Cynthia explained the current situation to everyone in as much detail as possible.
Simply put, time had stopped, and their bodies and states were also at a standstill.But they could still move. They could talk. They could think.
This, on the surface, completely conflicted with the concept of time stopping.And that was the terrifying magic of the power of this mysterious livestream.
[Cynthia: …In other words, the livestream has only stopped part of time, including this world's space and our physical state.][Cynthia: But our thoughts and actions haven't stopped, so we can speak freely, move, and not get tired even after so long.]
[Professor Oak: Oh, it feels like… we've suddenly gained a lifespan of several extra days. That's pretty good for an old man like me.]
[Lance: Then we can watch the "movie" with peace of mind! I almost forgot the Silver Conference is starting tomorrow…]
Originally, when Cynthia brought up the concept of time, Lance's heart had tightened.
After all, they couldn't just postpone—or even cancel—the Silver Conference because everyone was busy watching a livestream, right?That wouldn't just be a slap in the face to the League, it would be completely unfair to all those Trainers who had worked so hard to collect eight badges.
But now, with time itself frozen, they could watch with ease.
[Volkner: Giovanni's about to release his third Pokémon. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be that Beedrill!]
[Lance: Giovanni's Beedrill… I'll have to take a good look.]
[Giovanni: Hehe, open your dog eyes and see clearly!]
[Lance: ?]
This guy… after being exposed once, he was completely unscrupulous now, huh?He didn't even bother hiding his trash talk anymore.
Lance silently wrote this grudge down in his little notebook.
…
In the black world—
Giovanni finally came back to his senses.
Now he understood that the kid wasn't looking down on him at all.On the contrary—this Pikachu was probably the strongest Pokémon on Ash's team!
Even though Pikachu was at a complete type disadvantage, there wasn't a hint of cowardice in Ash's eyes.
A little Electric-type like Pikachu, using a mere Steel-type move, had caused such terrifying damage.And it was just a Pikachu.
He had never heard of such a thing in his life.
"Strength, reflexes, speed… just how the hell did you train this Pikachu? I've never even heard of anyone being able to raise a Pikachu to this level."
"Uncle Giovanni, the world is vast. No one can know everything in it, not even a Champion or an Elite Four."
Ash pressed the red-and-white cap on his head with one hand, his voice calm yet firm as it echoed across the battlefield.
"That's exactly why I have to travel—to see the whole world, to learn everything I can… so I can become my ideal Pokémon Master!"
Giovanni listened quietly as Ash finished speaking, his expression turning complicated.
So similar…
He was so much like that…
This kid was too similar to the him who had first set out on his journey back then.
The same burning enthusiasm, the same unwavering pursuit of a goal, the same… stubbornness in his ideals.
No wonder his emotions had fluctuated so wildly when he first laid eyes on Ash.
So that was it—When he looked at Ash, it was like looking at his younger self.
But…
That was just the "him" from the past.
He couldn't go back anymore.
He was the boss of Team Rocket now, a man who stood in the shadows and pulled the strings.He couldn't, and wouldn't, wallow in the past.
Just as well—
This battle would be his farewell to his former self.
"You're right, boy."
"I admire you for being able to raise a Pikachu to this level. Even if you'd sent out an Elite-tier pseudo-legendary, I might not have batted an eye—but you're using a Pikachu."
Giovanni's tone held undeniable admiration now. Even his way of addressing Ash had unconsciously changed from "little ghost" to "young man."
"With your current Pikachu, you've probably already brushed the threshold of the Elite level, right? That's remarkable. But—"
"As you said, there's always a sky beyond the sky, and someone stronger beyond every strong man. A Pikachu that's only just reached the Elite level isn't enough to make me go all out."
"But… as a reward for letting me see something interesting, today—"
"I'll let you see something interesting too."
"Today I'll let you know… you're not the only one who can raise an 'ordinary' Pokémon above the Elite level. And…"
"This guy is definitely more terrifying than you think!"
As he spoke, Giovanni put away the last black-and-gold Ultra Ball in his hand.Instead, he reached to his belt and took off a classic red-and-white Poké Ball.
"Once you see his true strength, don't despair on the path of a Trainer, young man!"
The Poké Ball flew.
With a flash of light, a bee-like Pokémon covered in yellow and black stripes appeared on the battlefield.
Beedrill!
Giovanni's so-called "true ace," the terrifying trump card at the bottom of his box, turned out to be… a Beedrill!
Not just Misty and Brock—Even Ash was momentarily stunned.
He had always treated Pokémon talent equally.
In his eyes, as long as it was a Pokémon he had caught, then whether its innate talent was high or low—He would train it to the very top!
If a Pokémon wasn't strong enough, the problem lay with the Trainer, not with the Pokémon.
But he had to admit—In this world, there were Pokémon that were easier to strengthen, with absurdly high ceilings…
And Pokémon whose upper limit was notoriously low.
For example, Bug-type Pokémon like Beedrill.
They were very much like Butterfree.Very easy to evolve into their final forms, but requiring countless times more effort than usual to truly become powerful.
To raise a Beedrill to Elite… or even Champion level—That was no different from raising a Pikachu to the Elite or Champion level.
When Ash probed the Beedrill's aura with his Aura, his expression instantly turned extremely serious!
This Beedrill…
Was only a hair weaker than that Pokémon deep underground!
At least from the perspective of Aura, its strength far exceeded Koga's Arbok!
This absolutely wasn't something a normal Elite-level Pokémon could achieve.
This was—Champion-level!
"Pikachu, come back!"
Pikachu turned and bounced lightly back to Ash's side.
Giovanni frowned slightly, thinking Ash wanted to switch Pokémon.
Could it be… that he still had a Pokémon even stronger than Pikachu?
While Giovanni was wrestling with that thought, Ash directly unfastened the Star Meteor Iron weights from Pikachu's body.He set the heavy metal down at his feet.
The opponent obviously wasn't someone they could beat while still wearing weights.
In fact, even with everything they had, they might still lose.
But Ash's heart only burned hotter.
The stronger the opponent, the higher his fighting spirit soared!
"Go, Pikachu! This time we go all out—no regrets!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu bounced forward lightly and once again took up position on the battlefield.
…
[Lance: So this sinister guy Giovanni used to be as passionate as Ash? Are you getting sentimental over there, reminiscing about your youth?]
[Giovanni: Lance! My past isn't something you get to dissect!]
[Lance: Hah! So I was right, huh? Look at you now, and look at Ash—honestly, in terms of character, you're not even close to him.]
[Giovanni: Dog thing, don't let me catch you alone! If I do, I'll make you, the so-called "Dragon Master," into a prisoner of Team Rocket!]
[Lance: If you've got the ability, go ahead and try! Let's see if I don't lock you in an Alliance prison for the rest of your life!]
Lance and Giovanni started bickering wildly in the barrage.Everyone else quietly stepped aside to watch the show.
At the same time, the battle on the black screen was about to continue—
…
In the black world—
Giovanni looked at the chunk of Star Meteor Iron at Ash's feet, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"So Pikachu was still carrying a weight, huh? This is getting more and more interesting."
"I didn't notice it during the battle just now, but if I'm not mistaken, that's Star Meteor Iron, right? Just that piece under your feet must weigh nearly two hundred pounds."
Ash looked at Giovanni in surprise.
"Uncle Giovanni, you really are knowledgeable—you recognized Star Meteor Iron at a glance."
"Hehe, I can count what I don't recognize in this world on one hand…"
"Now show me your true Pikachu. I'll even let you have the first move."
"Then I won't be polite—Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
Ash didn't hesitate for a second—he immediately ordered Pikachu to launch a high-speed opening attack!
Without the crushing weight of the Star Meteor Iron, once Pikachu used a priority move like Quick Attack—Its speed was like a ghost's!
In less than a second, Pikachu crossed the tens of meters of battlefield in a streak of light…And slammed directly into Beedrill's body!
"Boom!"
The Beedrill, hovering in mid-air, was knocked flying.But it halted after only a few meters, stabilizing itself midair.
The joy on Ash's face froze before it could fully appear.
"Is the difference… really that big?"
Right now Pikachu was holding the mysterious orb they'd acquired in the Pikachu forest.After Pikachu fused with it, subsequent tests had confirmed—
Its physical attack power and electrical output had both directly doubled!
In other words, Pikachu was now at least as strong as it was back when it fought Koga.
If this Quick Attack had hit Koga's Arbok, the snake would probably be spewing bile right now.
But Giovanni's Beedrill… had only been forced back a few meters.It looked almost completely unharmed.
No, that wasn't right…
"Did it… block that Quick Attack just now?"
"Figured it out?"
"Hehe. Your Pikachu is fast—but is my Beedrill slower?"
"In Beedrill's eyes, your Pikachu… just isn't fast enough."
"So Pikachu's Quick Attack was blocked by Beedrill's Twinneedle. If that full-force hit had landed, it would have been troublesome for Beedrill, whose physical bulk isn't exactly stellar."
Giovanni calmly revealed that information to Ash.
Because in front of absolute strength, even if the opponent knew a little bit more—It wouldn't change the outcome.
There was simply no way to overturn the board.
"Hiss~ Haaah…"
Ash took a deep breath in, then slowly exhaled.Pikachu made the exact same motion at the same time.
At that moment, man and mouse were perfectly synchronized.
A blue glow lit up around Ash's body, like a ribbon of light fluttering from the corners of his eyes.
Aura Fusion!
"This again… So the reason your Venusaur could use a second Frenzy Plant just now was this strange blue light on your body, huh?"
"How interesting. I'd like to see what other storms you can stir up. Beedrill, use Fury Attack—relentless!"
"Beeee!"
Beedrill raised its sharp, silver-white Twinneedles, the wings on its back buzzing as they flared.Its entire figure vanished like a bolt of lightning, reappearing in front of Pikachu in an instant as both needles stabbed out together!
It felt like the air itself was being torn apart by those needle tips!
Pikachu ducked slightly, its body shifting just a few centimeters.It dodged Beedrill's Twinneedles by a hair's breadth—
Then its tail instantly gleamed with metallic light as it spun and lashed out without hesitation!
"Whoosh—!"
"BOOM!!"
Everything happened in a flash.
From the outside, Misty and Brock only saw Beedrill flicker in front of Pikachu at an impossible speed—And then, in the very next second, Beedrill was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing straight into the dojo wall!
Dense cracks spiderwebbed across the stone, spreading further and further out.
Beedrill shook its dazed head, wings buzzing as it took to the air again.
"Such astonishing reflexes and counterattack ability… I doubt this is all due to Pikachu alone."
"On top of that, you didn't issue a single command in that entire exchange. That means in this state, you and Pikachu are in a deep mental link. Even Pikachu's Iron Tail seems to have grown stronger…"
Ash said nothing.He only stared at Beedrill with solemn eyes, and at Giovanni standing above.
That last attack had been Beedrill actively probing, deliberately exposing a flaw—All to test the full extent of Pikachu's strength and the true nature of this "Fusion" ability.
It had even taken a solid hit from Pikachu's Iron Tail just to gather that intel.
Just like earlier, when Giovanni had chosen to let his Rhydon endure Frenzy Plant, only to counter with a fully charged Fire Blast.
The way he commanded battles…Really did have a "fight to the death" feel.
It didn't feel like a normal Pokémon match at all.
More like—A life-and-death battlefield.
"I've pretty much figured out what I needed to know. Since your Pikachu's reaction and perception abilities have increased, then…"
"What if I increase Beedrill's speed by another tier?"
"No holding back. Beedrill—Fury Attack once more!!"
"Shff!"
That same impossible speed that others couldn't even track—Beedrill once again appeared in front of Pikachu, Twinneedles stabbing out.
Pikachu forcibly moved, barely dodging one of the sharp spears—But the other spear, no matter what it did, was completely unavoidable!
He could see the trajectory clearly…But his body simply couldn't keep up!
"Shaaa!"
The sharp tip of Beedrill's needle raked across Pikachu's body!A shocking wound instantly split its fur and skin.
And it didn't stop there.
After landing that first hit, Beedrill's assault was like a torrential storm.Its Twinneedles swung and thrust without a single pause!
Each gleaming lance slashed across Pikachu's body again and again—Pummeling it straight into the ground!
At that moment, Ash, standing in the Trainer's box, suddenly hunched over.His knees bent slightly, his face twisting in pain.
"Don't… you dare… give up…!"
"Pika… CHUUU!!"
In the space of a heartbeat, dazzling golden lightning burst out from Pikachu's battered body!
Beedrill, in the middle of its chain of attacks, was instantly zapped and forced to retreat a step.
Pikachu finally got a moment to breathe, landing on all fours, panting heavily, eyes narrowed in exhaustion.
Ash, standing behind it, looked equally drained.
For the first time, Misty and Brock saw Ash in such a state.
Normally, Ash was like an ox that never got tired—Energetic from morning to night.
But now…
He looked like someone had flipped his "off" switch and drained his battery.
What on earth had happened?
Giovanni watched Ash with keen interest.
"So that's how it is. It seems your ability isn't completely free of cost."
"Such a heaven-defying power… of course the backlash on your body wouldn't be small."
"This is as far as it goes, young man. I really enjoyed this battle."
"I promise you—even if you lose, this Earth Badge is still yours."
Giovanni tossed the green badge in his hand up and caught it, then pointed at Beedrill.
"Finish it."
"Beedrill!"
Just then, a strange sound rang through the air.
"Di-di-di-di—"
…
PS:Giovanni's ace being a Beedrill is a special setting here.In the anime, he basically never fights seriously, and the team he used against Gary was a bunch of small fry.So there's no problem making Beedrill his true trump card in this story.
As for its strength… of course it can't be at first-tier legendary—that would be way too broken.But at full power, this Beedrill can clash evenly with second-tier legendary Pokémon, even some with priesthoods.That's the general combat standard of a Champion-level ace.
As for Black Ash right now—his Pikachu's combat strength is still not at Champion level.At best, it's around mid–Elite tier.
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