Ash was using nothing but ordinary Pokémon!
Meanwhile, all of Tobias's Pokémon were legendaries!
Since that was the case, Tobias once again took out a Poké Ball.
He lightly tossed it into the air.
Amid a flash of red light—
The Eon Pokémon, Latios, appeared!
Latios, the legendary Pokémon of Alto Mare.
It possessed a streamlined body, with the rear half colored blue, jet-like wings, fin-like legs, and a red triangular marking on its chest.
That was also why it was often called a "living jet."
As the older brother among the Eon Duo—
Latios had an exceptionally high intelligence.
This gave it far more tactical possibilities in battle.
Although Latios was not fond of fighting by nature—
That did not mean it was weak.
On the contrary—
Latios was absurdly strong!
Back at the Lily of the Valley Conference, Latios had defeated Ash's Sceptile and Swellow in succession.
In the end, it and Pikachu knocked each other out at the same time!
And precisely because of that—
The moment Latios took the field,
The Pikachu at Ash's feet became extremely restless.
Two consecutive god-tier battles had caused the god-slaying blood within Pikachu to boil over.
It was finally its turn to take the stage!
"Pika pika!"
Hearing Pikachu's cry,
Ash turned his gaze toward it.
Among the Pokémon Ash had brought this time—
Aside from Sceptile and Infernape, there was also Swellow.
Seeing that Tobias's third Pokémon was Latios,
Ash hesitated for a moment over whether to send Swellow out.
Swellow was strong—strong enough to have many iconic moments.
But compared to Sceptile and Infernape,
It still hadn't reached the level of directly challenging gods.
And this was Latios—
A Pokémon famous for its speed.
Ash was confident Swellow could put up a great fight against Latios.
But if it couldn't finish Latios in a single exchange—
Latios could rely on Recover to quickly restore its stamina.
A drawn-out battle was clearly not an option.
That meant he needed overwhelming firepower to suppress it outright.
Compared to Swellow—
Pikachu was the obvious choice.
Having made his decision,
Ash decisively took out a Poké Ball and recalled Infernape.
"Come back, Infernape. You did great. Leave the rest to Pikachu."
The moment Ash called its name—
Pikachu became so excited that arcs of electricity burst from its cheeks.
It dashed into the already shattered battlefield in just a few steps.
Its excited gaze locked onto Latios hovering in the sky.
"Pika!"
It's time to show you what Godslayer Pikachu is made of!
Facing Pikachu's provocation,
Tobias didn't think much of it.
Surely this Pikachu couldn't be more outrageous than the previous two Pokémon… right?
At the end of the day, it was just a common Pikachu you could find anywhere.
There couldn't be anything special about it.
…Probably.
By the time he thought that far, even Tobias himself had lost some confidence.
At first, he'd planned to give Ash a clean 3–0 and send him home.
But after losing twice in a row, his mentality had clearly shifted.
Since Ash had recalled the battered Infernape,
Tobias had lost his chance to steal a point there.
At this point—
Even if the outcome mirrored the Lily of the Valley Conference, with Latios and Pikachu knocking each other out together—
That would still be better than getting swept 3–0!
As long as he took one point, it was a success!
Tobias tapped his chest, then pointed forward.
At worst, 3–1!
There was no way he'd be shut out!
[Elesa: It's finally here, finally! After waiting so long, the cutest Pikachu is on the field! I wonder if Professor Big Pika can continue his legend and become a true godslayer!]
[Iono: That Pikachu is sooo cute! I really want one too! Too bad we don't have Pikachu in Paldea!]
[Volkner: Come to think of it, how many gods has Pikachu beaten since this stream started? From Tapu Koko to Latios—this thing is basically an anti-divine Noble Phantasm!]
[Tobias: What do you mean? My Latios hasn't even lost yet. How can you be so sure Pikachu will win?!]
[Lt. Surge: Isn't that obvious? Volkner already said it—Pikachu's god-slaying record is almost enough to form a full team! What's so impossible about this?]
After reading Lt. Surge's reply, Tobias froze.
…That actually sounded right.
Pikachu's track record so far really was terrifyingly good!
[Raihan: Interesting. I'm getting more and more excited for Ash versus Leon now. I wonder if Leon can actually withstand Ash's offense.]
[Leon: You don't need to worry about that. No matter who my opponent is, I'll give it everything I've got and show my Champion moment!]
[Ash: I won't lose either! Ever since I decided to become a Pokémon Master, I've been destined to defeat every kind of opponent!]
[Steven: You two calm down for now! It won't be long before we see you face each other in the Masters Eight!]
[Diantha: Steven, you cut in all of a sudden—did you notice something interesting?]
[Steven: I did, actually. I just realized something pretty scary.
Ash and Red are brothers, and both have terrifyingly strong Pikachu.
Meanwhile, Blue and Green are brothers too, and both have absurdly strong Blastoise.
So the question is—are those Pokémon strong because of who they are, or are they strong because their Trainers are strong enough to raise any Pokémon to that level?]
[Bruno: W-wait, that's too complicated. My CPU is overheating.]
[Cynthia: No, it's different. Even with the same Pokémon, their battle styles are completely different.
Red focuses on comprehensive suppression and tactics, while Ash favors high-speed aggression and overwhelming offense.
Same Pokémon—completely different styles.]
[Diantha: That's true~ You're really observant~]
[Caitlin: Yeah~ Big sister, you're so observant~]
Those overly-sweet comments made Cynthia pause mid-explanation.
[Diantha: We didn't notice any of that, but you did~]
Cynthia frowned.
Was she paying too much attention to Ash?
Or was she being so obvious that everyone noticed?
That shouldn't be possible.
She'd hidden it very well!
After all, the age gap between her and Ash was too big—
Her parents would never agree!
[Cynthia: What's the problem? Anyone with eyes could see that. Don't tell me you don't have eyes?]
[Diantha: Oh, I do—but my eyes aren't always fixed on Ash.]
[Lusamine: Of course! Your eyes are always on Cynthia!]
[Caitlin: So! Is Ash just part of your play, or is Cynthia part of your play with Ash?!]
Hey—hold it!
What kind of dangerous wording is that?!
Take it back already—there are minors watching!
Don't corrupt the children!
...
Back on the battlefield—
"Pika pika! Pikachuu!"
Pikachu rubbed its electric pouches.
In an instant, four arcs of electricity burst outward from its cheeks.
After that—
Pikachu placed its forepaws on the ground.
Ready to fight at any moment.
Even though the battlefield was already in ruins—
It didn't affect Pikachu's combat power in the slightest!
"That's it! Keep that momentum!"
"Let's finish this in one go!"
"Pika!"
As Pikachu unleashed its surging electricity,
Ash's own fighting spirit flared just as fiercely.
The previous battle had drained a huge amount of his Aura—
But his thirst for battle continued to drive him forward.
At this moment—
Facing Ash and Pikachu in this state,
Tobias's expression grew grim.
Even before the fight had begun,
He had a strong feeling—
That he was about to lose.
What was going on?!
Tobias was completely baffled.
A simple 3v3 battle had somehow left him with psychological scars.
He half-expected Ash to pull out something else at any second and buff Pikachu again.
And—
As it turned out,
Tobias's instincts were frighteningly accurate.
While his gaze shifted between Ash and Pikachu—
Ash suddenly pulled out a toy-like short sword from his backpack!
"Zacian! Let our hearts be one!"
Both Ash and the Rusted Sword in his hand erupted with pink light—
The power of Fairy-type energy.
The pink glow formed the phantom of a colossal beast that flashed by and vanished in an instant.
So fleeting that it almost felt like it had never appeared at all.
But Tobias would swear on his life—
Something utterly terrifying had just manifested!
What Tobias didn't know—
Was that Pikachu had already completed its transformation.
Its typing had shifted from pure Electric—
To Electric/Fairy.
How devastating Fairy-type was against Dragon-types needed no explanation.
Up in the sky—
Latios keenly sensed that unpleasant Fairy-type aura.
What…?
Latios knew Pikachu as a species.
But no one had ever told it that Pikachu could have Fairy typing!
Was this some kind of regional variant?
Or—
Like Azumarill, had it awakened Fairy power due to the revival of the legendary Fairy god Xerneas?
If that were true—
That would be absolutely absurd!
And another thing—
Don't think I didn't see you hiding that Rusted Sword behind your back!
You were sneaking around before—
Now you're not even pretending?!
Activating it right in front of me?!
I've finally caught you in the act!
But—
Tobias truly had no proof of what Ash had done.
Because he genuinely had no idea.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
After the typing adjustment, Pikachu immediately responded to Ash's command.
And as it turned out—
Even if Pikachu was now Electric/Fairy—
So what?!
Ash's opener was always Thunderbolt!
That would never change!
Golden electricity surged out from Pikachu's body.
In an instant, gold dominated the night sky.
The lightning arced gracefully, then plunged straight toward Latios.
However—
Tobias calmly raised a hand.
Latios tilted its body slightly and effortlessly dodged the Thunderbolt.
Just as Ash shared perfect coordination with his Pokémon—
So did Tobias.
The golden lightning brushed past Latios and slammed into the ground below.
Seeing the attack miss, Ash didn't hesitate at all.
He launched the second wave immediately.
"Quick Attack!"
Ash thrust his arm forward and shouted.
In an instant—
Pikachu darted across the shattered battlefield.
Silver-white light wrapped around its body.
Its speed was so fast that it was hard to track.
In the blink of an eye—
Pikachu was already beneath Latios.
With a powerful leap, it smashed upward toward Latios above!
But Tobias merely lifted his hand.
Latios immediately retracted its limbs and shot upward like a streak of light.
So fast—
That even Pikachu's Quick Attack failed to connect!
Fast!
Way too fast!
Latios truly lived up to its title as a living jet!
Its speed was simply unbelievable!
"Tobias! I'm getting fired up!"
"Relax—I'll put that fire out for you."
"Now it's my turn!"
"Latios! Dragon Dance!"
[Alder: As expected of Tobias—skilled and bold. With only one Pokémon left, he still dares to set up. Youth really is fearless.]
[Raihan: He has no choice. Without boosting, Latios has little chance against Ash's Pikachu. Right now it's relying purely on levitation and speed to dodge. Once the real exchange begins, the outcome is uncertain.]
[Bruno: Obviously Master Ash and Pikachu will win! You all know Pikachu is a professional godslayer! Professor Big Pika's reputation isn't for nothing!]
[Blue: That's true. Red's Pikachu has always been something special.]
[Professor Oak: Back then, when Red brought home a round-faced Pikachu, it truly shocked me. I never imagined that years later, Ash would also obtain a Pikachu. Perhaps their bond was destined from the very beginning.]
[Volkner: That's not important! Professor Oak, I just want to know—where did Ash catch this Pikachu?! Get me one too!]
[Lt. Surge: Same here!]
[Elesa: If possible, I'd like one too.]
[Flint: If I could have Ash's Pikachu, I wouldn't even care about being a Fire-type Elite Four anymore!]
[Cynthia: ?]
[Tobias: I'll admit it—this Pikachu is extremely strong, already possessing the potential of a legendary. Given time, it might even evolve into a true Legendary Pokémon. When that happens, I wouldn't mind spending a Poké Ball to catch it.]
[Ash: In your dreams! Pikachu will always be my Pokémon—we'll never be separated!]
[Jessie & James: That's right! Pikachu can only be caught by us! Nobody else even think about it!]
[Red: You want Pikachu too? Interested in coming after mine? My Pikachu is pretty strong as well.]
The moment that message appeared—
Everyone typed a question mark.
Were you underestimating yourself—
Or overestimating us?!
Do you think we're that strong?!
Daring to covet Red's Pikachu?!
With that time, you might as well find a wall and knock yourself out.
Your odds of dying are higher than your odds of catching Red's Pikachu.
...
Back on the battlefield—
Latios rapidly pulled itself higher into the air.
At the same time, rings of golden light began to glow around its body.
That was the power of Dragon Dance—
Boosting Attack and Speed!
You think boosting Attack is useless for Latios?
Then you're mistaken!
Latios's physical Attack might be lower than its Special Attack—
But that's only relative.
And sometimes—
Speed is power!
For Latios, the most important boost from Dragon Dance was Speed.
After one round of setup—
Already blindingly fast, Latios became even faster.
"Latios! Dragon Pulse!"
To be continued…
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