The moment he heard that command—
Ash actually laughed out loud.
Under normal circumstances, Ash didn't laugh during battles.
Unless he really couldn't hold it in.
And right now—
The situation was just too funny.
After all, Fairy-type moves completely negate Dragon-type attacks!
No matter how powerful Latios's Dragon Pulse was, at best it would only be able to give Pikachu a bath.
Praise be to Zacian!
Seven-colored Dragon-type energy gathered inside Latios's mouth.
In the next instant, it condensed into a massive, radiant dragon.
The dragon plunged downward from the sky!
Its only target—
The Pikachu standing directly below.
Although Ash suddenly found the situation a little strange—
Tobias had already stopped caring.
Whether this Dragon Pulse hit or not didn't matter anymore.
What he needed right now was to test Pikachu's strength.
Strategically, he could look down on Pikachu—
But tactically, he absolutely had to take it seriously.
This was the very Pikachu that had once fought Latios to a double knockout at the Lily of the Valley Conference!
How could its strength be anything less than terrifying?
Even Ash's Sceptile had easily defeated Darkrai—
Let alone this Pikachu.
Thankfully, Latios still had the aerial advantage.
Otherwise, Tobias would be so anxious he wouldn't even be able to eat.
The dragon of energy descended, jaws wide open, as if it intended to swallow everything whole.
Faced with such a cautious and powerful attack—
Pikachu merely rubbed its pink cheeks calmly.
Electricity surged and filled the air.
No one knew what Pikachu was thinking.
Just like no one ever knew what Ash was thinking.
Watching Ash stand completely still—
Dawn was on the verge of panic.
That was Dragon Pulse!
If it hit, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Ash—why are you just standing there?!
Command Pikachu to dodge already!
And you too, Pikachu!
Move! Get out of the way!
Dawn screamed internally, wishing she could jump onto the battlefield herself.
The pressure was suffocating.
It felt like Ash had given up entirely.
But—
Ash would never abandon a battle.
As for why he didn't dodge?
Because there was no need.
Would you care about an attack that couldn't hurt you at all?
Of course not.
The seemingly devastating dragon bit down on Pikachu.
All of its Dragon-type energy poured into Pikachu's body through its fangs.
And yet—
Inside the dazzling seven-colored energy—
Pikachu casually licked its paw.
Pikachu was unaffected!
Tobias was completely dumbfounded!
What the hell is this?!
This isn't just cheating anymore—
This is straight-up paid DLC!
Has it already become this outrageous?!
[Marshal: Honestly, I kind of feel bad for Tobias. Who would've thought Pikachu would have Fairy typing? A Fairy-type Pikachu—how is anyone supposed to deal with that?!]
[Alder: To be fair, Tobias underestimated him. Latios is Psychic-type and definitely sensed the Fairy energy when Ash empowered Pikachu. It must've warned Tobias already.
But Tobias didn't fully believe it and chose to test with Dragon Pulse. And that test completely broke his worldview.]
[Flint: Hahahaha! My sides hurt—Tobias is way too funny!]
[Iono: Uncle, don't move! You're not laughing too hard—you fell and broke something!]
[Volkner: Yikes… sounds like Cynthia really didn't hold back this time. Flint probably won't be getting out of bed for at least half a month.]
[Iono: You're too conservative. I already asked Nurse Joy—Flint won't recover for at least three months.]
[Volkner: What do you mean "ninja uncle"?! I have a name! It's Volkner, Sinnoh's Electric Gym Leader!]
[Iono: I'm Iono! Levincia Gym Leader, also Electric-type!
As for "ninja uncle"—it's because we have a manga called Naruto. There's a guy who looks just like you!
Except he's cooler. Because he has a wife. Flint says you don't—you're a single dog!]
[Flint: Hey! Why are you saying everything out loud?!]
[Volkner: Flint! You're dead! Even Arceus can't save you now!]
[Lucian: …I suddenly want to open champagne.]
Ten years of life and death, separated by eternity—
This time he's done for, next time he's finished.
Looks like Sinnoh's fire-powered Elite Four will be temporarily retiring from the battlefield.
After all, no one is dedicated enough to battle while wrapped in bandages and sitting in a wheelchair.
Truly—
The pitiful always have something detestable about them.
...
Back to the battlefield—
Tobias forced himself to steady his breathing.
It took several deep breaths before his wildly pounding heart calmed down.
This was way too absurd!
Fortunately—
He still had a backup plan.
After Latios warned him that Pikachu might have Fairy typing,
Tobias had already begun preparing Plan B.
If Dragon-type moves didn't work—
Then he'd settle it with something else!
After all—
Latios's move pool was incredibly deep!
A mere Pikachu wouldn't scare him!
What Tobias didn't realize—
Was that this might be history repeating itself.
In the previous match, Infernape's Fire typing had rendered Heatran's Fire moves useless.
And now—
Pikachu's Fairy typing rendered Latios's Dragon moves useless!
Luckily, it wasn't a fatal problem.
"Latios! Cancel Dragon Pulse!"
Seeing it was ineffective, Tobias immediately changed tactics.
"Psychic!"
In an instant, blue light filled Latios's eyes.
The next moment—
Pikachu's body was engulfed by a blue aura!
Immense psychic pressure crushed down on it!
Pikachu felt as if it were being tightly coiled by a massive Steelix—
It could barely breathe!
As a Legendary Pokémon, Latios possessed terrifying psychic power.
Not quite on Mewtwo's level—
But still strong enough to decide a battle!
The sudden attack caught Pikachu completely off guard.
It had just been enjoying its Dragon Pulse bath—
And suddenly the opponent went for a sneak attack!
The suffocating pressure made it hard to breathe!
"Pika—!"
But—
It was Pikachu!
Relying on sheer physical resilience and willpower, it forcibly endured the crushing Psychic!
Such determination was awe-inspiring!
At the same time—
Ash was already thinking of a way to break through.
The battlefield was in complete ruins.
And Dragon Pulse had only worsened the destruction.
In this situation—
What should he do?
Ash's gaze swept between Pikachu and Latios.
Maybe—
This would work!
"Pikachu! Use Thunder on yourself!"
Dawn & Tobias:
"???"
Use Thunder—on yourself?!
What kind of operation is that?!
Does Pikachu have Lightning Rod?!
But that doesn't make sense either!
"Is he trying to use external lightning to disperse the psychic energy?"
Tobias muttered.
But without Lightning Rod, Pikachu would be injured by Thunder too!
"Pikachu!"
The moonlit sky was suddenly covered by dark clouds!
Massive electrical currents surged within them!
Thunder's accuracy was normally low—
But that was only because of its slow activation.
Used on yourself?
There was no chance of missing!
Pikachu wouldn't dodge!
A bolt of lightning tore through the night sky—
And struck Pikachu dead center!
The blinding flash turned everything gold!
And at the same time—
The psychic restraints around Pikachu were shattered!
"Pika! Pika—!"
Even after breaking free, the lightning didn't stop—
It continued pouring into Pikachu's body!
The contrast between the tiny electric mouse and the colossal thunderbolt was overwhelming!
Tobias felt his scalp go numb.
That's ruthless—even to yourself!
"I won't let you get your way! Shadow Ball!"
[Lt. Surge: Damn—this is a tactic I wouldn't dare use even if I knew how! That's Thunder! Guaranteed-hit Thunder! If that goes wrong, your own Pokémon faints before the opponent even acts!]
[Volkner: Exactly why I'm jealous! This Pikachu is just unfair! And then there's my Raichu… I'm in tears!]
[Elesa: Raichu is cute too—it's just too big to hold.]
[Diantha: I really want to hug Ash's Pikachu and squeeze it mercilessly!]
[Sonia: I'd rather pinch its little ears—they look so soft!]
[Steven: This is getting dangerous. Psychic plus self-inflicted Thunder—Pikachu's stamina has already dropped a lot. That'll matter later. I still want to see Ash completely shut Tobias out.]
[Bruno: Same here! I really want to see Tobias's expression when Ash wipes the floor with him.]
[Tobias: Heh. If I still lose from this position, I'll eat tree bark for a month.]
[Benga: I want to see that! Remember to stream it!]
[Gary: Stream it for sure. I want to see whether a human can survive a month on tree bark. That's valuable research data.]
…Classic Gary.
Cold-blooded and merciless as ever.
...
Back on the battlefield—
"Iron Tail! Hit it back!"
The moment the lightning faded, Ash's command rang out!
Pikachu's body still crackled with residual electricity.
Arcs of lightning danced around it!
Thunder hadn't hurt Pikachu much at all—
It still looked full of energy!
This was no ordinary Pikachu!
Thunder?
It could handle that!
Facing the incoming Shadow Ball, Pikachu didn't hesitate.
It kicked off the shattered ground—
Twisted its body midair—
And its tail shone with metallic light!
Smack!
The Shadow Ball didn't explode on contact.
Instead—
It was smashed back like a tennis ball!
Pikachu casually bats away Electro Balls and Shadow Balls all the time.
It's even smacked back Cinderace's Pyro Ball before!
A mere Shadow Ball?
Not worth mentioning!
The deflected Shadow Ball shot back at high speed—
A mass of dark energy splattered right across Latios's face!
"Pikachu! Electroweb!"
Before Pikachu even landed, Ash's next command arrived!
"Pika!"
Pikachu actually hovered in midair for a few seconds.
Under the stunned gazes of the audience—
It flicked its tail again!
A golden web woven from lightning shot out—
And firmly trapped Latios!
Freshly bursting out of the smoke—
Latios flew straight into the Electroweb!
Like an insect caught by a spider—
Latios was completely bound!
In this state—
Its proud speed was meaningless.
Fear filled Latios's eyes.
What is this thing?!
Why is this web so strong?!
This isn't right!
"Latios! Break through with speed!"
Tobias shouted urgently.
Latios's jet-like thrusters flared—
Trying desperately to escape the bindings!
But Ash and Pikachu gave it no chance!
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
No fancy moves needed—
Thunderbolt was enough!
Pikachu's body blazed with electricity.
Some of Thunder's residual energy still lingered within it.
It rubbed its cheeks—
Gathered every spark—
And the electricity transformed into a golden thunder wolf!
The Thunderbolt tore through the night sky—
Slamming into the restrained Latios!
Just like Latios's Dragon Pulse earlier—
The thunder wolf bit down hard!
Lightning exploded!
Gold dominated the night!
[Leon: That just now—that was Zacian, right?! Absolutely!]
[Diantha: "Thunderbolt: Lightning Wolf"? Why does that name suddenly make me want to travel the seas? Something feels off…]
[Cynthia: Shaping such unstable energy into a concrete form… It's hard not to suspect someone secretly buffed Pikachu again.]
[Flint: Boss is right! Ash has a history!]
[Ash: Hey! Don't slander me out of nowhere! I'm the purest kind of Trainer—I don't cheat!]
[Lance: Ah yes, totally. Everything I achieved was pure effort! Aura Power—activate!]
[Volkner: Honestly, I'm just jealous. Do you know how beautiful perfectly controlled electricity is? It's breathtaking. Turning lightning into a wolf—only Ash could do that.]
[Wallace: At this rate… is Tobias really about to get completely shut out? That'd be brutal.]
[Brandon: Indeed. That would be a disgrace to Legendary Trainers everywhere. Look at me—Battle Frontier, nearly undefeated. Pure skill.]
[Paul: That's it? All talk. If it's just 3–0, I could do that too.]
[Tobias: Just watch. I'll turn this around. I swear it!]
Even Tobias himself wasn't sure anymore.
Ash was way too far beyond the curve.
A Sceptile faster than Darkrai.
An Infernape fused with Aura.
A Pikachu with Fairy typing.
Is this still a human Trainer?!
Isn't this a bit too absurd?!
[Red: Not bad. That's my little brother.]
In Ecruteak—
Red stood before the image of the hero, gently touching it.
He felt a strange power stirring.
"Aura…?"
Before he could think further—
A presence appeared behind him.
That scorching gaze!
Red clenched his fist and turned—
Only to see a small, adorable pink cat-like Pokémon floating there.
Mew.
And beside it—
Yellow smiled softly at Red.
"Red, would you like to explore the World Tree with me and Mew?"
An invitation.
A date—
Even if it was framed as "Mew and the World Tree."
...
Back on the battlefield—
The golden thunder wolf swallowed Latios whole.
Black scorch marks spread across Latios's body—
Clear signs of severe electrical damage.
Latios—
Was completely broken.
To be continued…
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