The terrain was disadvantageous. The weather was disadvantageous. Stamina was disadvantageous. The level was disadvantageous. Now, Ash was practically at a disadvantage in every aspect.
Everyone here, including Paul, didn't know how Ash could possibly win this battle. Unless Ash was willing to unleash that power he'd been hiding all along, the power that could instantly propel a Pokémon by an entire major tier.
Even if it was impossible to achieve such a massive increase at Champion level, that power could still allow Pikachu to reverse the current situation. However, judging from Ash's performance today, he probably wouldn't use that power, even if he were forced into a desperate situation.
Perhaps for him, or for his Pokémon, using that power was almost equivalent to a direct defeat.
Paul scoffed at this idea. No matter what kind of power it was, as long as you could freely control it, then it was rightfully yours. Ash and his Pokémon's stubborn thinking had already cost them dearly. Let alone anything else, the future consequences would be even greater.
Just as Paul predicted, even if he lost this battle, Ash had no intention of using Aura fusion, and Pikachu wouldn't accept a victory that Aura fusion offered. Despite the gap in power levels, Pikachu's stat boost from partner form had already narrowed the difference considerably.
With the Light Ball and S+ dual attack stats, Pikachu's attack power was no longer inferior to Regice's. And in terms of speed, Pikachu had the edge. Now, being beaten like this could only mean that in terms of command, Ash was one step behind. One step behind, then another, and finally he'd been forced into this position.
But it wasn't without a way to counterattack.
"Pikachu, stand up. Counterattack starts now!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu, trembling slightly, stood up. His limbs were shaking on the ice, but he still managed to get to his feet.
"Good. Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the field!" Ash's command echoed in Pikachu's ears.
Without hesitation, Pikachu leaped into the air. His golden tail shone brightly like metal, and he immediately slammed it down violently onto the ice.
The entire pyramid trembled under this single blow. Centered around Pikachu's tail, countless cracks spread wildly in all directions, instantly shattering the entire ice plain into countless tiny fragments.
Pikachu landed on the ice, which was no longer smooth. Although Iron Tail hadn't completely destroyed the ice, it had created numerous cracks across the entire surface. This way, Pikachu wouldn't be hindered by the slippery surface anymore.
"Brilliant! You found a countermeasure that quickly!" Brandon couldn't help but praise, his eyes filled with unmistakable shock. Besides being shocked that Ash had thought of such a method, he was also shocked by Pikachu's sheer physical power. It was worth noting that this was Regice's ice layer.
Even normal Fire-type moves would struggle to melt it, yet Pikachu had used Iron Tail to shatter the entire frozen arena in a single blow. It was hard to imagine that such a small, cute Pikachu could do something like this. Truly the most unique Pikachu in the world.
"So that's it. By smashing the entire arena, the ice barrier naturally disappears." Brock clapped his hands, suddenly enlightened. Only Ash could come up with such a simple and brutal method of breaking through.
Misty and Serena also showed expressions of relief. No matter what, Pikachu's speed could be restored, so there was still hope of victory. The current situation wasn't as hopeless as before.
A look of something flickered in Paul's eyes. Besides the fact that the Pokémon possessed formidable power, Ash's methods were also wild and unrestrained. This was exactly like Ash. Paul had to admit one thing: when it came to causing chaos in battle, he really was no match for Ash.
He could actually learn something from this fighting style.
"Good. Time for the counterattack. Pikachu, Zippy Zap!"
The arena was shattered, and although the snowy weather was still present, Pikachu's mobility had recovered. Now it was their turn.
"Pika!"
Pikachu's limbs pushed off the ground, its figure instantly disappearing from the arena, leaving only a golden arc of electricity.
Brandon's voice also rang out at this moment. "Regice, Blizzard!"
He chose Blizzard again. In snowy weather, Blizzard's range expanded to cover the entire arena, its power undiminished, and if anything, even stronger. Pikachu had nowhere to dodge.
A second later, Pikachu appeared in front of Regice. A force as heavy as ten thousand pounds surged aggressively toward Regice's body.
The sound of lightning tearing through the air echoed, and Regice was once again sent flying. But because Regice hadn't been standing far from the edge, not far behind it was Mewtwo's shield. Regice was pushed backward, its body hitting the shield, causing ripples to spread across it.
Although Regice was injured, because the distance it was thrown wasn't far, and the wall behind it had prevented further momentum damage, the resulting stagger was minimal. Almost negligible.
Therefore, its Blizzard could still be unleashed. The whirlwind swept up the ice crystals once again, the bone-chilling power rushing toward Pikachu. If it hit again this time, even if Pikachu had regained its speed advantage, the outcome would still be dire.
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap again!"
"Pika-chuuuu!" Lightning suddenly erupted around Pikachu, its entire body transforming into a golden bolt. The golden lightning enveloped Pikachu, engulfing it.
Charging straight into the Blizzard, Pikachu unleashed Zippy Zap at full power. This scene caused Brandon's pupils to narrow. He never imagined there could be such a defensive method. Attack is the best defense, and Ash had chosen to replace defense with attack, using the massive lightning as a protective shield to withstand the Blizzard's assault.
And that wasn't all. Now, Regice, having just unleashed Blizzard, had entered a recovery state. Theoretically, Regice was now in a window where it could be freely attacked.
"Go, Pikachu!"
As Ash shouted, a yellow lightning bolt tore through the air. Wherever it passed, the ice blocks were instantly melted and shattered by the high temperature generated by the electric discharge. Regice was completely immobile, unable to even brace itself, and could only watch helplessly as Pikachu crashed into it.
An explosion even more terrifying than the previous Zippy Zap detonated inside the pyramid. Regice's chest was blasted open, a huge dent appeared, ice shards scattered everywhere, and its entire body was blasted away again. This time, its body was directly embedded in Mewtwo's shield.
Pikachu pressed down on Regice, pinning it against the barrier, making it impossible for Regice to pull away. The terrifying high voltage continuously surged and discharged, draining Regice's stamina.
"Iron Tail!"
Taking advantage of the stunned state, Ash didn't hesitate for a moment, letting Pikachu continue the assault.
Iron Tail was a Steel-type move, and it was super effective against Ice-type Regice. On top of that, Pikachu's Iron Tail was devastating on its own.
"Pika!"
Pikachu, using the recoil force, directly struck Regice in mid-air. Its body flashed with lightning as it spun continuously, its tail gleaming with metallic brilliance.
The Iron Tail, imbued with immense force, hit Regice squarely in the head, knocking it off the shield and sending it crashing violently to the ground, shattering the already broken ice layer and revealing the tattered earth beneath.
Regice was in a terrible state. A huge indentation appeared in its head from the Iron Tail impact, and the high-voltage shock had further ravaged it. Regice no longer possessed the same pristine appearance as when it first entered the field. Its body was missing pieces, looking like a shattered block of ice.
Pikachu fell to the ground not far from Regice, panting heavily, its body covered in injuries. It had already suffered considerable damage from the first Blizzard, and Regice had used a second one.
Although Pikachu had used Zippy Zap's lightning to block it, he was still injured. Using offensive moves as a shield also depleted stamina. Not to mention, Zippy Zap caused backlash. Whether blocking the Blizzard or attacking Regice, Pikachu was taking damage either way.
His stamina was already low, and the situation wasn't looking good.
"Regice, Ice Beam!"
Brandon's voice echoed through the empty pyramid. Despite all the damage, Regice's body stirred, and a beam of icy blue light shot out from its chest.
"Pikachu, dodge!"
The unlocked Ice Beam was easily dodged. However, after Pikachu leaped away, the Ice Beam struck the ground, and in an instant, the entire arena was once again covered in a layer of ice.
Brandon wanted to replicate the previous tactic, restricting Pikachu's movement within the ice again. But this move had already been countered once. How could it work a second time?
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to shatter the ice again!" Ash immediately ordered.
"Not that easy." Brandon shook his head. "Regice, Blizzard!"
Regice spread its arms, and a whirlwind of sharp ice crystals once again enveloped the entire arena. This time, the Blizzard's density was even greater than before, and its power remained undiminished.
Even with its stamina reduced to almost nothing, a Legendary Pokémon could still unleash moves this terrifying.
Brandon intended to use Blizzard to disrupt Pikachu, preventing it from successfully breaking the ice with Iron Tail. Seeing this, Ash's gaze narrowed and he corrected himself.
"Use Surf!"
Pikachu's Iron Tail, which had just condensed, instantly dissipated, and a colossal wave formed beneath Pikachu's feet. Seeing this, even the usually calm Brandon's eyes widened in astonishment.
Pikachu could use Surf? Was this Pikachu even legal?
Using Surf, Pikachu directly flipped backward onto the crest of the wave. The Blizzard blew across the wave, and in the blink of an eye, the water froze into a massive block of ice. But this giant ice wall had become Pikachu's strongest defensive barrier.
The ice formed Pikachu's hiding place, blocking the remaining Blizzard. Pikachu slid along the ice block and finally landed safely on the ground.
The powerful attack was once again thwarted, but before Misty and the others could show any relief, Brandon quickly suppressed his shock and continued with his plan.
"Regice, Rest!"
This was Brandon's true purpose. Whether it was freezing the ground or using Blizzard, Brandon hadn't expected it to inflict fatal damage on Pikachu. With Ash's Trainer-level command, he was sure Ash could counter moves of this caliber.
All he'd wanted was to stall Pikachu's movements long enough for Regice to use Rest to recover its stamina.
Rest could quickly restore a Pokémon's stamina, starting from the moment it fell asleep. The recovery continued until the Pokémon was fully restored or a certain period of time had passed, after which it regained consciousness. It was a very difficult double-edged sword to wield.
However, Brandon and Regice had honed this move over years of practice. Regice's sleep time had been significantly reduced. Although the stamina recovery effect was somewhat weakened compared to a full Rest, the tradeoff was negligible compared to the risk of being attacked while asleep.
Furthermore, Regice now had approximately a third of its stamina remaining. Just 10 seconds of sleep was enough for Regice to recover around four-fifths of its stamina.
By then, the battle was decided.
"Pikachu, Thunder!"
Ash couldn't just sit there and wait. Although the ice barrier prevented Pikachu from approaching quickly, using long-range attacks to interrupt the sleeping Regice was still possible.
Lightning flashed in the sky, and Pikachu unleashed a beam of light, the thunder soaring straight into the heavens. A second later, a golden lightning bolt descended from the sky, directly striking the sleeping Regice.
The golden electric current enveloped Regice's body, yet Regice's injuries were still slowly healing. The damage from Thunder simply couldn't keep up with Regice's recovery speed. And Pikachu's stamina was still being depleted, while the snowy weather was also feeding Regice's Ice Body recovery on top of Rest.
"Is this it?" Paul muttered from the stands, somewhat unwillingly. Ash had done very well. He'd been only one step away from defeating Regice, but in the end, Brandon was still a cut above the rest. "No. Ash will win. Ash, keep going!"
Misty shook her head, abandoning the despairing thought. She stood up and shouted toward the arena. "Ash, don't give up!"
Serena also stood up to cheer Ash on.
Paul, with his arms crossed, glanced at the two girls out of the corner of his eye, and silently shook his head. Reality was cruel. Things wouldn't happen just because you didn't want them to. In this battle, Ash had no chance of turning the tables.
Pikachu was nearly done. Gardevoir and Charizard no longer had the ability to fight. And Regice's stamina had recovered at least half or more from Rest. Next would be Regice taking on three opponents in sequence. A victory for Brandon.
Even Ash couldn't defeat the Pyramid King?
"Did you hear them, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika!"
"Our teammates are still cheering us on. We can't just give up like this!"
"Pikachu!"
"Put everything you have into this one strike. Pikachu, use 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!"
Ash clenched his fists, shouting with everything he had. Pikachu suddenly exerted force with its limbs, directly stomping four holes in the smooth ice layer, giving it a firm grip.
Standing tall.
A second later, a massive bolt of lightning exploded across Pikachu's body. The deep golden lightning was something beyond description. What was originally a brilliant golden lightning now deserved to be called a dark golden hue.
Species: Pikachu (Third Rebirth · Miracle)
Partner Form
Level: ???
Stats: Physical Attack ???
Special Attack ???
Defense ???
Special Defense ???
Stamina ??? Speed ???