Pokémon Padea Adventure: The Journey Continues

Chapter 282 The Battle of the Strongest Partners, VS Dunzi (1)

The tension of the battle was once again pulled back from Dunzi's memories. Facing the opponent's swift and resolute Pikachu, Dunzi dared not be careless and continued to give orders.

"Charizard, use Shadow Claw!"

Upon receiving the command, Charizard reacted immediately, extending its hands to the left and right, then opening its palms. A dark shadow emerged from its palms, transforming into two sharp shadow claws. Simultaneously, it spread its wings and headed towards Pikachu.

Ash reacted immediately and retaliated.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu charged forward, speeding towards the direction Charizard was coming from. As it ran, its swaying, serrated tail gradually turned into steel, swinging straight in the wind as it ran.

When both Pokémon reached the center of the field, just a step away from each other, Charizard opened its shadow-covering claws in the air and slashed left and right towards Pikachu.

Just before the attack, Pikachu took to the air, spun around, changed shape, and lashed out at Charizard with its steel tail.

At almost the same time, Charizard's "Shadow Claw" and Pikachu's "Iron Tail" attacks collided, and the powerful clash instantly generated a shockwave that turned into a strong gust of wind that swept outwards in all directions of the arena.

The strong winds made it difficult for Xiaoqing and Paipa, who were watching the battle, to open their eyes.

"Wow...that was a powerful attack!"

"Yes! Pikachu and Charizard are evenly matched, I wouldn't be surprised if either of them won or lost."

With a loud "bang," the attack between the two Pokémon was violently repelled. Pikachu's "Iron Tail" state was released when it was repelled, and Charizard's "Shadow Claw" attack on one of its arms also dissipated.

Although Charizard's shadow has dissipated, it still feels like a chilling aura is enveloping it... Just then, Pippa, who was watching from the side of the field, reminded Ash.

"Watch out, Ash! Charizard's attack hasn't even started yet..."

Before Pipa could finish speaking, Ash was still a little confused, but soon he got the answer.

Charizard's right arm, which had been knocked away by Iron Tail, moved backward, and its body twisted with the impact, revealing the left half of its body, which had turned slightly to the left after the first attack. There was still a "Shadow Claw" covered in shadow on its left arm, which was probably the source of the coldness that enveloped the field.

By the time Ash and Pikachu discovered it, it was too late.

"Get out of the way, Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!..."

Pikachu, belatedly realizing the attack, had no time to escape after discovering the subsequent blow. It could only curl up its body, cross its arms in front of it, and face Charizard's second "Shadow Claw" attack head-on.

With a loud "bang," Pikachu was sent flying by Charizard...

"Pickup!"

Pikachu was thrown back and launched into the air, then did a backflip in mid-air before landing steadily.

Fortunately, because both Pikachu and Charizard were slightly knocked back during their first encounter, Charizard's subsequent attack was not a full-force strike, but rather a light jab, thus preventing Pikachu from suffering serious damage.

"Pikachu, are you alright?"

Ash asked Pikachu with concern, and saw that Pikachu had suffered new injuries, but Pikachu's condition remained the same.

The brief exchange had already ignited the tension in the audience, including Xiaoqing, Paipa, and Huangbo, who was acting as the referee, causing them to watch the entire battle intently.

"The battle is still ongoing, the trainers will continue their battle!"

Under the judgment of Orio, the battle resumed, and Ash immediately gave the order.

"Pikachu, restrain Charizard's movements first, use 'Electric Net'!"

Pikachu gathers its full electrical energy, the current gradually flowing from its scattered body and converging on its tail to form an "electric ball" shape, which it then unleashes with a powerful swing. Driven by immense inertia, the electric ball expands into a net, creating a vast, overwhelming "electric net" attack that hurtles towards Charizard.

Dunzi didn't react immediately. He waited until the "electric net" was just inches away from the Charizard before giving the order.

"Spread your wings, Charizard! Use 'Hurricane'!"

Charizard lowered its head, crouched down, and crawled forward on its arms, revealing its wings on its back. The wings then began to flap rapidly and at a high frequency. The surrounding air began to swirl, transforming into streams of air that converged towards Charizard's body, gradually forming a powerful storm that swept towards Pikachu.

The howling wind blew the oncoming electric net into the air, causing it to fold up and sway as it was blown back to Pikachu.

"Get out of the way, Pikachu!"

As Ash worriedly remarked, Pikachu faced a massive "storm" attack that swept across the entire battlefield, leaving it with no way to avoid it. Pikachu was forced to directly confront Charizard's powerful gust of wind.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu's tiny body was like an ant trying to shake a tree in the face of the enormous gale, blown into the sky like a flag... After being brutally baptized by the "storm," Pikachu was then pulled back down by gravity. At the same time, the "electric net" attack, folded up by the storm, fell on Pikachu once again, sparking scattered electric sparks.

When the dust from the attack cleared, Pikachu's body was found lying on the ground, motionless for a long time. Ash asked Pikachu worriedly.

"Pikachu...?"

"It seems that the final battle is about to begin."

Just as Dunzi was thinking this, Pikachu slowly got up at Ash's call.

"Pikachu, are you alright?"

"It seems that it won't be so easy to defeat you, Ash. Your Pikachu is indeed a strong partner, but the strongest partner is still my Charizard!"

With that, Dunzi gave the order again.

Charizard, use Shadow Claw once again!

The sinister shadow converged once more towards Pikachu's hands, transforming into two enormous claws covered in shadow.

Ash didn't even have time to check Pikachu's current state before he quickly ordered a counterattack.

"Pikachu, quickly use Thunderbolt on Charizard's chest!"

Despite Charizard's direct advance and Ash's command, Pikachu remained unmoved, slowly getting up before standing still in a daze.

Ash seemed to remember something and spoke up.

"Pikachu, are you alright? Could it be that the 'electric net' that landed earlier has paralyzed you...?"

Xiao Zhi blurted out the question, but then immediately denied it himself.

"No, Pikachu, being an Electric-type, shouldn't be in a 'paralyzed' state. Could it be..."

At this moment, Pipa, who was watching the game, spoke up.

"Ash, Pikachu is in a 'Confused' state, which is an additional effect of the 'Storm' attack it just received."

As Pipa explained, the wobbly Pikachu turned its head at that moment, revealing a pair of eyes that looked like "mosquito coils".

"Wake up, Pikachu!"

Before Pikachu could even regain its senses, Charizard was already in front of it. First, it used Shadow Claw to launch Pikachu into the air, and then blasted it away again.

With a "bang," Pikachu, which had been knocked away, landed on the ground. The horrific scene made Xiaoqing and the others watching the battle feel distressed.

"No, no way..."

Xiaoqing, worried about Pikachu, covered her mouth with her hand, and Tirey cat patted her gently to comfort her.

"Pikachu..."

Just when Ash thought that Pikachu was beyond saving after such a heavy blow, the referee, Orihime, raised her hand to announce the battle result.

"Pikachu has been lost... wait!"

After Pikachu landed, a reddish hue gradually appeared in the dust and smoke. Pikachu's figure emerged from the dust, its body glowing red as it entered a "fever state".

"Isn't this it?"

"That's right, it's a unique ability of Ash's Pikachu—'Heat State'!"

While watching the match, Huang Bo, prompted by Xiao Qing and Pai Pa's reminders, also became interested and whispered.

"Could it be that peculiar state that's become popular in short videos and is all the rage on 'Orange & Grape Academy' and 'Padia Alliance'?!"

Huang Bo was glad that she hadn't left and could witness this spectacle with her own eyes, but she also felt regretful that she was no match for him in this battle.

Faced with everyone's excitement, Dunzi, who hadn't seen the circulating video, seemed a little lost, clearly unaware of what he and Charizard would face next.

"What happened! Could Pikachu be 'burned'? But Charizard just used 'Shadow Claw'..."

Unlike the bewildered Dunzi, the Charizard, despite having the upper hand, remained cautious, its pupils slightly contracting, because it sensed a change emanating from Pikachu. It was the same aura it had previously felt from the formidable Charizard in "Charizard Valley."

The heavily injured Pikachu slowly got up. Its originally battered body was less noticeable under the flushed "fever" on its body. At this moment, Pikachu was as if it had been fully revived.

"Pickup!"

Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Pikachu recover.

"Great, Pikachu! Our counterattack begins now..."

"It won't let you have your way..."

With that, Dunzi gave the order.

"Charizard, use 'Dragon Tail'!"

A deep purple aura gathered at Charizard's tail, transforming into a giant dragon tail that crashed down towards Pikachu... Ash commanded a counterattack.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

With a "whoosh," Pikachu vanished from its spot and reappeared a moment later in front of Charizard...

"Ouch!"

"what!"

Pikachu's speed left Dunzi and Charizard speechless; it was a world of difference compared to the Pikachu before it even blushed.

Pikachu's steel-like tail swiftly swung upwards at Charizard's "Dragon Tail" attack, knocking the attack away before it could land.

"No, it's impossible..."

The Charizard, impacted, canceled its "Dragon Tail" move, but Pikachu's "Iron Tail" remained intact. After a graceful turn, Pikachu charged up and swung "Iron Tail" at Pikachu's body again. The Charizard, struck hard, was knocked away and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Charizard!"

This time, it was Dunzi's turn to worry about her Charizard. The Charizard, buried in the smoke and dust, suddenly flapped its wings, dispersing the dust that had been kicked up on the field. The Charizard, now exposed, emitted a red aura as it was engulfed by its own ability, "Blaze."

Seeing that the time was right, Dunzi spoke to the fire-breathing dragon.

"Perfect timing! Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

Heat surged from the Charizard's body, and a scorching heat emanated from within. As its throat expanded, a "fire serpent" shot out from its mouth, the heat seemingly dyeing the sky red.

Faced with this move, Ash ordered a counterattack.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu, in its "heated state," grew increasingly red as it accumulated electricity, resembling a red-hot magnet. With a "boom," a bolt of red lightning shot out from Pikachu's body, heading towards Charizard.

At the same time, two powerful skill attacks exploded in the center of the battlefield. Intense sound, light, electricity and sparks exploded at this moment. Under the sky dyed red by the skills of both sides, the explosions released scattered shock waves and thick smoke.

After the smoke cleared, Pikachu and Charizard were panting heavily. Although both Pokémon were somewhat tired, their "Heat Status" and "Blazing" abilities were still burning red, and neither of them gave an inch.

"Ash, your and Pikachu's strength has really exceeded my expectations."

In response to Dunzi's praise, Xiaozhi also gave the same compliment.

"Dunzi, your Charizard truly lives up to its reputation as your strongest partner. Its strength has surprised me as well."

As Dunzi put his hands into his pants pockets, the once clear sky began to darken... Dunzi continued.

"Then let this battle, which is nearing its end, be decided here!"

Ash, understanding perfectly, agreed with Dunzi's point of view and also reached for his waist... Every now and then, a blinding light would shine from the hands of both trainers.

Ash continued the conversation.

"Indeed, Dunzi, this battle has been going on for quite some time now. Let's use our final blows, our strongest attacks, to decide the winner!"