[Cynthia: Regice… If I were to battle Brandon, I'm not even sure I could guarantee a complete victory. I hope I'll get the chance to face him someday.]
[Brandon: Haha. Champion Cynthia, you're being modest. As of now, I only have Regirock and Registeel. I haven't found Regice yet. But if that day comes, I'd also love to battle the Champion of Sinnoh.]
[Lance: Me! Me too! Don't forget about me! Brandon, I'm looking forward to facing you as well!]
The conversation in the chatroom was lively and friendly.
But the Trainers watching were deep in thought.
Choose… choose… who to choose?
From every angle—logic, experience, and displayed strength—
Regice was the obvious winner.
A Legendary Pokémon!
A being at the level of a divine beast!
And its opponent—
A Pikachu.
A Pokémon that was neither particularly strong nor particularly weak.
If it could properly control its electricity, it would already surpass over eighty percent of wild Pikachu.
From a type perspective, Pikachu also had no advantage against Regice.
No one could understand—
What Ash was thinking, using a Pikachu to face Regice.
If he had used even a Fire-type Pokémon—
They might have held onto a sliver of hope for him.
"Sure, Pikachu's lightning was strong earlier and it defeated a bunch of Spearow—but Regice and Spearow aren't even in the same league…"
"Exactly! If you expect Pikachu to beat Regice, you might as well believe the world's ending tomorrow and Legendary Pokémon are taking over!"
"But since this video is being shown, and the title is there… could there be even the slightest chance Pikachu wins?"
"No, no, no! That's the one thing that's absolutely impossible! At best, Pikachu will put up a good fight and lose honorably! The title only says 'rival' or 'match,' not necessarily win!"
"That makes sense! I'm betting on Brandon!"
Similar discussions echoed across every region.
They were right.
The screen only claimed to showcase Pokémon capable of rivaling or matching Legendary Pokémon.
If Pikachu fought well and lost with honor, that still fit the theme.
But to believe—
That a Pikachu could defeat a Legendary Pokémon?
Heh.
Heh heh.
Better go to sleep early—dreams can give you anything.
Still—
No one rushed to place their bets.
There were ten whole minutes!
Plenty of time to study the system!
The rules were straightforward.
Everyone who could see the screen received 200 starting betting points.
They could choose how many points to wager each time.
Points earned could be exchanged for items.
And when they opened the item shop—
Whether it was ordinary Trainers, Champions, or even leaders of evil organizations—
Not a single person could remain calm!
Temptation!
Overwhelming temptation!
Just look—
What did they see?!
From simple berries to powerful held items…
Even Legendary Pokémon themselves—
Everything was available for exchange!
As long as it was related to Pokémon—
If you could think of it, it was there!
If you couldn't think of it—it was probably still there!
The sheer variety far exceeded anything they had ever known in their lives!
It was as if everything in the world—
Could be found in that shop!
Maxie stared at the option labeled "Primal Groudon," followed by an absurd number of zeros, his eyes turning red with desire.
"Groudon!"
"And Primal Groudon at that!"
"If I could exchange for one… I could finally fulfill my dream!"
His heart pounded wildly!
As for doubting the authenticity of the shop?
Sorry—
That thought didn't even cross his mind.
No one knew what kind of existence lay behind the screen.
But everything it had shown so far—
Proved its overwhelming power and authenticity.
With power like that—
Why would it need to deceive them?
There was no reason!
Having realized that, Maxie's gaze toward the shop—and Primal Groudon—became filled with determination.
Primal Groudon would be his!
Under the assault of such dazzling, irresistible rewards—
Everyone's attitude toward betting became far more serious.
Those who had considered betting on Ash for fun immediately abandoned the idea.
Absolutely not!
They only had 200 starting points!
They couldn't afford to waste them!
[Lance: No need to think—I'm betting on Brandon!]
[Steven Stone: Apologies to Ash, but this is clearly the correct choice.]
[Cynthia: Defeat is a step toward growth. Ash, don't be discouraged—you still have plenty of room to improve.]
[Alder: Hahaha! You're all terrible! Not only are you doubting the boy right in front of him, you're even saying it out loud!]
…