Inside Professor Oak's lab—
A spiky-haired boy sat frozen, eyes locked on the monitor.
It was Gary Oak—Ash's oldest rival and, in truth, his greatest fan.
He had watched both of Ash's previous tallies, and even he hadn't expected it—
That Ash, that same reckless childhood rival, could grow into someone capable of that.
He knew Ash better than anyone—
his strengths, his weaknesses, and most importantly… his potential.
If the world had a number one "Ash-fanboy," it was him, Gary.
He insulted Ash with his mouth,
but took him seriously with his actions.
Which was why, in the very first tally, he was one of the few who didn't bet on Ash blindly.
And this third tally…
Honestly, after watching the special "Actor King" tally,
Even Gary's confidence had been shaken.
Yet when he thought of Pikachu's unpredictably terrifying potential…
Gary clenched his teeth and placed 1,000 points.
"Ash… It's rare for the great Gary to bet on you.
Don't you dare embarrass me."
Meanwhile—
"Ash, are you still betting on yourself this time?"
"Of course! Even though Pikachu sometimes… acts, I know that when it truly counts, he'll explode with unbelievable power!"
"How much are you betting?"
"Thirty thousand!"
Ash actually wanted to bet everything,
But Brock had forced him to reserve points for food ingredients, specialty training herbs,
and a long list of supplies.
Between the three of them, they had about 120,000 points.
After deducting Ash's monstrous shopping list…
Thirty thousand was the most they could wager.
Brock and Misty exchanged a look—then each placed 10,000.
They, too, chose to believe.
"Toge-pi~!"
Togepi chirped, having no idea what was happening, but sensing the tension.
"Are we betting on the twerp again, meow?"
"Nonsense! This is Pikachu we're talking about—the ultimate Pokémon we've pursued for years! There's no way he'll disappoint us!"
"So… all of it?"
"All of it!"
Under Jessie's command, James dumped their remaining 10,000 points onto Ash.
Why only 10,000 left?
Because the rest had been spent buying top-grade metal to build new Pikachu-capture contraptions.
Priorities.
And so—
Compared to last time, far more people bet on Ash.
Pikachu's first heroic tally left too deep an impression.
Even though he had acted like a clown in the special tally,
that single god-slaying moment still burned in everyone's mind.
With bets locked in, the second main tally began.
The screen focused on the blue-cloaked man known as Tobias.
Floating before him was a sleek, jet-like Pokémon.
Streamlined body.
Blue rear half.
Jet-wing fins.
Red triangle mark on the chest.
Latios—the Eon Pokémon.
And on Ash's side of the battlefield… nothing.
On the central scoreboard, small images indicated which Pokémon had already fainted,
but—
[Lorelei: Why is the scoreboard censored?!]
[Caitlin: Maybe… to keep the suspense?]
Caitlin, the Unova Psychic Elite Four, had stayed silent until now—
But the sight of a Psychic-type Legendary finally drew her interest.
[Leon: It's starting!]
All eyes shifted to the battlefield.
Ash's field was empty.
Meaning either the battle hadn't begun—
Or Ash had already lost several Pokémon.
"Go, Swellow!"
"Swellow!!"
A navy-blue bird burst from its Poké Ball, streaking into the sky.
[Steven Stone: Oh? That's Hoenn's regional bird.
But… wasn't this supposed to be Pikachu's battle? Why Swellow?]
The battle began immediately.
After a fierce aerial chase—
Ash found an opening.
"Use Aerial Ace!"
But the moment Swellow darted in, Latios calmly rotated mid-air.
A pink light gathered at its mouth—
Luster Purge.
A blast of psychic brilliance surged forward—
long before Swellow could land a hit.
The explosion drowned the bird completely.
When the smoke cleared—
Swellow lay crumpled on the ground.
One move.
Instant knockout.
[Steven Stone: What terrifying power… stronger than Brandon's Regice, I'd say.]
[Lance: Judging from its posture and aura, that Swellow was well-trained.
Swellow are famous for their toughness—
And it still got flattened instantly.
This Latios is… unfathomable.]
The referee's flag dropped—Tobias wins.
Then the announcer's voice boomed:
"Amazing! Tobias's Latios is displaying overwhelming power!
Ash Ketchum is down to his last Pokémon!
What will he do now?!"
One… left.
Ash was already backed into a corner.
Latios hadn't taken even a single hit.
And considering the tally title,
everyone knew who Ash's final Pokémon had to be—
Pikachu.
[Gardenia: What a shame… looks like Ash's tournament ends here.]
Even the real Tobias in the footage spoke calmly:
"Well then… looks like this is our final battle."
Ash grit his teeth, head lowered, and returned Swellow to its Poké Ball.
In the stands, Brock, Dawn, and the others shouted encouragement.
And Ash…
"Good work, Swellow. We haven't lost yet."
"This isn't our last battle!"
Not even for a second did he consider giving up.
Even with only Pikachu left—
He refused to believe in defeat.
"Your turn, Pikachu! We're not stopping here!"
Ash flipped his cap backwards.
His battle-serious stance.
"Pika!!"
"We're going to win!!"
The screen split—Ash on one side, Pikachu on the other.
Their eyes burned with the same flame—
the will to fight to the very end.
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