"Dodge?"
For a moment, Gurkinn doubted his own ears. Aura Sphere was a move that locked onto the opponent's Aura. Guaranteed hit, unless countered by a more powerful move or an obstacle got in between.
Besides that, there was no other way to avoid it. That was basic common sense. But what had Ash just said? He'd actually told Lucario to dodge? Even if Lucario used a counter-move that couldn't fully neutralize the Aura Sphere, that would still be better than trying to dodge.
A second later, Gurkinn's pupils suddenly contracted. On the field, Ash's Lucario had stood motionless until the moment the massive Aura Sphere was about to hit him, and only then did his body slightly tilt to the side.
The Aura Sphere didn't track Lucario's sideways lean. Instead, it continued straight forward, plowing on relentlessly. Finally, the Aura Sphere whizzed past Lucario's body and slammed into the back wall of the Gym.
The near Champion-level Aura Sphere completely blew apart that section of the Gym. The wall was blown to pieces, the entire Gym even swayed precariously, and a bit of rubble kept falling from above. Very quickly, though, the entire structure stopped shaking, as if something had stabilized it.
Gurkinn's eyes widened, but his attention wasn't on the strange stabilization of the Gym. What shocked him was that Lucario had dodged the Aura Sphere. He'd actually dodged it. The Aura Sphere hadn't reacted at all to Ash's Lucario's sidestep. What was going on?
"Good opportunity, Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Ash's voice brought Gurkinn back to reality. He suddenly looked at the field, only to see Ash's Lucario had already condensed a dark blue Aura Sphere in his hands, its color even deeper than usual, with extremely high Aura density.
"Quick, dodge!" Gurkinn unconsciously shouted.
But it was too late. Ash's Lucario suddenly pushed the Aura Sphere out. It carved a deep arc in the air, flying straight toward Gurkinn's Lucario.
Gurkinn's Lucario paused, similarly calculating a dodge. He was equally sensitive to Aura, and in his observation, this kind of speed-tier attack was as slow as a moving black turtle. Dodging it shouldn't have been a problem. But a split second later, the Aura Sphere mid-flight traced a bizarre arc, precisely catching up with Gurkinn's Lucario's calculated dodge, and hitting him head-on.
"Ooh!" Gurkinn's Lucario let out a cry, sliding back several meters, a wisp of white smoke rising from the fur on his chest. Although the attack wasn't enough to inflict serious injury, it had definitely landed. Despite completely dominating the level matchup, he was the first to take a hit.
The entire arena fell silent. Korrina's eyes widened, her mouth open wide enough to fit a Poké Ball.
"Why can Ash's Lucario dodge Aura Sphere, but Grandpa can't? They're clearly the same species of Pokémon, and Grandpa's Lucario is a higher level. What Ash's Lucario can do, why can't Grandpa do?"
Brock and the others didn't answer, because even they didn't know why. Traveling with Ash for so long, this was the first time they'd seen something like this. An Aura-based attack could lock onto a Pokémon's Aura signature to guarantee a hit. Normally, it was absolutely impossible to dodge. Ash's Lucario must have performed some kind of trick to deflect it.
Even as Gurkinn slowly recovered from his shock, the admiration in his eyes didn't diminish at all.
"You can even dodge Aura Sphere. Can you explain to me how you did it?"
Asking about someone else's battle technique in the middle of a fight was obviously unconventional, but Gurkinn was genuinely curious.
"Actually, it doesn't matter," Ash said with a smile. "The reason Aura Sphere always hits is because it locks onto the opponent's Aura. But what if, at the moment of impact, the position of the opponent's Aura changed?"
Gurkinn was stunned. Changing the position of one's Aura? How could that be done? Whether a human, a Pokémon, or any other living organism, they all existed as Aura conduits. This Aura was the source of life for living beings, existing within their bodies. If the organism itself didn't move, how could the Aura move?
"It's possible. Mr. Gurkinn, think about it. What kind of force creates the Aura Sphere itself?"
"That's obviously Aura." Gurkinn paused. "Wait a minute. Right before the Aura Sphere was about to hit Lucario, you had him separate a portion of his own Aura from his body, and used that to redirect the incoming Aura Sphere?"
Gurkinn suddenly caught up halfway through his own sentence. Channeling energy from within the body was possible. It was the same principle used to fire an Aura Sphere in the first place. However, separating a fraction of that internal energy while continuing to fire attacks wasn't something an ordinary Pokémon could do.
A move like Aura Sphere had a fixed method of transmitting and receiving energy. To separate a portion of Aura from the body and use it to draw an attack elsewhere, one had to first conceal that separated Aura. Otherwise, the incoming Aura Sphere would still lock onto the stronger source.
In theory, Ash's Lucario had not only separated a portion of his own Aura but had also completely concealed it. Finally, he'd managed to redirect the Aura Sphere by shifting where his Aura appeared to be. This kind of thing was unheard of.
"Not bad. My Lucario may not be as skilled in combat techniques or level as your Lucario, but in terms of Aura control, I think there's no other Lucario in the world stronger than him."
After all, Lucario's Aura control had been taught by Ash, a god-level Aura user. In terms of raw strength, there might be many Lucarios stronger than Ash's, but in terms of Aura control, if his Lucario was second, who would dare claim first?
"Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older. The younger generation is impressive. Old partner, keep going. Let me see how many more surprises this young man can bring us."
As if answering a command, Gurkinn's Lucario placed both hands in front of his chest, and immediately a bone staff formed from condensed Aura appeared. Bone Rush.
"Lucario, Extreme Speed!" The moment the staff appeared in the opponent's hands, Ash's command was also given, and Ash's Lucario instantly transformed into a blue blur on the field.
"Incredibly fast. Lucario, sense your opponent's movements carefully." Gurkinn's expression stiffened.
After using Extreme Speed, Ash's Lucario's speed was even faster than a Champion-level Pokémon. Aside from the boost from Extreme Speed itself, Lucario also wasn't slow to begin with. Otherwise, he couldn't have reached this speed.
Gurkinn's Lucario's crimson eyes shifted slightly. The bone staff in his hands spun half a rotation, and suddenly swung toward his left rear. The moment the staff swept out, Ash's Lucario's figure appeared right in front of him.
Bang!
The lightning-fast, solid blow landed squarely on Gurkinn's Lucario's abdomen. The impact caused his body to instantly arch, his feet lifting off the ground. But in the exact instant he was struck, his bone staff swept out.
Bang!
The chaotic barrage of blows from the staff struck Ash's Lucario in the back. The immense force sent him flying backward like a kite with a cut string, tumbling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop.
Both Lucarios had been injured almost simultaneously, and both stabilized almost simultaneously. The fierce clash left the onlookers holding their breath.
Ash's Lucario was fast, but Gurkinn's Lucario wasn't just standing still either. He was using Aura sensing too. He wasn't as powerful as Ash's Lucario in Aura control, but that didn't mean he couldn't use it.
With his own Aura sensing and his tier advantage, even if Ash's Lucario was significantly faster than his own tier's usual, he could still track its movements. It was also possible that Ash's Lucario wouldn't be able to dodge his counter, resulting in a mutual strike.
But in terms of injury, Ash's Lucario was more severely wounded. After all, Ground-type moves were super-effective against Steel-type Lucario, and Gurkinn's Lucario's level was significantly higher, so the damage naturally came out heavier on Ash's side.
"It's not over yet, Lucario. Close Combat!"
The moment Gurkinn's voice faded, his Lucario vanished from where he stood. A split second later, his figure appeared in front of Ash's Lucario, his right fist unleashing terrifying force directly at his face.
"Dodge, then use Close Combat!" Ash's voice echoed across the field.
Ash's Lucario's crimson eyes narrowed, and his body suddenly slipped sideways. In a split second, he swiftly evaded the opponent's attack. Immediately afterward, he concentrated all his strength and punched out.
Bang!
The sound of air exploding echoed out, and Ash's Lucario's punch also missed.
After a brief pause, both sides began to unleash a barrage of attacks like a storm, each blow enough to severely injure the opponent.
Bang, bang, bang!
The two Lucarios' fists collided in mid-air, shockwaves spreading outward, the ground cracking and rocks flying. The sound of fists colliding was like a dense drumbeat, echoing through the Gym. Each collision stirred up a wave of energy.
The aftershocks were enough to destroy the entire Gym. But when the shockwaves reached Ash and Gurkinn, they seemed to hit an impenetrable barrier and dissipate without a trace. Gurkinn didn't notice this, but Korrina did. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she'd seen a ghost. Those battle aftershocks, they'd been blocked by something?
The two Lucarios on the field were exchanging blows, neither giving way. In terms of both speed and attack power, Gurkinn's Lucario clearly had the advantage. If the fight continued like this, Ash's Lucario would soon be overwhelmed.
But as time passed, approximately a minute later, while both sides were still struggling, Ash's Lucario's energy and spirit were growing stronger, while Gurkinn's Lucario's face showed a fierce, somewhat strained expression. Gurkinn's gaze narrowed, and finally, he noticed something was wrong.
Ash's Lucario was facing him head-on, and yet his dodging movements were incredibly bizarre. Clearly, his own Lucario's attack speed was faster, but out of ten punches, he was only landing two or three at most.
In contrast, Ash's Lucario was landing at least eight of every ten punches, and his accuracy was constantly improving as time went on.
Was this, because of Aura?
Aura could indeed predict, but the difference in strength between them was immense. At this level of power, if you couldn't predict the attack's trajectory a second or more in advance, even seeing the attack's path wouldn't allow for any evasion. Ash's Lucario's Aura sensing was far more terrifying than he'd imagined.
Bang! Another punch, and both Lucarios recoiled several steps. Ash's Lucario knelt on one knee, panting heavily. His body was almost at its limit, aching all over. But he still stared intently at his opponent, his fighting spirit undiminished. Even if he could predict the opponent's attack trajectory, as long as he couldn't completely dodge it, he would have to endure a Champion-level attack, one that countered his Fighting typing. His ability to persevere until now was partly because he was regularly beaten up during team training.
Gurkinn's Lucario's condition wasn't much better either. His level was indeed slightly higher than Ash's Lucario, but that didn't mean he could withstand Ash's Lucario's attacks endlessly. Compared to Ash's Lucario, he could still absorb several times more blows in total, but even that limit was starting to feel real.
Both sides were now evenly matched in terms of stamina.
"Next is the decisive blow. Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Ash waved his hand, choosing Aura Sphere as his final, all-out attack.
"We'll use Aura Sphere too," Gurkinn said in a low voice.
This one strike would decide the outcome of the battle. Both sides' stamina had already dropped to the freezing point. Whoever could withstand this single blow was the winner.
"Roar!" Both Lucarios let out fierce cries, simultaneously condensing Aura around their hands.
"Ash actually made this choice. It's a pity, but this battle's victory belongs to Grandpa." Korrina said with real regret. Using the same move against each other was purely a test of raw output. Ash's Lucario excelled in live combat and Aura reading, but on straight power, he basically couldn't compete. Victory in this match belonged to her grandfather.
"That's not necessarily true," Misty retorted, unconvinced. "If it were someone else, then maybe you'd be right, Korrina. But if it's Ash, well, we'll just have to wait and see." Ash wasn't someone you could judge by common sense.