After making full preparations, Ash finally let Pikachu leap onto the field to face off against Raikou. Before it unleashed its power, neither Raikou nor Morty could tell what Pikachu's exact strength was. Perhaps Raikou could vaguely sense it, but that was all.
"Are you finally sending out Pikachu? Let me see just how powerful the Pikachu that defeated Lorelei's ace Pokémon really is." Seeing Pikachu enter the field, Morty's expression turned serious.
Those who didn't know the details might find it laughable for a Pokémon like Pikachu to face Raikou. But Morty knew Pikachu's background very well. It had defeated Lorelei's ace Pokémon once, and that was already several months ago.
No one except Ash probably knew how strong the current Pikachu was. The fact that he dared to send out Pikachu at this time showed he had sufficient confidence.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash took the initiative, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable fighting spirit.
"Pika-chuuuu!"
Pikachu's limbs slammed onto the ground, and the lightning wrapped around its body completely erupted. A golden pillar of lightning, as thick as a giant python, shot out from its body. Carrying an unstoppable momentum, it crashed down toward Raikou. Everywhere it passed, the air was ionized into mist, and the ground was scorched into a charred trench. The lights of the entire Gym paled in comparison to this thunderous glow.
"Raikou, Thunderbolt!" Morty issued the same command almost at the exact same time.
Raikou let out a sky-shaking roar, thunderclouds churning in its crimson vertical pupils. Its limbs slammed onto the ground, and countless golden bolts of lightning gushed out from its cloud-like mane, converging overhead into a pillar of lightning that was not at all inferior to Pikachu's, intercepting Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
The two golden pillars of lightning collided violently in mid-air.
A deafening rumble of thunder exploded in the Gym, and the entire venue shook violently. The brilliant golden thunder light reflected a pale white on everyone's faces, and the violent shockwave spread in all directions, kicking up a sky full of gravel and dust. The transparent barrier provided by the League shook violently, rippling with layers of waves, almost torn apart by this terrifying energy.
Inside its Poké Ball, Mewtwo frowned slightly, then silently released its power to stabilize the crumbling barrier once more. The collision of these two thunderous forces had already faintly touched the threshold of Champion Peak.
The deadlock lasted for less than a second.
Pikachu's golden pillar of lightning erupted with an even more brilliant light, tearing Raikou's Thunderbolt right down the middle with unstoppable force. Raikou's pillar of lightning was like a bamboo pole split by a sharp blade, dividing into two and turning into countless tiny electric arcs scattering in all directions.
Meanwhile, Pikachu's Thunderbolt did not pause at all. It tore through the remnants of the lightning and slammed squarely into Raikou.
The golden thunder light completely engulfed Raikou's massive body, blasting a charred deep crater into the ground, scattering gravel everywhere. Raikou let out a low, muffled groan, its limbs digging firmly into the ground to withstand the strike. However, its body was pushed backward by the terrifying force, carving four deep claw marks into the ground.
As the dust slowly cleared, Raikou was still standing in the center of the field. Several charred marks appeared on its golden fur, and its cloud-like mane was slightly disheveled, but its crimson vertical pupils still burned with a wild fighting spirit. Although its breathing was slightly ragged, its aura had not weakened in the slightest. The physical toughness of a Legendary Pokémon was truly terrifying.
Morty's pupils contracted slightly. Looking at the small yellow figure on the field, an indescribable shock surged in his heart.
Elite Four High. He finally saw clearly the true level of Ash's Pikachu. But how could an Elite Four High Pikachu unleash such a terrifying aura? Judging by its presence, that Pikachu's power should have already reached Champion High.
Furthermore, in the clash of Thunderbolts just now, Raikou's lightning was easily torn apart in front of Pikachu, as if it were made of paper. This was Raikou. The controller of thunder and lightning. One of the Legendary Beasts. In a head-on confrontation using the same Electric-type move, Raikou actually lost to a Pikachu?
Raikou's level was Champion High. Even if the opponent were also Champion High, it shouldn't have been able to crush Raikou's lightning so effortlessly in a direct clash. The only explanation was that Pikachu's true power was even more formidable than its level and the aura it displayed.
"This Pikachu. What kind of monster is it?" Morty muttered to himself, his voice carrying unmistakable shock.
In the spectator stands, Misty and Serena let out a sigh of relief at the same time, their clenched fists loosening slightly.
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap!" Ash's voice rang out again. He didn't give Morty any room to breathe.
"Pika!" Pikachu's limbs slammed onto the ground, causing the ground beneath it to instantly crack. Its body turned into a golden bolt of lightning, moving so fast that it didn't even leave an afterimage, only a blinding electric arc in the air.
Morty's pupils contracted sharply. He was completely unable to track Pikachu's figure.
A heavy impact sound exploded in the Gym. Pikachu's small body, carrying the force of ten thousand thunders, slammed squarely into Raikou's flank. Raikou's massive body was knocked sideways by this strike, its limbs carving four deep ruts into the ground. But in the end, it still couldn't withstand Pikachu's immense power and was sent flying.
However, at the exact moment it was sent flying, a sharp glint flashed through Raikou's crimson vertical pupils. Its body twisted violently in mid-air, adjusting its posture at an angle that defied common sense.
"Well done, Raikou! Thunderbolt again!" Morty quickly ordered the counterattack.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash's voice rang out at the exact same moment.
Pikachu leaped up, its body spinning in mid-air. The tail on its back, gleaming with a metallic luster, was raised high like a giant axe, hacking down viciously toward Raikou.
The Iron Tail smacked squarely onto Raikou, sending its massive body flying directly. Yet even as Raikou was sent flying, a brilliant golden thunder light burst from its massive body. Even in that posture, Raikou was actually able to use a move.
Caught off guard, Pikachu was hit by Raikou's Thunderbolt.
"Pika!"
Pikachu let out a cry of pain. Its small body was engulfed by the golden thunder light as it fell from mid-air and slammed heavily onto the ground. It struggled to stand up. Several obvious scorch marks appeared on its body, and its breathing became a bit rushed.
Under the effect of Aura fusion, Pikachu's offensive power was matchless, but its defense was ultimately its shortcoming. Raikou's counterattack had dealt considerable damage.
Because Aura fusion could only transmit Ash's Aura Power into Pikachu's body to increase its energy output, Pikachu's stamina would not increase. This was also the fatal weakness of Aura fusion. Once activated, the battle had to be decided quickly.
"As expected of the Legendary Pokemon." Ash said with a solemn gaze, looking at the golden thunder tiger that had been sent flying but still landed steadily. "To be able to adjust its posture and counterattack while being sent flying. This kind of battle instinct and body control is simply impossible for ordinary Pokémon."
Morty also looked shocked. "I'm the one who should be amazed. That Pikachu's speed and attack power are simply unbelievable. That move called Zippy Zap is already comparable to Extreme Speed, isn't it? I've never even heard of it."
Ash's Pikachu not only had bizarre strength, but also strange moves. Morty finally understood why Ash's Pikachu was so famous. Before facing it, even though he was prepared, he had still been misled by Pikachu's species. Who could have thought that Ash's Pikachu would be so ridiculously un-mouse-like?
"Raikou, Calm Mind." Morty quickly suppressed the shock in his heart and ordered in a deep voice.
Since they couldn't beat that Pikachu in a direct clash, they would use a boosting move to increase Raikou's special attack and special defense. As long as they could withstand Pikachu's offensive, they could rely on Raikou's stamina advantage as a Legendary Pokémon to drag it into a war of attrition, and the scales of victory would tilt toward him.
Raikou's limbs planted firmly on the ground as its crimson vertical pupils slowly closed. A mysterious energy surged from its body, turning into a light purple aura that enveloped its entire form. Calm Mind, beginning to charge.
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"
Ash had absolutely no intention of letting Raikou boost its stats peacefully.
"Pika! Pika! Pika! Chu-pika!"
Pikachu's limbs slammed onto the ground, causing the ground beneath it to instantly shatter. Its body was completely enveloped in a layer of golden lightning so dense it was almost tangible, turning into a brilliant thunder meteor that crashed violently toward Raikou. That speed was suffocatingly fast. Morty didn't even have time to issue an evasion command.
The Volt Tackle slammed squarely into Raikou, its entire body engulfed by golden thunder light. Raikou let out a muffled groan, its massive body pushed backward by this terrifying force. Its limbs clawed desperately at the ground, but it still couldn't escape the fate of being blasted backward.
However, even as it was being sent flying, the light purple aura on Raikou's body did not dissipate. Instead, it became increasingly dense. When Raikou's back crashed heavily into the transparent barrier at the edge of the Gym with a dull, loud thud, that layer of aura also reached its peak, then slowly receded, merging into its body.
Calm Mind was completed. At this moment, Raikou's special attack and special defense were both raised by one stage.
Ash's brow furrowed slightly. He could see that no matter what move this Raikou used, it could manage to avoid being interrupted. No matter what its posture was, or whether it was taking an attack, it could fully unleash the move it wanted to use.
With the boost from the Light Ball and partner form, Pikachu's attack power had already surpassed Champion Peak. Although it hadn't reached god level yet, it wasn't something a normal Champion Peak could compare to.
Even if Electric-type moves only dealt minor damage to Raikou, this extraordinary attack power should have been able to interrupt the opponent's moves anyway. But things didn't go as wished. Legendary Pokémon were indeed troublesome and abnormal.
If it were his Pikachu or Charizard without their unique abilities, they might not necessarily be able to pull this off either.
"Raikou, Extreme Speed!" A gleam flashed in Morty's eyes as he seized the brief lag after Pikachu used Volt Tackle.
Raikou's limbs slammed onto the ground, the ground beneath its feet cracking into a spiderweb pattern under the powerful force. That golden body turned into a silver-white stream of light, moving so fast that even its outline was blurred, charging straight toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap!"
Ash's voice rang out at the exact same moment.
Pikachu also turned into a golden flash of lightning, meeting it head-on without any fear. The two streams of light collided violently in the center of the field.
Hearing Ash's command, Morty couldn't help but clench his fists. From this command alone, it was clear that Ash's adaptability and reaction speed were far faster than his. Whether it was the Volt Tackle just now or Zippy Zap, Morty hadn't been able to react in time.
In contrast, Ash had reacted the very instant Morty ordered Raikou to use Extreme Speed, immediately having Pikachu use the corresponding speed move. In terms of Trainer skill, Ash was far stronger than him.
With the first collision, the two figures bounced back simultaneously, then immediately rushed at each other again.
In several successive collisions, the golden and silver-white streams of light intertwined frantically in mid-air. Each collision erupted with a deafening roll of thunder, and the violent shockwaves spread in all directions, blowing up gravel from the ground and sending it crashing into the barrier, stirring up layers of ripples.
However, on the fourth collision, the silver-white stream of light clearly dimmed quite a bit and was forcefully blasted away from the clash by the golden lightning. Raikou's body rolled twice in mid-air, its limbs landing heavily on the ground, carving out two deep tracks before it barely managed to stabilize its stance.
A trace of disbelief flashed through its crimson vertical pupils. Morty was equally filled with shock.
Why? Raikou was clearly a Legendary Pokémon, and its stats were top-tier within the same level. Furthermore, its level was Champion High, while Pikachu was only Elite Four High. Even in a clash at the same level, Raikou should have held the upper hand. Why, under the current level advantage, did it repeatedly lose to Pikachu in head-on collisions?
This didn't make any sense at all.
Morty knew that Ash possessed a technique that could boost a Pokémon's strength in a short period, but could it actually achieve this much? This was the gap between Elite Four High and Champion High.
No, it was even larger than that. Because Raikou was Champion High, and the fact that Pikachu could suppress Raikou in a head-on clash meant that the opponent's leap in strength was not as simple as going from Elite Four High to Champion High.
"Why? Why can that Pikachu do this much? No matter how special it is, achieving such a massive leap in strength is just too exaggerated!" Morty finally couldn't help but ask, even though they were still in the middle of battle.
Just who was the controller of thunder and lightning here? Was Pikachu a thunder god too?