Korrina's pupils shrank, shock churning in her chest. Same Mach Punch, yet her own Lucario's opening speed was completely suppressed—that was a first!
But this was Ash's Lucario after all. She couldn't read Aura like her grandpa Gurkinn, but she still had the keen eye unique to a Gym Trainer. In terms of Level, Ash's Lucario clearly surpassed hers, so losing a direct clash was almost inevitable.
Korrina shook her small head, throwing out the distracting thoughts. Battle intent burned even brighter in her blue eyes. "The stronger the better! Lucario, Force Palm!"
Lucario (Kor) steadied its stance and thrust its right palm forward. An invisible wave of force burst out across the distance toward Ash's Lucario.
"Dodge, then use Bullet Punch!" Ash reacted in an instant.
Lucario (Ash) twisted to the side, the Force Palm grazing past his fur and blasting a shallow pit into the ground. He kicked off, right fist wrapped in a metallic sheen, shooting straight for the opponent's midsection like a bullet!
Yet at that exact moment, Korrina's Lucario deliberately exposed an opening, as if showing a fatal gap. Just as Bullet Punch was about to land—
"Now! Counter!" Korrina shouted sharply.
Lucario (Kor) flared with a strange light, taking the Bullet Punch head-on. In the instant it absorbed the blow, it doubled that power, condensing it into both arms and smashing it back at its opponent!
"Oh no!" Misty cried out from the sidelines.
Ash remained unmoved. "Lucario, Detect!"
At the critical moment, Lucario (Ash)'s eyes flashed blue, Aura Power roaring to full output. Every twitch of the opponent's muscles, every trace of energy flow was clearly captured by him.
His body twisted at an impossible angle; the force of Counter roared past his side into empty air, missing him by a hair!
"What?!" Korrina's beautiful eyes flew wide.
This whole combo was a sequence she and Lucario had honed for a long time: deliberately sell a flaw to lure the opponent into attacking, then use Counter to deliver a fatal blow.
Normally, after using a Skill, the opponent's body would be briefly stiff, and on top of that her Lucario was fully prepared. The hit rate could basically be said to be one hundred percent.
Yet Ash's Lucario actually managed to use Detect in that kind of situation—that was just broken!
Detect was an Absolute Defense-type move just like Protect. One could block any attack of the same Level, while the other could dodge an opponent's attack with a hundred-percent certainty.
The effects were different, but the result was roughly the same—they both nullified the opponent's attack.
However, Detect wasn't like Protect. Though it also had absolute priority, it was far more demanding on one's own movements. With the posture Lucario had just now, even if he had "seen through" her Lucario's attack, he still shouldn't have been able to dodge it!
Aside from sheer power, Ash's Lucario definitely had something special going on. But no matter how special Ash's Lucario was, she wasn't going to lose. When it came to bonds with one's Pokemon, her bond with Lucario was in no way weaker than anyone's in the world!
She'd make up for the difference in strength with the bond and tacit understanding between her and her Pokemon!
"Lucario, Bone Rush!"
Lucario (Kor) brought its palms together, Aura Power condensing into two glowing white Bone Rods. As it swung them, a storm-like barrage erupted!
A sharp light flashed in Ash's eyes as he called out, "Lucario, Close Combat!"
Lucario (Ash) closed the distance in a blur, fists, elbows, knees, and legs chaining into an unending flurry, every strike carrying frightening power.
Even with the Bone Rods backing him up, Korrina's Lucario was beaten steadily backward!
Yet despite how strong Close Combat was, it still couldn't knock out Korrina's Lucario in a short time, only giving Ash a slight edge.
This situation brought a look of delight to Korrina's face, while Gurkinn's thick white brows furrowed deeply.
Korrina was happy that her Lucario could withstand Ash's Lucario's offense. In her eyes, this was clearly her Lucario's superior battle experience kicking in—but that was only what Korrina thought.
Korrina's Lucario was only at Gym Intermediate Level. Among Trainers its age, having a Pokemon at that Level was already quite outstanding. But in front of Ash's Lucario, that Level was a bit lacking.
Ash's Lucario had reached Elite Level. Elite and sub-Elite Pokemon were completely different tiers. Battle experience could make up for some Level gap, but there was no way it could cover a chasm that huge!
With his wealth of experience, Gurkinn could tell that Ash's Lucario was far from "just high Level." Judging by Ability Values alone, it might already be unrivaled among Junior Elite Level, and even an ordinary Mid-Elite Level opponent might not beat Ash's Lucario in raw stats.
In that case, how could Korrina's Lucario possibly be fighting Ash's Lucario to a standstill?
"This Lucario…" Gurkinn stood at the edge of the field, a strange light flickering in his clouded eyes. "Is learning!"
The older the ginger, the spicier it is. Gurkinn finally saw through Ash and his Lucario's true objective.
Ash's Lucario's offense was ferocious, but the strength behind it clearly didn't match Elite Level power. Instead, it was his originally somewhat clumsy combo strings that were growing smoother and smoother mid-battle. Certain extra startup motions were discarded, and his attack lines became increasingly tricky.