Tobias wore a bitter expression.
Ash's strength had far exceeded his expectations.
How was he supposed to win this?!
"Latios! Zen Headbutt—charge straight down!"
At this point, Tobias couldn't afford to care anymore.
Pride?
All of it had vanished.
He wanted to win—
But he couldn't.
That crushing sense of powerlessness wrapped tightly around Tobias.
It's not that I didn't try!
It's just that the enemy is too strong!
Latios, still wrapped in raging electricity, struggled to open its eyes.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt was far more unbearable than it had imagined!
The pain was so intense that Latios began to wonder if it had never truly experienced an Electric-type move before.
Even Thunder shouldn't feel like this, right?!
Then how in the world did Pikachu withstand its Thunder?!
Thoughts churned violently in Latios's mind—
Yet it couldn't afford to think.
Forcing those thoughts down, Latios wrapped its body in psychic power.
Then—
With everything it had left, it dove straight downward!
Zen Headbutt!
A technique that concentrates psychic energy on the forehead.
By combining that power with its downward momentum, Latios aimed to break through the Thunderbolt's electric current—
And deal a decisive blow to Pikachu below.
Although Latios's physical attack was much lower than its special attack,
That was only relatively speaking.
Zen Headbutt could partially make up for that gap.
And now, with Latios diving straight down—
The visual impact was overwhelming.
At this moment, it looked like a crashing black hawk fighter jet—
Completely unstoppable!
The blue-and-white figure tore through the electric light.
Its target was only one—
Pikachu!
Facing the aerial assault, Pikachu increased its output.
The golden thunder wolf dove downward, trying to bite Latios once more—
But Latios truly lived up to its title as the Eon Pokémon.
Its speed was terrifying.
In the blink of an eye, it had completely shaken off the thunder wolf behind it.
"That's it, Latios! Let them witness your speed!"
"You who soar across the skies as the Infinite Pokémon—your potential has no limits!"
Tobias swept his arm wide, loudly proclaiming his belief in Latios.
Throughout this entire battle, Tobias had spoken very little—
Mostly just issuing commands.
But now, things were different.
At the very end of the fight, Tobias could no longer control his emotions.
What he said just now sounded like it was meant for Latios—
But in truth, it was meant for himself.
To strengthen his own belief.
To avoid being 3–0'd!
The blue-and-white figure was about to reach Pikachu.
Seeing that Thunderbolt couldn't catch up, Pikachu decisively withdrew the lightning.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack and smash it back!"
Ash didn't hesitate for even a second.
The next moment—
Pikachu took a few quick steps back, then burst forward again.
Just like at the very beginning.
Silver-white light enveloped Pikachu's entire body.
After several accelerations, Pikachu leapt high into the air.
"Pika!"
"It's useless!" Tobias shouted.
"Latios's strength is beyond what Pikachu can withstand! No matter how strong your electricity is, the one who loses will still be you!"
"Show everything you've got! Latios, full-speed charge!"
Tobias's emotions were clearly spiraling.
Very different from the calm composure he had shown at the start.
Now, he was completely obsessed with victory.
Unfortunately—
He'd realized this far too late.
Anyone could tell that Tobias was only making a last-ditch effort.
Trying to fix the pen after the sheep were gone—
But you still need sheep for that.
And now?
There was no chance of a comeback.
[Flint: Haha! Tobias, I still prefer your old arrogant self—please go back to that version!]
[Bruno: True enough. Anyone who opposes Master Ash never ends well. This 3–0 is exactly what you deserve for being so cocky.]
[Aaron: Honestly, the ending of this god-tier battle is pretty shocking. Everyone expected Ash to win—but no one thought he'd do it 3–0. Even a pig could do better than this, right?]
[Pryce: Never underestimate any Pokémon. Even the weakest Swinub possesses the potential to defeat Ho-Oh.]
[Lillie: Grandpa, that's a bit much… Ho-Oh is a divine Pokémon. If that were true, wouldn't that mean most people here are worse than pigs?]
Audience:
…That was a bit too much.
[Lance: You're young, so I'll let it slide this time. But next time, you might get spanked.]
[Gary: Losing to Ash isn't something to be ashamed of, Tobias. You should learn to accept defeat.]
[Tobias: Tch. That's future me—you can't count that. He's too weak. If it were me, even commanding with my toes wouldn't end like this. So that timeline's been cut.]
[Paul: Trash. Future you is still you. No matter the timeline, you're the same.]
[Tobias: But I'm the Lily of the Valley Conference champion. What champion are you?]
[Lorelei: Hahaha—Champion of the Void~]
Lance:
…Why are we talking about champions again?
Now I'm just going to get mocked by this woman again!
Sigh… when will I finally get my turn?
...
On the battlefield—
Boom!
A yellow and a blue figure collided violently!
Head to head—
They were actually locked in a stalemate!
Facing Latios's Zen Headbutt, Pikachu matched it using nothing but Quick Attack!
Watching this scene, Dawn was completely speechless.
The impact this single battle had delivered was simply too much.
So much so that her mind had stopped functioning altogether.
Pikachu.
Latios.
Quick Attack.
Zen Headbutt.
Any one of these combinations would already be outrageous.
Put them together—
And it was downright insane!
At the edge of the battlefield, Tobias stared at Pikachu in silence.
His hands clenched into fists.
Again!
Your Pikachu is cheating again, isn't it?!
No—
This time, there's no doubt about it. Ash activated it right in front of me!
Does your Pikachu have the Rock Head ability or something?!
Why can Latios's Zen Headbutt only do this much?!
"Great job, Pikachu!"
"Push it back, Latios!"
Both sides shouted at the same time.
Latios still had the advantage—it was diving from above.
With gravity and Pikachu's fading burst of power,
Latios finally forced Pikachu backward.
Pikachu was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground.
Seeing this, Tobias finally let out a breath.
Thank goodness—
It's not that outrageous yet!
"Now it's my turn!"
"Latios, use Recover!"
"Eon—"
Latios hovered in front of Tobias, bathed in a soft green glow.
The scorched marks left by Thunderbolt began visibly healing.
"You have no chance now!" Tobias declared triumphantly.
"This victory is mine! Latios, finish it with Psychic!"
At this moment, Tobias was brimming with confidence.
If this were a Yu-Gi-Oh duel—
Latios was at full 4000 LP and could still attack.
Meanwhile, Ash's Pikachu, after taking so many hits, was down to maybe 100 LP—
With no set cards on the field!
This wasn't just a flickering candle in the wind—
It was practically over.
The advantage is mine!
Tobias had no idea how he could possibly lose.
"You have no chance, Ash!"
"Who says?" Ash shot back.
"Pikachu and I are just getting started, right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
At Ash's voice, the Pikachu that had looked half-dead in the rubble suddenly flipped up—
And stood there, full of energy!
As if the collision earlier hadn't affected it at all!
Absolutely ridiculous!
Tobias's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
What is this?!
What is this?!
"This is perfect—let's counterattack!"
"Use that! You know, that one!"
Ash pressed on in one breath, trying to recall the move's name—
Just as Latios unleashed its Psychic attack!
Then Ash remembered.
"Oh! Right!"
"Pikachu—Iron Tail!"
Ash smacked his forehead and shouted.
Pikachu leapt high into the air!
"Pika!"
Its body spun horizontally in a full 360 degrees.
A blue glow lit up its tail.
Unlike ordinary Iron Tail, the light this time was blue.
And Tobias had the strange feeling—
That Pikachu's tail had grown larger.
That wasn't an illusion.
Before his eyes—
Pikachu swung its tail forward.
A blue crescent slash flew toward Latios.
What is that?!
Since when did Iron Tail do this?!
Before Tobias could even react—
The massive crescent cut straight across the battlefield!
"Latios, increase output!"
"Eon—!"
At the same time, Latios sensed something was wrong!
It instinctively amplified the power of its Psychic attack!
But—
It was nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Having exhausted all of its strength, Pikachu landed lightly on the ground.
The power infused from the Rusted Sword had been completely released!
This was the very first true appearance of—
Iron Tail · Behemoth Slash!
An attack carrying Zacian's power—
How could a mere Psychic attack hope to withstand it?!
Even with Latios's Psychic reinforcement,
It was utterly crushed by Pikachu's Behemoth Slash!
Like a newborn crescent moon—
It rose brilliantly into the sky.
Illuminating the entire battlefield!
"Take it! This is the last of Pikachu's power!"
"Victory will always belong to us!"
Bathed in moonlight, Ash turned and gave Pikachu a thumbs-up.
"Pika~"
(Easy~ no big deal~)
(●′?｀●)
Latios was completely erased within that crescent of light!
Game Over!
...
When the glow of Behemoth Slash finally faded,
Latios fell from the sky and crashed to the ground.
At that moment—
Everything was settled.
"Latios is unable to battle!"
The Rotom Referee flew over, checked Latios's spinning eyes, and made the call.
"Tobias's three Pokémon have all lost the ability to battle. This match is won by Ash!"
"The Ultra Ball Challenge has concluded. Ash's ranking rises to Ultra Ball Rank 39."
After announcing the result, the overworked Rotom Referee quickly left the area.
Ash stepped forward and hugged Pikachu tightly.
"We did it, Pikachu! We won!"
Excitement flooded Ash's mind.
He won!
Finally—he won!
After three long years, Ash had finally avenged his loss at the Lily of the Valley Conference!
Dawn stood there with tears welling in her eyes.
Ash had finally completed his redemption from three years ago.
Chloe, who had observed both of Ash's battles against Tobias, felt genuinely happy for him.
Meanwhile—
Tobias knelt weakly on the ground, eyes vacant, lost in thought.
Ash walked over and extended his hand.
"Tobias, you were really strong. Honestly, if I'd relaxed even a little, I might not have won."
Tobias lifted his head unconsciously—
And met Ash's sincere gaze.
"Really?"
"Of course. You're an opponent I truly acknowledge."
At that moment—
Tobias felt like Ash was glowing.
[Diantha: Wow… Ash really is an angel. Even against Tobias, he still goes out of his way to comfort his opponent.]
[Misty: Yeah. Ash has always been like this—whether it's Trainers or Pokémon, he never holds back his encouragement or praise.]
[Lance: True. In just this short livestream, Ash has shown that countless times.]
[Cynthia: Perhaps this is what makes Ash who he is—always carrying a heart that's pure and sincere.]
[Flint: But still—3–0. I could've done that too!]
[Tobias: …]
Why are you still targeting me?!
...
On screen—
The sun rose, bathing the land in warm light.
A golden glow settled over Ash.
It felt as though everything had finally come to an end.
Three years of resentment dissolved with a single exchange.
Ash reached out—
And Tobias firmly grasped his hand.
Standing up, the two shared a smile.
Between Trainers, there were never that many grudges—
Only a shared longing for the championship.
Who didn't want to be a champion?
Back then, Tobias had cut down Ash's championship path—
But that was simply because Ash wasn't strong enough.
If Ash had today's strength back then,
The Lily of the Valley trophy would have unquestionably been his.
"I'll remember your name, Ash," Tobias said.
"Next time, I'll definitely win it back."
With that, Tobias recalled the unconscious Latios—
And turned away without looking back.
At that moment, Dawn walked up beside Ash.
Watching Tobias's retreating figure,
She hesitated, then spoke up anyway.
"Ash… the direction Tobias left in looks like a forest."
Ash almost burst out laughing.
…Still you, Tobias.
Still you.
The screen froze on Tobias's departing silhouette.
A line of text slowly appeared:
[Battle concluded. Congratulations to viewer Hanako for receiving the livestream reward]
[Reward: Many Children, Many Blessings (The stronger your descendants are, the more power you gain)]
The audience was stunned.
You're really giving that reward to Hanako?!
Everyone knew—
Hanako's two sons were absolute monsters.
Ash—future Pokémon Master.
Red—the legendary Trainer.
Even from just fragments of information, Red's strength was already terrifying.
Not something that words alone could describe.
Even against the current strongest Champion, Leon—
No one dared say for sure who would win against Red.
And now the reward was:
The stronger your descendants, the stronger you become.
Just imagine—
Someone combining the talent and power of both Red and Ash.
How strong would that be?!
Probably only Arceus itself could match them.
[Hanako: Oh my, what use is this to me without someone to help? I'd rather have a 'Red's Girlfriend Guide' instead!]
[Bruno: It's over! They say Pallet Town breeds monsters—who knew the final boss would be Hanako?! Combining two champions' power is terrifying!]
[Professor Oak: Huh?!]
[Hanako: I don't want this! I'd much rather find my Red a girlfriend—he worries me to death!]
[Professor Kukui: I just realized something. The reward only mentions descendants. That means if Ash or Red have kids in the future, their talent will also feed back to Hanako.]
...
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