Chapter 68: Battle against Latias
"Nurse Joy, there's something I'd like to ask of you," Ash said seriously to Nurse Joy.
"What is it?" Nurse Joy asked, puzzled.
"Nurse Joy, you're a Pokémon League inspector, so I'm sure you're a powerful Trainer. Would you mind having a battle with me?"
"Use your strongest Pokémon."
Ash added that last part specifically.
He was a little afraid Nurse Joy would bring out a Blissey with the Natural Cure ability.
"Ah? Mr. Ash, are you serious?" Nurse Joy looked at Ash with some difficulty.
She knew Ash was a Pokémon Doctor and also someone her family wanted to win over, so she felt a little reluctant.
She admitted that Ash's Pikachu was stronger than many Trainers, but she didn't think Ash could defeat her strongest Pokémon. In fact, she was afraid the battle would discourage Ash.
Ash's gaze was firm. "Nurse Joy, please!"
"Alright!"
Seeing Ash's determination, Nurse Joy could only reluctantly agree. If it didn't work out, she would just go easy on him so Ash could lose with dignity.
"Then let's go to a nearby Pokémon Center to use their battle facility."
Soon, the group arrived at a Pokémon Center on the outskirts of Gringey City. Also present were people from the Kazu Gym and the Yas Gym, who had been ordered by Nurse Joy to come and learn about proper battling.
The Pokémon League was very dedicated to Gym development; after all, more Gyms would lead to more Trainers, and the League's strength would increase. Even though these two Gyms hadn't received official recognition, their strength already met Gym requirements, which was one of the reasons Nurse Joy, as an inspector, was there.
"Nurse Joy, please wait a moment, I'm going to switch out my Pokémon," Ash said.
"Okay, I'll wait for you at the battle facility," Nurse Joy nodded.
A few minutes later.
Ash stood confidently opposite Nurse Joy.
"This battle is between Ash from Pallet Town and Pokémon League inspector Nurse Joy. The battle rules are 1v1..." Brock announced loudly from the referee's stand.
The battle rules were mostly announced for the people from the two Gyms.
"You're up, Zapdos!" Ash was the first to send out his Pokémon.
That's right, he sent out the Zapdos he had caught earlier at the abandoned power plant in Vermilion City.
After this period of rest, Zapdos's strength had recovered to the late Elite stage, so Ash had some confidence in this battle.
"Zapdos?!"
Ash's Pokémon shocked everyone present.
Brock and Misty only knew that Ash had caught Zapdos, but they had never seen him use it.
"A late Elite Zapdos, so that's it. I didn't expect Ash to have such talent not only in research but also in Pokémon training," Nurse Joy thought to herself.
She threw out a Poké Ball: "Come out, Latias!"
A red, airplane-like Pokémon appeared before everyone's eyes.
[Pokémon: Latias]
[Type: Dragon + Psychic]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: Champion Beginner]
[Divine Rank: None]
[Ability: Levitate]
[Aptitude: Secondary God]
[Skills: Stored Power, Recover, Telekinesis, Tailwind, Dragon Breath, Wish, Mist Ball, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Pulse, Heal Pulse, Psychic, Healing Wish, Aerial Ace, Air Cutter, Breaking Swipe, Draco Meteor, Dragon Dance, Ultimate Impact, Future Sight.....]
"A Dragon-type and Psychic-type Latias! To be recognized by the Infinite Pokémon, Nurse Joy, it seems my intuition was not wrong. You are indeed a powerful Trainer," Ash murmured.
This was the first time he had seen a Champion-level existence, other than Dr. Oak's Pokémon.
"As expected of Mr. Ash, you even recognize Latias." Nurse Joy was a little surprised by Ash's extensive knowledge.
"Latias? What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Latias is the guardian deity of Alto Mare, the Water Metropolis in the Hoenn region, and belongs to the legendary Eon Pokémon. Very few people know about it, other than those who grew up in the Water Metropolis. In the Kanto region, let alone Latias, even statues are rare, not to mention information in the Pokédex or anything like that.
"Huh? Human, you have the aura of other legendary beasts on you!"
When the red airplane saw Ash, she immediately discovered something extraordinary. She could sense the attention of several legendary beasts on Ash, some of whom even held divine ranks.
Hearing Latias's telepathy, Ash also greeted her: "Hello, Latias!"
Latias responded to Ash in a friendly manner, then looked at Nurse Joy with some difficulty: "Nurse Joy, do you want me to battle this human's Zapdos?"
Nurse Joy showed a helpless expression.
"Zapdos, Electric Terrain!"
"Latias, Dragon Breath!"
To save Ash's face, Nurse Joy didn't intend to compete with Ash for the terrain boost.
"Zapdos, dodge right then Discharge!!"
Zapdos followed Ash's command to dodge, then released a dazzling lightning bolt towards Latias.
"Latias, Mist Ball!"
Nurse Joy chose to go head-on.
The clash of the two major moves did not cause damage to either side, but it was clear that Nurse Joy was letting Latias go easy.
Seeing that he hadn't even touched the opponent, Ash decided to go big: "Zapdos, Thunder!"
"Latias, Dragon Pulse!"
Again, two major moves clashed, but this time the result was different from the last. Latias's move dispersed Zapdos's attack and struck Zapdos's left wing.
Zapdos's flight posture immediately became unstable.
"Zapdos, are you okay?" Ash asked with some concern.
Zapdos shook its head, its eyes revealing an even stronger fighting spirit.
This opponent was even stronger than the one who defeated him in his tribal land. Zapdos liked to challenge strong opponents.
"Good, then Lightning Assault!"
Zapdos, enveloped in lightning, charged fiercely towards Latias.
Lightning Assault is a move where the user's body becomes electrified and charges at the opponent. If it misses, it not only deals no damage but also harms the user.
"Latias, fly! Don't let Zapdos succeed!"
Nurse Joy had no intention of clashing head-on.
Latias's speed was very fast; even if Zapdos's wings weren't injured, it would be difficult to catch up.
Zapdos's move missed, and it suffered the consequences, sustaining some injuries.
"Latias, now! Zen Headbutt!!"
Nurse Joy seized the opportunity to have Latias attack.
Seeing this, Ash quickly shouted: "Zapdos, Protect!"
Ultimately, the battle ended with Ash's defeat.
Before leaving, Ash solemnly said to Nurse Joy: "Nurse Joy, the next time we meet, please fight me with all your strength!"
In this battle, he could feel that Nurse Joy was intentionally holding back. A Champion-level Latias fighting a late Elite Zapdos with some hidden injuries shouldn't have taken so many moves without a one-hit knockout.
Ash didn't believe that Nurse Joy, from the Nurse Joy family, wouldn't be able to tell if a Pokémon had injuries.
"Okay, then I look forward to seeing you again next time, Mr. Ash!"
After Nurse Joy finished speaking, she left with the people from the two Gyms; their training wasn't over yet.
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Chapters In Advanced At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FicTonic1