"But didn't you say Ash's Pikachu focuses on speed because of its relatively low physical attack? Now that its speed has increased, but it's using physical attacks, how does it make sense to go in for melee?" Cynthia frowned after hearing Brock's explanation, clearly puzzled by the contradiction.
"That applies to your average Pokémon," Brock replied with a smile. "Ash's Pikachu is different. While its physical attack isn't outstanding, it's not weak either. More importantly—melee combat is Pikachu's specialty!"
He was confident. In Brock's eyes, Ash's Pikachu was a rare and powerful Pokémon. Sure, it had its flaws, but the strengths clearly outweighed them.
Pokémon moves were ranked by power—C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS tiers.
Take Thunderbolt, for example. It had at least B+ level power. But Pikachu's Cell Activation—that was easily an S+ level technique.
Different Pokémon had different power ceilings, even for the same move. Hyper Beam, for instance, varied widely depending on the user's strength and training.
"It's so fast! I can't track Pikachu's movements anymore. There are so many afterimages—like it's using Double Team!" Lt. Surge muttered, frowning as he watched the blurs flash across the battlefield.
"Raichu!" Raichu was equally disoriented, his head spinning as he tried to keep up with the flashing images of Pikachu. A Million-Ton Punch charged on his right fist, but he couldn't find an opening to land it!
"It's over! Use Agility combined with Quick Attack, then finish with Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted.
In an instant, Pikachu shot forward along a straight path, then accelerated even more, moving in a streak of lightning. His body shimmered with electricity, leaving afterimages that surged through the sparks. Volt Tackle was both an Electric-type and a Physical move. Combined with Pikachu's immense speed and control, the resulting force doubled in impact!
The power of Volt Tackle in Pikachu's case easily reached A+ tier. While Agility gave greater mobility and free direction shifts, Quick Attack offered raw speed—but only in a straight line. That was the trade-off: flexibility versus straight-line burst.
BOOM!!!
"Raichu!!!"
Pikachu's Volt Tackle struck Raichu squarely, sending a blast of smoke and dust into the air. Cracks webbed out from the impact zone, revealing the sheer destructive power of the move.
Though Pikachu himself was knocked back slightly from recoil, his Champion-level stamina made it negligible. At A+ power, Volt Tackle could overwhelm even a Pokémon of equal level. If Pikachu pushed it to S or S+ tier, the damage would be devastating.
"Raichu is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! Gym Leader, please send out your next Pokémon!" Blitz announced, his voice shaky.
He stared at Ash in disbelief. Though Blitz was already 29 and had reached Elite level, he now realized how average his talent was compared to Ash's.
His Raichu was descended from Lt. Surge's original powerhouse and had excellent potential. But in pursuit of quick strength, Blitz had rushed its evolution, skipping foundational training. Surge had been furious about that.
"Go, Magneton!"
After recalling Raichu, Lt. Surge tossed another Poké Ball, revealing a Pokémon made of three magnets joined together. Ash narrowed his eyes. He had seen a lot of Pokémon, but this was his first time facing a Magneton in battle.
DING—!
Name: Magneton
Level: Elite Tier
Abilities: Magnet Pull, Sturdy
Types: Electric / Steel
Potential: B+
"Dual-typed… Electric and Steel. That gives it decent strength in both elemental and physical attacks," Ash nodded, analyzing the data. While dual-types weren't exactly rare, they weren't always optimal.
The main drawback was that neither attribute would likely exceed the performance of a pure-type Pokémon—unless one attribute was specifically honed. But if both were developed properly, a dual-type could dominate its type matchups.
"Magneton, use Zap Cannon!"
The magnets around Magneton began to hum and spark, gathering intense electromagnetic energy. A silver-white bolt of electricity erupted toward Pikachu—fast and powerful. The move packed B+ level force!
"This Zap Cannon has metallic energy fused into it. Its physical force is intense. The dual-typing really gives it an edge!"
With his Sharingan active, Ash easily saw through the core nature of Magneton's attack.
"Dodge!" Ash commanded calmly without even looking at the incoming attack. While Magneton's Zap Cannon was powerful, its speed was another story—it was sluggish, clearly built for offense, not agility.
That much made sense. After all, when a Magnemite evolves into a Magneton, its mass increases significantly. The added weight meant reduced mobility. Despite its appearance, Magneton was composed entirely of heavy minerals. It hovered using magnetic levitation—not flight.
"Those eyes again... What are they?" Cynthia stared in amazement as Ash's eyes morphed into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
She remembered seeing them once before at the Pokémon Center—when Ash had glared at her. That sensation had left a lasting impression.
And now it was back.
BOOM!!!
Pikachu easily avoided the attack, and the Zap Cannon crashed into the ground where he had just been standing.
The explosion tore open the battlefield, sending chunks of earth flying. A web of cracks spread out from the impact zone—clear evidence of the move's raw power.