On the field, Crystal Onix and Onix faced off. Now the latter dared not make any rash moves. It had just used Dig and was hit by Crystal Onix's Ice Beam. Then it was easily found by the opponent underground. It couldn't even hit the opponent with the Dig move.
I don't know what special abilities this fellow has that allows him to find me even when I'm underground.
"It's at the advanced level, but it has the strength of an elite, almost a whole level above it. Compared to my Onix, it's only one level below. I don't know what methods Ash used to raise the Crystal Onix to this level. But even after the upgrade, my Onix still has the advantage. Since ground attacks won't work, let's fight it head-on!"
Drake quickly adjusted and prepared to change tactics to direct confrontation.
His Onix is a higher level than the opponent's Crystal Onix, so he would have the advantage in a head-on confrontation.
"Onix, use Rock Slide!" Ice-type is weak to Rock, so Rock-type attacks are very effective against Ice-types. But what Drake didn't know was that Crystal Onix not only has the Ice type, but also the Steel type!
Steel-type moves are resistant to Rock-type moves. Combining these two types means that Rock-type moves will only deal half the damage.
Rockfall quickly formed around Onix, with countless millstone-sized rocks, accompanied by howling winds, pouring down on the Crystal Onix like a torrential rain, causing the ground to tremble slightly from the pressure.
Drake's lips curled into a confident smile. In his opinion, even if the Crystal Onix was somewhat special, his Onix would still have the upper hand in a head-on confrontation.
"Crystal Onix, use Iron Tail!" Ash's command was crisp and efficient. As soon as he finished speaking, the crystal tail of Crystal Onix instantly shone with a cold metallic luster, and the originally translucent surface of its tail vertebrae flowed with a dark silver light.
Without flinching, it straightened its tail abruptly and then swung it at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, meeting the falling rockfall with a sharp, piercing sound.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of deafening collisions echoed as Iron Tail struck the rocks, each impact accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering. The seemingly heavy and hard rocks were as fragile as clay before the Crystal Onix's Iron Tail, all being smashed into tiny fragments. The flying stone chips filled the center of the battlefield, forming clouds of dust.
Drake's smile froze instantly, his eyes filled with astonishment: "How is this possible? The Rock Slide was completely shattered!"
He finally realized that this crystal Onix...
The skill, the power, the ease with which Iron Tail was used... there's no doubt that Crystal Onix possesses both Ice and Steel attributes!
It is precisely because of its steel attribute that the power of Iron Tail is greater and the speed is faster than the ordinary Iron Tail, which is why those rockfalls are shattered so cleanly.
Before the smoke and dust had even cleared, a swift figure darted out from within. Under the cover of the smoke and dust, the Crystal Onix charged towards the Onix like an arrow released from a bow.
His speed was much faster than that of an ordinary Onix. His crystal-covered body moved almost like a streak of light, instantly bridging the distance between them and closing in to within a few meters of the Onix.
"Oh no! Onix, quickly use Sacrifice Attack to counterattack!" Drake shouted in alarm, hurriedly issuing the command to defend and counterattack.
Although Onix was intimidated by the speed of Crystal Onix,
But it immediately obeyed the command, its whole body tensing up, its rock-like body radiating a white energy halo, and it charged towards the Crystal Onix without regard for anything else.
Drake's Onix has the Hard Head ability, so even if he uses Sacrifice, he won't suffer any damage from the counterattack. At this distance, using his body as a means of attack is undoubtedly the best defensive measure.
Just as Onix's body was about to collide with Crystal Onix, Ash calmly shouted, "Get out of the way!"
The Crystal Onix twisted its body strangely, as if it knew the Onix's attack path as if it had a premonition, and directly dodged the Onix's close-range self-sacrifice attack.
Onix's all-out attack missed, and its massive body slid forward a distance due to inertia, leaving its back completely exposed to Crystal Onix, who was caught off guard.
"Now! Steel Tail!" Ash seized the fleeting opportunity and issued the command again.
The snake's tail once again gathered steel-attribute energy, its luster even more intense than before. It suddenly turned around, its tail lashing out with immense force, striking the Great Onix's back hard.
A muffled boom echoed across the arena. The massive Onix's body crashed forward like a boulder struck by a heavy hammer, clear cracks appearing on the rocky surface of its back, and it let out a painful roar.
The steel tail was incredibly effective!
Drake clenched his fists, a hint of resentment and confusion on his face.
Why...? Onix should have a higher level, so why is its attack speed slower than its opponent's? And at such close range, even Onix couldn't dodge the attack, but its opponent did. Even if the Crystal Onix is more agile, the difference shouldn't be that much!
Everyone is an Onix, and his is also Onix, right.
Its level should also be higher, and its speed should theoretically be faster than the opponent's.
"Final blow, use Ice Fang!" As Ash's voice fell, the Crystal Onix was instantly enveloped in a bone-chilling aura. Its originally translucent fangs were now covered by a thick layer of ice crystals, and icy blue cold air kept overflowing from the fangs. The surrounding air was filled with white mist due to the extreme low temperature, and even a thin layer of ice condensed on the ground.
At this moment, Onix was struggling to lift its head from the excruciating pain of its steel tail, and it hadn't even mustered the strength to stand up, let alone make any defensive moves. Crystal Onix precisely swooped down, its icy fangs biting down hard into Onix's cracked body.
"Crack!" A crisp gnawing sound rang out on the field, and extreme cold air rushed into Onix's body through its fangs, taking away Onix's last bit of strength.
The Onix, which had been struggling, finally collapsed, its massive body crashing to the ground, signifying the end of Ash's battle.
It still ended in his victory.
By this point, Drake had lost three Pokémon to battle, while Ash's Pokémon were mostly still in their prime. The three Pokémon he sent out not only defeated their opponents but also escaped injury.
The toughest battle was actually the first one against Ditto. If Ash hadn't used a trick to make Ditto use a move it couldn't use, Lapras might have actually lost to Ditto.
However, in the end, Lapras emerged victorious.
"Since Captain Drake has three Pokémon that are unable to battle, we will be taking a break during the halftime break. The venue will be changed, so please wait a moment!"
As the host finished speaking, it meant that the battle was now halfway through.
Ash and Drake both returned to their chosen teams.
On the bench, the court began to slowly descend, and in less than ten seconds, a new court appeared on the field.
Unlike the previous venue, this venue is a mud and sand surface. The entire surface is not hard rock or ground, but soft mud and sand. If a heavyweight opponent were to play on this surface, the softness of the surface might make it difficult for them to move.
"Wow, Ash! The opponent is the top trainer of the Orange Islands! You defeated all three of their Pokémon without even losing a single one!" Serena said to Ash with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Although Ash's battles against legendary Pokémon were far more terrifying, Serena didn't really feel anything from that level of combat because it was too distant.
Battles between gods are often earth-shattering; they don't seem like battles between humans at all, but rather something else entirely.
It's a level thing.
On the contrary, this battle is more realistic, and it has allowed Serena to see the side of Ash's trainer skills.
"Hehe, I'm not bad either. I'm the champion of the Indigo League... But Mr. Drake didn't actually use his full strength. As the chief trainer of the Orange Islands, he can't only have professional-level Pokémon. He should at least have gym-level main Pokémon. Maybe the first half was just Mr. Drake testing me."
Ash wasn't arrogant because of the three victories. In his opinion, how could the chief trainer of the Orange Islands be so simple? So far, he has sent out two elite peak Pokémon and one professional beginner.
To be honest, this level of Pokémon doesn't really deserve Drake's position.
Leaving aside Drake's ace, who hasn't appeared in a long time,
In Ash's opinion, Drake's main Pokémon should normally be at the professional level or at the Gym level, but he's even at the Elite level...
This is even worse than some of the main Pokémon of the Gym Leaders in Kanto.
It's unclear whether it's because he's been dealing with low-level opponents for years, or for some other reason, but Drake has developed a habit of not showing his true strength.
However, now that three Pokémon have lost their ability to battle, Drake will probably send out his true main force next.
"Wasn't that Drake's full strength just now?" Serena tilted her head, looking puzzled, and asked.
"Hmm, it shouldn't be. When Misty first came out, she already had elite-level Pokémon. Someone like Mr. Drake... shouldn't only have Pokémon of that caliber." Ash nodded in affirmation.
Misty rolled her eyes. What do you mean by "even"?
She already had elite-level Pokémon when she first appeared...
Are elite-level Pokémon some kind of common thing? Those are genuine mid-to-high-level Pokémon!
However, she also knew that Ash didn't actually look down on elite-level Pokémon, nor did he look down on her. It was just that a trainer like Drake, who stood at the top of the entire Orange Islands, shouldn't have elite-level Pokémon as his main force.
This is like the Kanto Elite Four, where everyone's main force is only at the Gym Leader level. Is that realistic?
Although the Orange Islands are small, they are still a region, albeit a relatively small one. A trainer who stands at the top of a region would be equivalent to a champion in other regions.
Therefore, the three Pokémon that Drake sent out earlier were definitely not his main Pokémon.
"That's amazing! When will I be able to become such a skilled trainer..." Serena said with a hint of envy.
He muttered to himself.
"That day will come, after all, you're practically my disciple now." Ash rubbed Serena's head, then took the water Misty handed him and drank it down in one gulp.
"Thanks, Misty. It's my turn to go on stage now," Ash said, handing the cup back to Misty.
"Okay, keep it up!" Misty smiled and nodded encouragingly.
"Go for it, Ash!" Serena subtly touched the spot Ash had just rubbed, then joined Misty in encouraging him.
"Dear viewers, thank you for waiting. The halftime break is over, and the second half of the match has officially begun. After a few minutes of rest and adjustment, both Drake and Ash should have calmed down from their previous high-energy state. Will Drake be the one to turn the tide in the second half?"
Will Ash Ketchum emerge victorious, or will he prevail in the end?!
Amid the host's enthusiastic voice, Ash and Drake stood on the contestant's stage. Ash was still full of vigor and had a smile on his face, while Drake had calmed down and had obviously recovered from his previous high-spirited state.
"Ash, it may sound arrogant, but if you send out the same level of Pokémon as before, you might get wiped out by my single Pokémon!" Drake warned Ash as he took out a Poké Ball.
"Is it finally time for you to show your true skills, Mr. Drake!"
Ash's words startled Drake. So Ash knew he hadn't used his full power yet? Then, were those other Pokémon just like his, merely used for reconnaissance missions?
Considering Ash's performance at the Indigo League, it's actually quite possible... Interesting!
"Then my fourth Pokémon... Go, Electivire!!"
"Bang!" The Poké Ball exploded in the center of the field, and a black and white Electivire appeared on the field. This is the latest evolution of Electivire discovered in Sinnoh. Drake should have evolved this Pokémon not long after discovering its evolution form.
Although it's considered the latest, two months have already passed. Those who have the ability to obtain an Electric Amplifier will generally choose to evolve Electabuzz into Electabuzz, as evolution is a comprehensive upgrade for Electabuzz!
"Electivire... I'll use him then. It's your choice, Infernape!!" Ash thought for a moment, took out a Poké Ball from his waist and threw it. With a flash of light, a monkey Pokémon with flames flickering on its head appeared on the field.