On the screen—
"Don't even think about it!"
Ash had already seen through Brandon's plan.
He refused to give up!
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ice pillar!"
Ash shouted loudly!
Pikachu stared at the ice in front of it, its expression serious.
"Pika—CHUU!"
Its tail glowed with a brilliant silver light—
And slashed down!
Crack!
The ice pillar shattered open!
Pikachu burst forward, sprinting straight toward Regice!
"Now's our chance!"
Ash yelled.
Regice hadn't fully recovered yet!
This was the perfect moment!
The audience leaned forward unconsciously.
At this moment—
Regice was completely defenseless!
If Pikachu landed this hit…
Maybe—
Just maybe—
It could actually defeat a Legendary Pokémon!
On one side—
Their betting points.
On the other—
The chance to witness a "god-slaying" moment with their own eyes…
Many Trainers found themselves torn.
Complicated.
Their emotions were a mess.
But then—
At the very last moment—
Just as Pikachu was about to reach Regice—
Regice woke up!
"Ice Beam!"
"Pika—!"
Pikachu, charging at full speed, had no time to dodge.
It was hit directly by the Ice Beam!
A painful cry echoed out!
"Pikachu!"
Ash shouted in panic.
Pikachu's entire body was instantly encased in a massive block of ice—
Like a lifelike statue—
Standing frozen in the middle of the battlefield!
…
Was it… over?
The audience stared blankly, still unable to come down from the intense battle.
Just a little more.
Just a tiny bit more—
And Pikachu might have had a chance to win!
Thinking about it—
Everyone felt a deep sense of regret.
"I bet on Regice, but if Pikachu had actually won… damn… it was so close!"
"Forget it. That 'tiny bit' is the unbridgeable gap between Legendary Pokémon and ordinary Pokémon!"
"We all knew the result beforehand, but seeing it play out like this… Pikachu really gave it everything!"
"The only mistake… was choosing the wrong opponent."
"This battle was way more exciting than I expected! Pikachu truly showed what it means to lose with honor!"
Pikachu… well done!
Everyone felt sorry for Pikachu—
But also deeply respected it.
To reach this level—
Pikachu had already given its all!
No more talk!
Time to think about how to spend those 100 points!
But—
What no one expected was—
Ash didn't think the same way at all.
…
On the screen—
"Get up, Pikachu!"
"You wouldn't lose over something like this!"
"Your never-give-up attitude has saved me so many times!"
"When I was down and ready to give up, you always used this same spirit to inspire me!"
"I'm begging you!"
"Listen to me!"
"Pikachu—use Thunderbolt!!!"
Ash's heartfelt words were deeply moving.
But—
Pikachu remained completely still inside the ice.
No response.
The referee on the side spoke up.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, therefore the winner is—"
…
[Lance: Sigh… Ash's words just reminded me of the time I trained with Dragonite… that really was youth.]
[Diantha: We all knew the outcome, but seeing it like this still hurts a little. Pikachu tried so hard… and still couldn't win.]
[Cynthia: Ash did everything he could. Pikachu did everything it could. That's enough. Sometimes, victory isn't the most important thing.]
Everyone shook their heads.
The result was already clear.
Ash's words were touching.
They even stirred memories—
Of their own first Pokémon—
Of those early journeys together.
But no matter how powerful words were—
They couldn't make a Pokémon that had already lost the ability to fight move again.
Victory was victory.
Defeat was defeat.
These were the only two outcomes that could not be changed.
Pikachu—
Whether in strength or potential—
Was far below Regice.
And the tiny advantage it had fought so hard to gain—
Had been effortlessly erased by Brandon.
Already at a disadvantage—
Now completely exhausted—
What could Pikachu possibly use to bridge that gap?
It couldn't win.
There was simply no way to win.
Watching Ash, tears in his eyes, calling out to Pikachu—
Everyone felt only sympathy.
But Ash—
Still believed.
"No!"
"This can't be the end!"
Ash stared at the screen, fists clenched, his voice firm and unwavering.
"Pikachu and I will fight until the very last moment!"
"It's not over yet!"