Chapter 343: Latias' Strength – One Against Five
Huff...
Inside the glowing Protect barrier, Hikaru let out a long breath.
"That was close... almost didn't make it."
He had been using his Aura to constantly sense the surroundings.
When he detected the enemy Pokémon unleashing a barrage of attacks,
he immediately ordered Latias to accelerate.
Just barely, they arrived in time to shield the three at the critical moment.
Now that the dust was settling—
A dazzling red Latias appeared in the center of the battlefield,
hovering protectively in front of a very stunned Ash and his team.
Above them, a fierce-looking Dragonite soared.
Riding on it was the fiery and beautiful Hu Yan'er, who smiled widely,
"Go, Blaziken! Flamethrower!"
In a flash of red light, her Blaziken shot forward like a crimson streak.
Its mouth opened, spewing a torrent of flames straight toward Venusaur.
Upon seeing this, the Venusaur trainer's expression changed drastically.
Still, as a Master-level trainer, he reacted quickly:
"Protect!"
A glowing barrier formed around Venusaur,
the intense fire heating the shield until it glowed bright red like molten metal.
Despite the scorching assault, the Protect barrier held—barely—against the Flamethrower.
But then—
"Blaze Kick!"
Within the blurred heat,
a massive burning foot slammed downward like a meteor.
Fire versus Grass.
A direct critical hit!
Combined with Venusaur's prior exhaustion,
this single blow sent Venusaur reeling back with a pained roar.
Meanwhile—
"Dragon Claw!"
Riding Dragonite, Ye Mingshuang gracefully leapt into the air, her white coat fluttering behind her.
Her Dragonite roared, its claws shimmering with sharp energy.
It swooped down at the opposing Kingler.
"Kingler, Strength!"
The Kingler trainer was still struggling to repair a teammate's broken energy band.
Caught off-guard, he hastily gave the order.
Clang!
Dragon Claw met Kingler's mighty pincers in a deafening clash of metal.
At first, it seemed Kingler blocked the attack—
but then Ye Mingshuang chuckled softly:
"Dragonite, Psychic!"
Invisible mental energy surged outward.
Kingler staggered, the heavy impact wobbling its stance,
breaking its defensive posture.
Whack!
Dragon Claw cleaved past the weakened pincers and smashed Kingler aside.
Just two moves—
Blaziken and Dragonite both achieved massive momentum!
The enemy Pokémon, though still standing, were severely weakened.
Defeat was only a matter of time.
Ash's side was left wide-eyed.
"So strong..."
Lili murmured in awe, staring at Ye Mingshuang's Dragonite.
She also had a Dragonite, but now realized—
the difference between her Dragonite and Ye Mingshuang's was like heaven and earth!
Also—
Why did this Dragonite know Psychic-type moves?!
Beside her, Ash finally recognized someone familiar:
"Hikaru?"
Hikaru smirked,
"What's wrong? Don't recognize me anymore?"
Ash's worried face immediately brightened.
"Awesome! You came just in time, Hikaru! We were about to be eliminated.
Now we can definitely make it to the finals—and battle against each other!"
"..."
Hikaru rubbed his forehead speechlessly.
You just escaped death and you're already thinking about battling me?
Still—
Seeing Ash's bright optimism somehow felt reassuring.
Turning to the two curious teammates beside Ash,
Hikaru gestured toward the enemies,
"Let's finish dealing with them first."
"Right!"
Ash's expression sharpened with determination.
Meanwhile, the other side—
Facing the iconic figure of Latias hovering midair,
the opposing trainers instantly recognized who they were dealing with.
"Latias... Hikaru... Dragonite... and Ye Qingxue!"
As soon as Sakura summoned her Dragonite,
their identities were obvious.
These were the champion and runner-up of the recent National High School League.
The enemy trainers' faces turned grim.
Five enemies.
Including Ash's group, Ye Mingshuang, and Hu Yan'er—
the power disparity was now overwhelming.
And their own two strongest Pokémon, Venusaur and Kingler, had already been badly injured.
The Venusaur trainer forced a stiff smile:
"No enmity between us, right? No hard feelings..."
Hikaru chuckled,
"You came to fight.
And now you're talking about grudges?"
"Don't forget—"
His eyes gleamed coldly.
"I have Aura."
Knowing full well that villains talk themselves to death, Hikaru didn't waste time.
He leapt off Latias' back,
while Latias rose into the sky, its golden eyes glowing fiercely.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, fierce psychic winds surged outward—
shaking even the massive trees on the island.
Psychic!
The opposing trainers turned pale with shock.
This level of power...!
This isn't a Master-tier Pokémon!
It's basically a Champion-tier!
But—
League regulations forbade Champion-level Pokémon from participating in the preliminary rounds!
Still—
None of their protests mattered now.
"Venusaur, Protect!"
"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"
"Machamp, Wide Guard!"
They frantically shouted orders.
Yet—
They quickly discovered something terrifying:
Except for Venusaur's Protect working properly,
the rest of their Pokémon's moves failed.
Latias' passive abilities had activated—
[Silence]: High chance to interrupt enemy moves.
[One Shot One Kill]: Doubles the effect probability of any secondary skill.
These two talents together made a devastating combo!
Four out of five enemy Pokémon were "silenced" on the spot—
unable to launch any attacks.
They could only stand there, confused and helpless.
Seeing this scene, Hikaru nodded in satisfaction.
"Perfect synergy."
Combined with [Magical Girl] and [One Man Army],
Latias now had an overwhelming force multiplier when facing multiple opponents.
Under just one Psychic,
the enemies—except Venusaur—were completely crushed.
The island trembled under the psychic barrage.
Venusaur stood alone, trembling.
The remaining trainers stared in disbelief.
This...
This is the strength of Hikaru's Latias?!
Hikaru grinned and gave his mental command:
"Leave three of them. Smash the rest's energy wristbands."
Latias squinted slightly,
its psychic power flaring once more.
Crack...
(Continued...)
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