Outside Moonview Arena, Melli and Ingo also heard the series of massive explosions coming from inside, even the rocky ground beneath their feet shook incessantly with each loud rumble.
The commotion was evidently more exaggerated than when Electrode was continuously releasing its thunder within.
Ingo frowned as he looked at the entrance of Moonview Arena, the ominous feeling in his heart became increasingly apparent, and he couldn't help but ask, "Warden Melli, didn't you say this is Electrode's relatively weak resting time of day?"
"If someone suddenly comes up and smacks you while you're sleeping, wouldn't you directly jump up and smack them back?"
Melli responded with a tone of annoyance, leaving Ingo momentarily speechless.
Although the analogy sounded a bit odd, thinking carefully, it really did make sense.
Electrode had been releasing its power for so long this morning, and now it had indeed entered a relatively weakened state due to excessive consumption.
But Ash and Cynthia had already gone in to quell the Noble, once they clashed, Electrode certainly wouldn't continue resting there.
The explosions from inside were so huge that even the mountain walls outside Moonview Arena shook, Melli spoke lightly but couldn't help revealing a bit of worry in his expression.
"In any case, all we can do is trust them, and there's nothing else we can do now."
"If we rush in now, we'd be walking into trouble, you know how strong Ash's Pikachu is. If even Pikachu can't handle the Noble, what use would we be if we went in?"
Ingo was silent for a while, ultimately stopping in place without moving closer.
Melli was right; if Ash and Pikachu couldn't solve it inside, barging in now wouldn't help much—they might even distract Ash and Cynthia by needing their attention on them, which would be counterproductive.
Ingo refocused his attention on the entrance of Moonview Arena; all they could do was wait.
Inside Moonview Arena, Ash and Cynthia were cautiously moving towards Electrode again, Pikachu also lowered its steps, trying not to create too much noise, slowly shortening the distance between them.
When only about ten meters remained between them, Electrode, who had been watching them, suddenly opened its big mouth and let out a deafening roar resounding through the entire Moonview Arena.
"Thunder —!!"
"Retreat!"
Ash and Cynthia immediately pulled back, Pikachu retreated to the front of the two at the same moment.
Immediately afterward, several red and brown striped Voltorbs dropped down from the sky above Moonview Arena, crashing onto the rocky ground near Electrode.
This time Ash didn't continue to approach nor attack those Voltorbs, so the Voltorbs did not immediately explode upon landing, but quietly remained around Electrode.
Cynthia quickly noted the distance between them previously and soon judged, "Approximately ten meters; as long as we enter this range, Electrode will immediately become alert and summon new Voltorbs."
Cynthia turned to ask, "How about it, Ash, Pikachu, can you manage to take down Electrode from more than ten meters away in one strike?"
Ash stared at the huge orb still wrapped in abnormal golden light ahead, quickly thinking of the long-range attack Pikachu could use now.
"We can try having Pikachu use Thunder."
"Pika!"
The narrow golden electric arcs started jumping around Pikachu's cheeks, but just as Ash was about to give the order, a voice so familiar it froze him instantly, appeared unexpectedly in his mind.
'Don't use electricity.'
Ash's eyes widened abruptly, his raised arm froze midair.
He definitely couldn't be mistaken about this voice!
"Mewtwo?!"
Cynthia showed a clear expression of surprise too, the next second, a faint purple ripple appeared in the air beside them!
Powerful spiritual power spread silently, and a familiar figure that had vanished for a long time slowly emerged from the twisted space.
Grayish-white body, long purple tail, and those still calm purple eyes.
It's really Mewtwo!
"Mewtwo!"
The surprise on Ash's face quickly turned into delight, he couldn't help but step forward twice.
Since arriving in the Hisui Region, Mewtwo had mysteriously vanished; there had been no news for such a long time. Although Ash didn't mention it daily, he certainly couldn't help worrying inside.
He had even considered the possibility of Mewtwo encountering some accident when they arrived in the Hisui Region, yet he never expected their reunion to happen under such circumstances.
"Where on earth have you been all this time? My sister and I never found you!"
Looking at the obviously excited Ash, Mewtwo's originally calm gaze softened slightly.
"Something happened, I'll explain it to you later."
Ash was ready to ask more, but Electrode in the distance suddenly let out a low growl, and the Voltorbs that had just fallen began to roll lightly.
Ash swallowed his words back, although the joy wasn't completely gone from his face, his attention returned to the battlefield before him.
"Let's talk later, let's resolve this issue first!"
"That's what I think," replied Mewtwo.
Mewtwo slowly turned his body, his purple eyes landing on the giant Electrode.
Only then did Ash remember that the first thing Mewtwo said upon appearing was instructing him not to use electricity.
"Right, why can't Pikachu use Thunder?"
Mewtwo didn't directly answer but instead asked a rhetorical question in both of their minds.
"Those little things can self-destruct, you don't think this big one can't, right?"
Ash and Cynthia's expressions froze at the same time.
They almost reflexively looked back at the distant Electrode, only then realizing their attention had been so focused on the explosive Voltorbs, that they overlooked the most obvious thing.
Voltorbs could self-destruct, and as an evolved form, Electrode surely could too!
When those ordinary Voltorbs all exploded together, the impact was enough to directly blow them all away.
If the enormous Noble before them self-destructed in the center of Moonview Arena, the arena's continuity would be questionable.
Beads of cold sweat appeared on Ash's forehead, yet he still asked, "But if Pikachu's Thunder can directly take down Electrode in one strike, and prevent it from self-destructing, should that resolve it?"
"Electrode already has the electric attribute, and now its internal energy is quite chaotic, do you still plan on injecting even stronger electricity at this point?"
Mewtwo's response left Ash silent.
Cynthia quickly understood the issue too, even though Electrode was weakened due to the massive morning consumption.
Yet, its body still contained lots of electric attribute energy, coupled with the abnormal golden light affecting it, no one knew what result Pikachu's Thunder would yield after striking it.
If Electrode has an ability to absorb electricity, the Noble that originally had little action ability due to exhaustion could even recover some strength.
Even without such ability, if Thunder doesn't kill it immediately, Electrode can choose to self-destruct upon attack.
More perilous is that the powerful outside electric current itself could provoke the chaotic internal energy of Electrode into losing control early, and they wouldn't be able to stop it in time.
Watching the distant gigantic Electrode, Ash's expression gradually took on a subtle quality.
It's not like battling a Pokemon; it's more akin to dismantling a massive bomb that explodes with the slightest wrong touch.