"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!!"
"Pika—Chuu!!!" Thunder erupted around Pikachu, transforming his entire body into a golden lightning bolt!
The golden lightning enveloped Pikachu, deflecting the approaching Blizzard completely!
This scene made Brandon's pupils contract tightly; he never expected such a defensive tactic!
As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense. Ash chose to replace defense with offensive tactics, using immense electrical power as a protective net to block Blizzard's attack.
And it's not just that... Having just used Blizzard, Regice was now in a stiffened state, meaning Regice was an open target!
"Go, Pikachu!" With Ash's shout, golden lightning exploded in the air; wherever it passed, the ice melted and shattered under the high temperature generated by electricity, rendering Regice immobile. Even Protect couldn't take form, leaving Regice to helplessly watch as Pikachu charged forth!
Boom!!!
An even more terrifying shockwave than Zippy Zap exploded inside the pyramid!
A huge depression appeared in Regice's chest, scattering ice shards everywhere, and its entire body was blasted away once again, embedding directly onto Mewtwo's barrier this time!
Pikachu's body pressed hard against Regice, pinning it against the barrier. Terrifying high-voltage electricity continued to pour out, draining Regice's stamina.
"Iron Tail!" Ash wasted no time seizing the opportunity, commanding Pikachu to continue the attack.
Iron Tail is a Steel Type move with a restraining effect on Ice Type Regice, not to mention, it's Pikachu executing Iron Tail!
"Chuu—Pika!" Using the recoil, Pikachu bounced into the air, his electrically charged body spinning mid-air, with a metallic gleam shining on his tail!
"Bang!!" The Steel Tail, imbued with immense force, struck Regice directly on the head, knocking it off the barrier and crashing hard onto the ground, shattering the already fractured ice layer and revealing the rugged terrain beneath.
Regice itself was in a dire state; its head showed a massive breach from the Steel Tail's impact, coupled with the damage from Volt Tackle, Regice no longer held the cohesion it had upon its appearance.
Its body missing chunks here and there, resembling a broken piece of ice.
Pikachu landed not far from Regice, panting heavily, with his body battered all over.
The Blizzard had already inflicted significant damage on him, and Regice's subsequent Blizzard, although blocked by Volt Tackle, using an offensive skill for defense would also consume stamina.
Not to mention this was Volt Tackle.
Volt Tackle would cause recoil damage to the body; whether blocking Blizzard or attacking Regice, Pikachu suffers damage.
His stamina was now in jeopardy, and the situation has not progressed particularly favorably.
"Regice, use Ice Beam!"
Brandon's voice echoed across the spacious pyramid.
The Divine Pillar strained its damaged body, unleashing an ice-blue beam from the core in its chest!
"Pikachu, dodge!" An unfocused Ice Beam was still easily dodged.
However, after Pikachu jumped to evade, the Ice Beam hit the ground, instantly freezing the entire venue with ice blocks once again.
Brandon aimed to replicate the earlier strategy, restricting Pikachu with the ice surface, but... having been countered once, how could the strategy succeed a second time?
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to shatter the ice layer!" Ash ordered promptly.
"Not that easy." Brandon shook his head. "Regice, Blizzard!"
Regice spread its arms open, sweeping the entire field with a gust of wind carrying numerous sharp ice crystals once more!
This time, the Blizzard's coverage was denser than before, its power still unfaltering. Even when diminished to a burnt-out state, legendary Pokémon could still unleash such terrifying skill moves.
Brandon intended to disrupt Pikachu with Blizzard, preventing him from effectively shattering the ice layer.
Seeing as such, Ash narrowed his eyes and changed his command: "Use Splishy Splash!"
The forming Steel Tail on Pikachu immediately dispersed, and a towering wave quickly took shape beneath Pikachu's feet!
Witnessing this, Brandon, usually composed, was left dumbfounded. What was this? Pikachu could use Surf skill? Is this Pikachu even legal?
Executing the Surf skill, Pikachu back-flipped to the back of the wave, and in an instant, the Blizzard froze the wave into ice blocks.
Yet this giant curtain of ice became Pikachu's firmest defensive wall!
The ice provided sanctuary for Pikachu, blocking the remaining Blizzard thoroughly.
Pikachu slid smoothly along the ice, eventually landing stably on the ground.
Brandon's assault was undone once again, but before Misty and the others could show joy, Brandon suppressed his internal shock and continued his strategy.
"Regice, use Rest!" This was Brandon's true aim.
Whether freezing the ground or casting Blizzard, Brandon never expected to inflict lethal damage on Pikachu. Ash's level as a Trainer would definitely overcome such maneuvers.
But all Brandon aimed for was delaying Pikachu's actions, allowing his Regice to restore stamina with Rest.
Rest is a skill that quickly restores a Pokémon's stamina. Once asleep, it begins recovery until fully replenished or wakes up after a set duration, a difficult-to-use double-edged sword.
However, Brandon and Regice had modified this skill, significantly reducing Regice's sleep time. Although the stamina recovery effect was somewhat weakened, compared to being hit when asleep, the weakening is negligible.
Plus, with Regice's stamina around one-third, just about ten seconds of sleep would allow Regice to recover to approximately four-fifths of its stamina.
By then, the battle outcome would be decided!
"Pikachu, use Thunder!" Of course, Ash wouldn't just sit idly; though the ice layer prevented Pikachu from quickly approaching, long-range attacks could still interrupt Regice's Rest.
In the sky, Thunder flashed, radiating an immense brilliance from Pikachu, with lightning surging into the sky!
Next second, golden lightning descended from the sky, directly striking the sleeping Regice!
The golden sparks filled Regice's body, yet Regice's injuries continued to recover!
The damage from Thunder fell short against the speed of Regice's recovery!
Meanwhile, Pikachu's stamina kept depleting, along with Regice's Body freezing, enhancing its stamina...
"Is everything over..." Brock murmured with unwillingness.
Ash had done well; he was just a step away from defeating Regice, but ultimately, Brandon was a cut above!
"No... Ash will win! Ash, hang in there!!" Misty shook her head, casting aside that sorrowful emotion, standing up to shout in support for Ash.
"Ash, don't give up!!" Serena similarly stood up, cheering for Ash.
Paul crossed his arms in front, glancing sidelong at the two girls, shaking his head silently in his heart—reality is harsh, it doesn't change because you refuse it. Ash already lacks the chance to overturn the situation in this match.
Pikachu would lose, Gardevoir and Charizard are no longer capable of continuing the battle, Regice's stamina restored to over half due to Rest.
What follows is Regice defeating all three of Ash's Pokémon; Brandon triumphs.
Even Ash couldn't defeat Brandon?
"Did you hear that, Pikachu?"
"Pika Pika!!"
"Our friends are still cheering for us; we can't give up like this!"
"Pika-Chu!!"
"Pour everything we have into this blow, Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!!!" Ash clenched his fists, shouting with fervor, Pikachu exerted force with all four limbs, surprisingly stomping out four pits on the smooth ice layer, allowing him to stand firmly on it.
Next moment, tremendous lightning exploded on Pikachu, dark gold lightning, difficult to describe with words, the original brilliant gold lightning should now be depicted as a shade of dark gold for a more vivid picture.
[Pikachu (Third Transformation: Miracle) Partner Form]
[Level: ???]
[Six-dimensional Ability: Physical Attack ??? Special Attack ??? Defense ??? Special Defense ??? Physical Strength ??? Speed ???]