At the foot of Mt. Moon.
Misty, who had just returned from gathering firewood, let out a surprised cry. She called out to Suzie and Brock, "Miss Suzie, Brock, look—Silas and Ash are about to have a Pikachu battle."
"Is that so." Suzie replied softly, not even looking up as she continued preparing dinner and answering Brock's earlier questions with a faint smile. "I'd better speed up dinner, then. After a battle, Silas and Pikachu will definitely be even hungrier."
As she spoke, Suzie's knife moved even faster, while Brock kept his head down, helping her. Misty looked at them in disbelief and asked, "Aren't you two even the least bit curious about who's going to win, Silas or Ash?"
"No need," Brock answered, glancing over at the two about to battle, a flash of somber memory in his eyes, his voice tinged with bitterness. "As much as I hate to admit it, regardless of either Trainer's level or their Pokémon's abilities, Silas and his Pokémon are way out of our league."
"You're kidding, right?"
Misty couldn't believe it and turned to look at the battlefield.
The battle had just begun. Ash, excited and direct as ever, shouted, "We'll take the first move! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pi—ka—chuu!"
On command, Ash's Pikachu unleashed twin bolts of electricity from its electric sacs. The two streams merged midair, forming a roaring Thunderbolt that surged toward Silas's Pikachu.
Watching the lightning speed toward them, Silas smirked and gave his eager Pikachu a calm order: "Charge in—show them a Million Volt Thunder Fist!"
"Pi—ka."
Pikachu responded, dropped to all fours, and in that instant, its small body blurred forward like a cheetah. Without hesitation, it dove straight into the Thunderbolt, the wild electricity seeming to have no effect on it whatsoever—not even enough to change Pikachu's expression.
"Nani?!"
Ash and his Pikachu both looked absolutely stunned.
While they were still frozen in shock, Silas's Pikachu was suddenly right in front of them. With a leap, Pikachu soared into the air, its right paw glowing with blazing white energy, lightning flickering across its surface. In less than a second, thick arcs of electricity wrapped Pikachu's raised fist.
Seeing Silas's Pikachu rush in, Ash's Pikachu didn't even wait for a command—Quick Attack, and it darted off its original spot!
Boom!
The spot where Ash's Pikachu had just been exploded with a loud bang—Silas's Pikachu had slammed its fist into the ground, leaving a crater half a meter wide and impressively deep.
Gulp.
Both Ash and his Pikachu gulped nervously, staring at the deep pit in terror.
Strangely, even Silas was a bit surprised.
He'd intended for Pikachu's Million Volt Thunder Fist to end the fight right away—but Ash's Pikachu had dodged of its own accord. That showed, all by itself, just how strong its independent will to battle really was.
It made Silas even more interested. He issued his next command: "Use Million Volt Thunder Fist and Thunder Tail. Play with him."
"Pika~"
On command, Silas's Pikachu's hands and tail sparked with terrifying electricity.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, as Silas's Pikachu charged his way. "Don't back down—Thunderbolt!"
"Pika!"
But instead, Ash's Pikachu let out a squeak and tore off in the opposite direction, running for its life. Are you kidding? That Thunderbolt didn't do a thing to Silas's Pikachu—why would another one help? Besides, after seeing that crater, it knew: if that hit landed, it wouldn't just faint—it'd be lucky to escape serious injury!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous crashes echoed nonstop as Silas's Pikachu's attacks turned the battlefield into a patchwork of craters.
Speed and reflexes—top tier. Move power? Not stellar yet. But the potential? Absolutely Elite Four.
Watching Pikachu dodge desperately, Silas observed and made a mental note. He silently marveled that Ash really did have the makings of a protagonist; if Ash trained this Pikachu and the Charmander he'd be compensated with, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become an Elite Four or even aim for Champion some day.
Still, observation done, Silas calmly gave the final order: "Finish the battle."
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu instantly surged forward, tripling its speed.
With a nimble leap, it landed on Ash's Pikachu's head and brought down Iron Tail—hard.
Up until now Pikachu hadn't landed a hit; Silas had told it to play, not finish the battle. But now that the order was to win, there was no reason to hold back.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried in desperation as Silas's Pikachu finally caught up. "Run!"
But it was too late. Silas's Pikachu was already in motion.
Boom!
A tremendous impact erupted, kicking up a thick cloud of dust that enveloped both Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" Ash called out anxiously, peering into the haze.
The moment the smoke rose, Silas's lips curled into a slight smile—a sign of confidence, because just then, the cold voice of the system had sounded in his mind: he'd won the battle and received 200 Thunder Crystals!
As the dust cleared, Ash's Pikachu lay sprawled on the ground, eyes spinning, totally defeated. Silas's Pikachu ran up to its Trainer, bounded onto his shoulder, and flopped down—a little exhausted, but still managing a pleased "Pika pika~"
The look on Pikachu's face made it pretty clear: it wanted its praise…and maybe a little extra for dinner.