Korrina stood there in a daze, stiff as if all her energy had been drained from her body.
Her gaze fell on the fallen figure at the edge of the field—Lucario lay among the rubble, eyes tightly closed, chest gently rising and falling, indicating it was still conscious but powerless to rise.
The lingering sparkle of Mega Evolution's light slowly drifted in the air, while fine dust continued to fall from the cracks on the Gym's walls. The whole Gym was so quiet that only the faint sound of rolling rubble and her own rapid breathing could be heard.
"How... could it be..." Korrina murmured, her voice almost inaudible.
Even during Mega Evolution, her Lucario was instantly defeated by a single punch from the opponent!
Before Mega Evolution, her Lucario could at least maneuver back and forth with the opponent, even gaining a brief upper hand in close combat.
How come after the evolution, the gap widened instead? It defies logic.
No… that's not it. Korrina forced herself to calm down and think rationally.
It must be after evolution that Ash and Lucario no longer restrained their strength, opting for full-fledged attacks, leading to her Lucario being instantly defeated.
Yes, the gap between them was indeed that huge. So vast that only now could she truly see it clearly.
If Ash hadn't initially wanted his Lucario to learn some battle skills and amass some battle experience, this fight might have ended at first glance.
Perhaps the outcome was already decided in the very first meeting, even before the Lucarios underwent Mega Evolution.
Thinking of this, Korrina took a deep breath and managed a bitter smile.
Ah… it really is quite a blow, especially since they are of similar age, and her grandfather always praised her as a genius, yet the gap was so enormous.
Compared with Ash, her talent was like a firefly trying to shine against the bright moon. No, maybe not even a firefly, just a weak candlelight susceptible to being extinguished by the night breeze at any moment.
Korrina took another deep breath, trying to relax her stiff expression, managing a passable smile as she turned to look at Ash, who was retrieving his Lucario on the other side of the field.
"Impressive." She tried to keep her voice steady, though a slight tremor was still audible. Her fingers clenched tightly and then loosened, a small action that betrayed the turmoil within her—she was not as calm as she appeared.
"Actually, Korrina's Lucario is pretty impressive too, much stronger than mine in battle techniques. It's just that my Lucario has an advantage in level." Ash waved his hand modestly.
His words were not merely modest but rather truthful. If purely based on combat skills and experience, his Lucario was genuinely not a match for Korrina's.
But at the same level, his Lucario could still prevail.
For although Lucario was lacking in combat experience compared to the opponent, in Aura Power manipulation, it was far superior.
Or perhaps, Korrina's Lucario lacked any experience in handling Aura Power.
Even if Lucario is naturally adept at using Aura, without someone to teach it, relying solely on its instinct to learn to master Aura would take extremely long.
Ash's Lucario's mastery of Aura surpassed most Champion Level Lucarios, demonstrating the difference between having a mentor and not.
Battle experience can be accumulated over time through fights, but if one lacks otherworldly perception or a good teacher for Aura Power manipulation, then even at the Champion Level, it remains weak.
Thus in battles of the same level, although Ash's Lucario lacked fighting experience, it could compensate with Aura Power.
Just like earlier, facing Korrina's Lucario's Extreme Speed Attack, Ash's Lucario predicted the opponent's attack trajectory using Aura Power, even without Detect, ultimately dodging the Extreme Speed, and countering with a close combat punch.
Of course, if combat experience could also be improved, that would be ideal.
"Level is a part of strength, and your training time wasn't as long as ours. We've been training together since childhood, yet still didn't win—it truly was a complete defeat." Korrina knelt in front of Lucario, showing a helpless smile.
She looked up at Ash, eyes filled with disappointment, yet also a bit of relief: "The gap in strength truly cannot be bridged. However—next time we meet, we will be stronger."
"Yes, I look forward to battling you again, Korrina!" Ash nodded, extending his hand toward Korrina.
Korrina also extended her small hand, clasping Ash's hand tightly.
"Clap, clap, clap!" Gurkinn walked forward slowly, face filled with satisfaction: "Well done, Korrina."
"You call that well done, Grandpa? I was instantly defeated by Ash's one move." Korrina gave a bitter smile; even if he wanted to comfort her, this wasn't the way!
"It's not comforting you. To quickly adjust your mindset after such a blow, you've already become a mature Gym Trainer. Strength isn't everything, the heart's growth is even more important." Gurkinn patted his chest with a stern expression.