For a brief moment—
Reiji felt as though he was looking at his past self.
He let out a quiet sigh.
Just then, Paul walked in, catching sight of his brother sighing. He glanced at the screen, at Pikachu and Ash.
Then he walked over and stood beside Reiji.
"Big brother, I'll win."
"When I become a Trainer, I'll definitely defeat Brandon!"
Reiji smiled faintly, but said nothing.
…
On the screen—
"Use Ice Beam!"
Brandon didn't dodge.
Attack was the best form of defense!
The sheer power radiating from Ice Beam made it impossible for Ash to face it head-on!
If Pikachu took that hit—
It would be over instantly!
"Pikachu, dodge it!"
Ash activated his ultimate move!
No matter what attack it was—
As long as he shouted "Dodge it," it would be evaded 100% of the time!
The Ice Beam struck the ground—
Instantly freezing half the battlefield solid!
At this moment—
Ash hadn't realized the problem yet.
He continued focusing on the battle.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu's figure flickered in and out—
Moving so fast that it was impossible to track!
Brandon remained calm as ever, continuing to command Regice.
"Ice Beam!"
"Dodge it!"
Pikachu dodged once again.
Before Ash could counter—
A faint smile finally appeared on Brandon's otherwise stoic face.
"Now… the stage is complete."
…
"??? Can someone explain what just happened? What did Brandon mean by that?"
"Regice is strong, sure—but doesn't Pikachu seem strong too? It dodged twice in a row! And even Blizzard didn't do much to it!"
"That's not the point! I think Brandon hasn't even gone all out yet! Look at the battlefield! Ice Beam froze everything solid! Isn't that insane?!"
Strong!
It was undeniably powerful!
[Diantha: Dragon boy, I remember you said you wanted to battle Brandon's Regice someday. After seeing that Ice Beam, do you want to rethink your words?]
[Lance: First of all, I'm not 'Dragon boy.' Second, I don't have to use Dragonite, do I?]
[Bruno: Wow, if you don't use Dragonite, are you even the Dragon-type Champion anymore? Planning to switch careers?]
Lance: "…"
Well…
He did have other Dragon-types… right?
He thought uncertainly.
Dratini. Dragonair. Aerodactyl…
Those counted, didn't they?
There was no helping it.
Ice versus Dragon was a four-times weakness.
Dragonite facing Regice…
Yeah.
That mental image was not pretty.
Getting one-shot wasn't even a joke.
Time to go silent.
Lance immediately stopped replying.
If this went on, his reputation as a Dragon-type Champion would be completely ruined!
Brandon, however, stared at the screen and the frozen battlefield.
He seemed to realize something—
But said nothing.
Instead, he continued watching.
He might not know Ash's true strength—
But he was certain of one thing.
The moment he sent out Regice—
He was going all out.
There was no holding back.
No lowering his strength.
Especially not when he had carefully set up this trap.
Ash…
For the first time, Brandon felt a hint of anticipation.
If they were to battle in the future—
Would Ash be stronger?
…
On the screen—
"Go! Regice!"
"Use Focus Punch!"
Regice, which had been standing still the entire time—
Suddenly moved!
It raised its fist and charged straight toward Pikachu!
Its speed was so fast—
No one could react in time!
Both Ash and Pikachu were stunned.
Pikachu tried to dodge—
But its limbs wouldn't cooperate!
On the icy battlefield, it kept slipping uncontrollably!
…
[Professor Oak: Because the ground is frozen, Regice's movements have become more agile!]
[Professor Oak: Meanwhile, Pikachu's movement is hindered by the slippery surface!]
Professor Oak immediately understood what had happened!
It was that earlier statement—
"The stage is complete."
That was it!
From the very beginning—
Regice's Ice Beam wasn't aimed at Pikachu!
It was aimed at the battlefield itself!
Everyone who hadn't realized it before—
Finally understood after reading Professor Oak's message.
This…
Had been a perfectly set trap from the start.