Ash's firm command echoed across the battlefield.
He knew very well that the gap between Pikachu and Drapion was massive. Without a type advantage, it would be difficult to land a one-hit knockout.
But Ash was aiming for a decisive blow.
He wanted to end this with Pikachu's newly mastered high-power move: Thunder!
The next second—
Rumble—
A faint rumble of thunder came from the sky.
Pikachu leapt high into the air. In that moment, its small body seemed to connect with the heavens. Its tail pointed straight to the sky, and the electric sacs on its cheeks burst with a dazzling golden light.
"Pika—CHU!!"
With Pikachu's cry, the once-clear sky suddenly gathered thick storm clouds.
A Thunder, several times thicker than Thunderbolt and carrying divine force, slowly began to form.
The massive current tore through the clouds like a judgment from the heavens, accompanied by a deafening crash.
It struck Drapion dead-on!
BOOM!!
A blinding white flash instantly engulfed Drapion's massive form. The explosion rocked the entire battlefield.
When the smoke finally cleared, Drapion could no longer endure.
Its entire body was scorched black. With a heavy thud, it collapsed, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
"D-Drapion is unable to battle!"
The referee took a deep breath and tried his best to steady his voice.
"Pikachu wins!"
With that declaration, the stadium fell into a stunned silence.
Then—
A tsunami of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Holy crap!!"
"An Entry-Level Pikachu just beat a Gym-level Drapion?!"
"We're witnessing history! This battle is a turning point!"
"Damn, Ash is insane!!"
"What do you mean 'Ash'? That's Lord Ash! That was freaking legendary!!!"
The crowd of Trainers exploded like a volcano. The roar of excitement almost blew the roof off the Breeding Center.
They couldn't even hold back their profanity.
Everyone whipped out their phones, frantically recording the unbelievable scene. It wouldn't be long before photos and videos of this battle dominated the trending feeds in Viridian City, becoming the hottest topic among Trainers.
"It's not over yet!!"
Just as the stadium roared in celebration, a hoarse and furious voice pierced the air like ice water.
It was Paul, pale as a ghost, still standing in place.
"This is a 3v3 match! I still have two more Pokémon!"
He couldn't accept this loss—especially not a defeat that crossed such a massive level gap!
This scene almost dragged up a nightmare from his past.
It was at a Sinnoh tournament.
Paul had challenged the newly crowned Champion Cynthia.
…Her Garchomp barely lifted a finger, yet utterly annihilated all six of his Pokémon without taking a single hit!
That overwhelming, soul-crushing defeat became Paul's deepest trauma.
And now, looking at Ash—
He saw her shadow.
He couldn't accept it!
A rookie Trainer, only one day into his journey, possessing the same kind of pressure as a Champion?
If that were true, then everything he had believed in—all his level-obsessed training methods and ruthless Pokémon selection—would be nothing but a joke.
"…What the hell is this guy saying?"
"Is he having a breakdown??"
The Trainers in the audience exchanged looks, confused by Paul's sudden meltdown. He seemed normal just moments ago.
Why was he losing it now?
Losing to a genius like Ash wasn't even that shameful, was it?
It was Yumi who spoke first.
She slowly explained, "Sir, have you forgotten the basic rules of League-sanctioned Pokémon battles?"
"To initiate a 3v3 match, both Trainers must have at least three Pokémon."
"Otherwise, the match defaults to a 1v1 format."
She pointed toward the boy in the cap.
"Ash only started his journey today. He only has two Pokémon…"
The moment she said that, Paul deflated like a balloon.
His body swayed, and he collapsed to his knees on the ground.
He had even forgotten that.
Right. His opponent was just a rookie who'd been a Trainer for one day…
This battle—he had lost, fair and square.
There was nothing he could do to change that.
A massive wave of frustration and self-doubt washed over him like a flood.
Would things have gone differently if he'd used all three of his Pokémon?
Yeah, yeah! That had to be it…
[Ding! Detected that the host has defeated Paul!]
[Victory in battle! Randomly plundering one of the target's traits…]
[Ding! Plundering complete!]
[Congratulations, host has acquired Paul's trait: "Replacement Doctrine" (Green)!]
[The original owner's trait has been removed!]
As the system's voice echoed in Ash's mind, he glanced at the newly acquired trait.
Just a green-level Replacement Doctrine?
Effect: Replace weak Pokémon in your party. Very low chance of encountering better ones.
Downside: Decreases friendship with Pokémon over time.
Basically, a totally mediocre trait.
"Seriously? That's all I got?"
Ash frowned slightly. He was a bit surprised.
Last time he beat Gary, he had directly yanked out one of Gary's most powerful traits.
"Was it because this victory wasn't complete enough?"
As Ash pondered this, the system chimed again, almost as if confirming his thoughts.
[System Tip: If you defeat Paul in a full 3v3 battle, you will guaranteed plunder a high-quality trait.]
Just as expected!!
[End of Chapter]