Two voices rang out at the same time!
The battle continued!
The essence of acting lay in not being seen through.
The slip-up earlier was simply an insult to its performing career.
Therefore—
Pikachu decided it was time to prove its acting skills.
Real acting meant even your opponent couldn't see through it!
The scene from just now was definitely a black stain on its history!
And so, Pikachu poured genuine emotion into its performance.
After all, Kiawe had once been Ash's companion and rival.
He at least deserved some fun in the battle. If it were a complete stomp from start to finish…
that would damage the bond between Ash and Kiawe.
Especially since its little bro Incineroar had already crushed Kiawe's Turtonator with absolute dominance!
Now Pikachu had to pay off that social debt!
Sigh… without me this whole family would fall apart!
The battle continued.
Immediately, the situation on the field shifted.
Pikachu used its nimble body to leap high into the air.
Its tail gleamed like polished metal as it slammed down toward Charizard.
Kiawe's Charizard counterswung with its Dragon Claw!
However—
Iron Tail, also known as the "Little Behemoth Slash," matched Dragon Claw perfectly, entering a complete stalemate.
The two sides were evenly matched; not a single flaw could be seen.
"Pikachu, bring out your fighting spirit!"
Ash's voice rang out just then, along with the cheers of the Pokémon behind him.
"Pika!"
Pikachu responded briefly, then increased its strength.
The balance that had been holding suddenly collapsed.
Iron Tail and Dragon Claw sparked fiercely—and in the next moment—
Iron Tail slipped right through the gap in Dragon Claw and struck Charizard square on the head.
Charizard clearly hadn't expected the sudden shift.
Its entire body was sent flying backward.
Pikachu, however, landed steadily—the force it had used was just right.
Dizzying, but not brain-damaging!
It ensured the attack wouldn't cause too much harm while still making the scene dramatic.
Sure enough—
After that hit, the entire stadium erupted again, the crowd selectively forgetting the awkward beginning.
Pikachu looked around, satisfied with the audience's reaction.
Yes, this is it. This is exactly the effect I want!
Battles should be back-and-forth—except against those few people who forced it to go all-out.
Against anyone else, an even fight was the right way to go.
(Brief explanation: Pikachu's strength is basically at Champion-Ace level, and it even has super effective power against Legendary Pokémon. But in normal battles, it always fights other Pokémon to a "fifty-fifty." If you tell me it's not acting… well, I don't buy it.)
Charizard staggered up from the gravel, shaking its head.
That hit had truly rattled Charizard.
But it was still manageable.
Seeing his Charizard still okay, Kiawe continued issuing commands.
During the following battle, Pikachu maintained a fifty-fifty situation as much as possible.
Sometimes it even allowed Charizard to take the upper hand.
The back-and-forth exchange lasted for about five minutes!
This kind of seesaw battle thrilled the audience.
The only one who wasn't enjoying it was Charizard itself!
What is with this yellow rat?!
No matter how hard I hit it, the next second it's bouncing around like nothing happened!
"Let's finish this—Thunderbolt!"
Looking at the panting Charizard, Ash and Pikachu's intent aligned perfectly.
They both felt the battle should end now.
Charizard was gasping heavily, having exhausted all its stamina.
It no longer had the ability to resist.
Even with its trainer shouting desperately behind it—
It couldn't respond. Pikachu had long since drained its energy.
The golden lightning swallowed Charizard whole.
With a thud, Charizard collapsed!
"Charizard is unable to battle!"
The Rotom Dex immediately floated to Charizard to check its condition.
After confirming it had fainted, it announced the result of the match.
The spectators erupted into another wave of cheering.
The fight had been exciting and satisfying!
[Diantha: As expected, Pikachu's strength is already Champion-Ace level. And yet it can still make a battle with an Elite Four Charizard look back-and-forth. This acting is a gift from heaven.]
[Lusamine: You really can't blame Pikachu. This family survives because Pikachu holds it together.]
[Lance: What's this? Is there something we don't know?]
[Alder: Hahaha, Lance, only you can't see it. With Ash's personality, if Pikachu actually fought seriously, this Charizard wouldn't last five seconds. But because of Ash's relationship with Kiawe, if Pikachu instantly one-shot his Pokémon, Kiawe would definitely feel bad inside.
Pikachu has amazing emotional intelligence—clearly strong enough to one-shot, but still plays with Charizard for so long, even pretending to be going all-out.
That's the charm of compromise: looks like full effort, but isn't actually full effort, yet makes you think it was.]
[Rinto: And that's why I don't want to be Champion. So much political maneuvering—annoying.]
[Steven: Exactly. Being Champion is nothing compared to digging up stones!]
[Alder: Rinto, Steven can say that, but you, an Elite Four member, saying it? Do you even have Champion-level strength?]
[Rinto: Master! Just give me a little face!]
[Alder: Hah! Face is earned, not given. Get your butt back here—I'm going to train you personally so you know what Champion-level actually means!]
[Gardenia: Ohoho, you're doomed!]
[Caitlin: Suddenly I realize Ash and Pikachu complement each other. Whatever emotional intelligence Ash lacks, Pikachu has all of it.]
It really did seem that way.
Without Pikachu, this family really would fall apart!
Whether it was "selling its body" to win others' goodwill…
Or giving opponents a satisfying battle experience…
Everything displayed Pikachu's EQ.
...
On screen—
Kiawe sighed and recalled his fainted Charizard.
Then he sent out his final Pokémon—
The Alolan Marowak.
It had the Fire/Ghost typing unique to Alola.
Fortunately, its ability was Cursed Body and not Lightning Rod.
Otherwise Pikachu really would've had a harder time.
The battle unfolded just like the one against Charizard.
First, Pikachu gave its opponent enough respect, making the battle thrilling and intense.
Even though this Marowak had strength close to Champion-level…
It still couldn't deal meaningful damage to Ash's Pikachu.
But Pikachu acted like—hit me just a little harder and I'll fall over.
Thus, by the time Marowak was swept aside by an Iron Tail and fainted, it still hadn't figured out—
Wait… didn't I use to go fifty-fifty with this Pikachu before?
Why is it STILL fifty-fifty now after so long?!
With Marowak fainted—
Rotom Dex announced the winner.
"Marowak is unable to battle. The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
Ash's ranking rose again—reaching 850!
Kiawe took the loss well.
He didn't feel discouraged—in fact, he smiled in relief.
Yes—Ash was the Champion of Alola.
Losing to him wasn't embarrassing.
The spectators applauded both Ash and Kiawe for the wonderful battle.
Though Alola was sparsely populated, its people were remarkably civil.
Nobody tried to force photos or signatures.
They even stepped aside to clear a path for them.
Tapu Koko, hidden in the sky while watching the match, vanished after the battle ended.
Ash had grown stronger again.
That day, Lana and the others spent the whole day playing with Ash and Chloe.
By dusk—
Ash reluctantly boarded his plane with Chloe.
After waving goodbye to his companions, Ash's Alola trip concluded.
Before leaving, however—
To prepare for the increasingly intense World Coronation Series—
Ash brought along the Poké Balls of Incineroar and the others.
He needed them for the upcoming Great Ball Class and eventually the Masters Eight.
After all, Ash's goal was Leon.
Before that, he wasn't going to lose—not even once.
Back in Vermilion City—
Returning to Professor Sakuragi's lab, Ash collapsed onto the bed.
In the following days, Ash traveled back to Pallet Town with the Poké Balls.
He introduced Incineroar and the others to the backyard Pokémon.
Under Bulbasaur's command—
The backyard Pokémon held a grand welcome ceremony for the newcomers.
Seeing the harmonious scene—
Ash finally relaxed.
If his partners could get along, that was the best outcome.
In the days that followed, Ash continued climbing the World Coronation rankings.
Along the way he even encountered Bea—
the Galar fighter who had defeated him last time.
This time, Ash had figured out how to counter Bea's Grapploct.
He succeeded—and helped Riolu earn its revenge.
[Bea: I didn't expect my strategy to be cracked so easily. As expected of Ash.]
[Mustard: It's not strange. Bea, you're gifted, but compared to Ash you're still far behind. Ash is born with a martial arts physique—seeing through your tactics so easily is perfectly normal.]
[Bea: It's fine. A single loss means nothing. If I meet Ash again, I'm sure I won't lose next time.]
[Gary: She's always been this confident? Ash isn't someone you beat easily. Even I need effort.]
[Ash: Save it, my defeated rival.]
[Diantha: Ash~ Gary was helping you this time.]
[Gary: Stupid Ash! I'll go beat you up right now!]
[Ash: Come on then! I'm not scared!]
In Kanto, at Professor Oak's backyard—
Red pushed down the brim of his cap.
His gaze drifted toward the noisy area of the backyard—
Where Blue and Gary were arguing.
Those two brothers really were alike—equally obnoxious.
But—
If he could beat Blue…
Then Ash could definitely beat Gary easily.
Why?
Simple—bloodline suppression.
...
On screen—
Life returned to normal afterward.
"So boring… I can't even match with opponents anymore."
Inside Sakuragi Laboratory—
Ash rested his chin on one hand, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Chloe sat nearby, reading battle-related books intently.
To keep up with Ash, she was working hard.
But without battles…
Ash had no motivation—and Pikachu felt the same.
After counting the ceiling tiles again—
Ash and Pikachu both slumped across the table.
"So booooring—"
"Jyaaaan~ I think I heard someone say they're bored."
Professor Sakuragi appeared behind Ash without warning.
Ash, who had just relaxed, nearly jumped out of his skin.
Pikachu, too.
After a thunderstorm of electricity—
All four people around the table were shocked into charcoal-black.
"Professor Sakuragi! Please stop popping up like that!"
Chloe, dragged into it, sighed helplessly and didn't even use honorifics for her beloved dad.
The three charred figures looked at each other.
After a moment of silence, they burst out laughing.
A few seconds later—
Professor Sakuragi finally calmed down.
He took two tickets out of his pocket and placed them on the table.
"I heard you were bored, so I came to check. You two haven't had anything to do lately, right?
I'd like you to go visit the Fossil Expo at Pewter City's 340th facility."
He tapped the tickets meaningfully.
Originally, the idea of Chloe liking Ash was something he couldn't accept.
But later—
As he grew to understand Ash more—
Professor Sakuragi relented.
Ash was outstanding, after all. (Sharpening the knife!)
If Chloe liked him, he wouldn't stop her.
In fact, he kept creating opportunities for Ash and Chloe to spend time alone.
This time—
Was no different.
Seeing their lingering confusion—
Professor Sakuragi sweetened the offer.
"I heard the expo features many fossil Pokémon revived from oil paintings, and you can even dig for fossils yourselves.
If you find a complete one, the lab will help revive it for free~"
His voice was dripping with temptation.
Only then did Ash and Chloe snap back to reality.
Fossils! Ancient Pokémon!
Instant excitement.
Seeing the two carefully store away the tickets, Professor Sakuragi patted their shoulders.
"Have fun."
A simple sentence—
Yet viewers could hear both expectation and bitterness in his tone.
This poor father had it rough.
He had to worry about protecting his cabbage…
while also helping the pig get close to the cabbage!
[Sabrina: Very good. Professor Sakuragi, I'll remember you.]
[Caitlin: Come on now~ this is in the future anyway. Sabrina, don't bully the Professor. He didn't want his daughter stolen by Ash.]
[Prof. Sakuragi: What are you saying?! I demand a lawyer! What do you mean "stolen by Ash"? My daughter is adorable—she would NEVER be stolen!]
[Drake: Don't struggle. I know that feeling. Besides, didn't future-you already give up? You were literally helping them get together just now!]
[Norman: It's fine—let Chloe pursue love freely!]
[Hanako (Delia): Hehehe~]
I report—someone is fishing in troubled waters!
Seeing her son so well-liked—
Delia was very proud.
Ash still needed someone to care for him.
Although the handbook listed many of Ash's future girlfriends…
That was future.
Anything could change.
For now—
Chloe and Cynthia were both great girls.
Who knew if others would emerge?
How was she, as a future mother-in-law, supposed to get along with all of them?
Ahhh—such troublesome thoughts~
...
On screen—
After getting the tickets, Ash dragged Chloe out of the lab.
Watching their disappearing figures—
Professor Sakuragi's fists clenched tight.
Scene shift—
Ash and Chloe had arrived in Pewter City.
And right upon arrival, Ash ran into a familiar face—
Brock!
The Gym Leader of Pewter City.
And the companion who had traveled with Ash through many regions!
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