Chapter 177: Winged Badge
"Hoothoot is unable to battle, Gholdengo wins!"
"Ash, you are strong, but I won't let you win easily. My next Pokémon won't be so easy to deal with. Go, Dodrio!"
As Falkner threw his Poké Ball, an ostrich with three heads appeared before everyone.
"Dodrio, huh? That's not a very good choice. Gholdengo, use Metal Sound."
Upon hearing Ash's command, Gholdengo scraped its body with both hands, emitting a harsh metallic screech.
The piercing sound made Dodrio very uncomfortable, and its three heads showed pained expressions.
"Dodrio, Agility."
Dodrio endured the noise and charged towards Gholdengo.
"Gholdengo, use Protect."
With the advantage in level, Ash was not in a hurry to end the battle. Gholdengo, having just evolved, needed battles to adapt to its abilities.
Gholdengo created a barrier, easily deflecting Dodrio's attack.
"Strange, Ash isn't attacking?" Misty looked at the field in confusion.
If it were under normal circumstances, Ash should be confronting it head-on right now.
Brock guessed, "Perhaps Ash intends to understand Gholdengo's situation through battle. After all, Gholdengo just evolved, and Ash's Pokédex has very little information on it.
However, Falkner's Dodrio should also have a backup plan. He seems very experienced in raising bird Pokémon."
"Now! Fly, Dodrio!"
Upon hearing the command, Dodrio's legs bent slightly, and it leaped with all its might.
"Go, Dodrio, use Fury Attack!"
Dodrio's three beaks simultaneously jabbed at Gholdengo.
Clink!
The beaks colliding with Gholdengo's body produced a crisp metallic sound.
"Gholdengo's body is pure gold; Dodrio's beak can't break its defense."
Beaks are hard, but certainly not harder than metal. Moreover, Gholdengo has high resistance to Normal-type moves, so Dodrio's attack wasn't even a scratch.
"Gholdengo, Confuse Ray."
Hit by Confuse Ray, Dodrio's three heads actually started fighting each other. The three beaks pecked at each other, and even Falkner, its Trainer, calling for it to stop had no effect.
After only a few pecks, Dodrio exhausted its own stamina.
"Dodrio is unable to battle, Gholdengo wins!"
The referee, seeing Dodrio's stamina completely depleted, immediately announced the result.
"Dodrio, it's okay, you did your best. Now get some good rest." Falkner took out his Poké Ball and recalled it.
"Finally, it's you! Go, Pidgeot!"
"Is the last one Pidgeot after all? Alright, then let me show you my trump card, Falkner. Come back, Gholdengo."
Ash recalled Gholdengo, then pulled out a Luxury Ball, "I choose you, Togekiss!"
Violet City specializes in using bird Pokémon, and Ash didn't just prepare Gholdengo. He even had Tracy help transfer Togekiss, which was temporarily at Professor Oaks Laboratory.
Since Togepi hatched, even after it evolved, Ash had almost no opportunities for it to battle. So, when he learned that Falkner had a Pidgeot, Ash remembered he could let Togekiss participate for a bit of fun.
As soon as Togekiss appeared, it happily circled in the sky.
"That's Togekiss? Togepi's final evolution? It looks like it really enjoys flying!"
Brock was seeing Togekiss fly for the first time.
"It looks like it enjoys flying, but is Ash really okay sending it out? I've never seen him use Togekiss in a battle before."
Although Misty witnessed Togetic evolve into Togekiss, she was still very worried about Ash's choice.
After all, she had never seen Ash command it in battle.
Of course, this wasn't Misty questioning Ash's commanding ability, but rather her unfamiliarity with Togekiss's strength.
"It's fine! Ash's commanding ability and Pokémon training ability are no worse than an Elite. Besides, even if he loses this round, Ash still has Gholdengo and another Pokémon."
Brock was much more optimistic.
"Another Pokémon I haven't seen much of!"
Falkner even suspected that Ash might be misrepresenting his origins. Aren't Trainers from the Kanto region usually at a beginner's level?
Why is this person in front of him different from other Kanto region Trainers? He brings out extremely rare Pokémon right away. This is too much bullying.
"Pidgeot, fly!"
As Falkner's command was given, Pidgeot flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
"Pidgeot, use Air Cutter!"
Pidgeot flapped its wings, sending out two powerful currents of air like blades.
"Togekiss, show off your superb flying skills!"
Togekiss charged directly towards the two air blade currents. Just as it was about to be hit, it turned its body sideways and passed through the gap between the two air blade currents.
"Falkner, flying is the highest state of enjoying freedom. Let me see whether your Pidgeot flies better, or my Togekiss flies better!"
"Togekiss, use Aerial Ace!"
Togekiss turned into an afterimage and instantly appeared behind Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, Quick Attack, dodge quickly!"
Pidgeot rapidly flapped its wings to create distance from the approaching Togekiss. Togekiss stuck close behind Pidgeot, not rushing to attack, just slowly wearing down Pidgeot's stamina.
"No, if this continues, we'll lose. Pidgeot, we'll use Aerial Ace too!"
Falkner decided to go head-to-head with Ash.
Pidgeot quickly turned back and charged directly at Togekiss's face.
Togekiss calmly spun its body and glided in a backstroke position. As Pidgeot flapped its wings, preparing to attack, Togekiss dropped a little in height, and its left wing grazed Pidgeot's abdomen.
Pidgeot's flying posture immediately became erratic.
Seeing Pidgeot's unstable flight, Ash shouted, "Togekiss, now! Air Cutter."
Togekiss re-ascended, circled in the sky, and then attacked the struggling Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, dodge quickly." Falkner hurriedly commanded. At a height of several tens of meters, if it were hit by Air Cutter again, Pidgeot had a ninety percent chance of falling, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
Watching the approaching air blade currents, Pidgeot pressed its wings tightly against its body and plummeted towards the ground in a free fall. One of the two air blade currents was dodged, but the other hit Pidgeot's right wing.
At a height of less than three meters from the ground, Pidgeot endured the pain from its wing and spread its wings to slow its descent.
Finally, although Pidgeot landed on the ground, it was an extreme landing, and the injury to its wing was quite severe.
Seeing this, Ash asked, "Falkner, do you want to continue?"
"No, I lost this match, Ash. You are stronger than other challengers. This Wing Badge is yours!"
Falkner was not a sore loser. He took out Violet City's badge and handed it to Ash.
"I got the Wing Badge!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Chapters In Advanced At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FicTonic1