I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

Chapter 675 - 675: A Desperate Ash

"Suicune, use Hydro Pump!" Tobias ordered quickly.Suicune looked up and fired a thick, high-pressure column of water straight into the sky.

"Pika!"

Falling back toward the ground, Pikachu released all the electricity it had gathered, bringing down a massive bolt of golden thunder.

Boom!!

Both attacks collided mid-air, but neither was fully canceled out. Pikachu was hit by the residual force of the Hydro Pump and sent tumbling through the air before crashing onto the ground.

At the same time, the Thunder struck Suicune, dealing heavy super-effective damage.

The crowd gasped. Most of them had fully expected Pikachu to be wiped out by a single clean hit. Instead, the little Electric-type was fighting back-and-forth against a Legendary beast in an incredibly fierce exchange.

"Pika... pika!"

Pikachu pushed itself up from the dirt. Despite taking a hit from a Legendary's Hydro Pump, it refused to stay down.

"No way! This Pikachu is way too strong. Why didn't it seem this powerful before?"

"I don't know, was he holding it back?"

"You don't get it. This is the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon. Pikachu is responding to Ash's will!"

At that moment, the entire stadium was captivated by the small, defiant figure on the battlefield. No one would have ever thought a Pikachu could hold its ground like this in a semifinal match.

"Pikachu, we haven't lost yet!" Ash shouted, his voice echoing across the field. "Use Volt Tackle!"

"Pika!"

An incredible surge of electricity burst from Pikachu's body. The terrifying golden lightning completely enveloped it, and with a burst of speed, Pikachu charged straight toward Suicune like a falling star.

Tobias, who had remained calm for the entire tournament, finally showed a serious expression. "Suicune, Hydro Pump—maximum power!"

"Arooo!"

A massive amount of water energy condensed in front of Suicune, forming a swirling vortex before erupting into a devastating Hydro Pump. This time, the blast was overwhelmingly fast, reaching Pikachu in an instant.

"Pika!"

Knowing it couldn't dodge, Pikachu met the Hydro Pump head-on.

Everyone expected the sheer force of the water to blast Pikachu away. But that didn't happen. Instead, the Hydro Pump stopped mid-air.

Pikachu was pushing against it, slowly but surely forcing its way forward.

"What?!" Tobias stared in shock. "Suicune, put everything into it!"

Suicune increased the output. The Hydro Pump thickened significantly, its pressure doubling. But even then, it couldn't repel the Electric-type. Pikachu continued to force the water back, inch by agonizing inch.

"Push through, Pikachu!!" Ash screamed.

At that exact moment, an intense, invisible fluctuation pulsed outward from Ash. A strange spiritual energy resonated between him and his Pokémon. Suddenly, the terrifying lightning cloaking Pikachu flared wildly, its intensity multiplying in an instant.

With a final, desperate surge, Pikachu tore right through the center of the Hydro Pump.

BOOM!!!

Pikachu slammed directly into Suicune. A massive explosion rocked the stadium, sending up a dark mushroom cloud threaded with golden arcs of electricity.

The entire venue fell dead silent. Thousands of spectators leaned forward, holding their breath, staring at the thick smoke covering the center of the field.

As the dust finally cleared, the aftermath was revealed.

Suicune was lying on its side next to Pikachu, its eyes swirling in defeat.

Pikachu was still standing, panting heavily.

The referee raised his flag. "Suicune is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"

The stadium erupted into absolute pandemonium.

"Holy crap! It actually took down a Legendary!"

"Is that really a Pikachu?!"

"A Pikachu just beat Suicune!"

"Oh my god, Ash is insane!"

The audience was completely stunned. Pikachu hadn't looked nearly this strong during Ash's match against Paul, where it had been defeated by Paul's Electivire. Yet here, fighting on equal footing against a pristine Suicune, Pikachu had actually come out on top.

"This is ridiculous!" Barry yelled, throwing his hands up in the stands. "What are Ash and Pikachu even doing out there?! That's a total foul!"

He had always thought Ash was just one step ahead of him as a trainer. But watching this performance, Barry realized Ash was playing on a completely different level.

"Pika...!"

Just as Barry finished speaking, Pikachu suddenly swayed on its feet and collapsed onto the dirt.

The referee quickly checked on it and raised his flag again. "Pikachu is unable to battle!"

Seeing this, Ash immediately ran out onto the field, gently scooped Pikachu into his arms, and carried it back to the trainer's box to rest.

"It seems the recoil damage from Volt Tackle finally caught up to Pikachu, bringing it down as well," the commentator announced. "But it doesn't matter! Defeating Suicune was an incredible feat. Pikachu put on an absolutely spectacular performance!"

Meanwhile, watching from the tunnel, Gary's eyes were slightly narrowed.

He didn't care much that Pikachu had beaten Suicune. In his eyes, that outcome was perfectly reasonable given Pikachu's level and type advantage. What Gary cared about was what he had seen in the final moments of the clash.

Was that fluctuation just now... Aura?

Gary couldn't sense Aura himself, but he had clearly seen the physical shockwave burst from Ash's body, stirring up the dust around his feet right before Pikachu's power spiked.

"Both trainers are down to their final Pokémon!" the referee announced, drawing Gary's attention back to the match. "Please send them out!"

Ash and Tobias both reached for their last Poké Balls and threw them at the same time.

"Latios, I leave it to you!"

"Charizard, I choose you!"

Two bursts of light hit the field.

[Lv. 65 Latios / Quasi-Legendary]

[Lv. 65 Charizard / Champion-tier]

"Tobias has sent out his Latios once again!" the commentator yelled. "And Ash's final Pokémon is Charizard! What kind of exciting conclusion will this bring us?!"

Although Charizard was an ordinary Pokémon compared to a Legendary, Pikachu's performance had completely shifted the crowd's expectations. After all, the current World Monarch, Leon, used a Charizard as his ace. In the eyes of the audience, an ordinary Pokémon could still reach the absolute pinnacle of strength.

"Latios, use Luster Purge!" Tobias ordered, taking the initiative.

Latios opened its mouth, firing a brilliant pink beam of psychic energy straight at Charizard.

"Flamethrower!" Ash countered.

"Roar!"

Charizard compressed the fire energy in its chest and unleashed a highly concentrated, incredibly forceful stream of flames.

Boom!!

The two attacks collided and detonated in the center of the field. The first exchange ended in a dead tie.

"Charizard, use Dragon Tail!" Ash commanded, trusting fully in Charizard's physical power.

Charizard roared, its wings beating hard as it launched itself into the air, rocketing straight toward Latios.

"Dodge it!" Tobias ordered sharply.

He didn't dare let Latios take a direct physical hit. He had already learned his lesson from Pikachu and wasn't about to underestimate Ash's team again.

Latios accelerated, banking hard to evade—but to Tobias's shock, it couldn't widen the gap. Charizard was keeping pace perfectly. It closed the distance in an instant, its tail glowing with draconic energy as it swung hard. The Dragon Tail slammed into Latios's back, smashing the Legendary dragon down toward the ground.

"What amazing speed!" the commentator cried. "Charizard is actually out-speeding Latios!"

Tobias frowned. He knew the commentator was wrong. Charizard's base speed was nowhere near Latios's. Then he remembered—during the previous matchup, Latias had used Tailwind. The lingering effects of the wind were still boosting Charizard's speed.