"Unbelievable… that Pikachu actually withstood Blizzard?"
"Don't be silly. Brandon just held back so he wouldn't hurt the trainer standing behind it!"
"Exactly. Look at that Ice Beam—one shot froze the entire field! That is Regice's true power!"
[Lance: Such a powerful Ice Beam! If my Dragonite took a direct hit, even if it survived, it'd be crippled!]
[Diantha: Oh, please. With Dragonite's quadruple weakness to Ice, one solid hit and you'd be rushing it to the Pokémon Center. Any slower and you'd be sending it to the afterlife.]
[Lance: …]
He'd been bragging, of course. Against a 4× weakness, even grazing that Ice Beam would leave Dragonite half-dead.
That alone showed how terrifying Regice's strength truly was.
Ash's Pikachu… there was no way it could win.
But the broadcast rolled on—
"That Ice Beam is insane… if Pikachu gets hit just once, it's over!"
"Pika!"
"But we're not gonna lose! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Pika!!"
Even on the slick ice, Pikachu burst forward at blinding speed.
In a blink, it was in front of Regice!
"That's it! Iron Tail!!"
"Pika—CHU PIKA!!"
The lightning-shaped tail smashed against Regice's body.
This time, Regice finally reacted.
Though its face couldn't show pain, the guttural roar made it clear—
That blow hurt.
"And we're not done! Follow up with Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—CHUUU!!"
Still pressing its glowing tail against Regice,
Pikachu's body crackled with electricity—
and the current surged straight into the titan at point-blank range!
A blinding flash filled the arena.
Regice roared again in pain!
"…Wait—why isn't Brandon countering?!"
"No way, no way! A legendary titan, losing to a Pikachu?!"
"Come on! That's Regice! And the other side is just a dime-a-dozen Pikachu! How is its attack even working?!"
"I can't wrap my head around this… I just can't!"
[Lance: That Pikachu… there's something unusual about it.]
[Cynthia: That first clip—the one where it called down thunder like a god. I thought it was a fluke, borrowing nature's power. But now… maybe Pikachu's special nature was there from the start.]
[Diantha: Even so, there's no way it can truly defeat the Ice Titan. Brandon hasn't even gotten serious yet.]
[Steven: Exactly. Regice isn't going down so easily… it is a legendary.]
And indeed, onscreen—
after eating two Thunderbolts and an Iron Tail,
Regice had merely cried out in pain.
It hadn't even budged an inch.
"The testing phase ends here! Regice, Ice Beam!!"
"Quick, dodge it!"
Cold light gathered between Regice's arms,
but Pikachu coiled its tail, sprang upward, and narrowly escaped!
Yet again, the Ice Beam wasn't aimed directly at Pikachu,
but on the field.
With this second blast, the arena transformed completely into a frozen battlefield—
slicker, sharper, and deadlier than before.
When Pikachu landed, its paws immediately slipped out from under it.
"The field is ready. What will you do now, Ash?"
"Regice—Focus Punch!"
On the ice, Regice moved as if it were gliding.
In an instant, it closed the gap to Pikachu.
Ash's face tensed. He gave a quick order:
"Meet it with Iron Tail!"
"Pika!!"
Pikachu braced on one paw, tail gleaming metallic,
and swung around to clash against the incoming Focus Punch!
But on the frictionless ice, Pikachu had no footing.
How could it match a charging Regice?
The moment they clashed, Pikachu was sent flying,
slamming hard against the arena wall!
[Lance: That's the Brandon I know! His control of the battle's flow is beyond anything a rookie could handle.]
[Professor Oak: Letting the opponent land attacks wasn't weakness—it was analysis. He gauged Pikachu's power, speed, and moveset while quietly reshaping the battlefield. Such meticulous strategy!]
[Leon: And all of it is possible only because Regice's endurance is on a different level. Any normal Pokémon would've been knocked out after two Thunderbolts.]
[Steven: But… against a mere kid, wasn't that a bit much?]
[Brandon: Against any opponent, I always fight at full strength. Holding back would betray my duty as Frontier Brain.]
[Alder: Admirable! Far better than those Gym Leaders who just hand out Badges. I hear Kanto has quite a few like that!]
Brock: …
Misty: …
Erika: …
They weren't handing Badges out!
They only gave them when they recognized a challenger's spirit!
That was completely different!
[Leon: Now the entire arena is Brandon's domain. Regice outclasses Pikachu in every stat… Ash has no path to victory left.]
[Cynthia: Still, the fact Pikachu managed to land real damage on Regice is shocking enough. For such an inexperienced trainer—and with a Pikachu no less—this battle is already worthy of pride, even in defeat.]
The Champions had already delivered their verdict: Pikachu had no chance.
With the field locked down and Regice's advantage absolute—
How could Pikachu possibly win?