"Welcome back to the Indigo League Conference, everyone!"
"We're about to begin the sixth round of the tournament. This will be a full six-on-six battle!"
The commentator's excited voice rang out over the speakers.
Full-team battles were always a tournament's biggest attraction.
The entire stadium was packed. Every seat was taken.
From a raised platform at the center of the venue, President Charles Goodshow looked out over the stadium, thrilled by the sight.
He hadn't attended the earlier rounds.
But now, as president, he needed to be there to oversee things.
As the tournament progressed, the Indigo League's Elite Four and even its Champion would arrive, drawing still more attention to the event.
Once a winner emerged, that Trainer would briefly become the region's biggest celebrity. The regional League, major businesses, and even international organizations might all come calling with offers.
"Let's get right to it!"
After working through the official script, the commentator eagerly moved on to the main event. "Give them your loudest cheers and a huge round of applause as we welcome the Trainers for our first match!"
"Ash from Pallet Town! And Caster from Cerulean City!"
Images of Ash and Caster appeared on the stadium's big screen as they walked out of the competitors' tunnels.
"Hi, everyone! I'm Ash from Pallet Town! Thanks for cheering me on! I'll give it everything I've got!"
Ash waved enthusiastically to the crowd.
For a moment, he felt like a superstar.
Then he realized something was wrong.
Very few people seemed to be cheering for him. Caster, on the other hand, had a huge number of supporters.
Some of the girls had even come in wedding dresses, shouting things like, "Caster, I want to have your babies!"
Caster looked perfectly calm.
After all, his opponent was Ash!
It wasn't that Ash was weak, but at this stage, his Pokémon weren't particularly impressive. Only his Pikachu and Charizard could put up much of a fight.
The less said about the others, the better!
"Rotom, start the stream!"
Caster had promised his viewers he would start streaming once the full-team battles began. Of course he hadn't forgotten.
His fans came from all over the world. Many lived in other regions and couldn't possibly come all this way to cheer for him.
Sure, the tournament was televised, but how could that compare to watching his stream?
"It's starting! The stream's finally live!"
"So this is Kanto's Indigo League Conference? It looks incredible! When are we going to get a tournament this big in the Orange Islands?"
"Caster, when are you going to become Champion?"
"Sorry! I wanted to come cheer you on in person, but the tickets were already sold out. I'm really sorry!"
"You must be loaded. I could afford a ticket, but watching the stream is a much better deal."
"Exactly! Everyone here is hilarious, and the chat's so much fun. I love it here!"
"If you're so rich, send me ₽50!"
Since Caster had announced the stream in advance, plenty of fans had been waiting before it even went live. Now the chat was full of people trying to outdo one another with their jokes.
Delia Ketchum, Professor Oak, Misty, and Brock sat in a row, holding up a banner to cheer Ash on.
"Do you think Ash can win?"
Delia knew little about Pokémon battles, so she asked the others.
"In theory, it's possible."
"Mrs. Ketchum, don't worry so much about whether he wins or loses!"
"That's right. What matters is that he does his best."
None of them gave her a straight answer, but they were all saying the same thing. She shouldn't get her hopes up.
Delia seemed to miss the hint entirely. She stood up and shouted, "Go, Ash!!!"
Her voice wasn't very loud. In a stadium with tens of thousands of spectators, it was barely audible. But Ash happened to look her way just then and quickly waved back.
In the competitors' lounge, Gary watched with his arms folded, looking cool and composed.
The other competitors watched in silence too.
"Each Trainer may use no more than six Pokémon! There will be an intermission once three Pokémon on either team are unable to battle."
Once both Trainers reached their platforms, the referee stepped forward. "Trainers, take your positions!"
Caster and Ash looked at each other, and the Pikachu on their shoulders did the same.
There was no hostility between them. Instead, they seemed to share an unspoken understanding.
Ash swept out an arm and declared, "Pikachu, I choose you!"
"You're up too, Pikachu!"
Caster gave his Pikachu a pat on the rear. "Look sharp. Don't embarrass me!"
"Pika pi!"
The two Pikachu cried out and bounded into the center of the field. They dropped onto all fours, sparks flickering from their cheeks, eager to fight.
"Wow! Both Ash and Caster have chosen Pikachu to lead! What an unexpected matchup!"
The commentator sounded as excited as ever, but inwardly he was already cursing.
The two Pikachu looked exactly alike. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to tell them apart once the battle got going.
If he mixed them up on air, it would be an embarrassing mistake. It could even damage his reputation as a commentator.
Ding, ding!
The bell rang, and the match began.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Ash made the first move.
Thunderbolt was Pikachu's specialty. It was also the signal for Team Rocket to go blasting off.
Caster was intrigued. Suddenly, he wanted to see how his own Pikachu compared to Ash's.
He abandoned his plan to open with Fake Out and called, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt too!"
Boom! Boom!
Almost simultaneously, two enormous golden currents erupted from the Pikachu on opposite sides of the field and slammed into each other.
Their bodies never touched, but the clash of electricity was a contest of strength between the two Pikachu.
The two currents clashed at the field's center line, the point of contact shifting back and forth as the Pikachu tried to overpower each other. Both Pokémon were strong, though, and neither could break through at first.
"They're evenly matched! Neither Thunderbolt is breaking through!"
The commentator's voice rang out again amid the crowd's cheers.
A close contest between evenly matched opponents was exactly the kind of battle he loved to call.
A one-sided rout wasn't much fun to commentate on.
But soon, Ash's Pikachu began to overpower Caster's.
Boom!
In the end, the current from Ash's Pikachu engulfed the opposing attack. The combined blast slammed into Caster's Pikachu.
"I thought our streamer's Pikachu was unbeatable. There's actually an even stronger Pikachu out there? Whose Pokémon is that?"
"Didn't the commentator say it belongs to Ash from Pallet Town?"
"Never heard of him!"
"Strong as hell! Dumb as hell too!"
The viewers kept joking in chat, showing no sign of panic.
Caster's Pikachu had Lightning Rod. The stronger the current, the better it would feel.
"Great job, Pikachu!"
Ash was delighted to see his Pikachu win the exchange.
But his Pikachu soon realized something was wrong.
There had been no cry of pain from the other side.
Instead, it could feel the opposing Pikachu's power rising steadily.
Was its opponent actually enjoying the electricity?
Worse, the other Pikachu seemed to be using that electricity to set up a special magnetic field around the battlefield.
The field couldn't be seen or touched, but as an Electric-type Pokémon, Ash's Pikachu could sense it.
It felt so warm!
Surrounded by that magnetic field, Ash's Pikachu felt completely comfortable.
And that only made it more worried.
"Pika pi!"
Ash's Pikachu stopped its attack, and Caster's Pikachu came back into view.
Its eyes were glazed with pleasure. It even licked its lips without realizing it.
That electricity felt amazing!!!