WebNovels

Chapter 87 - Light Ball

On the field, Wartortle lay on its side, the underside of its shell scorched black.

Pikachu stood calmly where he was, as if the devastating attack he'd unleashed moments ago had been nothing more than a warm-up.

Gary's eyes widened. His thoughts were a storm of confusion.

'What did Pikachu just do?'

That speed, no, that movement, it was unreal.

Even an Elite-level Pikachu couldn't possibly move like that.

And that move, Electric Acceleration? He had never even heard of such a technique being used that way. Was it a move Pikachu could even learn?

Countless questions filled his mind, but this was a battle. Even if he asked Ash, the other boy would never reveal the secret behind it. Gary could only bite down on his frustration and try to find a way to counter.

"Wartortle, can you still fight?"

"Wartortle!"

The turtle Pokémon emerged from its shell, breathing heavily. Its eyes were tired but determined, it wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Good! Wartortle, use Aqua Jet!"

"Wartortle!"

Streams of water coiled around Wartortle's body, and in the next instant, it shot forward like a rocket. The jet stream trailed a perfect curve through the air, its speed slicing the air with a piercing whistle.

But Gary wasn't finished.

"Now, combine it with Zen Headbutt!"

A pink light flared on Wartortle's forehead. The force of Aqua Jet merged with the psychic momentum of Zen Headbutt, creating a spiraling charge that was faster and far more destructive than either move alone.

Combination techniques like this were Gary's trademark, his key to defeating Gym Leaders despite being a new Trainer.

"Pikachu, Electric Acceleration."

At Ash's calm command, Pikachu crouched, electricity sparking across his body, and then vanished.

In that instant, Wartortle lost sight of its target completely.

'The same move again…!' Gary's jaw tightened.

'So long as I can't keep up with Electric Acceleration, it doesn't matter how strong my attack is.'

He scanned the battlefield, searching desperately. A faint flash of gold darted across his vision, gone before he could focus.

Then he realized it. 'No matter how Pikachu moves, he still has to strike to win. His landing point...'

"Oh no! Wartortle, behind you!"

But it was too late.

Pikachu reappeared directly beneath Wartortle mid-charge, ramming upward with a sharp headbutt to the base of its shell.

"Bang!"

Wartortle's spinning stopped instantly. The impact sent it flying, tumbling helplessly across the ground like a kicked boulder. After rolling over a dozen times, it came to rest on its side, motionless.

"Wartortle!!" Gary shouted, panic breaking through his composure.

But Wartortle didn't respond.

The difference in level, the repeated Electric attacks, there was no strength left for it to continue.

Withdraw might have boosted its defense, but Electric Acceleration's strikes always targeted weak points. In that state, even boosted defenses meant nothing. (In game terms, critical hits ignore defense increases.)

Combined with Pikachu's superior level and raw stats, the outcome had been inevitable. If two Electric Acceleration hadn't been enough to end it, Pikachu might as well have buried himself on the spot.

Gary stared blankly at his fallen partner, disbelief etched on his face.

He actually… lost.

And not just lost, he'd been completely overpowered. His ace Pokémon, the same Wartortle that had defeated Erika's Elite-level Grass-type despite the disadvantage, had been flattened by Ash without landing a single hit.

This wasn't an exaggeration. It was a total, overwhelming defeat, in level, in power, in speed, in every single aspect.

For Gary, who had always been one step ahead of Ash before their journeys began, the blow was crushing.

How could the balance have flipped so completely in just a single month?

"We did it, Pikachu!"

"Pika Pika!"

Pikachu leapt into Ash's arms with a cheerful cry, while Ralts, perched on Ash's shoulder, clapped her small hands in delight.

Around them, the spectators broke into excited chatter.

"Wait, wasn't that Gary guy supposed to be amazing? How did he lose like that?"

"Looks like that Ash guy is even stronger!"

"Who is he anyway? I've never heard the name before."

"I heard he's the Trainer who got the Pewter and Cerulean Gym Badges."

"Not just that, I'm from Vermilion City. Ash also beat our Gym Leader's Raichu to earn his Badge!"

"Raichu? That's Pikachu's evolution, right? How does an evolved Pokémon lose to its unevolved form?"

"Maybe the Gym Leader was weak?"

"No, you don't get it! Vermilion's Raichu is a Professional-level Pokémon!"

"Professional level?!

News about Ash spread rapidly through the crowd. Every few seconds, gasps of disbelief rippled through the air. For a moment, the oppressive heat of the blazing sun seemed to fade, replaced by the excitement of what they had just witnessed.

They had already thought Gary was a prodigy among rookie Trainers, but now there was another one, an equally terrifying monster of talent.

Where had these two even come from?

Clearing three Gyms in a single month was already unheard of. But one of them had even defeated a Gym Leader's Professional-level Pokémon. That wasn't just talent, that was something approaching legend.

Even Leon, back in his day, might not have advanced that quickly.

On the field, Gary recalled Wartortle, his expression grim. He had rarely lost to Ash in his life, and never this badly. To suffer such a blow right after beginning his journey was almost unbearable.

He couldn't make sense of it. His starter was Squirtle; he had the best possible resources. Even though he traveled in comfort, he hadn't skipped a single training session. On the contrary, driving between towns actually saved him time for training.

By all logic, he should have been stronger than Ash.

So why was Ash's Pikachu already Elite-level, while his own Wartortle, even after evolving, was still stuck at the peak of Advanced?

What kind of twisted logic was that?

"Gary, you lost this time!" Ash walked up, grinning from ear to ear, his expression radiating triumph. "Did you see how powerful my Pikachu is now? Still think he's just a stray mutt?"

Usually, Gary would be the one smirking and taunting, but this time, the tables had turned completely.

'What goes around comes around', Ash thought gleefully. 'And today, it's my turn!'

"Hmph. Just temporary luck," Gary said through clenched teeth. "Don't mistake luck for strength. I lost this time, but I'll win it back soon enough. Just you wait."

His tone was forcedly calm, but the way his jaw tightened said otherwise, he was grinding his molars hard enough to crack them.

Ash folded his arms smugly. "Tsk, tsk, don't talk about later. Just answer me this, did I win today? Because today's record clearly says: Ash, first battle against Gary, undefeated!"

Gary: 'Are you serious right now?'

"One battle, undefeated"? There was literally only one battle! Anyone overhearing this would think Ash had a years-long winning streak. What happened to the honest, straightforward Ash from Pallet Town? Who taught him this nonsense?

Gary glared but puffed out a resigned sigh. "Fine, fine, I'll let you have this one. But next time, I'll be ready, and I'll figure out how to counter that weird move of your Pikachu's."

Truthfully, if Gary hadn't provoked Pikachu earlier, Ash wouldn't have used Electric Acceleration at all. Without that speed-boosting technique, the battle might've been far closer, something like a sixty-forty split at worst.

But once Pikachu entered his Partner Form, it was over.

Electric Acceleration wasn't just a speed enhancer; its power was formidable, and it could ignore defensive boosts to strike directly at weak points. Combined with the Partner Form's overall stat increase, Pikachu wasn't fighting in the same league anymore.

So, in the end, Gary had been crushed not because he was weak, but because his own arrogance had awakened Pikachu's fury.

"Talk about next time when it comes," Ash said cheerfully. "Oh yeah, since I'm the defender now, what's the prize for ten consecutive wins?"

He blinked, only now realizing that by beating Gary, he had taken over the winning streak.

Gary glanced toward the judges' platform. "It's a orb. I haven't seen it up close, but they say it's related to Electric-type Pokémon. Look, it's over there."

Following Gary's finger, Ash looked toward the elevated stand beyond the crowd. Several officials from resort sat there, overseeing the matches.

Next to them, displayed beneath a glass dome, was a shimmering golden orb.

Intricate carvings spiraled across its surface, forming a four-leaf-clover-like symbol at its center. Within the symbol, faint runes pulsed softly with light.

No wonder Gary had guessed it was an Electric-type artifact. Its color glowed like sunlight trapped in lightning, and even from a distance, Ash could sense the powerful Electric energy radiating from within.

However, the moment Ash clearly saw the orb's appearance, his expression changed completely.

"That thing is…"

Gary noticed the shift in Ash's tone and frowned. "Ash, you know what that is?"

Ash's look of recognition only made Gary more confused. How could Ash know about an orb even he had never heard of?

Just how much had Ash learned in this single month of traveling?

"I should," Ash said slowly, his eyes locked on the orb. "If I'm not mistaken… that's a Light Ball."

"Light Ball?" Gary repeated, frowning deeper. He searched his memory, but nothing came up. Even with all his reading, he had never heard of such an item. Maybe his grandfather would know, but right now, what really stung was the fact that Ash did, and he didn't.

'Since when did he pull so far ahead of me…?'

Ash's expression, however, was filled with excitement. "A Light Ball is Pikachu's exclusive item! Hah, talk about good luck! I never expected to find one here!"

His voice practically trembled with joy. If this hadn't been a public event, he would have been jumping up and down like a kid.

This was it, the item the "big shots" from his group had told him to keep an eye out for. And here it was, practically delivered to him on a silver platter.

A Light Ball had no effect on other Pokémon, but for a Pikachu… it was a game-changer.

Its effect was simple: it doubled Pikachu's offensive stats.

Simple, but brutally effective.

Doubling offense was the same as inherently using Swords Dance or Nasty Plot once, but unlike a temporary buff, this enhancement was constant.

And if Pikachu used Nasty Plot after that boost? His Special Attack would skyrocket to four times its base value!

Four. Times.

When Ash had first heard about this item, he'd been completely stunned. 'How could something this broken even exist?'

Just thinking about the potential made his blood boil.

If Pikachu held a Light Ball, entered Partner Form, performed an Aura Fusion, and used Nasty Plot on top of that…

Even a Professional-level peak opponent would be vaporized!

With all those multipliers stacked, Pikachu could overpower Pokémon two entire tiers above him!

That was the terrifying strength the Light Ball could unleash.

A fierce determination ignited in Ash's eyes. Originally, after defeating Gary, he had only planned to casually defend his spot, maybe win a few rounds before calling it a day.

But now?

Now that he knew the prize was a Light Ball, there was no turning back.

He had to win it.

He clenched his fists, eyes blazing. "No one's stopping me. I'll win ten straight, whatever it takes."

Gary, watching from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. He recognized that look, it was the same expression Ash wore when he got into what he called his 'mad dog' state.

When Ash got like that, reason went out the window. Winning became everything.

Gary had a dozen questions he wanted to ask, about that move, about Pikachu, about this mysterious "Light Ball", but now wasn't the time. He'd save them for later.

"That item's clearly important to you," Gary said finally, waving his hand. "Then go get it. You've already got one win, just nine more to go."

He turned and started walking toward the crowd.

"I'll see you next time, Ash."

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