"Could you be Lord Red?!"
After sensing the gaze from behind, the boy turned to see Red regarding him with curious eyes.
The boy showed no confusion. Instead, he excitedly introduced himself.
"My name is Richie, and Lord Red, I'm your loyal fan!"
Richie extended his right hand enthusiastically, eager to shake hands with his idol.
Red silently extended his right hand, politely reciprocating Richie's enthusiasm.
During brief conversation, Red learned that Richie had witnessed the previous Hutber Port incident. After watching Red command his Pokémon to defeat the super-giant Tentacruel, he'd developed deep admiration.
Because of this admiration, Richie had even imitated some of Red's characteristics in his clothing and appearance, making his style somewhat similar to the brothers Red and Ash.
Just as Richie prepared to continue his travel stories, the elevator suddenly shook inexplicably, then went dark. Everyone looked up, puzzled, to discover that the elevator had malfunctioned.
After realizing the malfunction, Professor Oak suggested Brock press the emergency call button.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Brock pressed the emergency button, trying to summon elevator staff for rescue, but received no response.
Estimating it was a power outage, Professor Oak suggested everyone wait patiently in the elevator for staff assistance.
Perhaps due to the unexpected incident, everyone present forgot one crucial detail: Red could easily use Teleport to evacuate everyone.
Red's eyes gradually turned azure. Just as he was about to activate Teleport, he noticed that Richie had located the elevator's electrical switch and asked Ash to have Pikachu deliver a mild electric shock to restore power.
Sure enough, under Pikachu's controlled electrical output, the elevator resumed working, allowing Red's group to exit.
"Thank you, Richie," Ash said gratefully, admiring Richie's quick thinking.
"It's nothing. Thank Ash's Pikachu instead," Richie replied modestly, attributing most credit to the Electric-type. He'd merely made a suggestion.
Just as everyone prepared to leave and wave goodbye to Richie, the observant Red noticed fighting spirit emanating from Richie's eyes, clearly directed at him.
Catching Red's glance and realizing he'd been noticed, Richie subconsciously placed his hand on the Poké Ball at his waist, ready to challenge Red at any moment.
But the obvious strength gap left Richie momentarily without the courage to issue an active challenge.
"How about a Pokémon battle to warm up?" Seeing Richie's hesitation, Red proactively challenged him.
"Really?! This is such an honor!" Richie exclaimed excitedly, gripping his Poké Ball as he led Red's group toward the nearby Pokémon Center to borrow the backyard's private arena.
Moments later
Red's group arrived at the Pokémon Center's backyard arena.
"Go, Pikachu." Red threw his Poké Ball, deploying his Pikachu.
"Pikapika!" Seeing Red's Pikachu materialize, Ash's Pikachu excitedly raised its right hand. If this weren't a battle environment, Ash's Pikachu would have already leaped into Red's Pikachu's embrace for affection. After all, considerable time had passed since seeing its elder brother.
"Pika!" Spotting his younger brother on site, Red's Pikachu excitedly clenched its fist, determined to perform impressively. Then it locked its battle-ready gaze on Richie's Poké Ball, anticipating what opponent it would face.
After a brief contemplation, Richie threw his Poké Ball to witness Red deploy Pikachu. "I'm counting on you, Sparky !"
White light revealed a Pokémon with yellow fur, two brown stripes on its back, and a distinctive zigzag lightning-shaped tail. This was also Pikachu—Richie's Sparky .
Notably, Richie's Sparky sported a distinctive tuft of upright hair on its forehead.
Recognizing a fellow species member, Red's Pikachu sighed disappointedly, not expecting its opponent to be such an unimpressive specimen.
"It's also a Pikachu," Misty said in surprise, not expecting Richie to deploy the same species. Three Pikachu were now simultaneously present.
"The Pikachu species isn't particularly rare," Leaf observed casually.
"But Red and Ash's Pikachu are quite different," Professor Oak noted. These were the only two Partner Pikachu he currently knew.
"Let me referee this match." Brock walked to the battle field's center edge.
"Both sides are contestant Red and contestant Richie. Each may use one Pokémon. Whichever side's Pokémon loses battle capability loses. The match begins now!"
"Sparky , use Thunderbolt!" Richie commanded first.
As a Pikachu trainer, Richie instantly sensed Red's Pikachu's power and uniqueness. This specimen seemed fundamentally different from ordinary ones.
Following Richie's command, Sparky rapidly released high-voltage electricity, transforming it into a lightning serpent streaking toward Red's Pikachu.
Red issued no command. His Pikachu showed no intention of dodging, completely disregarding the approaching Thunderbolt.
"What?" Richie said, puzzled, unable to comprehend Red's Pikachu's reaction.
"Strange. Even though they're both Electric-types, Red's Pikachu should still sustain minor damage. Why not dodge?" Misty wondered, confused by Red's strategy.
"There's one special case. Red's Pikachu's ability isn't Static, but Lightning Rod!" Leaf explained, analyzing the situation expertly.
"Lightning Rod?!" Ash and Misty exclaimed simultaneously in surprise, suddenly understanding why Red's Pikachu chose not to evade.
Just as Leaf predicted, when Sparky 's Thunderbolt struck Red's Pikachu directly, it sustained zero damage. Instead, it absorbed Thunderbolt's power with obvious displeasure, its expression seemingly conveying how pathetically weak Sparky 's electrical output was.
"That's impossible?!" Richie stammered in shock, staring incredulously at the completely unharmed Pikachu.
"That's correct. Red's Pikachu possesses the Lightning Rod ability, allowing it to completely immunize against and absorb Electric-type attacks while simultaneously boosting its Special Attack stat," Professor Oak explained.