A "Pseudo-Legendary" Pokémon is a group of Pokémon that have the highest potential among all non-Legendary Pokémon. They are considered the pinnacle of normal Pokémon. Their growth is much slower than that of regular Pokémon, but once they reach their final evolution, they undergo a qualitative transformation. Their strength is at least on par with a Pseudo-Elite Four, which is why they are also called "late bloomers."
"A Pseudo-Legendary Tyranitar... I didn't expect to see one of these guys!" Ash said, patting his head in frustration. The green-armored monster seemed like a tough opponent. Should he send out Scizor to Mega Evolve?
"Pika Pi~"
Just as Ash was thinking, the Pikachu on his shoulder moved. Its small paw touched his cheek, and Ash's attention was immediately focused on the yellow mouse.
"Pikachu..." Ash saw the sparks of electricity crackling from Pikachu's red cheeks and knew that it was asking to battle. But Ash hesitated. While Pikachu was very strong, almost in the Pseudo-Elite Four tier in its normal state, it was now facing a Pseudo-Legendary Tyranitar. If he sent Pikachu out, he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't mess with him.
"Hmm~"
After a moment of deliberation, he finally agreed to Pikachu's request. After all, it was his partner and also a symbol of all his memories from the Pokémon anime. In the end, he chose to trust his partner of many years. Of course, in his heart, he was silently praying that the yellow mouse wouldn't pull a prank on him now. After all, its opponent was a Pseudo-Legendary!
"Pika!"
Upon receiving Ash's permission, Pikachu happily jumped onto the field, its cheeks crackling with electricity.
"Oh, he's sending out Pikachu!" Roark was a bit surprised, but he didn't say much. After all, if Ash was sending it out to face his Tyranitar, it must be his ace Pokémon. With that thought, Roark began to look forward to seeing what Pikachu could do.
"Pikachu... can it really win?" Dawn on the sidelines was a little nervous. She still remembered the Pokédex description of Tyranitar. It was a very powerful Pokémon, and just looking at their size, they weren't even in the same league.
"Don't worry," Brock said. "If it's Pikachu, you never know what the result will be." Although a Pseudo-Legendary is rare, Brock didn't think Pikachu would necessarily lose. After all, Pikachu defeated Brandon's Regice at the Battle Pyramid. From that perspective, a mere Pseudo-Legendary Tyranitar was no big deal.
"Tyranitar, show them your power! Create a Sandstorm!"
As soon as Roark's words fell, a sky-shaking roar echoed through the gym. The entire battlefield responded to Tyranitar, and a massive sandstorm swept across the area.
"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"
"Pika~"
In an instant, Pikachu's body was covered in electricity, separating the fine sand from the sandstorm. It then slowly sped up and rushed toward Tyranitar with unparalleled speed.
"Pika Pika Pika Pika~"
As Pikachu ran along the ground, the electricity on its body scorched the earth, leaving a trail of black marks. Even the large rocks thrown by Tyranitar's Rock Slide were turned into small pieces of dust by the electricity from Volt Tackle. Nothing could stop Pikachu's advance.
"Pika~"
The moment Volt Tackle hit Tyranitar, there was a huge explosion. The entire arena was filled with smoke, and the air was filled with a charred, burnt smell.
"What's going on with Pikachu...?" Ash was completely dumbfounded by Pikachu's courageous performance. How had Pikachu become so brave overnight? Was it a moral breakdown, or...?
"Wait, Pikachu's not acting anymore!" A thought struck Ash, and he quickly opened his system panel to check its status.
[Pikachu]
...
[Ability: Static (30% chance to paralyze a Pokémon that makes contact with this Pokémon. Each hit of a multi-hit move can trigger this ability.)
[Exclusive Ability: Actor (The Pokémon's strength fluctuates wildly)]
[Individual Values: 6V]
[Moves: ...Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Agility, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Iron Tail, Volt Tackle, Electro Ball, Electroweb]
[Held Item: Light Ball]
[Strength: Elite Four Tier (Temporary)]
"Damn it, so you've just decided to stop acting, Pikachu!"
Now Ash finally understood why Pikachu had become so powerful. It had simply decided it was done with the act and wanted to go all-out. Ash muttered to himself as he watched Pikachu walk out of the smoke.
"Pikachu, can you keep going?"
"Pika~"
Pikachu nodded quickly. Although some of the rebound electricity from Volt Tackle was still crackling on it, it was generally fine. The same couldn't be said for the Tyranitar on the other side. The rhomboid-shaped gap in its stomach armor had been scorched black by Pikachu's Volt Tackle, and a few pieces of armor had even fallen off. Its face was filled with a look of agony.
"Pikachu, is it really that strong?" Roark, the Gym Leader, was completely shocked by the huge disparity between the two Pokémon. Such a powerful Pikachu was almost like cheating. The moves Tyranitar used against it had no effect, yet it was being beaten black and blue by Volt Tackle.
"Alright! If that's the case, let's use Quick Attack and Iron Tail!"
Taking advantage of Pikachu's excellent condition, Ash quickly urged it to continue the attack. It would use Quick Attack to get close to the opponent and then follow up with a 2x effective Iron Tail.
"Pika Pi~"
As soon as Ash spoke, Pikachu became a yellow blur, rapidly closing the distance to Tyranitar. Its tail began to gather Steel-type energy, which expanded into a serrated tail much larger than Pikachu's body.
"No way!" Roark, the Gym Leader, was stunned by the sight. That two-meter-long steel tail... was this yellow mouse cheating?
"Holy crap! It can use Gigavolt Havoc so soon!" Ash was also slightly shocked. Wasn't this a move that was only used during the Masters Eight tournament? Could it be that Tyranitar's ability triggered it?
"Pika~"
Pikachu spun 360 degrees, and with a terrified look on Tyranitar's face, the two-meter-long attack struck its body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Along with a deafening explosion, an endless cloud of smoke filled the entire arena, covering the two Pokémon.