn't interfere with Snorlax's eating and sleeping routine, because that was Snorlax's unique training method. However, in…
You can't fall asleep during a match!
His Snorlax hasn't learned the Sleep Talk skill yet, so sleeping obviously means it can't battle.
Drake was initially wary of Snorlax, ready to command Kecleon to dodge and counterattack at any moment. However, after Ash's commands to Snorlax went unanswered, he realized that Snorlax had actually fallen asleep!
Because Snorlax's eyes are usually squinted, it's impossible to tell whether he's awake or asleep.
When Ash released Snorlax, Snorlax sat on the ground, which looked like it was just sitting normally. In reality, Snorlax was asleep while sitting.
This left Drake somewhat speechless, both amused and exasperated.
I never expected Ash to make such a basic mistake!
But there's no time for mercy on the battlefield. Strike while the iron is hot; that's the way of the game.
Taking advantage of Snorlax's sleep, Drake seized the opportunity to attack: "Kecleon, use Power Punch!"
Kecleon is a Pokémon that excels in physical attack, so Drake taught Kecleon the Fighting-type move Boost Punch, which can boost physical attack and increase coverage!
Fighting-type moves are super effective against Snorlax. Don't be fooled by Snorlax's tough exterior; its physical defense isn't actually that high. So, this power-up punch will definitely be incredibly effective!
Ash reached out his hand, but ultimately didn't use Aura to wake Snorlax. Instead, he covered his face and decided to let Snorlax take the hit head-on, hoping that this would wake it up.
Using aura in this situation feels a bit like cheating, after all, that Kecleon…
Its level is even lower than Snorlax's!
"Swoosh!" Kecleon revealed itself, its Fighting-type power concentrated in its small fist, and it unleashed a devastating attack on Snorlax!
Snorlax remained seated, motionless, until Kecleon's fist struck its large belly hard, without Snorlax uttering a sound.
His soft stomach was dented by the heavy blow of the fist, but the next second, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Snorlax's belly fat, like an inflated cushion, instantly burst forth with tremendous elasticity, forcefully deflecting Kecleon's fist!
The rebound force far exceeded the expectations of the Kecleon. His small body was as if it had been blasted away by an invisible force, arcing through the air before crashing heavily onto the rocky ground several meters away with a dull thud. The fighting-type power that had been gathered in his fist also dissipated instantly.
"Kecleon?" Kecleon struggled to his feet, his short legs still trembling slightly. His eyes were filled with astonishment, clearly not understanding why his sure-fire punch had ended up like this.
He was clearly the attacker, so how did he end up being the one who got hurt?
Snorlax remained seated until the aftershocks of the impact reached his body, at which point he slowly stirred. His round head swayed slightly, and his eyes, which had been half-closed, slowly opened a crack, filled with lingering sleepiness and a hint of confusion from being just awakened.
He raised his thick paw and gently touched his soft belly, then pressed the spot where he had been hit. There was no pain on his face, but rather a hint of confusion, as if he were trying to confirm what had pressed on his stomach and woke him up.
"Snorlax?" Snorlax slowly stood up from the ground, its round head bobbing from side to side as if looking around.
It wondered where it was.
Ash shook his head helplessly: "This guy actually treated that attack like a massage. But it's good he's awake… Snorlax, get ready to battle! This is your first battle, so cheer up!"
Ash's shouts finally brought Snorlax back to its senses and made it clear what was going on.
Although he was a little unhappy about being disturbed from his sleep, he has been well taken care of since coming to Ash's side. Without Ash, he would still be wandering around various islands, constantly looking for food.
So, in order to repay the trainer who fed him until he was plump and healthy, he now has to take action!
On the other side, Drake was dumbfounded again. Wasn't this supposed to be the case?
Fighting-type attacks, which had a type advantage, were hitting Snorlax, but it was like tickling him.
Oh, it should be one more forceful than tickling.
Otherwise, Snorlax probably wouldn't even be able to get out of bed, but is that right?!
Given its relatively weak defense, Snorlax managed to withstand a punch from a Kecleon. If it were a Special Defense Pokémon… just how terrifying would that defense be!
His Kecleon is at the peak of elite level. Even if that Snorlax is also at the peak of elite level, it shouldn't have such terrifying defense. It's more like a peak professional level!
But the facts were undeniable, leaving Drake no choice but to believe. He took two deep breaths, forcing himself to suppress his trembling emotions, and then said with a serious expression, "Kecleon, be careful, this guy is no ordinary being!"
"What the hell!" The expression on the Kecleon's face was even more solemn than Drake's. He didn't need Drake to remind him to know, after all, being knocked away by his own attack was a first for him!
"My God, what happened? Chief Drake's Kecleon attack not only had no effect on Snorlax, but it even woke Snorlax from its deep sleep. Is this Snorlax's defense really that terrifying?" The host exclaimed in shock at the right moment. Even with his experience, this was the strongest Snorlax he had ever seen in his life!
"Now that we've countered Snorlax, use Ice Punch!" Ash waved his hand, truly beginning to command Snorlax to attack.
"Kecleon, become invisible!" With Drake's command, the Kecleon's body color once again blended into the surrounding environment. Although the red patterns on its belly could not be hidden, being invisible was better than not being invisible at all.
The current Kecleon is essentially only visible in its belly area, making it a smaller target and actually quite difficult to find once it starts moving.
After concealing its form, Kecleon immediately began to move.
To outsiders, the red pattern on her abdomen looked like a ribbon floating in mid-air, as if some supernatural event had occurred.
The ribbon began to flutter wildly across the field at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, making it impossible to catch its form for a moment.
A layer of icy blue light had gathered on Snorlax's chubby fist, and a chilling aura emanated from its hand. Its round head kept turning as Kecleon moved, but it still couldn't catch Kecleon's position.
"Very good, use Power Punch again!" Seeing that Kecleon's speed had confused Snorlax, Drake pressed his advantage.
Although the previous Power-Up Punch was ineffective, the current Kecleon has been enhanced by the Power-Up Punch, raising its power to a new level.
Even if the second punch doesn't work, there will be a third.
The fourth punch, with the accumulated damage and increased physical attack, will eventually deal tons of damage to Snorlax!
That way, we can defeat Snorlax and also give Kecleon a huge boost.
Kecleon was as fast as lightning on the field, and in the blink of an eye it was behind Snorlax. Then, while still invisible, it threw a punch, and the sound of whistling wind could be heard in the air.
Ash's pupils constricted as he shouted, "Snorlax, right behind you!"
"Snorlax!!" Without the slightest hesitation, Snorlax turned around with incredible agility, unleashing Ice Punch that struck directly at the location of Kecleon behind it!
"Bang!!" The sound of a punch landing rang out, and half of the audience stood up at that moment, because the situation on the field was beyond everyone's expectations.
The one that got hit by the punch wasn't Snorlax, but the seemingly agile Kecleon!
Despite being outmaneuvered by its opponent, Snorlax managed to land a powerful Ice Punch first.