Inside the Battle Pyramid, Brandon showed a rare smile.
The Heavenly Tally might have broadcast his greatest humiliation—
But this message system?
This was genuinely fun.
For the first time, he felt a joy that wasn't tied to ancient ruins or exploration.
Something strange was awakening inside him…
Diantha's punishment would come later.
For now, the Heavenly Tally revealed the correct answer.
[Correct answer: Pikachu.]
The world was stunned.
…Pikachu?
How was Pikachu the Actor King?
Did it look like a master of acting to anyone?
Everyone knew Pikachu was as straightforward and honest as Ash was.
The footage resumed—
And the reason Pikachu was the Actor King
was about to be revealed.
"Ash attacks first! Pikachu—Quick Attack!"
Ash shouted, and Pikachu's body gleamed with a white aura,
then shot forward like a bullet of light.
Before Snivy could react, Pikachu slammed into her,
sending her flying over ten meters.
Snivy spun in midair before barely regaining her footing.
At first glance, Pikachu looked incredibly strong.
But…
This opponent was a rookie Snivy.
Logically, the Pikachu that defeated Regice
should've been able to one-shot her.
Even a relatively weak Quick Attack
should've been enough.
Not to mention—
Pikachu's Quick Attack in the Regice battle had been at least ten times stronger than this.
What was going on?
Was he… holding back?
Trip launched his counterattack.
"Snivy, use Tackle!"
"Dodge it, Pikachu!"
"Snivy~!"
Snivy's tiny feet pounded the ground as she lunged forward,
head lowered in a straightforward charge.
Twice in a row, Pikachu dodged easily.
Which, of course, was expected.
A battle-hardened Pikachu wasn't going to be hit so easily by a brand-new trainer's basic Tackle.
"Good! Now counter, Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
Here it came—
Pikachu's signature move, Thunderbolt.
Even with Grass resisting Electric,
A Thunderbolt from this Pikachu should've been terrifying.
The world held its breath, ready to watch Snivy get vaporized—
"Pika… CHUUU—!!"
…
Nothing happened.
"Wh–what's going on, Pikachu?! Thunderbolt!!"
"Pika? Pika-pi!"
Pikachu himself was starting to panic.
Receiving Ash's command again, he gathered up his electricity—
"PikAAAA!! …CHU!!"
…
Absolutely nothing happened.
[Lance]: What's going on? Why can't Pikachu use Thunderbolt?
[Leon]: Could it be… after the battle with Brandon, Pikachu suffered some unknown injury that weakened him?
[Diantha]: …How about you look at the title of this segment again? Then think about why Pikachu was labeled "Best Actor."
With Diantha's reminder, the entire world suddenly connected the dots.
This special tally was titled:
"The Actor King's Path of Self-Cultivation."
And the one Heaven had judged as the Actor King…
Was Pikachu.
If this were an acting ranking, then why was a battle scene being shown?
Shouldn't they be showing a performance?
But after watching up to this point, everyone was getting a very dangerous idea…
The footage continued—
Ash, seeing Pikachu unable to use Thunderbolt, shouted again:
"Use Volt Tackle!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu did a backward flip, landing at the far edge of the field.
Volt Tackle required a running start, so he needed space.
"Pika! Pika! Pika! Piiiii—ka… piiiii…"
At first, Pikachu pumped his legs furiously.
But he didn't even make it halfway across the field
before he was already gasping for breath like his entire body had been emptied.
Ash's eyes widened.
"Y–you've gotta be kidding…"
"Why… why can't you use Electric-type moves at all?!"
Across the field, Trip finally lost his patience.
"Are you two even trying?
You're ordering moves your Pokémon can't use.
And you call yourself some kind of experienced Trainer?"
"Snivy—Tackle!"
"Sni—vy!"
Snivy let out a crisp cry and dashed forward!
Pikachu was still wheezing, unable to dodge, and was blasted across the field by a new trainer's Snivy.
The world exploded.
That was the same Pikachu who had just beaten a legendary?!
What was happening?!
A brand-new Trainer and a brand-new Snivy—
And this Pikachu was getting bullied?!
This was beyond ridiculous.
"Fine then… use Iron Tail!"
"Pikachu!!"
Pikachu staggered upright. His tail gleamed with metallic light.
"Good! You can still use your other moves! Go!"
"Pika! Chu-pika!"
Pikachu gathered strength into his Iron Tail, then leapt—
Planning to add gravity to power up the strike!
But—
"Snivy, dodge!"
"Sni-vy~!"
The tiny Snivy slipped out of the way with a smooth, nimble sidestep.
Pikachu's Iron Tail smashed into the ground instead.
Cracks spread across the battlefield—proving the blow still had decent force.
But compared to the last tally's battle…
It was like heaven and earth.
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