In the Black World —
Listening to Ash's questioning words, Giovanni couldn't help but reveal an enigmatic smile.
"Afraid I'll default? Hah. My intuition tells me you won't."
"Of course, sitting in this position, it would be foolish to rely on mere intuition. So I have other reasons…"
"First, your sense of honor is quite reliable. A decent person like you wouldn't violate an agreement, even with a villainous boss like me."
"Second, your eyes tell me… you have no intention of lying. As an old… senior trainer who has seen countless people, I'm rarely wrong."
"When you faced Domino with that indifferent expression, your eyes showed not a trace of murderous intent… Hah. Should I call you kind or naive?"
"That's why I trust you."
Ash: "…"
What was he supposed to say now? Thanks, I guess?
As the saying goes, the eyes are the window to the soul. So… he just hadn't closed the shutters, and Giovanni saw right through him?
In truth, Giovanni left something unsaid… He didn't think he would lose.
Ash's challenge at the Viridian Gym was still three to four months away. What could be accomplished in that time? Raising an Elite Four–level Pokémon by a small tier was already considered genius! Before, Pikachu had only reached the lower Champion-level through tricks. Compared to the champion ace-level Beedrill, the gap was like heaven and earth!
In four months, even with all possible buffs, could Pikachu reach mid Champion-level? How could he possibly lose when victory was all but assured?!
This was the biggest reason Giovanni proposed this bet!
"In that case… let's begin! Pikachu, use Agility!"
Ash took the initiative, having Pikachu use the speed-boosting move to enhance its already blistering pace!
On the battlefield, Pikachu seemed to split into countless afterimages. Even with its compound eyes constantly observing, Beedrill couldn't tell which was the real Pikachu.
"You're a rude one, kid. I haven't even started… Ah, forget it. I'll let you have this one."
"Beedrill, use Double Team, then Twineedle!!"
Giovanni tossed out some idle trash talk, then began his assault. The black-and-yellow poison bee swayed slightly, and in an instant, countless Beedrill appeared on the field! Not only that, each Beedrill phantom corresponded to a Pikachu afterimage! Even if Pikachu created a new afterimage, Beedrill would separate a corresponding phantom in less than a tenth of a second! For a time, the entire arena was filled with two Pokémon! An unknowing observer would think a swarm of Beedrill was fighting a horde of Pikachu!
Ash's pupils contracted. He and Pikachu instantly entered the state of Aura Fusion. There was no way to defeat this opponent without going all out! Iron Tail!
With the Aura link, Ash could convert surface commands into mental ones. This was not only faster but also made it impossible for the opponent to predict his next move!
Screech—!
The tails of every Pikachu on the field instantly took on a metallic sheen, colliding directly with Beedrill's sharp twin stingers!
In an instant, almost all the clones vanished.
Pikachu's clones were afterimages from extreme speed. Beedrill's were phantoms created by special energy. Both were illusions that dispersed at a touch.
Correspondingly, the attacks of both Pikachu and Beedrill had failed!
After both sides struck nothing but air, they immediately locked onto each other's true positions!
Beedrill vibrated its wings wildly, twisted its body, flew to Pikachu's blind spot, then controlled its stingers to lunge forth with lightning speed! The sharp needles seemed to slice through the air!
In mid-air, Pikachu seemed to have no way to resist, a look of fear even flashing in its dark pupils!
The moment Beedrill's stingers pierced Pikachu's body, Giovanni almost cheered!
If this hit, he could basically pop the champagne! With Pikachu's weaker stamina and suppressed level, and Beedrill using its most powerful Twineedle attack—even if it didn't faint, it would be crippled!
Sadly… the champagne seemed opened a bit too early. Beedrill's stingers did hit Pikachu.
However… they passed right through!
The half-formed smirk on Giovanni's face froze solid.
Before he could shout why, a golden figure fell from the sky like a shooting star!
Silver light flashed in the void!
The Beedrill that had missed its strike had no time to resist the meteor-like attack from above!
Boom—!
BOOM!!
Iron Tail struck home! Beedrill plummeted like a cannonball, driven hard into the ground with a resounding crash!
Giovanni's expression stiffened completely, the half-smile stuck on his face looking utterly ridiculous.
And Ash—he and Pikachu were now laughing heartily!
Trying to act all superior? Hilarious! Did you really think you could fool our vision with Double Team?
You can't use Aura. Pathetic!
...
[Korrina: Huh? What happened? Wasn't I watching the screen? Why don't I understand suddenly??]
[Lance: Emm… I don't fully get it either. From a god's-eye view, I can see they used Aura to lure Giovanni into attacking Pikachu's afterimage. But how did Pikachu get into the sky? Why didn't the afterimage disappear?]
Even a Champion like Lance could hardly comprehend Black Ash's maneuvers.
First, during the initial clone exchange, Giovanni might have forgotten that Aura power could ignore evasive techniques like Double Team. So when he saw Pikachu's Iron Tail hit a shadow, he should have realized he'd been tricked. But he didn't…
Ultimately, it was a misunderstanding. Whether it was a Double Team phantom or an afterimage from high speed, in theory, they should dissipate upon contact! But Pikachu's afterimage shattered Beedrill's Double Team clone, which was why Giovanni was fooled.
So the question remained… How did Pikachu's afterimage break through the clone without dissipating? And how did Pikachu get so high up?
Lance felt his CPU overheating.
[Cynthia: Afterimage… phantom… Do you think it's possible that after Pikachu passed through Beedrill's phantom, it instantly created a Double Team of its own, then immediately shot into the sky?]
[Steven: Well… I can follow your logic, Cynthia, but there are two prerequisites for that.]
[Steven: First, Pikachu's speed must exceed Beedrill's dynamic vision… With Agility, that's possible. But the second… Can Pikachu fly? Are you kidding, or am I kidding?]
Based on the preliminary battle, Pikachu's level should still be lower than Beedrill's—how much lower was unclear. After all, the battle had lasted less than a minute. Judging Pikachu's exact level would be impossible unless it was displayed on screen…
However, Pikachu was inherently fast. With Agility and predictive intent, meeting Steven's first condition wasn't an issue. But the second one… You could argue Pikachu might have jumped from the ground, but that was into mid-air! Unless Pikachu could fly, how could it get up there?
[Cynthia: Well… that's true. Wow, I don't know what happened anymore!]
[Lillie: I'm curious!! Is there any analysis?!]
[Professor Oak: Let's keep watching. The screen might reveal Black Ash's thoughts later in the battle. We might deduce some clues from that.]
...
In the Black World —
Beedrill struggled to rise from the massive crater. It had already sustained considerable damage, and its stamina seemed significantly drained. After all, that was Pikachu's full-powered blow from the sky! Even with a slight level disadvantage, that was no reason for Beedrill to emerge unscathed.
In their last duel at the Viridian Gym, Beedrill had also been injured by a forceful Iron Tail, but nothing like this! This move… must have drained at least a third of its stamina!
Champion-level… or sub-Legendary-tier Pokémon could sometimes battle for hours without pause! But that was in the context of mutual attack and defense—you attack, I block; I attack, you block. That could last a long time! But if you accidentally took a solid hit, the situation changed…
Just like today's Beedrill. If Pikachu's level weren't lower, that Iron Tail would have taken at least half the life of this fragile bee!
"How did you do it?" Giovanni was asking about Pikachu releasing an afterimage and falling from the sky earlier.
Ash responded with a smile. "You think I'd tell you something like that mid-battle?"
"Hmph. Very good. That somewhat immature kid has become quite capable now!" Compared to the Ash he could almost toy with upon first meeting, this Ash seemed to have evolved. He had no idea what technique his opponent had used. But… the trainer's improvement was very rapid, though Pikachu's growth hadn't exceeded his expectations. "Your Pikachu is at most mid Champion-level, right?"
Ash just kept smiling, not answering. A smile is the best mask. As long as I'm smiling, you can't read anything on my face.
But… Giovanni was actually right. Pikachu's strength, its electricity… its actual level had indeed increased a lot, but it seemed… stuck. It had only grown a small tier in all this time. You could say its level hadn't improved, but its attributes had. It was a bit strange… but now wasn't the time to explore such oddities.
Who said mid Champion-level couldn't defeat a champion ace? With the right commands… victory was still possible!
Pikachu, use Double Team again! Then use the 'Takong' technique to reach the sky and use Rain Dance to summon lightning!
"Pika-chu!"
The proud Pikachu dropped its signature arms-crossed pose and got down on all fours. Then its body trembled, and countless afterimages once again filled the entire field! This time, each afterimage moved differently—some jumping, some on all fours, some balanced on one foot… This kind of illusory confusion was undoubtedly more realistic. Without Aura detection, it was impossible to distinguish!
Seeing Pikachu use a move without warning again, Giovanni's heart sank. "Are you using Aura to command again?"
"I remember now. Your Aura can detect life signatures… In other words, you actually saw Beedrill's true form at a glance just now, right?"
"So that attack on the afterimage was to lure me into action… You're quite the schemer, kid!"
Hearing this, Ash sneered. "If word got out, Giovanni, you'd be laughed at."
"How can a trainer's tactical command be called 'scheming'? It should be called being a shrewd strategist."
A dark glint flashed in Giovanni's eyes. He then waved his hand. "Beedrill, Pin Missile!"
"Beedrill!"
Beedrill aimed its sharp yellow stingers at the yellow rodents covering the field. Then, countless missile-like green lights shot forth from its needles! Giovanni planned to use this area attack to wipe out all the clones!
Not only that, Giovanni's dark eyes were constantly scanning. The moment Pikachu revealed its true form, he would give it absolutely no chance to use Double Team again! A mouse was a mouse—quick to flee and hard to pin down, but once caught, it was dead!
Countless green light missiles pierced through all the afterimages! Should he say… it was worthy of a champion ace-level Beedrill? It must have fired hundreds of Pin Missiles!
Yet, after all the afterimages were pierced, Pikachu's figure was still not revealed!
A light drizzle began to fall.
Giovanni observed his surroundings with a solemn expression. That mouse… where did it go?
Pit-pat—
Raindrops fell on Giovanni's forehead, feeling chilly. Then, he suddenly remembered something and looked up at the sky, which had grown dark! "Above! Beedrill, rush up and use Fury Cutter!"
Giovanni didn't know when or how the other had gotten up there, but he knew… Pikachu must be above! Although there had been storms at Clear Cliff before, this sudden rain was clearly unusual! His intuition told him—this rain was Pikachu's doing!
In the sky at this moment —
Pikachu had its eyes closed, its two short, rabbit-like legs constantly stepping into the void. To an observer, it would look like Pikachu's legs were cramping… The stepping frequency was completely invisible to the naked eye!
This was the true form of the 'Takong' aerial movement technique!
At this moment, Pikachu wasn't floating but was leaping left and right as if climbing stairs. Of course, this didn't affect its ability to draw down lightning in the slightest.
...
[Lance: What in the world…?! Am I seeing things?! Can Pikachu fly?!]
[Bruno: Holy—! Damn! Did Pikachu's Ability change to Levitate?!]
[Elesa: It doesn't look like it's flying using Electromagnetic Levitation… How is this done?]
[Volkner: Good grief, Cynthia mentioned it offhand, and Pikachu can really fly, huh?!]
[Cynthia: Well… Pay attention to Pikachu's feet. The stepping frequency, plus the technique Ash mentioned—'Takong'—I think I probably know how Pikachu is flying.]
[Cynthia: It's not so much flying… It's exactly as Black Ash said, called 'Takong'! Pikachu is using high-speed pedaling against the air to generate powerful lift! That's why it's called 'Stepping on Air'!]
[Lance: I see… That name is quite vivid! No wonder Pikachu can fly… wait, what the heck! How is this any different from stepping on your left foot with your right foot to climb into the sky?! Stepping on air?! You've got to be kidding!]
Lance began nitpicking! As he said, stepping on air… what was the difference from the mythical "left foot steps on right foot" to climb the sky? The premise was just absurd!
[Cynthia: The specific principle isn't clear, but it should be related to Pikachu's high-speed pedaling, right? Looking at the pedaling frequency, it seems like it could be hundreds of steps per second.]
[Wallace: The force generated by stepping on air hundreds of times in one second… maybe it really can propel the petite Pikachu into the sky!]
Lance fell silent… Upon careful analysis, it seemed… not impossible!
So… Pikachu really used this outrageous method to reach the sky!
[Steven: I have to ask… could Groudon use this method?] (Note: This line appears to be the start of the next segment provided by the user.)
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