Facing everyone's questions, Professor Oak spoke up.
[Professor Oak: This is only my speculation, but Ash and Pikachu may possess a unique ability. When their hearts resonate as one, they can unleash power far beyond their limits! You could call it… a Power Burst!]
[Professor Oak: Think back to the very first footage the Heavenly Record showed us.]
It had been less than an hour since that vision, so naturally the entire world recalled it easily.
Back then… Pikachu was the same.
At first, its Thunder Shock could barely fend off a single Spearow.
Later, even though Pikachu drew upon the power of heaven and earth, the fact that it could withstand that immense force already proved how special it was!
The Champions and Elites had thought it nothing more than a miraculous accident.
But now… it seemed that it was the inevitable result of Ash and Pikachu's hearts resonating as one!
So this was Ash and Pikachu's true power?
[Professor Oak: Surely you've all experienced it yourselves? The more you give to your Pokémon, the more, at critical moments, your Pokémon will unleash strength far beyond their normal capacity in response.]
[Professor Oak: The only difference is, Ash and Pikachu's bond is just… oh, about a hundred million times stronger than anyone else's!]
…Professor Oak, that "hundred million" wasn't a typo, was it?
No—it really was that much stronger!
Indeed, many Trainers had experienced it before. When they and their Pokémon's hearts connected, the Pokémon would sometimes erupt with power beyond its normal limits.
This was the wondrous force of the world—the bond between humans and Pokémon!
But that kind of burst was still within the realm of reason.
A Pokémon with a base strength of 1 might surge to 1.3, maybe 1.5 at most. That was already extraordinary.
And Pikachu?
In just ten minutes, its power had soared at least threefold, maybe even fivefold!
That wasn't a normal Power Burst anymore!!
[Lance: Brandon, you can't be blamed! Losing to a cheat doesn't count as losing!]
[Diantha: I agree. When the enemy's basically running hacks, you can't say it's our side that lacked power.]
[Leon: Not quite. Pikachu only surpassed Regice in the final instant. At other times, it wasn't actually stronger than Regice.]
[Leon: And Ash's commands were incredibly sharp. Hard to imagine that Ash now is the same boy from that first vision. He's grown so much in such a short time!]
Leon couldn't stand hearing everyone reduce Pikachu and Ash's efforts to just "cheating."
Clearly their own efforts mattered, too.
Besides, being able to connect with a Pokémon so deeply—wasn't that Ash's true strength?
[Brandon: Alright, alright, enough flogging a dead horse. They're just teasing me. Leon, you're the only one who doesn't see it.]
Leon blinked, then glanced around at the other Champions.
Even the usually stern ones were covering their mouths, stifling laughter.
Of course they were teasing Brandon—they had never intended to erase Ash and Pikachu's efforts with a single word.
Leon was simply too earnest…
…
Viridian Gym.
Giovanni stared blankly at the screen.
Pikachu… had defeated the Ice Titan.
And in a single strike, no less.
He took out a Poké Ball, gazing at it in silence.
Few knew that Giovanni, "the Ground-Type King," had a true ace that wasn't Ground-type at all—his Beedrill.
A simple Pokémon, yet one of terrifying strength.
Ordinary, yet extraordinary.
And the boy on that screen… somehow resembled him.
Similar, yet utterly opposite—
Because Giovanni was the infamous villain of Kanto, the leader of Team Rocket.
To him, most Pokémon were nothing more than tools.
He had planned to leave Viridian Gym today.
But the Heavenly Record broadcast had held him there.
And what he saw… was fascinating.
"With mortal flesh… rivaling the gods? My Beedrill…"
His obsession with Mewtwo wavered for the first time.
"…Forget it. I'll return to Rocket HQ first."
…
On an isolated island called New Island.
No humans lived here—only Pokémon.
And yet even here, the Heavenly Record'ss screen had appeared.
A humanoid, feline-like Pokémon stood at the cliff's edge, staring at the broadcast.
Its body was silver-white and violet.
If Giovanni were here, he would recognize it instantly—
Mewtwo.
At that moment, Mewtwo's gaze was conflicted.
Not long ago, it had staged its own rebellion—seeking to overthrow humanity and become the strongest Trainer itself.
Only to be stopped—and its will swayed—by a brash young boy.
That boy was Ash.
Back then, Mewtwo had erased Ash's memories, taking its cloned Pokémon into seclusion here.
It had thought never to see Ash again.
But now… in this strange broadcast, there he was!
Clearly tempered by trials, his Pikachu had already grown strong enough to fight gods!
"Ash… you will become the world's strongest Trainer."
Even proud Mewtwo now acknowledged him.
Because Ash had shown it the true potential of the bond between humans and Pokémon.
…
Veilstone City.
"He… he actually won…"
Reggie leapt to his feet, eyes glued to the screen, stunned by Pikachu.
That boy—barely past ten years old—had defeated Brandon's Legendary with only a Pikachu!
Though Reggie was retired as a Trainer, his heart couldn't help but feel shaken.
And beyond the shock… admiration.
What kind of love for Pokémon must Ash hold, to trust them so deeply, and inspire such power in return?
Behind him, his younger brother Paul also stared hard at the battered Pikachu still standing tall.
He… had defeated the man even Reggie couldn't overcome.
In the future, Paul vowed he would defeat Brandon—and Ash as well!
…
The broadcast concluded, and the giant screen displayed the results:
[Pikachu vs. Regice—Winner: Pikachu!]
[All wagers placed on Regice are hereby voided; points deducted accordingly.]
At that line, ninety-nine percent of the world's faces went pale!
Right! They'd bet on Regice!
Damn it! How could Regice actually lose?!
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