"Let's begin, Gastly, round two."
"Hey, you really dare to speak, huh? I was just worried you'd distract her, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of you. If you get seriously hurt, I won't be responsible."
"Bring it on."
Right now, the Aura Power within Ash was fully operational. Compared to a month ago, when it was still crude, he had become quite adept at using it.
He was still not comparable to the Aura Guardians in the group, but to deal with an Elite Level Gastly... heh.
"I must be a little serious when dealing with you, first of all..." Gastly said, as its body suddenly emitted a dazzling light, and in the next moment, its body transformed.
It transformed from its gaseous state into a Pokémon with legs and arms and blood-red eyes!
Gastly's final evolution form, Gengar!
For a thousand-year-old trickster, mastering the ability to evolve and devolve was a piece of cake. A Pokémon might control the timing of its evolution, but learning to devolve, now that's no ordinary feat.
Only a millennia-old Gastly could achieve such a miraculous thing.
Usually, it maintained its form as a Gastly and would switch to Gengar during battles, its ability value increasing. However, it hadn't battled for ages, and after who knows how many years, its opponent was a human.
After transforming into Gengar, it clasped its hands together, and a dark Energy Ball appeared instantly, which it then fiercely launched!
Shadow Ball!
This Shadow Ball was significantly more powerful than the one it used against Team Rocket just moments ago. The Shadow Ball that blew Team Rocket away only served to shove them back, but if this one hit them... it would be deadly!
The mighty Shadow Ball cut through the void, whistling toward Ash. Ash stood firm, not dodging or hiding, waiting until the Shadow Ball was right in front of him before making a move.
He calmed his breath, fist resting by his waist, and then he punched out!
"Bang!!"
The Shadow Ball, which seemed capable of smashing even steel, was shattered to pieces by a single punch from Ash!
Blackish-purple energy scattered in the air. Gengar, still in the stance of launching a Shadow Ball, was stunned.
Blocked his full-force Shadow Ball barehanded? Are you freaking kidding me!
Even though its level was at Elite Advanced, it had been entrenched at this level for countless years. Typically, even an Elite Peak wouldn't dare compare their direct attacks with it, let alone the fact that it specifically evolved into Gengar!
But Ash shattered the Shadow Ball effortlessly with a radiant punch, looking completely at ease... heh, is this guy really human?
"My turn now." Ash said, placing his hands by his waist, where a vivid blue energy ball began to form—Aura Sphere!
"Hah!" With Ash's explosive shout, the Aura Sphere was launched fiercely. Amidst the night, the Aura Sphere released by Ash was like a miniature sun, illuminating the entire Maiden Gorge!
Gengar quickly started flying in the air to dodge, but the Aura Sphere seemed to have homing capabilities, persistently chasing behind, even closing the distance.
Seeing this, Gengar gave up on dodging. A dark energy ball appeared in its hand, which it then spun around to throw the Shadow Ball, colliding in the air with the Aura Sphere, producing a huge explosion!
"Boom!"
A terrifying shockwave rippled through the air. Even Misty, Brock, and others who were hundreds of meters away from the battlefield felt a strong impact.
The force of the impact was palpable over such a distance, so one can only imagine the magnitude of the explosion and shockwave at the center.
Before Gengar could even catch its breath in the air, a vivid blue energy ball burst through the thick smoke, hitting it directly under its terrified gaze!
"Boom!"
A second explosion occurred in mid-air, and Gengar's figure slowly descended, the earlier Foresight by Ralts now proving a setup.
Why use Foresight? Because Aura Sphere is a Fighting Type Move.
And Ash's entire power relies on his combat skills, though he could convert Aura into other attribute attacks, he wasn't proficient. Utilizing Aura in combat, that was his full strength.
Thus from the outset, Ash planned for Ralts to use Foresight to make the opponent tangible, so he could finish it off.
This method was suggested by Champion Ash in the group.
When facing an unbeatable opponent, if it's not an official battle, some non-standard tactics might be considered.
The official battle regulations state that Trainers cannot participate in the fight, which indeed leaves no room for maneuver, but in the wild...
Who says capturing Pokémon can only be done by another Pokémon?
Didn't Ash use his own combat skills to capture Pikachu in the beginning?
Now, when faced with an invincible opponent for the Pokémon at hand, naturally the trump card must come into play, and that trump card is none other than Ash himself!
It was precisely due to Champion Ash's suggestion that Ash proposed the condition of capturing through battle to Gastly.
Among them, an Aura Guardian from the group had reminded him that Fighting Type Moves, including the power of Aura, couldn't hit Gengar.
Ghost Types do indeed counter Aura, but there's a way to solve that: just use the skill Foresight.