Pokémon speech in Pokémon language = "Pokémon speech in Pokémon language"
Human Speech = "Human Speech"
Pokémon Thoughts/highlighted text = 'Pokémon thoughts/highlighted text'
Human Thoughts/highlighted text = 'thoughts/highlighted text'
Chapter 014 – Slowking's Takeshi's Castle
Over in the stands…
…
"Well fuck." sighed Brock.
"When I entrusted Daisy with the Gyaradosite I found nearly two years ago, I didn't expect her to use it for her Gyarados…" fumed Misty.
"Oh, so you found a Gyaradosite? A rare find indeed." remarked Prof. Oak. "But nevertheless, this skews the match in Daisy's favor from before, as in addition to the buffs from Mega-Evolution, Pikachu's attacks no longer have a four times effectiveness as they did before."
"How is Gyarados still standing strong - Pikachu's aerial volt tackles should have finished Gyarados off…" spoke Brock.
"That level of defensive power could only be acquired by years of training, a feat that Gyarados in the wild do achieve a few decades after evolving, assuming they survive. This level in a raised Pokémon is indeed a testament to Daisy's skill as a trainer and the fact that I believe she has raised Gyarados from a Magikarp for a very long time."
"Yes Professor, she's had Gyarados ever since she found her as a Magikarp when she was eight – I hadn't even been born yet…"
Meanwhile, seated just a few rows above the duo…
"Well, our old chap Pikachu is back in business."
"Right oh Meowth!"
"But when can we catch him?"
"It would have to be well after the match – I don't know about you, but that Gyarados gives me the heebie-jeebies – I'm many things but suicidal isn't one of them."
"Jamie's right…"
"WOBBUFFET!"
"Mime, Mime, Mime!"
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"Father. I would be willing to face off against Gyarados in brother Pikachu's place." asked Lucario.
"Are you sure Lucario?" asked Ash, receiving a nod in reply.
"Referee! I'd like to recall Pikachu for now." asked Ash, seeing as Pikachu had to physically come back to him and he didn't want Gyarados to attack.
"Ok. Your recall has been acknowledged. Challenger, bring out your next Pokémon."
"Pikachu. Come back for now. Lucario. You're up!"
"I shall not fail you father."
"Battle continue."
"Gyarados! Use hydro pump!"
"Lucario! Dodge and use Aura sphere!"
Mega-Gyarados was unsurprisingly faster than regular Gyarados and left Lucario just barely avoiding the powerful water-type attacks. But Aura sphere struck head-on, though it didn't do as much damage as he'd liked.
"Gyarados! Use hurricane to send Lucario flying!"
Lucario however wasn't so easy to toss around as the aura Pokémon grounded himself with metal claw.
"Aura sphere Lucario!"
"End this with hydro pump followed by hyper beam!"
Aura sphere met hydro pump, only for the latter to blow through the former and blast Lucario back into a crash with a wall.
And before the fighting-steel type could gain his footing, hyper beam struck a direct hit with a boom, throwing the seriously exhausted Pokémon into the water.
But before Ash could worry about what to do next, Pikachu interjected.
"Ash. I have an idea that may or may not work, but we've got nothing to lose if we don't try. Now…"
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Pikachu's idea was crazy but made just enough sense that Ash had to try it.
"OK. Lucario. Focus on me. Focus on our bond. On all our experiences. From the day you hatched to the day you evolved – all of the adventures and battles we've had together."
Listening to his trainer, no, his father, no, not just his father, but a brother in arms, an equal, Lucario focused inward on all the experiences they had shared together. Against Chairman Rose. Against Rene. The first time he Mega-Evolved. And at that moment, both trainer and Pokémon opened their hearts to each other, allowing their auras to synchronize.
Both trainer and Pokémon raised their opposing arms, focusing on their bond, bringing their hearts and minds as one.
And with both of their irises glowing with the mystical blue of aura, Ash once again pulled off the impossible.
"Stronger. Together. Here we GO!"
Invisible beads of light connected the duo, unlocking their inner potential, with the aura Pokémon feeling the mystical power of aura envelope him in a blinding light, well beyond the power of his previous experiences with Mega-Evolution.
Moments later, the light faded to reveal Mega Lucario in all his glory.
"Heck yeah!" cheered Pikachu.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Over in the stands…
"I never knew that Ash had acquired a Lucarionite and a keystone – he must have known Riolu was close to evolving and planned his evolution during this match." remarked Prof. Oak.
"Neither did I. Neither did I…" replied a puzzled Brock.
"Go Ash Go!" cheered Misty.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Back on the battlefield…
Just like with Pikachu, Ash and Lucario felt their mental connection and could communicate with each other.
'Lucario. Can you hear me?'
'With clarity brother. Now let us to quote the words of brother Pikachu "Kick Ass''!"
'Heck yeah!'
"I'm impressed with that display of Mega-Evolution. But it won't help you win. Gyarados, use hurricane!" responded Daisy.
'Lucario! Rapid fire aura spheres at Gyarados!"
Hurricane, whilst stopping a good number of the incoming aura spheres, didn't stop all of them and several landed hits, now doing super-effective damage thanks to Mega-Gyarados's new Water-Dark typing.
"Now get in close and use force palm back-to-back!"
"Stop Lucario with dragon tail!"
But suddenly, Gyarados froze up, a spark of static pulsing through its form. And with Gyarados momentarily paralyzed, Lucario scored several direct hits with force palm before swiftly dodging a rather delayed dragon tail attack.
Over in the stands…
"Did Mega-Gyarados just get hit with static?" asked Misty in confusion.
"Hmm…indeed. A rare sight but not impossible."
"What do you mean professor?"
"Gyarados's body has an excess of built-up electricity from all the electric-type attacks Pikachu put it through. And while most of it would have dispersed by virtue of being in the water, there's more than enough of a charge built-up for the paralyzing effects of static to kick in, even if it would be nowhere near as consistent as a full fledge paralysis effect attack like thunder wave. Add in Pikachu's ability static and the probability of paralysis is even higher." explained the professor.
"Then this is Ash's chance to strike."
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Back on the battlefield…
Somehow, Mega-Gyarados was hit with the effects of static even though Pikachu hadn't made physical contact with Gyarados for nearly two minutes since he was recalled. How Ash didn't know, though this was now his chance to end this.
'Lucario! Just like against Bea and Gigantimax-Machamp. Use force palm into steel beam! At full power!'
Unaware of Ash's next move, Daisy commenced her plan to end this round, "Gyarados. Let's finish this with hydro pump!"
And with a burst of speed, Lucario was right in Gyarados's face, unleashing a barrage of force palms, leaving no room for Gyarados to even power up hydro pump. Moments later, a steel beam was fired, a point-blank blast in Gyarados's face, the recoil throwing both Pokémon back thanks to the massive explosion of power. Simultaneously, Ash felt weak on his feet, a wave of exhaustion hitting him, eerily similar to when he felt the damage that Greninja took when he was in his Ash-Greninja form.
And when the dust cleared, Lucario was on one knee, exhausted but still ready to battle. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield was Gyarados, floating in the water, now back to its base form and out cold.
"Gyarados is unable to continue. Gym Leader Daisy, bring out your final Pokémon."
"Whew. Just one more opponent to go." spoke Pikachu as he let out a breath he had been holding in suspense.
On the other end of the battlefield…
"Gyarados return." said Daisy as she recalled her defeated Pokémon. "You did well dear" muttered the gym leader to her Poké ball.
And pulling out a new Poké ball, she whispered to it "Let's show them what you're made of my star. Goooooo…Poké ball!
And appearing on the battlefield was a Slowking, Daisy's final Pokémon.
Over in the stands…
"This…this is gonna be rough for Ash – Daisy almost never uses her Slowking." gulped Misty.
"What do you mean Misty?" asked Brock.
"Slowking is one of Daisy's strongest Pokémon, only rivaled by her Gyarados. Gyarados is both offensively and defensively strong, which makes him very powerful. But her Slowking is a very skilled Psychic type, almost on par with some of Sabrina's lesser Pokémon."
"Yes, the Slowking species are inherently more capable than their Slowbrow cousins in regard to their Psychic abilities, and I have heard and witnessed the power of the Cerulean Gym's Slowking."
"The thing is, that reputation belongs to Lily's Slowking, not Daisy's."
"Ah yes, most challenges here do see a Slowking being one of her Pokémon, though I do not recall Daisy ever commanding one."
"Yes Professor. But Daisy's Slowking makes hers look like an Abra to an Alakazam."
Back with Ash and Pikachu…
"So Slowking huh." muttered Ash with a sense of foreboding in the back of his mind. Shaking it away, he mentally called out to Lucario, 'Let's end this Lucario!'
'I shall not fail you.'
"Battle BEGIN!"
'Lucario! Aura sphere!' commanded Ash.
But what should have been a direct hit fizzed out when a protect formed around the water-psychic type. But to Ash's surprise, Slowking spoke, not like a Pokémon but in clear English with a very northern Galarian accent.
"Milady. Is this the opponent I am to face this day?"
"Yes Slowking." replied Daisy.
"Well, I do hope that I have a satisfactory challenge today – I was just about to start watching season three of Game of Thrones this afternoon."
"Don't worry. He beat Mega-Gyarados, so I know he'll give you a challenge!"
"Very well."
…
"Is it just me, or did I hear that Slowking talk like a human…"
"You are not mistaken Elder Pikachu."
"Like the Slowking from Shamouti…"
"I think so."
'No matter. Lucario! Get in close and use metal claw!'
"Slowking. Trick room!"
"Wait WHAT!"
Trick room came into effect, enveloping the entire battlefield in a psychic glow that disappeared moments later, the effects evident when Mega-Lucario, who was magnitudes faster than his base form, moved like well, a slowpoke.
Slowking on the other hand, raced towards Mega-Lucario like a bullet and landed a powerful dynamic punch to the face followed by a blaze kick to the side, sending Lucario crashing into several rock structures, leaving the fighting-steel type wobbly on his feet. Meanwhile, Ash was feeling the muted effects of the two attacks and clenched his jaw, holding the pain in.
"Slowking. Belly drum into rest!"
And as if Slowking's movements were at 10x speed, the water-psychic type used belly drum followed up by rest, which somehow took less than five seconds. And moments later, Slowking stood at full strength, having suffered no damage from the power up from belly drum.
Over in the stands…
"Slowking, powered up by belly drum, with no negative effects thanks to rest, along with trick room in play – this greatly improves Slowking's offensive power while all but crippling the remainder of Ash's team for the duration of Trick Room." remarked Prof. Oak
"You're right professor – Lucario, Pikachu, and Heracross are all faster than Slowking and wouldn't be able to use any effective moves without taking hits from Slowking." answered Brock.
"All we can do is wait and watch what Ash's next move will be…" murmured a worried Misty.
Back on the battlefield…
"Ash? Are you alright?"
"I'm…definitely feeling the effects of this battle…" wheezed out Ash, feeling the echoes of the damage Lucario was taking through the bond.
"Like with Ash-Greninja? Then oh shit - forfeit Lucario! I'm not letting you get yourself get killed!"
But before Ash could even forfeit Lucario, the battle was already at a close, because as Lucario attempted to land a metal claw attack, a barrage of dynamic punches, blaze kicks, and Zen headbutt attacks landed super effective damage in a matter of seconds, sending Mega-Lucario crashing into the water, revealing Lucario floating in the water, now in his base form and unable to continue.
Simultaneously, Ash swayed on his feet, not far off from collapsing thanks to a wave of pain and severe exhaustion hitting him. Noticing this, Pikachu gave him a small zap, just enough to keep his trainer's brain from shutting down from the agony of being battered and bruised all over.
"Lucario is unable to continue. Challenger, send out your next Pokémon."
"Ash. Pull yourself together. Or if you can't let's forfeit – your well-being is way more important than a gym badge, and we can always challenge the Cerulean gym another time."
"No buddy – we've gotten so far…I'm not backing out at this point."
"Ok" sighed Pikachu at the stubbornness of his trainer. Though if he was being honest with himself, he was just as stubborn as Ash and wouldn't give up till the very end.
"Lucario return. Heracross. You're up!" wheezed out Ash.
"Battle continue."
"Heracross! Use focus punch!"
"Slowking. Hypnosis!"
"Use sleep talk Heracross!"
With Heracross put to sleep, Slowking sped towards the fighting-bug type with blaze kick charged up and Heracross barely avoided it, though immediately countering with Megahorn right in Slowking's face.
"Ouch. That actually hurt. Oh well, playtime is over." spoke the water-psychic type, using psychic to throw Heracross like a ping pong ball.
But before Heracross could counter with sleep talk, the effects of his previous poisoning made themselves known, finishing him off.
"Heracross is unable to continue. Challenger, send out your final Pokémon."
"It's all up to you buddy."
"I know. Now let's show em who's king!"
"Pikachu! I choose you!"
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"This is the final round of one of the most fascinating matches I have ever seen, one where you never know who's going to win, the odds constantly flipping." remarked Prof. Oak.
"Slowking at near full-strength vs Pikachu who's exhausted from facing Mega-Gyarados. I hope Ash has a plan." murmured a concerned Brock.
Back on the battlefield…
"Battle continue."
"Open up with thunderbolt Pikachu!"
"Stop Pikachu with water pulse!"
While slow to charge, thunderbolt was able to stop the water pulse attacks from hitting, though that didn't really do Pikachu much good, seeing as he was wasting energy on attacks that didn't hit.
"Slowking. End this with dynamic punch!"
"With pleasure madam."
"Pikachu! Dodge it!"
Stuck in place and limited to moving in slow motion, Pikachu watched Slowking race towards him with dynamic punch ready to strike. Not knowing what else to do, the electric type tried to use quick attack and agility to dodge. But this ended up in him moving even slower than before, yet somehow Slowking tripped and missed him by a wide margin.
'Pikachu? What did you do?' mentally asked Ash.
'I tried using quick attack and agility to by some impossible means dodge Slowking's attack. Yet somehow, it worked and Slowking tripped up. Now, I don't know about you, but I smell something fishy, something that I'm forgetting…'
…
'That's it! Agility!'
'Oh yeah! Agility's effect is that it speeds up the user, but with trick room in play, it would slow me down while giving Slowking a speed boost. And with him not in control of it, he wouldn't be able to move properly…'
'Well then, let's trip him up some more!'
"Slowking! What happened?" asked Daisy.
"I…do not know…"
"No matter, use dynamic punch once more!"
'Agility, then iron tail!'
Once again, Slowking tripped mere feet away from Pikachu and at such a close distance, Pikachu was able to score a direct hit with iron tail.
"Hmm…oh…OH!" said Daisy, recognizing what Ash and Pikachu were doing from a battle she had seen before involving Lorelei and her Slowking.
"Slowking! Switch to ranged moves and use water pulse!"
"With pleasure milady."
'Try electro ball buddy!'
Water pulse surged towards Pikachu like a bullet while electro ball was yet to be fired, building up in slow motion. But suddenly, a pink glow appeared all over the battlefield before flickering away, followed by Pikachu leaping into the air and dodging with ease, now back to full speed, and launching electro ball which scored a direct hit on Slowking.
"Oh dear" spoke Slowking.
'Trick room ended!' smiled Ash.
'Now we're back in business!' replied Pikachu.
'Yeah buddy! Use electro web and thunderbolt!'
And with natural ease, electro web trapped Slowking in place while slowly applying bursts of thunder shock level damage upon the water-psychic type, not much, but nevertheless distracting, followed by thunderbolt striking and landing serious damage.
"Not bad Ash…but trick room is far from all that Slowking can use. Slowking. Break through electro web and then prep the battlefield!" commanded Daisy with an eager and bubbly smile on her face, promising something that she was definitely excited about.
"Of course, milady."
'Keep up the pressure with thunderbolt!'
Thunderbolt struck true, though Daisy was ignoring it, just watching Slowing start firing off ice beam at random as if expecting something to happen.
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Over in the stands…
"Ok. Something doesn't seem right." pondered Brock.
"Indeed Brock. For one, Slowking is taking very little damage from thunderbolt, contrary to what we are seeing. Otherwise, how would it be able to use three moves simultaneously while taking the brunt of what is otherwise a powerful and super-effective attack."
"Three moves?"
"Yes. Slowking is not only using ice beam, but psychic and metal claw as well, the latter two seen by observing Slowking's eyes and feet. Its eyes are glowing with the energy of psychic, though I am unclear for what purpose, while the claws on its feet are shining with steel-type energy, mostly likely providing grounding for not just thunderbolt, but nearly any electric-type attack that Pikachu throws at Slowking."
"That's impressive, but I don't see anything that would show Slowking using metal claw on its feet?"
"Not to the average person, but if you look carefully, you can see a difference in the coloration of Slowking's claws throughout the match. At the start of this round, Slowking's claws were a pastel-white, while now they are very reflective, just like how metal claw looks when a Pokémon uses it."
"But what exactly is Daisy doing Misty?" asked Brock.
…
"What? Just because she's my sister doesn't mean that I know what goes on in her head – I've only seen Slowking battle a few times, and never something like this."
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'Ash. Are you as confused as I am? Because unless Slowking is secretly a ground type, he should be out cold from a hundred thousand volts of electricity I'm spamming him with.'
'Right. Let's try something else. Use iron tail.'
But as Pikachu leaped from one rock arch to the next, closing in on Slowking, a giant fist made of ice appeared out of nowhere and landed a focus punch right under him.
"WHAT!" yelled Ash in shock.
Pikachu was fortunate in landing on an arch but was definitely feeling the exhaustion and injuries of the past few rounds, especially the force behind a fighting-type move from a fist the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
But before Ash or Pikachu could attempt to figure out what was going on, a variety of ice structures of different shapes surfaced from the water, floating and moving about, mainly consisting of pillars, platforms, giant fists, hexagon shields, and an assortment of other objects made of ice, turning the battlefield into a moving maze.
…
"HOLY SHIT!" screeched Pikachu in shock.
"Like. What the heck is going on!" swore Ash.
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"Like what you see Ash!" giggled Daisy from the other side of the battlefield. "It's something I whipped up just for you – only the best for my baby sister, and this is your chance to prove it!"
Over in the stands…
Misty was beet red at her sister's words, all but ready to flay her alive for messing with Ash's gym challenge.
"Relax Misty. Look at the bright side – Ash will get the challenge of his life today, and even if he loses, it'll be with his head held high at losing to such a powerful opponent" said Brock, attempting, yet failing to pacify the orange-haired teen.
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"Ok. Did we just go from a gym battle to an episode of Takeshi's Castle?"
"I don't think you're too off the mark there buddy…" muttered Ash, shaking out of his daze at Daisy's words.
'Ok buddy, our goal is simple. First, get to Slowking with quick attack!' said Ash, switching back to their mental link.
Quick attack looked like it would work for all of four seconds, when a platform caught Pikachu before he could land on another rocky arch, dragging him in the opposite direction and toward what was a rapidly approaching fist.
In response, Pikachu jumped onto another platform, though this started spinning like a Beyblade and sent him flying toward a giant ice mallet that clearly wanted to play 'Whack-A-Pikachu'.
The next five minutes were a mix of Pikachu avoiding large obstacles and objects that promised lots of pain and Ash guiding Pikachu through what he could see ahead of his partner.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
'Ash. We really need a better plan.' wheezed Pikachu, barely avoiding what looked like an icy version of Bullet Bill from Super Mario.
'Grr…we need to overwhelm Slowking. Get in as close as possible and thunderbolt the entire battlefield.'
Pushing his aching limbs to their limits, Pikachu eked his way up as close as he could get with all the platforms shuffling him about and took a deep breath, unleashing a thunderbolt all over the battlefield.
As expected, the bolts of electricity went everywhere, shattering several ice structures. Unfortunately, none of them hit Slowking, who blocked them all with walls of ice surrounding him. And from the side, an ice fist struck Pikachu with focus punch, throwing the electric type into a rocky arch, panting and lying on his tummy in exhaustion.
"PIKACHU!"
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Over in the stands…
"This isn't looking good for Pikachu – he's on his last legs and can't avoid taking damage from what can only be described as a living battlefield, one controlled by Slowking." said Brock.
"Oh Pikachu…" worried Misty.
Prof. Oak, however, silently watched, ignoring the worried duo next to him.
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Daisy watched Ash and Pikachu put up a good fight against Slowking's living battlefield attack and knew that it was cruel to push them this hard – the young man was definitely worthy of Misty, and he definitely deserved the Cascade Badge.
"Slowking. That's enough. The match is over."
"Of course Milady." replied Slowking, preparing to drop his psychic hold on the battlefield.
"NO!" growled Ash.
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Moments earlier…
'Pikachu. That's enough' sighed Ash, worried for his starter. 'we've done our best and it's ok if we lose today-'
'Ash! I will kick you in the nuts if you say we're giving up.' mentally growled Pikachu, pushing his left forepaw up.
'Buddy! You're pushing yourself too far.'
'Every one of our greatest battles has been us pushing beyond our limits. And I'm not stopping now, and definitely never will!' answered Pikachu, pushing his right forepaw up.
…
'Your right buddy. Now let's win this!' answered Ash.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Now to the present…
"NO!" growled Ash.
"Ash? It's ok-" started Daisy, only for Ash to interrupt.
"No. Pikachu and I aren't giving up and will see this through!" answered Ash. And with that statement, Ash and Pikachu's eyes gave off a slight blue glow, warm energy flowing through them and healing both of their injuries – Ash's from the side effects of bonding with Lucario and Pikachu's from everything from the whole match.
…
"You know what, you've got a fire in you. And who am I to stand in front of that? Ok dear, let's wrap this up!" said Daisy.
"While this will hurt you immensely, I would like to thank you for giving me a chance to actually use my abilities on the battlefield." smiled Slowking, his voice both cheery and polite all while promising pain and suffering.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Ash and Pikachu had time and time again tapped into fragments of their potential with Aura to various degrees, their most recent being against Surge and his Raichu to push Pikachu to evolve.
But their most powerful to date was in the form of Pikashunium Z vs Tapunium Z during their battle against Kukui and Tapu Koko – Guardian of Alola was a unique move in the sense that it tapped into the bonds and Z potential of not just the trainer wielding the Tapunium Z, but of all people and Pokémon in Alola, making it a move that could potentially withstand the power of legendaries far greater than the Alola Tapu's.
Ten-Billion-Volt Thunderbolt was a similar story, but was Ash and Pikachu's bond exponentially amplified by tapping into more than just a fragment of their power with Aura, thanks to a conduit in the form of Pikashunium Z, thus turning ten million volts into ten billion.
But for the first time ever, free of legendary meddling, the duo was able to tap into this power without a conduit, beginning down a path that very few in history had ever walked upon.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Something had changed in Ash and Pikachu, a fact that everyone watching could sense, but very few could comprehend.
To Misty, it was like a dam breaking, unleashing the power of the sea.
To Brock, it was reminiscent of an inferno that a fire-type unleashed when he broke through his final barrier all those years ago.
To the Rocket Trio, it was like the power of god, one that they had known was always there.
And finally, to Daisy, it had her shivering in anticipation.
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
"Pikachu! Let's give em everything we've got. Our full power!"
"I thought you'd never ask!" answered Pikachu with a grin.
In response, the battlefield started shifting at high speed, multiple chunks of ice forming various shapes, all ready to take Pikachu out.
The sight before them did nothing to quell the fire in the duo's hearts, and with that, it was time to end this battle.
"Pikachu. Use electro ball!"
With those words loud and clear, the electric type charged up energy to release one of his strongest attacks, feeling the clench in his electric pouches as he built up power like he did every time he used any of his electric-type moves. But this time, it was power beyond comprehension, power far greater than he had ever felt before, power that paled in comparison to even his signature Z-Move. Power that the electric-type unleashed in a single attack.
The result was unlike anything anybody had ever seen before. A massive sphere of blue and gold plasma struck forth from Pikachu's tail and raced toward Slowking, vaporizing everything in its path.
Upon seeing its physical defenses falter, the Water-Psychic type raised every defensive barrier it could – protect, light screen, and mirror coat, all combined into several dozen layers.
And for but a moment, it looked like it would hold, only to break through and strike with the power of a god, the resulting impact sending forth a wave of blinding hot plasma that nearly overloaded the shields protecting not just Ash, Daisy, and the few people watching, but all of Cerulean from being vaporized, instead only killing power to the rest of the city.
And as the blinding light of the resulting attack cleared, a steaming yet desert-dry crater was all that was left of the Cerulean gym pool. And in a corner laid an out cold Slowking, slightly charred, though glowing with the flicker of a protect, the only remnant of the defense that prevented Slowking from being reduced to atoms.
On the other side of the crater was Pikachu running around like a madman with all four paws on fire, shrieking "HOT! HOT! HOT! My paws are on fire! I need a fire extinguisher! Somebody get the Cerulean Fire Department!"
…
…
…
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
To say that everybody watching was shocked would be an understatement of the century. Before them was a Pikachu that sent forth an attack with almost as much power as Zekrom's Fusion Bolt (which everybody present save for Brock, Misty, and Daisy had seen) and nearly vaporized Cerulean City (not that anybody outside of a handful of individuals, including Ash's Noctowl, realized that).
…
It took the referee a solid three minutes to compose himself before announcing "Slowking is unable to battle. And with all five of the Cerulean Gym's Pokémon unable to continue, the victory goes to the challenger, Ash Ketchum!"
X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X
Within a dark room covered in shadows, several monitors were playing security camera and gym log footage of Ash's gym challenge against the Cerulean gym. Though unusually, several feeds were zoomed in on Ash specifically rather than the battle itself.
"Interesting…" spoke the figure hidden by the darkness.
In a chilling yet monotone voice, the figure continued.
"Continue log on Asset One, day 94 since Asset has awakened.
The Asset and his Pokémon have shown remarkable growth, supported both by the tactical skills and the power levels that his Pokémon display, those on par with trainers and Pokémon with at least a decade of experience together, not that of a new trainer with Pokémon in relative biological infancy and with on average 56 days of accumulated training since joining the Asset's team. This is a subject with ongoing research into the relationship the Asset has regarding time travel.
This is also illustrated by the bond that the Asset shares with his Pokémon, most notably with the Riolu-evolved-Lucario and Pikachu, both of which displayed power well beyond their capabilities, though in different forms.
With Lucario, the Asset was able to achieve Mega-Evolution without the requisite stones right after evolution. Furthermore, the probability of a Pokémon successfully achieving Mega-Evolution, assuming that the requisite stones are in possession, mere minutes after reaching a final evolutionary stage is at 3.21%. The probability of a trainer and Pokémon sharing a bond strong enough to support Mega-Evolution within an interaction period of 57 days is at 2.94%, no, increased to 5.22% due to the inclusion of the nature of the Aura Pokémon.
However, side effects have been noted from this act, namely the Asset suffering from the echoes of the damage that Mega-Lucario took, though this cannot be confirmed without a comprehensive medical examination.
The other major illustration of the bond is from the Asset's Pikachu, which during the closing of the match was able to heal itself and unleash power far beyond what its species are capable of, an attack that shares a great deal of similarity to Zekrom's signature Fusion Bolt attack, both in terms of appearance, the destructive power capable of decimating all of Cerulean, and in recorded energy levels when compared to classified data logs compiled by Master Researcher Blue and Pokémon Champion Red dated for July 4th, 1990.
Other notes for this log include how the Asset's associates, Brock Slate and Misty Waterflower, along with the three individuals the Asset refers to as the 'Rocket Trio', consisting of Jessie Musashi, James Kojiro, and a talking Meowth, show immunity to the memory modifications performed during the match that made anyone watching believe that the Asset had access to a keystone and Mega-Stone for his Lucario and that the move used by his Pikachu was a Z-Move. Further observation on Daisy Waterflower and the match referee Roman Pierce is recommended to confirm that the memory modifications hold.
End log."
…
And as the lights flickered momentarily, the figure disappeared, only leaving behind a lab coat and a digital mask with the face of Prof. Samuel Oak.
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So...a lot happened...
I welcome your thoughts on this chapter as a review for both myself and other readers to ponder over.
