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Since he debuted, Ash has never experienced such a weakened state.
No matter how bad his condition was, no matter how much stamina he exhausted, he never fainted, but this time he really passed out.
Imagine just how exaggerated the stamina consumption in this match was.
The question arises, the stamina consumption in this match puzzled even Ash himself, because he didn't do anything that should have drained his stamina!
Though Partner Form and Aura Fusion have similarities, this form is more like MEGA Evolution. There is a connection between them, but it doesn't influence each other's stamina.
And even if it were Aura Fusion, it couldn't affect him to this extent, unless he fused with a Pokemon at Mewtwo's level, and Mewtwo was exhausted, then he might faint.
So what exactly is going on?
"Ash, what happened to you earlier? Why did you suddenly faint?" Misty asked Ash, looking puzzled as he pondered.
Ash had never fainted before; when he fell earlier, Misty's heart nearly stopped.
She rushed down afraid that something might have happened to Ash, but upon discovering Ash was just unconscious, she couldn't help but sigh in relief.
But until Ash woke up, her heart was unsettled.
Beside her, Serena was also worried, but she hid all her emotions inside, only looking at Ash with somewhat concerned eyes.
"Actually… I don't know why either, it's just that Pikachu and I might have undergone some kind of wonderful change, combining our mental energy and physical strength, which is why we both fainted together."
"Moreover, the memory of the battle is a bit blurry for me; I can't remember what I did, which is really strange…" Ash appeared clueless.
Not only Misty and the others were bewildered, but Ash himself was too!
In fact, he even forgot the details of the battle; at that time, all he knew was to fight with all his strength, as if his body no longer belonged to him.
"In short, Pikachu just erupted with terrifying power, even making Mewtwo's barrier crack, and Mewtwo came out of the Pokeball, didn't you notice it, Ash?" Brock's words made Ash realize that Mewtwo had appeared outside the Pokeball.
Mewtwo was quietly levitating in mid-air, looking at him and Pikachu, with a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Mewtwo? When did you come out?"
'I've long been out, during that time you were focused on battling, so it's normal not to notice me, but the power you and Pikachu erupted with indeed defies convention. If that power was directed at me, even I might not be able to defend against it.'
Mewtwo's words made Brock and the others' faces change drastically, just what kind of attack is even Mewtwo unable to defend against?
It suggests Pikachu's strike had already surpassed the Intermediate Divine Realm level!
Wow, looking at it this way, for Regice not to have died directly, you could say he's really lucky!
It's fortunate that Regice used Rest to recover some stamina, and then focused all power on Protect; if a bit less power had been used, Regice wouldn't be near death but dead!
"Was… was it that powerful?" Ash was taken aback by Mewtwo's words; even he hadn't expected Pikachu's power to make Mewtwo barely withstand it.
If Mewtwo hadn't used her barrier to block the impact's aftermath, the consequences could have been disastrous!
"May I ask, Ash, what is the level of your Pokemon?" Brandon suddenly spoke after a long silence.
During the silence, he had been observing the strange Pokemon known as Mewtwo.
Having seen countless Pokemon and even quite a few legendary ones, he couldn't recognize Mewtwo's species.
Even some legendary Pokemon he had not seen in person, he had read about in historical books, so Pokemon he couldn't recognize were rare.
And Ash happens to have one, and it seems the barrier covering the entire field earlier was also Mewtwo's handiwork.
To strike a legendary Pokemon like Regice into that state, Pikachu's attack power is self-evident.
So how strong must the Pokemon who created a barrier that withstood that attack be?
Could it be that it's already reached that legendary level?
'Intermediate Divine Realm.' Mewtwo's understated voice echoed in everyone's minds, Brandon, along with Paul who was silently observing beside, suddenly changed their expressions!
Divine Realm… Intermediate? Intermediate Divine Realm!!!
C'mon, c'mon! Are you kidding! Ash has a Pokemon at the Intermediate Divine Realm!
In history, Trainers possessing Divine Domain-level Pokemon can be counted on one hand!
And without exception, those Pokemon are legendary and are temporarily attached to those Trainers, not trained by them.
What exactly is the origin of this Pokemon called Mewtwo? A Pokemon with Intermediate Divine Realm power and moreover, Ash's Pokemon!
This fact was even more shocking to Paul than when Ash's Pikachu defeated the thinly veiled Ice God Pillar.
The Ice God Pillar, which effortlessly defeated all his Pokemon, was beaten by Pikachu, already a heavy blow to Paul's heart.
The even more shocking result was yet to come. Ash, a Trainer younger than him, had a Divine Domain-level Pokemon!
It's like opening the door to impossibility, utterly unbelievable!
"Wait... you said you're Intermediate Divine Realm? Then you also mentioned Pikachu's attack couldn't be defended against..." Paul suddenly thought of something; Mewtwo had said that even he might not have been able to withstand Pikachu's strike.
Which means...
'That's right, Pikachu's attack earlier exceeded Intermediate Divine Realm. At first glance, it probably reached Divine Realm Advanced. The exact force, I'm not sure as I didn't face it directly, you could ask the Ice God Pillar after it recovers.'
Mewtwo made a hellish joke directly.
How could one wait for the Ice God Pillar to recover and then ask it? In its current state, it likely doesn't even know how it passed out.
But Mewtwo's words indirectly proved that Pikachu's attack just now had reached Divine Domain-level!
Although that state didn't appear consistently, it could be considered a miraculous state, yet having appeared once means it could appear again.
This implies Ash has two Pokemon comparable to Divine Domain-level? That's just ridiculously powerful!
Brandon shook his head, his expression beyond complex, unsure of what words to use.
A fifteen-year-old boy possessing a Divine Domain-level Pokemon, and another Elite Four Level one, capable of unleashing a Divine Domain-level power, Pikachu.
He had already foreseen that, given some growth time, the entire Pokemon Realm might be under his feet in the future.
After all, he's only fifteen! Counting from his debut, less than a year, even if he cultivated Pokemon like Cynthia and Lance before debuting, there's no comparison to Ash.
Even Leon, the strongest Trainer now, was far from Ash in his youth!
If Ash can maintain this performance moving forward, he is bound to become the strongest Trainer soon!
In fact, accounting for Mewtwo on Ash's team, he is already the strongest Trainer!
After all, among the current Trainers, no one has a Divine Domain-level power, not even Leon!
"The younger generation really surpasses the older one; young people now have developed to this extent, it seems we old folks can retire soon." Brandon shook his head, remarked with emotion.
"It's nothing, Mr. Brandon, you are one of the top Trainers of the era."
"I'll take that as a compliment. This is proof of defeating the Battle Pyramid head as a battle emblem, here you go." Brandon handed a gold round badge to Ash.
The badge's center had a square, slashed by a cross, as if four pyramids were carved on it.
It's a symbol of victory over the Battle Pyramid, but it essentially resembles a badge, just with a different name.
"I obtained... cough cough, the Battle Emblem!" Ash tried to shout as usual but coughed directly when he used slightly more strength.
His body now couldn't support such intense movements.
"Pika Pika~" Pikachu in Serena's arms also made a weak sound, its head could be broken, blood could flow, but Ash's victory declaration couldn't be cut off!
The pair exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the entire Pyramid turned harmonious, but the shock created by Ash still lingered in Brandon's and Paul's minds.
Especially the latter, his gaze towards Ash totally changed.
Before today, he thought with some more time, he undoubtedly could catch up with Ash's pace, but after Mewtwo's appearance, he felt a chasm impossible to cross between them.
This isn't a distance to be caught up with time or effort, but an unbridgeable gap!
'Bond... Friendship... could he truly be right?' Facing this absolute power disparity, Paul couldn't help but reconsider Ash's approach.
He used to believe that bonds and friendship, such intangible things, couldn't compare to scientific training and strict practice.
Useless things ought to be discarded; only Pokemon with talent deserve cultivation, yet Ash nurtured a Pikachu to this level.
Everyone knows Pikachu is a common, mediocre Pokemon, yet Ash brought it up to be comparable to Divine Domain-level... This reality hugely impacted Paul's values!
In the last Quartz Conference, Ash had already somewhat changed him, and this time, he might change even more...
'Try it, try... believing in them.' Paul looked at the Pokeball on his waist, as if he could see the weakened appearances of the Pokemon fighting for him through the ball.
He decided to try a complete change, perhaps he had indeed taken a wrong path.
...
"Ash, are you really okay?" Brandon looked at the pale-faced boy in front of him, asking worriedly.
"No worries, just need some rest!" Ash waved his hand, although still weak, his spirits had recovered considerably.
"That's good." Brandon nodded, then briefly smiled. "Talking about this challenge order, yours is really reversed."
"Huh?" Ash froze, not quite understanding.
"Typically, challengers start from the other six battle facilities to accumulate experience and strength, and finally tackle my Battle Pyramid." Brandon folded his arms, speech tinged with some resignation.
"But you, on the first try, took out my Pyramid; how do you keep the momentum to face the remaining six facilities?"
Ash scratched his head, laughed awkwardly: "It wasn't on purpose, just happened to meet you at Goldenrod City, couldn't miss the chance!"
"You..." Brandon shook his head, retrieved a dark blue square box from his pocket, handed it to Ash, "This is for you."
Ash accepted the box, opened it to see a shimmering green Move Disc inside.
"Move Machine—Protect." Brandon explained, "In this match, your Pokemon were aggressively offensive, but somewhat lacking defensively. Particularly your Charizard and Pikachu, opting for attack over defense; Protect is vital for Pokemon, optional but crucial to learn."
"Protect..." Ash gazed at the Move Disc in his hand, eyes brightening.
It's definitely a divine move!
Although many of his Pokemon already know Protect, they learned it naturally, making coverage narrow. With this Move Machine, he could ensure more Pokemon learn this life-saving move.
The most notable example being Pikachu. It's unbelievable that a Pikachu capable of unleashing Divine Domain-level attacks doesn't know Protect!
If Pikachu could use the Protect skill during the last battle, it wouldn't have been so dangerously extreme.
"Many thanks, Mr. Brandon!" Ash respectfully stored the Move Disc, bowed to Brandon.
"No need to thank me, you earned it." Brandon waved his hand, "Take a good rest, we'll battle again in the future, I heard news of new Divine Pillars in the Galar region, explaining we'll face six Divine Pillars next time."
Upon hearing this, Ash didn't fear, but his eyes brightened: "Really?! It's a promise! When you capture all six Divine Pillars, we'll battle again!"
Ash raised his fist, Brandon hesitated briefly, then raised his fist too, gently touched fists.
This way of making a promise among young people, he wasn't quite accustomed to yet~