[Lance: Looks like I underestimated Ash. That Thunderbolt… only he could unleash such power.]
[Cynthia: But Mr. Leon hasn't gone all out yet, has he? That Charizard of yours isn't showing its full strength.]
[Gary: Huh? Why would Mr. Leon hold back?]
[Leon: No, not just me. Ash's Pikachu also hasn't gone all out. I can sense a force inside it… but it hasn't been released.]
In his words, everyone's eyes focused back on the screen.
[Denji: He's right. Pikachu's lightning doesn't have that sharp, destructive edge it showed against Lugia.]
[Aaron: And Leon's Charizard flames are off. When it fought Lance, its tailfire was already blue. Now it's still just the normal orange-red.]
[Wallace: That shouldn't be. Leon said he was going to get serious.]
[Ash: Maybe he wants to save the best for last. A true battle against Mr. Leon deserves the biggest stage.]
[Gary: You think you can make it into the Masters Eight?]
Pallet Town.
When Gary's comment appeared, Team Rocket froze in the middle of hawking their goods.
"Typical twerp. Always talking big."
"…But maybe he really could pull it off."
If anyone understood Ash best, it wasn't Professor Oak or Misty.
It was Team Rocket.
After all, they'd witnessed his growth step by step.
Ash's talent as a Trainer was undeniable.
After all, he was destined to become the world's number one Pokémon Master.
"Honestly, I'd love to see the twerp on that stage," Jessie admitted.
"Same here!" "Meowth! Me too!"
Crunch.
Gary, who had come to buy a lemonade, overheard their whispering and crushed the paper cup in his hand.
Seriously? Even buying a drink, he had to bump into this?
Now everyone was picking sides?
"One lemonade! Extra lemon!" he snapped.
On screen—
Flames and lightning clashed!
For a while they held even, but fire slowly overwhelmed thunder.
Charizard's Flamethrower pressed Pikachu's Thunderbolt down, inching closer and closer.
The situation was dire.
This wasn't a game—moves weren't just numbers. Power depended on the user's true strength.
If Arceus used Tackle, no ordinary Legendary could endure it.
If Pikachu took that Flamethrower head-on, the battle would be over.
At that instant, the Dynamax Band on Ash's wrist erupted with dazzling light!
Purple radiance poured into Pikachu's body.
In a flash, the suppressed electricity surged forth.
Lightning roared, pushing back the flames, cutting through, and striking Charizard directly!
Charizard was doubly weak to Electric.
But even so, as torrents of lightning raged over its body, it hardly flinched.
With one mighty sweep of its claws, it dispersed the electricity.
Aside from some scorch marks, it bore no real injuries.
As expected of Leon's ace.
Its strength was terrifying.
Then, affected by the Dynamax Band, Pikachu began to transform—
Once again becoming the massive Gigantamax Pikachu seen the night before!
The sudden sight left Leon momentarily stunned.
Even as Charizard was struck, he gave no commands.
To think Pikachu could trigger Dynamax without returning to a Poké Ball…
Ash… are you sure you're using that Band correctly?
Professor Magnolia certainly never said this was possible.
[Prof. Magnolia: I strongly suspect Ash and Pikachu are illegal! There's never been a recorded case of controlled Gigantamax without a Poké Ball!]
[Prof. Birch: Then you'll have to ask Professor Oak. Before Ash set out on his journey, Pikachu had been in his care for a while.]
[Prof. Oak: Don't look at me! This Pikachu was a gift from a friend. I only gave it to Ash because I forgot to prepare a starter!]
[Leon: Is that so? That just makes me even more excited, Ash. Don't disappoint me!]
So far, Pikachu was already showing power far beyond ordinary Pokémon.
This was Pikachu—
the one who could stand against gods themselves.
But just as Ash's Pikachu Gigantamaxed, the livestream froze.
The sudden freeze startled viewers.
Then they realized—
It was quiz time again.
The last question had dropped that absurdly overpowered Light Ball—no one had forgotten it.
[Bruno: I'm ready! This time I'll get it right for sure!]
[Lance: You'd better worry about buzzing at first. With all those muscles slowing down your reflexes…]
[Bruno: What's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me dumb?]
[Flint: If you noticed, then you're not dumb. Just… not smart either. Buzzing in depends on reaction speed, which depends on your brain. And you? Yeah, no chance.]
[Aaron: Brutal, hahaha!]
[Flint: You too, Aaron. His brain is all muscle, yours is all fire. Either way—no brain.]
After unloading, Flint felt much better.
He was the only one in Sinnoh handling incidents.
So much stress, so much hair lost.
And that damned Aaron—always slacking!
[Aaron: We're supposed to be brothers, partners! How can you say that?]
[Flint: Don't know you.]
While Flint was roasting him, new text appeared on screen:
[Question: In Ash's battle with Leon, what finishing move will Ash use?]
[A: Thunderbolt]
[B: G-Max Volt Crash]
[C: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt]
[D: Super Gigantamax 10,000,000 Volt Thunder Crash]
[All participants have 30 seconds to think. After 30 seconds, the first four to buzz in may answer.]
Just like before—
four participants, thirty seconds.
But this question was brutal.
Everyone knew option A.
Thunderbolt was one of the most iconic Electric moves—high power, reliable damage.
Option B, G-Max Volt Crash, was Pikachu's exclusive Gigantamax move. They'd seen it in an earlier battle.
But C and D?
"10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt"? "Super Gigantamax 10,000,000 Volt Thunder Crash"?
What the hell were those?
[Denji: Did the stream mess up? I've never heard of a move called 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt.]
[Lt. Surge: Same here. Anyone else heard of it?]
Of course not!
Because—10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt was a move born of Ash and Pikachu's bond.
A unique Z-Move, exclusive to them alone!
It was one of a kind.
Before the Alola League was established, Z-Crystals and Z-Moves had barely spread.
They were nowhere near as well-known as Mega Evolution.
Even Dynamax was more famous, thanks to Galar's global promotion.
And Alola?
It had nothing.
That's why in the entire Masters Eight, only Ash had ever used a Z-Move.
And not just any Z-Move—
his own exclusive one.
So it wasn't surprising no one recognized it.
Not even Professor Kukui in Alola.
He knew Ash's Z-Ring well enough, but "10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt"? What was that supposed to be?
Kukui was certain of one thing: in Ash's battle against Leon, both sides would definitely use Dynamax.
By all logic, Dynamaxed moves should become Max Moves.
But could a Z-Move coexist with Gigantamax?
That just didn't make sense.
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