[Lance: Wow! As expected of you, Brandon! This is what they mean by thinking three steps ahead! Tsk tsk… your mind is really something. Ash probably has no idea what just happened!]
[Diantha: Poor Ash… this is truly tragic! Getting hit by a veteran's tactical setup before he's even fully grown!]
[Leon: That's not really a scheme. Once both sides step onto the battlefield, it's fair. Brandon simply made the optimal setup based on Regice's traits and secured victory with the least effort.]
[Wallace: I think Lance has a point—this is a bit ruthless. Poor Ash.]
[Steven Stone: Every Trainer grows this way. Battle experienced opponents a few times, and you'll gain the experience you need.]
[Brandon: Exactly. No matter who I face, I always give it my all. That is the greatest respect I can show my opponent.]
Seeing this—
Brock and Misty couldn't help but worry deeply for Ash.
"Mr. Brandon is just too strong!"
"That kind of long-term planning… there's no way Ash, with his impulsive style, can match it!"
"I think Ash is going to lose… what do we do?"
"What do you mean 'what do we do'? Isn't that obvious? When have we ever expected Ash to win?"
The two exchanged a look.
Yep.
Perfect mindset.
Sigh.
From the very beginning, they hadn't really expected Ash to win anyway, right?
"Hey! Hey, you two!"
"Don't say that right in front of me!"
Ash stomped his foot angrily.
"It's not over yet! How can you give up already?!"
"I'm definitely going to win, okay?!"
Brock and Misty completely ignored him.
What?
Someone was talking?
They didn't hear anything.
Back to watching the match.
After losing 100 points, they needed a brief ten-minute "break" from Ash.
…
On the screen—
Because of the frozen ground, Pikachu couldn't move properly.
It even ended up lying flat on the ice.
Seeing this, Ash didn't panic.
"No way to dodge…"
"In that case—use Thunderbolt!"
A brilliant golden bolt of lightning struck Regice directly once again!
But after what happened last time—
No one was worried about Regice being defeated.
However—
Something unexpected happened!
This time—
Thunderbolt worked!
Regice reacted!
With a pained roar, golden electricity crackled violently across its body, as if overloading its systems!
That was proof—
Thunderbolt had inflicted real damage!
Regice's movements slowed!
Ash seized the opportunity instantly and swung his arm forward!
"Iron Tail!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu leapt into the air—
And launched a point-blank attack!
Its glowing steel tail slammed hard into Regice's body!
Regice cried out in pain again!
The attack landed!
…
"Huh?! What just happened?!"
"WHAT THE—?! How does Regice have such a huge advantage and still get beaten up like this?! It's getting completely overwhelmed!"
"Regice! What are you doing, Regice?! You're a Legendary Pokémon! Show some dignity! Don't let a Pikachu climb all over you!"
The audience was so agitated they practically wanted to jump into the screen themselves!
Damn it!
Could Regice even fight?!
If not, let them do it!
With such a massive advantage—
How did it end up getting bullied by a little yellow mouse?!
They simply couldn't understand!
[Lance: This Pikachu… is seriously shocking. Its strength is far beyond that of an ordinary Pikachu. I've never seen one this powerful!]
[Alder: That Thunderbolt and Iron Tail… there's definitely something special about them. A normal Thunderbolt shouldn't be able to paralyze a Legendary Pokémon. Is this Pikachu secretly a Legendary in disguise?]
[Ash: Pikachu is Pikachu! It's not some other Pokémon!]
Ash, as always, was fearless.
While other Trainers didn't dare join the conversation between Champions—
Because they lacked the confidence—
Ash jumped right in without hesitation.