Misty shook her head, dismissing her own guess. Such a thing is simply impossible, right?
It would make more sense to say Pikachu learned Aura Sphere from Ash, but during this time, she hadn't seen Pikachu learning any Aura Sphere from Ash at all.
And even if Pikachu somehow mastered Aura Sphere, why would Ash mimic Pikachu's stance? For style?
Of course, that's impossible.
In fact, Misty's speculation wasn't wrong. The reason Pikachu could use Aura Sphere was because Ash and Pikachu had entered a state of oneness.
One of the applications of Aura Power is the unity of a person's aura with a Pokemon's aura.
This not only enhances the Pokemon's strength but also allows the Pokemon to possess some aura-related powers, like sensing aura to see through Team Rocket's fog or using...Aura Sphere to battle Geodude!
But for Pikachu, using Aura Sphere would be impossible. This skill is a demonstration of profound Aura manipulation, and Pikachu, let alone manipulating aura, can't even sense its own.
However, with Ash in the mix, that's a different story.
Ash inherited all the abilities of Aura Ash. Even if he's not yet fully proficient, he's certainly good at aura manipulation. By sharing a bond with Pikachu, Ash can naturally guide Pikachu to unleash an Aura Sphere.
This is a challenging feat, and Ash has been entering a 'fusion' state with Pikachu in Viridian Forest whenever he has free time, practicing meditation to control aura.
So, what Misty saw as Ash and Pikachu taking a peaceful rest was actually their special training regimen.
And it was Aura Ash from the group who suggested this special training.
Ash shared all his Pokemon and their moves with the experienced members in the group.
Tactical Ash reasoned that even with Butterfree's Hypnosis tactics, facing Brock would still be tough because Brock's Rock and Ground Type Pokemon are highly defensive.
The best approach would be using Special Attack moves or moves that are highly effective against them to create sufficient damage.
But Ash's available Special Attack moves were either resisted by Normal, Bug, or Flying Type Pokemon, or they couldn't harm Ground Type with Electric Type moves at all.
While it's not impossible to defeat Brock with his current Pokemon, it would lead to a prolonged battle, requiring constant rotation to wear and tear the opponent slowly to victory.
Ash's Pokemon levels are too low. If something goes wrong during such a drawn-out fight, or if stamina is drained too much, Brock would only need to strike Ash's Pokemon once for the battle to end.
A Negative Attribute battle is like this—a combo as fierce as a tiger can barely scratch the opponent, and if the opponent counters, the battle turns around instantly.
Playing with Negative Attributes comes with risks. Without having a superior level over the opponent, Negative Attributes will always put you at a disadvantage, and this fact cannot be changed.
Therefore, Aura Ash proposed a strategy for Pikachu to learn a Fighting Type move: Aura Sphere!
Fighting Type moves counter Rock Type; if Pikachu could use Aura Sphere, it would have a powerful move to deal significant damage.
In theory, Pikachu shouldn't be able to learn Aura Sphere. Even for Fighting Type Pokemon, it's an extremely difficult and powerful skill to learn, and Pikachu lacks the aptitude and level to master it.
However, the Aura Guardian exists to break those theories!
As long as Ash and Pikachu are compatible enough to achieve deeper aura fusion, Pikachu would have the opportunity to use Aura Sphere!
The final result is as presented to everyone now—Pikachu successfully used Aura Sphere and inflicted serious damage on Geodude!
"What are you posing for? Hurry and finish it with Quick Attack!" Seeing Pikachu striking a pose, Ash couldn't help but be frustrated. If you want to show off, at least wait until the battle is over. If the opponent turns things around, you'll have nowhere to cry!
Upon hearing this, Pikachu quickly turned around and dashed into the dissipating smoke, followed by a thud. Geodude was flung out of the smoke, rolled twice on the ground, and lay motionless.
Seeing Geodude's aura gradually weaken, Ash finally breathed a sigh of relief. Honestly, even he had underestimated at first, thinking Aura Sphere would directly solve Geodude.
But the knowledge he recently crammed, along with Geodude's unwavering aura, reminded him.
Brock's Geodude has the Sturdy ability. When a Pokemon with this ability receives damage beyond its capacity, it clings to its last breath.
With Ash's Aura Fusion, Pikachu's Aura Sphere has the power of a one-hit KO, but due to the Sturdy ability, Geodude endured it.
Fortunately, Geodude couldn't recover in time after such a heavy blow, eventually being finished off by Pikachu's Quick Attack.
Brock, somewhat silently, retrieved Geodude. In this battle, he didn't even land a hit on Ash; Ash ended the battle straight away.
Compared to his earlier battle with a boy named Gary, this match felt more frustrating. Geodude was either sleeping or slowed, leaving it unable to fight back due to various statuses. It was infuriating.
"What was that move just now?" Brock didn't immediately send out another Pokemon but questioned about the move Pikachu used.
As a Gym Leader, even though Brock is young and lacks extensive knowledge compared to veteran trainers, the fact that a Newbie Trainer used a move he's never seen is quite unbelievable.
And that move severely injured the defensively exceptional Geodude, making Brock believe that without the Sturdy ability, Geodude would have been one-shot.
So, is this move particularly effective against Geodude? Otherwise, it couldn't have dealt such massive damage.
"Aura Sphere, a Fighting Type move." Ash didn't hide it from Brock and straightforwardly informed him of the skill Pikachu used.
But this only deepened Brock's confusion. "Aura Sphere...a move I've never heard of. If it's a Fighting Type skill, Pikachu shouldn't be able to learn it, right? At least not at your current Pikachu's level."
Though Brock doesn't possess the Eye of Insight like Ash, as a Gym Trainer, he has substantial experience, and during battles, he can roughly assess the opponent's Pokemon level.
Pikachu's level is Advanced, quite high for a novice. However, an Advanced-level Pikachu mastering a Fighting Type Energy Move should be impossible.
Where did this boy and Pikachu come from, being such oddballs?