Hammerlocke Stadium.
When he faced Li Wei,
Ash's old habit resurfaced.
He always entered competitions in each new region with a team from that region.
This time, however, Ash's habit
had earned Blue's approval.
Ash had also broken from his usual approach. Unlike in the round of 32 and the previous two rounds, he no longer switched Pokémon when faced with a type disadvantage.
Even against Zeraora,
Ash had let Pikachu fight to the very end.
This was completely different from his earlier style.
Pikachu, going all out, had fought three hundred rounds against Zeraora, and Corkscrew Crash had left Zeraora's stamina dangerously low.
If Zeraora took the field again,
there was a chance things could go wrong.
Li Wei had more or less guessed what Ash was trying to do.
He wanted to show Li Wei how much he had grown.
Li Wei had already seen Ash's growth in other areas during the round of 32 and the previous two rounds.
There really wasn't much left for Li Wei to teach him.
All Ash needed to do now was keep gaining practical experience, raising his Pokémon's levels, and maintaining his passion for battling...
In the future, Ash might well reach the top.
"Lycanroc, I choose you!"
Ash sent out the world's only special Lycanroc-Dusk Form.
Its greatest strength was answering Counter with Counter, effectively returning four times the damage.
Unfortunately, Li Wei didn't use Counter.
"Diancie, I choose you."
The pink diamond on her crown refracted the lights into a rainbow glow as the elegant Diancie made her dazzling entrance.
Ash hadn't waited for Li Wei to send out his Pokémon
before sending out Lycanroc.
But between the two of them, that didn't really matter.
Winona quickly analyzed the situation. "Lycanroc is known for its agility, while Diancie's speed