Putting aside the discussions in the real world, on the black screen, Mega Charizard had already won the first round, but Charizard's condition wasn't very good at this moment...
...
In a Black World —
Pryce silently recalled Lapras. Whether due to an accident or because he didn't expect it—he had ultimately lost the first match. But… the battle wasn't over yet!
The Mega-Evolved Charizard indeed possessed a lot of information beyond his expectations: attacks exceeding its tier, potentially changed typing or Ability, and in the end, it even used Sacred Fire, a flame that should be impossible for an ordinary Pokémon to wield!
But… the opponent was now at the end of its rope.
That Charizard couldn't cause any more waves. And in his hand… he had a Pokémon even stronger than Lapras!
What other Pokémon did Ash have? He didn't know. But he knew it was unlikely Ash had many more surprises like Mega Evolution! One was already incredible! And without Mega Evolution… he refused to believe a young trainer like Ash could raise a high-tier Champion Pokémon at this age! A low-tier Champion was outrageous enough! A high-tier Champion? No novel would dare write that! Even TV dramas wouldn't dare portray it! So… although Pryce lost the first one, he wasn't panicked inside. As for why his face was so dark… A veteran high-tier Champion was defeated by a fledgling trainer who hadn't even been journeying for a year! Wasn't that humiliating? For Pryce, it was particularly embarrassing! Furthermore, Ash's Mega Charizard winning didn't that mean Ash's philosophy was correct? This was what Pryce couldn't accept the most! So… he must win the next match, and win beautifully!
"I have to admit, Ash, your Charizard gave me many surprises. But… what about the rest?"
"Can you produce another Pokémon that surprises me as much as Charizard?"
"At your age, you are indeed strong, Ash… but you are still too young!"
As he finished speaking, Pryce's gaze hardened, and he took out a Poké Ball.
"Go, Delibird!"
A white flash, and a petite, cute red-and-white standing bird appeared over the pool.
It held a gift bag in one hand and slowly fanned a fan-shaped tail with the other, hovering in mid-air.
Delibird… In terms of species, it was almost the same type of Pokémon as Pikachu, and even worse than Pikachu in some aspects!
Yet, this was the Pokémon Pryce sent out as his trump card!
Ash keenly noticed the Delibird had an inexplicable beard on its face.
It was clearly an old bird.
In other words… was this the Pokémon that had been with Pryce all along?
Faced with Pryce's provocation,
Ash shrugged noncommittally, then took out Charizard's Poké Ball and recalled the battered, exhausted Charizard.
"Thanks for your hard work, Charizard. Rest well."
After recalling Charizard, Ash crouched and patted the Pikachu at his feet.
"It's your turn, Pikachu!"
"Pika-chu!!"
Finally, it was him!
When was the last time he fought all-out?
It must have been against Giovanni.
As for the fight against Dark Lugia, that had nothing to do with him. That was basically Ash and Lugia's home turf. So this battle was Pikachu's long-awaited proper fight!
"Pikachu needs to use all moves except 'Kirin'… Although the opponent looks as cute as you, it's actually stronger than you!"
"Pika pika!"
I'm obviously cuter!
"Haha, is that so?"
Ash chuckled and didn't refute.
But Pryce wore a doubtful expression.
"Finally sending out Pikachu? I saw your Pikachu's strength a few days ago. It alone cannot defeat my Delibird."
"Didn't I say my Delibird is stronger than—"
"—even stronger than Lapras, right?"
Ash interrupted Pryce's words. He closed his eyes and suddenly opened them. His brown eyes were covered by a blue light.
Tendrils of blue light streamed from the corners of his eyes.
The hazy glow changed Ash's demeanor from a slightly mature child to a figure resembling a master!
At the same time, Pikachu's body was also faintly covered in a layer of blue light.
The light was very weak, barely visible unless you looked closely.
"I already knew Delibird was very strong the moment Grandpa Pryce sent it out."
"But I'm not lying… Pikachu really is only… a little weaker than him!"
"Pikachu!!!"
Blinding golden lightning erupted from Pikachu, but the target wasn't Delibird—it was the ceiling above!
The Gym's ceiling was instantly scorched black by the golden electrical light!
Beneath the char, dense cracks spread!
This was just the lightning Pikachu released to vent the overwhelming power building within it.
Prima silently glanced at the ceiling… Oh, how long had it been since the Gym was damaged to this extent?
Seemed like she'd need to apply for reimbursement from the League again soon.
Pryce looked at the lightning erupting from Pikachu, the horror in his eyes impossible to hide.
This electric mouse… how was it so different from the one at the Lake of Rage??
Although the Lake of Rage Pikachu also exuded an aura different from ordinary rodents, compared to the current Pikachu… they weren't on the same level at all!
Champion!
A genuine Champion level!
And not low-tier Champion, but mid-tier Champion!
What had Ash done?
Pikachu didn't undergo any Mega Evolution!
The method to increase strength… Wait, did this kid's eyes change just now?
From brown to blue!
Pryce looked more closely at Ash's eyes and confirmed his observation was correct.
Ash's eyes were indeed covered in a layer of blue light!
And Pikachu was too!
Was this the secret to Pikachu's sudden surge in strength?
"Since when can psychic powers be used on non-Psychic-type Pokémon?"
Suppressing his shock, Pryce voiced his observation as calmly as possible.
Yes, he believed Pikachu's enhancement was brought about by so-called psychic power!
After all, Ash had already demonstrated his psychic abilities before. Ash simply smiled and shook his head without refuting.
The power of Aura might be strange to many, but to a veteran Champion like Pryce, there must be considerable information about it.
To secure victory, Ash still didn't reveal his possession of Aura power.
Ash always believed that the most important thing for a Trainer was to understand the opponent's information and formulate a strategy!
A Pokémon's strength was important, but not the most important!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have defeated stronger opponents so many times.
Poor intel… was a terrifying thing.
It was true for the last one, and it was true for this one!
"Not telling… That's fair. But in battle, who would tell their opponent their own information?"
Pryce murmured, his expression instantly turning extremely serious.
"Don't think having a type advantage gives you the upper hand, young man!"
"Delibird, Tailwind!"
After the brief exchange, Pryce took the initiative to attack!
The opener was Tailwind!
Tailwind was a move that doubled the Speed of all allies on the user's side!
Pryce obviously wanted to replicate Ash's fast-attack tactics, choosing to boost Speed first.
As the saying goes, speed is everything!
High Speed, quick moves, strong power—high Speed leaves the opponent no room to dodge!
If Lapras in the previous match hadn't been a slow attacker,
Pryce wouldn't have been beaten so passively by Charizard's speed.
However, under normal circumstances, Tailwind was a move that only appeared in Double Battles.
After all, activating Tailwind took time. Without a partner covering during that moment, the move could easily be interrupted.
But… Delibird's proficiency with this move far exceeded Ash's expectations.
By the time Ash shouted "Thunderbolt!", Delibird's Tailwind was already complete!
The entire process took less than a second—frighteningly fast!
Immediately after, Delibird easily dodged Pikachu's attack and countered with a backhand Air Slash barrage!
With Tailwind's boost, Air Slash's speed increased further. The white air blades rushed toward Pikachu like a downpour!
"Dive into the water!"
Now the ice field had turned into a water field.
Although Pikachu couldn't breathe underwater, it could still use the pool to dodge those Air Slashes.
So, upon receiving the order, Pikachu dove into the water without a second thought. Countless air blades composed of Flying-type energy slashed into the water one after another. The rippling water surface was directly split open by this powerful Air Slash!
Even underwater, Air Slash's power remained extremely potent!
But its speed was far slower than when launched in the air,
allowing Pikachu to easily evade within the water.
Pryce pondered for a moment, then issued another command.
"Blizzard."
Concise and swift, without a moment's delay. Delibird flapped its wings, and a strong wind instantly appeared in the air, accompanied by fluffy snow!
In the blink of an eye, the field that had just been water turned to ice!
Pikachu was also frozen within the ice blocks in the pool!
"Caught you… Delibird, use Drill Peck!"
In an instant, the Delibird in the sky was covered in a khaki energy. Then its body suddenly spun like a sharp drill, diving down fiercely, piercing through the ice field, aimed directly at Pikachu frozen within the ice!
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789