[Lance: Ash might as well type GG. He's only got one Pikachu left, and Tapu Koko's barely taken any damage. This is a guaranteed loss, okay?]
[Lt. Surge: Judging from pure voltage, I'd say Tapu Koko's output is several times what Pikachu showed before. I mean the Pikachu from the earlier recap, of course.]
[Wattson: I'll admit I never expected that Baby to grow this strong—but… there's no way he's beating Tapu Koko. The gap in raw power is just too big!]
[Elesa: Really? Because I feel… this Pikachu on screen is shining brighter than in any battle I've ever seen.]
[Alder: I can feel it too. Pikachu's fighting spirit… It's burning right now.]
[Hala: Mr. Alder, there are some things that willpower alone can't overcome.
Even if Ash's Pikachu "goes berserk," he still can't surpass a guardian deity.]
As Tapu Koko's most loyal fan, Hala naturally pushed back.
He was one of the people who knew Tapu Koko's strength best.
What they'd just seen on screen—
Tapu Koko hadn't even used half of its power.
The only time it'd gone all out was when it was racing Naganadel.
In every other moment, its attacks had been heavily restrained.
Otherwise, even an Ultra Beast like Naganadel
wouldn't have lasted more than two STAB moves.
[Leon: I think… Ash will show us the ending himself. Just keep watching.]
Leon might get lost walking in a straight line,
but when it came to battles, his instincts were sharper than anyone's.
He could feel it:
The Ash on screen now—
as a Trainer—
wasn't much weaker than himself.
And with the bond between him and Pikachu—
This fight… wasn't unwinnable.
"Professor Kukui… is Ash really unable to beat Tapu Koko?"
Lillie looked at the screen—
At Ash, recalling Naganadel and walking back to his spot—
and asked softly.
Kukui pressed down the brim of his cap, voice heavy.
"To be honest… it'll be very hard. Almost impossible."
"Tapu Koko is known as the guardian of the ruins of conflict.
Legend says it once fought alongside the other three Tapus
to repel Ultra Beasts invading from another world."
"Even if that's just a legend,
stories don't spread without a grain of truth."
"So you can imagine how powerful Tapu Koko is.
And thanks to the Heavenly Tally, we've already seen just a fraction
of what Tapu Koko can really do."
"Just from that glimpse alone,
you can tell what kind of divine power we're dealing with."
"As for Ash's Pikachu…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The message was clear—
Ash's Pikachu stood no chance.
"I see… but… I'm still going to cheer for them!" Lillie said, gripping her skirt tightly.
"If Ash and Pikachu beat Tapu Koko… doesn't that prove
Alola isn't some 'backwater region'?
That we also have powerful Trainers?"
Her eyes shone, fixed firmly on Ash and Pikachu.
"Our Alola Champion… is the strongest!"
Kukui blinked—
then broke into a bright smile.
"Hahaha! Only you would look at it from that angle, Lillie."
"You're right—
If Ash can defeat Tapu Koko and me,
that means our Alola Champion's gold content
is world-class!"
"Now that you mention it, I kinda want Ash to beat me!"
Lillie puffed her cheeks.
"Professor, you should cheer for yourself!
Ash has us cheering for him already! Right, everyone?"
"YEAH!!"
All of Ash's Alola classmates shouted with all their might.
You'd better win, Ash!
On the screen—
After recalling Lycanroc, Ash straightened,
meeting Professor Kukui and Tapu Koko's gaze head-on.
The two on the opposite side—
One was the mentor who had guided him from the moment he arrived,
a figure like a teacher and a father.
The other was the guardian who'd given him his first Z-Ring,
opened the door to a new world for him,
and quietly handed him power-ups again and again—
also like a teacher, also like a father.
Now, both stood across from him.
And he… was no longer the boy who'd just arrived in Alola.
"Professor Kukui, Tapu Koko!"
"Thank you for everything you've done for me since I first came to Alola!
I'll use this battle to prove…
Your efforts weren't in vain!"
"The me standing here now—
Isn't the same kid as back then!"
"I choose you—Pikachu!!"
Ash roared as he sent out his final Pokémon—
His very first partner, too—Pikachu!
Pikachu soared through the air,
tail slapping Ash's palm in a quick high-five,
then landed smoothly on the field.
"Pika-pi!!"
"Kpu!!"
The instant Tapu Koko saw Pikachu—
Its attitude completely changed.
Even the aura around it trembled.
If before it'd only been casual, loose, half-playing—
Now, it was taking this Pikachu
with one hundred and twenty percent seriousness.
For no other reason than this:
From the moment Ash and Pikachu first came to Alola,
Tapu Koko had been watching them.
That Pikachu.
That strange boy.
From the very beginning, Tapu Koko knew—
There was a bottomless power hidden between them.
This wasn't an opponent you beat by taking it easy.
[Cynthia: …Why do I feel like Tapu Koko's presence is different from before? Stronger. More serious.]
[Hala: You're not wrong.
From what I know of Tapu Koko,
it's now focusing one hundred and twenty percent of its attention
on that Pikachu in front of it!]
[Hala: But… why? It wasn't even this serious against Naganadel.
Why go all out against a tiny electric mouse…?]
[Korrina: Why do I get a bad feeling about this?
Lance, do you have any idea what's going on?]
[Lance: ??? What are you trying to say?
A lion still uses full strength even against a rabbit, okay?
This is the last battle—of course, Tapu Koko should take it seriously!
Stop overreacting!]
[Clair: I agree with my cousin!
This time, Pikachu's definitely losing!
Tapu Koko is way too strong—
Even regular legendaries can't handle it!!]
Lance's loyal fan had arrived to back him up.
Clair, Gym Leader of Blackthorn City in Johto,
and one of Johto's strongest Trainers.
Her confidence in her cousin wasn't blind—
The "Invincible Dragon Master Lance" title wasn't just hot air.
Right now—
The whole world held its breath.
Everyone stared at the footage playing before them.
A lightning god with divine status…
facing off against a single Pikachu.
This match was destined to become
one of the most explosive headlines in history.
On the screen—
The final battle began.
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
Only Ash would start by throwing Thunderbolt
right at an electric-type god.
"Tapu Koko—Discharge!"
"Kpu!!"
Both sides erupted in golden lightning.
Blinding arcs crashed together in mid-air—
Thunderbolt and Discharge collide head-on.
And then—
something no one expected happened.
After a few seconds of struggle—
Pikachu's Thunderbolt actually began
to push Tapu Koko's Discharge back.
"W-What?! That's impossible!"
Kukui couldn't help shouting.
In a pure contest of electric power—
Tapu Koko, god of thunder—
Was losing?
"PIKA!!! …CHU!!!"
Under countless stunned gazes,
Pikachu poured even more power into his Thunderbolt—
The golden lightning swelled to twice its size,
completely overwhelming Tapu Koko's Discharge!
"Kpu!!"
Tapu Koko cried out as Thunderbolt struck—
The attack had connected.
[Lt. Surge: Holy— This is Pikachu? Raichu, you're fired. I want that Pikachu instead!]
[Elesa: See? I told you—
This Pikachu is shining more than ever.]
[Hala: No way… Tapu Koko lost in a power struggle? To Pikachu?!
Am I dreaming?!]
[Cynthia: You're not.
We're all watching this together, Mr. Hala.
At a time like this…
We should really be asking—
Lance, what do you think?]
[Lance: ...]
Lance did not wish to comment.
What was with this Pikachu?
That electric power…It
was at least three times what it had been against Latios.
Absolutely ridiculous.
(Real talk: Alola-era Pikachu is a complete war god.
He basically doesn't lose.
The only "non-win" was a draw with Zoroark.
I rewatched this exhibition match countless times—
Pikachu pretty much dominates Tapu Koko start to finish. Disgustingly cool.)
On the screen—
Even Pikachu looked stunned
that he had just overpowered Tapu Koko's electricity.
He remembered—
When they'd first arrived in Alola,
without using Z-Moves,
they couldn't last even one exchange against Tapu Koko.
But now—
They'd actually pushed Tapu Koko back
with pure Thunderbolt alone.
It was—
Amazing!
"Pikachu! Let's go! Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu was hyped now.
He'd fought Tapu Koko plenty of times since coming to Alola.
Most of those times, Tapu Koko had been training him, pushing him forward—
But still.
Losing every time never feels good.
Now he finally had a chance
to get one back!
Pikachu turned into a streak of white light.
Tapu Koko shook its head, recovering from the electric clash—
then scanned the field—
But all around
there were streaks of white light.
It couldn't tell
where Pikachu would appear.
The spectators: You call this "Quick Attack"? Lucario's Extreme Speed isn't even this fast!
"Shff!"
In a heartbeat, Pikachu shot from the ground to the sky—
Tapu Koko, reacting on pure instinct, dodged just in time.
Pikachu missed.
But he didn't stop.
He continued darting around with Quick Attack,
striking from every angle,
again and again, aiming for Tapu Koko in the air.
But each time,
Tapu Koko narrowly evaded.
Pikachu's speed on the ground was already insane—
But once he left the ground,
Tapu Koko could still just barely follow his movement and avoid him.
So—
He needed to be even faster.
"Pikachu—Electro Ball!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu flashed back to Ash's side in a Quick Attack blur—
Then sprinted out again!
This time, the aura around him wasn't white—
It was golden lightning.
Here it came—
The god-slaying charge!
"Tapu Koko, meet it with Dazzling Gleam!"
Kukui chose to clash head-on.
He'd lost the lightning clash, sure—
But in physical combat?
Tapu Koko couldn't lose.
It was a divine guardian,
drawing upon the very power of nature itself.
"Kpu!"
Tapu Koko had no intention of dodging.
Its body was sheathed in pink-violet radiance—
then fired forward like a cannon shell!
Golden lightning and shimmering starlight collided—
BOOOOOM!!
The explosion rocked the entire arena!
And yet the spectators in Manalo Stadium
only grew more excited—
Completely ignoring
that they were literally risking their lives
just by being there.
As the smoke slowly cleared,
the battlefield was left cratered and torn.
Pikachu and Tapu Koko stood barely a meter apart—
Neither side seemed seriously injured.
Only arcs of electricity flickered across Pikachu's body,
backlash from Electro Ball's immense output.
This exchange…
had ended in a draw.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack again!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu vanished in a flash.
At this distance,
Tapu Koko couldn't dodge in time—
Quick Attack slammed into it,
blasting it backwards several meters!
Kukui hadn't expected this.
Pikachu had just unleashed a massive move like Electro Ball,
and yet there was no sign of recoil or delay—
He could immediately move again.
"Pikachu—Quick Attack into Iron Tail!"
"Pika!!"
Ash followed up without giving an inch.
But now Kukui's battle instincts kicked in.
"Tapu Koko, Steel Wing to block!"
"Kpu!"
Tapu Koko's twin shells gleamed with metallic light—
They collided with the incoming Pikachu mid-air!
Tapu Koko currently holds the aerial advantage.
Normally, Pikachu—unable to fly—
would've been hopeless in mid-air.
But Pikachu's mastery of Iron Tail
had long since reached perfection.
This wasn't just Iron Tail—
This was a Beast Tail.
CLANG!
With a crisp ring,
Pikachu used the impact to spring even higher into the air.
Then he twisted—
And came crashing down like a falling meteor!
Tapu Koko spun to meet him—
CLANG!!
Another sharp ring.
This time, it wasn't a stalemate.
By adding the force of gravity to his blow,
Pikachu gained the upper hand—
And he didn't stop there.
He bounced off again,
floating for an instant—
Then dropped for a second aerial strike!
Tapu Koko's head was ringing at this point.
Seeing Pikachu descending again,
it could only hastily raise its shells to block.
BAM!!
KRAKOOM!!
With a final explosive impact,
Tapu Koko could no longer withstand the barrage—
Its body plummeted like a shooting star,
crashing into the ground with a deafening impact.
Dust swallowed the field once more.
At that moment, in the real Pokémon world—
An impossible silence descended.
The entire world was speechless.
Those who had bet on Kukui
had imagined Tapu Koko would easily suppress Pikachu—
crush him like a tidal wave—
and secure the win.
Those who had bet on Ash—
that tiny minority who believed in him,
or just loved his fiery style—
They'd imagined a back-and-forth brawl,
a dragon-tiger clash, a hard-fought, evenly matched battle.
Even Ash himself…
Had never imagined Pikachu
could fight Tapu Koko evenly from the start.
At best, he'd expected a familiar pattern:
Fall behind early,
slowly claw back with trust and determination,
then land a final finishing blow.
But now—
What was happening on screen
had blown everyone's expectations apart.
Who could've guessed
Ash's Pikachu would open the fight
by dominating Tapu Koko?!
Faster than Tapu Koko.
Hitting as hard as Tapu Koko.
Electric power is even greater than Tapu Koko's.
Even in the air, he used Iron Tail
and chaotic movement
to slam Tapu Koko into the dirt.
This was supposed to be a Pikachu?!
What the hell!!
"'Pika-Overload'" didn't even begin to cover it—
This was straight-up Pika-God.
"Pi… Pikapi?"
Pikachu trembled,
quietly pointing at the on-screen version of himself
casually drifting down from mid-air—
Then looked at Ash in confusion.
That's me?
Did you secretly swap me for another Pikachu?
Since when can I FLY?! Even Groudon can't fly!!
Ash, fluent in Pikachu-speak,
understood perfectly.
All he could say in response was—
"I… have no idea either."
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