On the black screen, the bright golden electric light filled most of the view, sparking everyone's discussion.
[Flint: What's going on? How did Pikachu turn so suddenly?]
[Steven: Could it be that air-stepping technique Pikachu used before?]
[Lance: Probably not. Black Ash said before that 'walking on air' is just kicking rapidly in place to generate enough force to hover. It's not real flight.]
[Bruno: That's true, but it still involves some skill. At least I had my Hitmonlee try it. Aside from kicking the ground to pieces, it had no effect, let alone any 'air-walking'.]
[Lance: Forget the skill required. In the clip just now, Pikachu didn't perform dozens of consecutive kicks. Doing that while using Thunderbolt isn't realistic.]
[Lance: So… the technique that made Pikachu turn just now wasn't air-stepping, but something else.]
[Steven: What was it? A new move?]
[Lance: I don't know… but I vaguely saw Pikachu stepping on a golden line that looked like it was made of lightning… That wasn't my imagination, was it?]
[Cynthia: No, it wasn't an illusion. I saw it too.]
Cynthia actually saw more.
Lance only saw Pikachu using the lightning line to turn during Thunderbolt, but Cynthia had already seen Pikachu step on the lightning line when it spun and used Iron Tail earlier. Vaguely, Cynthia seemed to understand the reason Pikachu could maneuver in the air.
[Steven: A lightning line… electromagnetic levitation?]
[Byron: NONONO. Electromagnetic levitation relies on magnetism to float, something only Pokémon with natural magnetism like Magnemite can do. Creatures like Pikachu can't use it.]
[Cynthia: Could it be… just stepping on lightning?]
[Cynthia: Thinking about it carefully, at the very beginning, Pikachu seemed to make a gesture of releasing lightning upward. I initially thought it was just venting excess power.]
[Cynthia: Now it seems… could that have been setting the stage for this moment?]
[Hilbert: Uh… no way? Did Black Ash plan that far ahead? No matter how smart he is, he couldn't have anticipated this specific scene from the start!]
[Steven: I really can't say for sure… Delibird is a Flying-type, after all. Pikachu has a natural disadvantage in the air. If the initial preparation was to allow Pikachu to move freely in the air… I think that's quite reasonable.]
[Pryce: Good grief, is Black Ash that sneaky?]
Pryce couldn't help but feel bad for his other self.
This was shaping up to be a disaster!
Thinking about it, Black Ash's command skills have improved a lot since the beginning. His formation and situation assessment are even better than his own were at the start. Now he has the potential for long-term strategizing.
As a veteran Champion, his greatest strength is his age—meaning experience. But his greatest weakness… is also his age!
Sometimes, you have to admit you're getting old.
In this kind of high-intensity battle, advanced age brings innate advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages go without saying; the disadvantages are naturally endurance.
And Black Ash's command skills are no less than an ordinary Champion's. Plus, there's the information gap between them… Could he really be about to lose here?
Pryce had a bad feeling.
He'd sworn earlier that he'd never lose to Black Ash.
Was he going to get proven wrong again?
...
In a Black World —
Bright golden light illuminated the entire arena. The sky, the ground, the entire field was covered in golden lightning.
Some bolts struck the ground, instantly scorching it black. The already heavily damaged ceiling finally gave way… and exploded!
The Gym ceiling collapsed, only to be instantly shattered by lightning!
The dazzling golden light lasted three seconds before slowly fading.
Prima, Misty, and the others finally saw the situation on the field clearly.
In the air, Pikachu stood upon crackling lightning, hovering in the void.
Meanwhile, the Delibird had turned into a roasted bird and fallen into the rubble.
Was it over?
Misty and the others, even Prima, felt a sense of unreality.
Pryce's ace… had already fallen?
This was faster than the battle with Lapras!
Moreover, Pryce had been outmaneuvered by Ash the entire time, with almost no chance to fight back.
How could he lose with such a matchup?
Not yet! Iron Tail!
Everyone thought it was over, but Ash's Aura power clearly told him… it wasn't!
Although the opponent's Aura had taken a heavy blow, it was still very active.
Most importantly, that Aura wasn't below—it was above!
Pikachu, exhausted from the Thunderbolt, instantly shook off its fatigue. It quickly condensed an Iron Tail, grabbed a lightning line with one paw, and suddenly swung its body upward!
From the thick fog created by the explosion in the air, a red-and-white figure suddenly shot out!
Simultaneously, its body was covered in khaki energy, spinning at high speed.
This move was Drill Peck.
The user… was none other than Delibird!
In the flash between lightning and flint, Pikachu's Iron Tail and the Drill Peck collided fiercely!
Pikachu, positioned lower, was instantly at a disadvantage.
As Pryce said, with the Hustle Ability boosting its power, Delibird was quite strong even among Champions!
While it had the side effect of lowering accuracy… meaning its aim wasn't great, at point-blank range, it could have maximum effect.
Plus, with a bird in the air and a mouse also in the air, naturally Pikachu couldn't compete… right?
Pryce looked at the curved golden lines under Pikachu's feet.
A bad premonition suddenly arose in his heart.
"Delibird, cancel the move and retreat!"
Delibird trusted Pryce completely.
Even though it was in an advantageous position, it withdrew its explosive power without a second thought, its whole figure quickly pulling back!
Then, the moment Delibird retreated, Pikachu shot upward using the spring-like lightning line under its feet for leverage!
Its terrifying force even gave the impression that Pikachu's Iron Tail could slice through space!
It could only be said Delibird dodged quickly enough; otherwise… the consequences might not have been good!
But… things might not be much better now!
Pikachu flew across the Gym like a cannonball. Just as it was about to shoot out of the Gym, another golden line appeared before Pikachu, right in front of its Iron Tail!
The Iron Tail struck the golden line hard but didn't cut it. Instead, the line bent like a rubber band!
Seeing this, Pryce's face, which had just returned to normal, darkened again.
He'd lost count of how many times his face had darkened today.
He only knew… this Pikachu was really too much!
What on earth was this mess of moves?
The reason Thunderbolt could turn earlier must be because of this golden line, right?
What was the principle?
Why could this thing be rigidly straight one moment and softly bent the next?
And… His situation didn't look good now, did it?
While Pryce's thoughts raced, only a moment passed in reality.
The lightning line on Pikachu's Iron Tail bent to its limit, then suddenly launched Pikachu forward!
Pikachu's body was once again covered in a golden-yellow glow, its figure falling straight down like a meteor!
It was impossible to dodge, but Delibird could still use one move—Protect!
Without Pryce saying a word, Delibird had already proactively used Protect!
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion!
Shockwaves spread out one after another, causing the Gym walls to crack inch by inch!
Seeing the blue psychic barrier once again block all the debris,
Prima sighed in relief. While relieved, she also thought…
Great. The Gym is completely broken now. I don't need to apply to the League for repairs—I can just rebuild a bigger one!
...
[Fantina: My goodness, Pryce and Black Ash are fighting on the field, while off the field Prima is thinking about how to squeeze funds from the League!]
[Pryce: Ahem, my wife is just frugal! 'Squeezing funds' is too harsh!]
Pryce directly defended his wife. After all, this was about getting what he needed.
Pryce wasn't short on money. As a Gym Leader, and a former Champion,
how could he be short on money?
It's just that Prima is a rather traditional… well, frugal homemaker, so she thinks this way.
If she can use someone else's money, she won't use her own~
This shows Prima is dedicated to this family!
If Prima were able to speak in the chat, Fantina would have experienced the verbal power of a middle-aged aunt!
[Fantina: Okay, okay, you're the Champion-level Trainer, you have the final say.]
[Pryce: Hey! The way you said that makes it sound like if I weren't a Champion-level Trainer, what I said would be wrong. Let's all judge—did the League promise Gym maintenance funds? Is it wrong for my wife to apply for a subsidy?]
[Fantina: Yes, yes, I was wrong!]
Fantina's speed-of-light surrender.jpg.
Mainly, she can't win this argument!
...
In a Black World —
Terrifying lightning spread around, destroying all the surrounding Gym walls.
As the aftermath subsided, Pikachu and Delibird separated, both standing—due to the collapsed ceiling and filled-in arena, to be precise, standing on a pile of rubble.
At this moment, both Pokémon were panting heavily.
Both sides had taken significant damage, and their stamina was severely depleted.
Both were almost at their limit!
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