The Kecleon, struck by the Ice Punch, was sent flying backward, tumbling more than a dozen times on the rocky ground before finally coming to a stop. This punch directly forced the Kecleon out of its stealth state.
Although Kecleon hasn't lost its ability to battle, its current condition is clearly quite poor. Most importantly...
Drake just can't understand why Kecleon, with its high speed and attack speed, could still be caught by Snorlax and attack him first!
Another unscientific thing has happened right in front of me, damn it!
Every time such an unscientific thing happens, it challenges Drake's worldview and puts him at a disadvantage in battle.
Under normal circumstances, both the first and second Power-Up Punches should have hit Snorlax accurately and caused considerable damage.
It's even possible that Snorlax might lose its ability to battle after being hit by two Power-Up Punches.
But now, the first punch, which was an enhanced punch, caused almost no damage, and the second punch, which was a speed contest with the opponent, couldn't even keep up with the opponent's speed!
Snorlax was clearly unaware that Kecleon was behind it at first; it was Ash who alerted it.
It has to be said that Ash's reminder was indeed very quick, and Snorlax trusted Ash's judgment without reservation, but... this Snorlax's speed was still a bit ridiculously fast!
The moment it heard Ash's command, it turned around and used Ice Punch to quickly transform into a Kecleon, hitting him with a speed that Snorlax couldn't match.
The same applies to Snorlax, which is at the beginner level of its class.
Even if it's a level higher than Kecleon, it still can't be faster than Kecleon. So, in the end, Ash's Snorlax is just a freak!
"Now's the time, Snorlax, use Mega Punch!" Ash swung his fist as if he were standing on the battlefield.
"Snorlax!" Snorlax leaped into the air, the height of which caused the surrounding audience to gasp in astonishment. It was hard to imagine that a creature weighing a thousand pounds could jump to such a height.
"Get up and become invisible!" Kecleon was still lying on the ground from the heavy blow of the Kecleon it had just received, and even Drake's shouts could not get it to stand up.
The next second, a shadow that blotted out the sky covered the Kecleon. The Kecleon already sensed that something was very wrong, but its body was completely unable to move.
"Boom!!" A deafening sound rang out on the field, and the entire arena seemed to shake three times. Dust billowed up, obscuring everyone's vision, but even without looking, it was clear that the Kecleon was probably in grave danger.
A moment later, the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, revealing Kecleon's figure. It had been shoved to the ground by Snorlax, its eyes glazed over, and it had lost its ability to battle.
However, judging from Kecleon's current state, it was hard to say whether it was defeated by Mega Punch or simply knocked unconscious by Snorlax's shove.
This is like a combination of a crushing mountain and a million-ton punch!
"Kecleon is unable to battle, Snorlax wins!" The referee waved his flag, declaring Snorlax the victor.
This also means that Drake has lost his second Pokémon.
"Come back, Kecleon, you've done your best."
He then recalled the Kecleon and encouraged it.
Ah! It's not that the Kecleon isn't strong enough, it's that the opponent is just too abnormal.
Snorlax is inherently tanky and powerful, but Ash's Snorlax is an all-rounder. The weak defense and slow speed that are common in Snorlax are nowhere to be seen in this Snorlax.
Its speed is faster than that of ordinary Pokémon of the same level, and its defense is far superior to that of a normal Snorlax.
No wonder Ash is often described as a freak trainer with a freak Pokémon; this assessment is not without reason.
The trainer is beyond reason, and so are the Pokémon. Today's battle will be an unprecedentedly tough fight!
Because so far, Ash hasn't used a single Pokémon that appeared at the Indigo League conference!
The Pokémon he used were all new faces. There are two possibilities: either these two Pokémon were ones that Ash had caught before but hadn't used, or they were ones that Ash caught after the Indigo League!
How long has it been since the Indigo League? About a month, right?
If Ash just caught those two Pokémon, their level increase is just too fast. How did he manage that?
Drake suppressed his doubts and took out another Poké Ball: "Go, Onix!"
With a flash of light, an elf made entirely of rock appeared on the field, its segments of rock combining to form a giant python.
This Onix was a higher level than the previous two Pokémon, and its strength had reached the beginner level of a professional.
Ash paused for a moment when he saw this, but then took out a Poké Ball and recalled Snorlax: "Thank you for your hard work, Snorlax, come back now."
After recalling Snorlax, Ash took out his third Pokémon: "I choose you, Crystal Onix!"
"Roar!!" A deafening roar echoed across the field as an Onix, which looked the same as Drake's but was completely different in form, appeared on Ash's side.
Drake's Onix is made entirely of gray rock, while Ash's Onix is made entirely of icy white crystal.
If Drake's Onix was created by God randomly picking a few stones and crudely crafting them, then Ash's Onix was meticulously sculpted by God and created with countless efforts.
When the Crystal Onix made its first appearance, the entire audience erupted in cheers once again.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? Is it Onix? How come its entire body is like crystal?!"
"Wow, this Onix is so beautiful!"
Although it's a bit unfair to say this, Drake's Onix looks like it's not even in the same league as Ash's!
"Indeed, putting aside strength for now, in terms of appearance alone, Ash's Onix already blows Drake out of the water! What did Ash just say? Crystal Onix? It really is called Crystal!"
"What a fitting name! I wonder if it's just a difference in color, or if it's really made entirely of crystal. If it were completely made of crystal, wouldn't you be rich if you dug out a piece?"
"To be fair, it's true that the rocks on Onix's body are renewable resources, and they will continue to fall off and increase in hardness as its strength increases. If Ash's Crystal Onix had such a mechanism, he could become wealthy just by scavenging!"
" ...."
The appearance of the Crystal Onix has undoubtedly caused a great deal of attention.
The level of discussion surrounding this behavior, so different from that of Onix, is unprecedented in the public eye.
Shiny Pokémon usually have fixed colors. For example, Ralts's shiny hair is always blue, while Onix's shiny hair is gold. Ash's Onix is clearly not shiny; it's more like a variant.
It's unclear whether this form of Onix is unique to this region or a regional variation.
Drake was slightly taken aback by the Crystal Onix's appearance, but he quickly recovered and praised it profusely, saying, "What a beautiful Onix! Compared to yours, mine looks like a crudely made one... But Pokémon battles aren't about who looks better; in the end, strength is what matters!"
"That's what I think too! Crystal Onix, get ready! This is your first battle, so let's work together and give it our all!" Ash said excitedly, his eyes slowly closed at that moment.
Immediately afterwards, azure blue aura energy emerged from Ash's appearance and then gradually flowed into the Crystal Onix's body.
"The aura resides in my heart."
"Roar!!" The Crystal Onix roared to the sky once again after receiving the immense power. This was not the first time it had received this power, but it was the first time it had applied it in actual combat.
When Ash first caught the Crystal Onix, his strength was only at the advanced beginner level. Although he trained for a period of time and reached the advanced peak level, he was still not qualified to fight on a battle stage of this level.
The opponent's Onix is a professional-level Onix; without some external means, one wouldn't even be qualified to compete with it.
The training they received during this period has already made Ash and Crystal...
The Onix had developed a strong bond with Ash, and except for the day it battled the legendary Pokémon, the Crystal Onix was always on Ash's back, training diligently day and night.
Ash's cooking skills and Ash's attitude towards Pokémon are what allowed him to raise Onix's friendship level so high in such a short time.
Ash tried to establish a aura connection with Onix yesterday, and surprisingly, it succeeded on the first try. This is one of the reasons why Ash decided to send Onix out today.
If a aura link cannot be established, Ash would never bring Onix along, no matter what. Even if he wanted Onix to appear in a formal battle, this wouldn't be the time.
A disparity in strength will only make the battle predictable.
However, the situation is different now. After establishing the aura link, the Crystal Onix's strength has skyrocketed to Elite.
At his peak, although he was still not up to the opponent's professional level, the gap was at least not insurmountable.
"What's going on? That Onix seems to have suddenly become much stronger. Is it just my imagination...?" Drake frowned slightly. Although they hadn't started fighting yet, he could clearly feel that the Crystal Onix's aura was completely different after Ash closed his eyes.
This comes from the intuition of experienced trainers, and it's generally accurate.
"Crystal Onix, use Ice Beam!" After establishing a aura link, Ash launched an attack without hesitation.
An icy blue light condensed in the mouth of the Crystal Onix. Drake suppressed his doubts and waved his hand, shouting, "Onix, use Dig to get out of the way!"
"Roar!" Onix raised its head slightly, then suddenly plunged headfirst into the thick rocky ground beneath it.
A large hole was opened, and Onix quickly burrowed into it, but the speed at which Crystal Onix unleashed its Ice Beam still exceeded Drake's expectations.
The icy blue light streaked across the air, seemingly freezing it completely. The icy light finally struck Onix's tail, and although it didn't hit it directly, it still managed to inflict damage.
"Such a fast Ice Beam... As expected, Ash's Crystal Onix isn't just different in appearance and name; its type must also be different from ordinary Onix. At the very least, it has the Ice type." In a single glance, Drake analyzed some of the Crystal Onix's information.
Normally, Onix would never be able to use a move like Ice Beam. Since the opponent was able to use Ice Beam and at such a high speed, it means that Ice Beam is a STAB move for Crystal Onix.
Therefore, the attributes of Crystal Onix are self-evident; at the very least, it is certain to have the Ice attribute.
Pokémon battles, intelligence is extremely important.
"Crystal Onix, locate the opponent, then use Iron Tail!" Ash's voice rang out again, but this time the command was a bit confusing for Drake.
What do you mean by finding Onix's location and then using Iron Tail? Can you even find it?
The Onix is currently underground. Unless you go down into the burrow with it, how can you possibly find it underground?
"Roar!!" Ash was met with a confident roar from Crystal Onix. He closed his eyes and began to use the magical power within his body to locate Onix.
Although Onix is underground, its presence is virtually impossible to miss with the detection capabilities of Aura!
Seconds later, the Crystal Onix's tail turned metallic, and then it began to swing its long tail...
Its body moved across the field. Although the Crystal Onix looked clumsy, it still moved very fast with its swinging motion.
Soon, Crystal Onix moved to the vicinity of the frozen pool in the center of the arena, and then its steel tail, which had already solidified, slammed down!
The thick ground was smashed open with countless cracks. In less than a second, the rocky ground shattered, and the terrifying impact was injected into the ground. A miserable cry came from the ground under the bombardment of the Crystal Onix!
Drake's expression changed drastically. The voice was undoubtedly his Onix's voice, but how did the other party do it? Onix was constantly moving underground, yet the other party found Onix's location in an instant.
Could it be that the Crystal Onix has X-ray vision?!
Under the bombardment of the Crystal Onix, even the Onix beneath the earth couldn't withstand the force of the shockwave and emerged from the ground.
At this moment, the Onix appears to have suffered quite a few injuries.
He's clearly the one with the higher level, but from the start until now, he's been constantly restricted. Not only has he not been able to touch his opponent even once, but he's also been beaten up all over. Is that reasonable?!