"Let the battle begin!" The referee's voice echoed sharply across the stone arena, bouncing off the rock walls and settling into a tense silence. Ash and Pikachu moved at the same instant. A calm, almost cold clarity filled Ash's eyes as his voice cut through the air.
"Aibo, Quick Attack." Lightning flashed.
Pikachu vanished from his spot in a burst of white-blue sparks, his body turning into a streak of light that ricocheted across the battlefield. One moment he was to the left, the next behind Onix, then darting past its flank—each movement precise, fluid, and blindingly fast.
'Fast.' The thought crossed several minds at once. Flint's eyes narrowed slightly, his attention sharpening. Leaf leaned forward unconsciously, her breath hitching.
Elsa's fingers clenched against the railing. Even Misty felt a jolt of surprise. Pikachu wasn't just quick—he was refined. Mia, standing near the sidelines, felt her instincts scream.
"Zoom in. Now," she whispered.
The cameraman snapped to attention, adjusting the lens to follow Pikachu's flashing movements, while Mia raised her Rotom device. With practiced ease, she merged the feeds—wide-angle battlefield view and close-up combat footage—into a seamless broadcast.
It was risky.
But her gut told her this was worth it. "Welcome, everyone, to my channel," Mia said smoothly, excitement threading her voice. "We're live from the Pewter City Rock Gym. The challenger today is a rookie trainer who—believe it or not—has chosen Elite difficulty against Flint." The chat flickered to life.
Viewer 1: Wow, she's live this early? Respect.
Viewer 2: Who's the kid? A rookie challenging an elite sounds crazy.
Viewer 3: Shh. Let Mia cook.
Only a few messages appeared—active chats were costly—but the viewer count steadily climbed. Four hundred… then five hundred. Back in the arena, Pikachu's blinking movements finally forced a reaction.
Onix's massive head turned sharply, stone eyes tracking the flickering blur around him. The Rock Snake loomed like a moving cliff, every shift of its body sending vibrations through the ground.
"Onix," Flint called calmly, completely unshaken. "Use Rock Slide."
Onix's body glowed faintly as it let out a thunderous roar. "Oni—!" Instead of immediately collapsing rocks, the massive Pokémon lunged forward.
Tackle. Flint's lips curved faintly. 'Good judgment.'
Onix's sheer size turned the move into a charging avalanche. Stone segments twisted with terrifying momentum, the Rock Slide enhancing its speed as it surged toward Pikachu like a runaway train.
For a brief moment, Pikachu found himself swallowed by shadow. The towering body blocked out the light, filling his vision with stone and force. But Pikachu didn't panic. With perfect timing, he leapt.
His tail struck the ground like a coiled spring, launching his small body upward just as Onix's massive form tore through the space he had occupied a heartbeat earlier. Dust exploded outward from the impact.
Seeing the tiny electric mouse leap toward him head-on, Onix felt a flash of indignation.
'You dare?'
With a roar, the Rock Snake coiled and jumped as well—its immense body lifting off the ground with crushing force. The sheer sight of it sent a chill through the audience.
It was like watching a freight train leap into the air.
Ash's eyes widened slightly, adrenaline surging as the battlefield compressed into a single moment. Stone and lightning were about to collide.
Midair, the small yellow figure twisted.
Pikachu's body rotated smoothly, momentum coiling through him as his speed from Quick Attack hadn't faded in the slightest. Before Onix could fully react, a tiny leg snapped forward.
Ash's voice rang out at the exact same moment, calm and perfectly timed—almost as if Pikachu had already known what was coming.
"Let's give that big guy a shock, aibo. Double Kick." The camera snapped into a tight zoom. Pikachu spun once in the air, then struck.
Two sharp kicks landed in rapid succession, clean and precise, both connecting squarely against Onix's rocky body. The impact echoed through the arena, a dull, thunderous crack that sent vibrations rippling across the battlefield.
"Pika—!" The recoil was brutal.
The force of the collision hurled Pikachu upward like a cannonball, his small body streaking toward the ceiling nearly twenty metres above. He winced mid-flight, feeling the strain tear through his muscles—this wasn't a gentle rebound by any means.
On the ground, Onix let out a pained growl, its massive body shuddering as the fighting-type move bit deep into its rocky frame. "Oni—!"
Flint's eyes widened.
He hadn't seen that coming.
A rookie trainer… using Double Kick with this level of precision? His expression sharpened, seriousness finally settling in as his gaze snapped upward. Pikachu was still rising, dangerously close to the gym's ceiling.
"Double kick again—off the ceiling," Ash commanded without hesitation. Pikachu's eyes lit up instantly. "Don't let it happen!" Flint barked. "Onix, Rock Throw—now!"
Onix reacted on instinct.
Chunks of stone tore free from the arena floor and launched upward in rapid succession, blasting through the air like machine-gun fire aimed straight at the airborne Pikachu.
Ash's eyes gleamed. This was exactly why he had trained him for this. Pikachu didn't panic. He didn't even flinch.
Twisting his body, he let the rocks pass just inches away. His tail flicked, guiding his movement as he glided sideways through the air, slipping between the projectiles with breathtaking control.
To Pikachu, this was nothing. 'Pidgeotto was way faster than this.' He spun, rolled, and dipped, weaving through the barrage as gravity finally pulled him downward. Each movement was clean, efficient—beautiful.
The cameramen froze. For a split second, they forgot to breathe. 'She really can sniff out monsters,' one of them thought, glancing at Mia with awe.
But Mia herself was stunned silent, eyes wide as she watched the footage unfold on her screen. Leaf gripped the railing, her heart pounding. Misty and Elsa stared in disbelief. Only Yellow remained calm. She had seen this before. Onix, to his credit, wasn't slow.
Watching Pikachu's descent, he shifted his massive body, narrowly avoiding the falling strike. Flint smiled faintly at the judgement call.
But—
Ash laughed. "Now! Pikachu—Iron Tail!" The command cut through the air like a blade.
Pikachu twisted sharply its tail, acting like a hand fan, killing his downward momentum in an instant. His body spun, tail whipping around as it hardened with blinding silver light. The Iron Tail carved a brilliant arc through the air.
Onix didn't have time to react.
The strike landed.
A deafening crack exploded across the arena as the blow smashed into Onix's side, the sheer force lifting the massive Pokémon off the ground and hurling it backward. Stone segments crashed and rolled as Onix collapsed onto the arena floor, completely unconscious.
Silence.
Total, absolute silence. Dust slowly settled as every eye in the stadium locked onto the fallen giant. "Onix is unable to battle," the referee finally announced, his voice echoing through the stunned gym. "The first round is won by Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."
And just like that—
The rookie had struck first.
"Well done, Ash. Now, I will come at it seriously." Flint's tone was really calm. But this time, Ash felt the silent stiffness. A fire was definitely lit within Flint's gaze. Ash felt it, and he knew the other party was coming at him seriously this time.
While Flint stared at Ash. 'What a kid... I'll hone its claw today.' He silently mused, thinking about his kid, a silent idea burning in its gaze.
As the echoes of the referee's announcement faded, Ash exhaled softly and raised his hand. "Come back, Pikachu."
Ash reached out and gently patted Pikachu's head.
"That was great, aibo," he said with a proud smile.
"Now that's what I call a million-volt performance." Pikachu reappeared beside him a moment later, cheeks faintly sparking, breath a little uneven but eyes still burning with fight.
With the stamina he had left, he could definitely keep battling. But Ash knew better. He crouched slightly and lifted Pikachu onto his shoulder, steady and familiar. "I might need you again later," he added quietly. "So let's save your strength."
Pikachu looked at him for a second, ears twitching. Then he nodded in his own way.
"Pika~wiga."
The tone made Ash chuckle under his breath.
"Yeah, yeah. Deluxe tomato dish. You got it." Pikachu's tail flicked happily at that.
Ash's smile lingered, but his eyes had already shifted back to the battlefield. His expression settled into calm focus once more. "Still," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else, "I've got a feeling the next one's going to be rough." Across the arena, Flint recalled Onix as well.
The massive rock snake dissolved into light, returning to its Poké Ball with a soft chime. Flint turned the ball in his hand, his gaze thoughtful rather than frustrated.
"You did well, little one," he said quietly. "We'll train harder next time." He knew Onix could hear him. There had been no serious injuries—just a clean, decisive loss. And more importantly, Flint had learnt something valuable.
His eyes lifted again, settling on Ash.