"Use Leaf Tornado!"
Snivy slipped past Pikachu's Iron Tail. Seizing the opening, its tail spun like a propeller, whipping up a storm of countless leaves into a roaring vortex! The leafy twister swallowed Pikachu whole!
Snivy deftly controlled the cyclone with its tail, tossing Pikachu around midair before slamming it brutally into the ground.
Boom!
The sheer impact gouged a trench several meters long and more than ten centimeters deep, sending dust billowing skyward.
When the smoke cleared, Pikachu lay battered at the bottom of the crater, unmoving. It was down for the count.
Trip… won.
Snivy… won.
A rookie Trainer and his starter Pokémon… had actually won!
The whole world fell silent.
Last time, the audience had been left speechless by Pikachu's sheer power, resilience, and the unshakable bond it shared with Ash.
But this time? This silence was pure disbelief at Pikachu's god-tier performance.
Can this thing lose?
Thank Arceus there hadn't been a betting pool this time. Otherwise, gamblers worldwide would've been bankrupted again.
Even Trip himself could hardly believe he'd won!
Moments later, the world chat exploded.
"That was the same Pikachu from before? Did Ash swap it out?"
"My impression of Pikachu: weak little electric rat → Godslayer → weak little electric rat again."
"Maybe this is Pikachu's true level. The god-slaying was just a fluke."
"I want to flame you… but damn, you make sense."
"Seriously though—Ash has been traveling for ages! How does he lose to a total rookie with a brand-new Snivy?!"
Public opinion, which had just been swinging in Pikachu's favor, suddenly whiplashed again.
A moment ago, people were hailing Pikachu as a potential god-tier. Now? Back to "average electric rodent."
This, surely, was Pikachu's real strength.
…
"Pikachu… you weren't acting, were you?"
Ash eyed his partner suspiciously. After all their months together, he still couldn't figure out this mouse.
Sometimes it was terrifyingly strong. Other times it collapsed like it had kidney failure.
"Pika-pi!! Pikachu!!"
Big Teacher Pika barked indignantly: Me? Act? Never!
At worst, sometimes I slack off a little. But Snivy? No way I'd actually lose to that little thing! That one up there? Definitely not me!
…
"Meowth, how'd Pikachu get so weak, nya?"
"Maybe… I didn't eat enough?"
"That's possible!"
Meowth rolled his eyes.
Only these two clowns could come up with such a ridiculous excuse.
…
[Volkner: …This is more than a little ridiculous.]
[Elesa: Yeah, it's ridiculously ridiculous.]
[Roxie: Pikachu's spark seems… dimmer.]
[Milo: That Leaf Tornado… really one-shotted Pikachu?]
As Galar's Grass-type Gym Leader, Milo was nearly Elite Four level. He could easily gauge Snivy's move. Even with his Wooloo sheared bald, he couldn't imagine Snivy one-shotting Pikachu.
[Steven: Let me count. Pikachu tanked a Blizzard, an Ice Beam, two Focus Punches, and recoil from Volt Tackle—all without fainting!]
[Steven: Now a rookie Snivy one-shots it with Leaf Tornado. That means… Snivy's move = four of Regice's ultimate attacks?!]
Uh… when you put it like that, it almost sounded reasonable.
[Diantha: Don't kid yourselves. Pikachu's acting. And flawlessly at that.]
[Diantha: If we hadn't just seen the previous highlight reel, we'd all think this was Pikachu's true strength!]
[Lance: So this is it… able to zap down legendaries, but also able to lose to rookies. Eye-opening!]
[Wallace: I've seen Pokémon whose strength fluctuates… but never like this. This is a first.]
The title of Best Actor felt more justified than ever. Pikachu's performance was seamless.
Brandon's face, though, had turned black.
If Pikachu had kept winning, fine. But losing to a rookie's starter?
That only made his loss look even more humiliating!
[Leon: But in the footage, Pikachu couldn't use Electric-type moves. Maybe that's the reason.]
[Alder: Right! If its signature moves were sealed, that explains the loss.]
[Byron: Could be some kind of psychic ability blocking it. Not impossible.]
[Diantha: Then explain this—why would the Heavenly Dao crown Pikachu as Best Actor?]
…
Yeah. That was harder to explain.
Even Diantha herself had gone a little dark.
She hadn't expected that "Best Actor" meant throwing battles convincingly.
And now, because of this, her own black history would be aired!
…She didn't have any black history… right? At least not yet…
…
"Special highlight over. Beginning the next countdown—"
"Top Pokémon Who Defied the Gods with Mortal Flesh (Part II)."
That ethereal voice filled the world once again.
Though debate about Pikachu still raged, the broadcast was continuing.
And if there was betting again this time, everyone swore to keep their eyes sharp.
The massive screen flickered, revealing the next set of images…
…
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