Pokemon: This Ash Is Too Versatile-Chapter 699 - 374: Norman vs Ash, Lucario Battles Kangaskhan, Ash’s High-Stakes Gamble! _2

Chapter 699: Chapter 374: Norman vs Ash, Lucario Battles Kangaskhan, Ash’s High-Stakes Gamble! _2

Don’t even mention satisfying, it was more like the battle ended before even getting undressed.

So when they heard they could watch the battle up close this time, the students were incredibly excited. But simultaneously, it was surprising to hear Mr. Norman give someone such high praise.

The name Ash isn’t particularly famous among the students; even if the Elite Four and the Champion stood right before them, they wouldn’t necessarily recognize them.

Kids, you know, can’t be expected to know so many famous figures. Recognizing a few Pokemon is considered pretty smart already. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

So when they heard Norman give Ash such high praise, the students were both expectant and skeptical—could this big brother who doesn’t seem much older than them truly be so impressive?

Whether he’s impressive or not, a single battle will tell.

Led by Ms. Priscilla, everyone arrived at the school’s battle training grounds. Although this isn’t a major school, it still had two or three arenas for battles. If there weren’t any battle arenas, would it even be considered a school?

The training grounds were sizable, at least comparable to a regular Gym’s facilities. The students gathered at the edges, curiously watching the two facing off.

To them, this was the first time they were watching a Pokemon battle up close. And this wasn’t a roadside match but a duel between the world’s top Trainers. For these aspiring Trainers, watching such a match up close was highly beneficial.

"Dad! You gotta win!!" Victor shouted to his father. This match was of crucial importance.

It’s not merely a Gym battle; it’s a duel between top Trainers from two regions. Saying it’s about regional honor may be exaggerated, but it’s not entirely unrelated, considering the school’s principal was recording the match, meaning it would be shared online post-battle.

For Victor, this match was a defense of his father’s honor. If his father were to lose to Ash, the shame would be immense!

Even the Hoenn Region’s reputation would suffer, because it’s outrageous for Hoenn’s top Trainer to be defeated by a Newbie Trainer from Kanto. Even though this Newbie Trainer is extraordinary, it’s no excuse for Norman’s loss.

Therefore, come what may, Victor felt his father had to win this match!

...

"For the battle, we’ll adhere to Gym rules—three versus three."

"No problem!"

"According to Gym rules, the Gym Leader must first send out a Pokemon, and no switching is allowed during the battle. My first Pokemon is him!" Since there was no referee, Norman undertook the responsibility of explaining the rules.

Ash was experienced in Gym challenges, so explaining the rules was unnecessary. However, as a Gym Leader, Norman insisted on doing so.

As Norman tossed his Pokeball, a flash of light revealed a massive Pokemon resembling a kangaroo but with dragon-like features.

The Pokemon was grayish-brown all over, with gray-yellow ears and abdomen. It had many protrusions on its shoulders and legs, and in a pouch at its belly nestled a miniature, differently colored Pokemon, quietly observing its surroundings.

Kangaskhan, Norman’s first Pokemon, was remarkably rare.

This Pokemon is quite unique; though it’s one Pokemon, it comprises two—inside Kangaskhan’s pouch is a small Kangaskhan. While the small Kangaskhan can’t fight, harming it during battle unleashes Kangaskhan’s infinite power and fury, laying waste to whatever harmed it!

It’s noteworthy that Kangaskhan has a MEGA Evolution, not affecting Kangaskhan itself but the small one in its pouch. Post-MEGA Evolution, the small Kangaskhan grows and gains equal fighting strength to Kangaskhan. When Kangaskhan uses moves, the small Kangaskhan follows suit.

Though the small Kangaskhan’s moves are only a quarter effective as Kangaskhan’s, certain moves with fixed damage aren’t weakened, and moves with debuffs or buffs apply twice. Overall, it’s a highly formidable MEGA Evolution.

This MEGA Evolution remains undiscovered; Ash learned about it from chatting online.

Norman’s Kangaskhan bore no MEGA Evolution Stone but carried a Life Orb, boosting all move damage by 30 percent. Its downside is consuming extra physical strength with each attack, making endurance battles self-destructive.

Yet for explosive Pokemon, this tool is ideal. Coupled with Kangaskhan’s Guts ability and A-Level ATK, Norman seems to be pursuing a pure brute-force strategy with Kangaskhan.

"Against Kangaskhan, I’ll use him. It’s decided—Lucario!!" Ash chose his first Pokemon, tossing the Pokeball as a dashing figure appeared—Aura Messenger, Lucario!

The handsome canine instantly sparked amazement among the young students. Such an attractive Pokemon was definitely the existence dreams were made of—not just for kids, but adults too.

"Lucario, eh? Quite a rare Pokemon. Generally residing in Sinnoh, there are few sightings in Hoenn and nearly none in Kanto. Ash, you’re quite lucky!" Norman remarked thoughtfully.

Knowing Ash had Lucario, Norman wasn’t surprised. He was actually educating the kids; this kind of explanation helped knowledge effortlessly settle in their minds.

"Mr. Norman, your Kangaskhan is equally rare, a main force for a Gym Leader in Hoenn despite being scarce in Kanto," Ash said while comparing their battle strengths.

Fighting Type Lucario has an advantage over Kangaskhan, and its Ability Values are superior, though it lags in Level.

Lucario already reached Gym Peak with all Ability Values trained to the max, almost but not quite reaching Elite Level—the last hurdle remains elusive.

On the other hand, Kangaskhan was already an Elite Level Pokemon, well beyond entry-level Elite, reaching Advanced Elite Level.

Their Level gap was vast, but if Aura Fusion was utilized, crossing it would be effortless.

Yet doing so would render using Lucario pointless.

Ash never played Tailwind!

Through his journey, he frequently challenged higher-level opponents. Even with Aura Fusion, equal footing with adversaries was rare; he often used inferior Level Pokemon.

This continuous challenging escalates rapid growth for both his Pokemon and himself. Tailwind battles might be enjoyable, but headwinds truly test skills and foster personal growth!

Thus, Ash decided Lucario should rely solely on its strength for this battle. Winning with current capabilities wasn’t feasible, so it’s essential to break through and ascend to Elite Level!

This duel was a gamble for both Ash and Lucario!