Gyarados couldn't resist Pikachu's attack at all.
That Hyper Beam had cost it dearly.
Especially right after evolving.
The beam wasn't fully powered, but the rebound on its immature body was worse than on an experienced Gyarados.
Game description: after using Hyper Beam, the user can't move next turn.
In reality?
This Gyarados's body simply would not respond.
Hyper Beam was a finisher.
If you didn't kill with it, you were the one exposed.
"RRAAARGH—!!!"
Gyarados's roar twisted into a sound full of pain and fury. It squeezed its eyes shut.
Its heavy golden eyelids blackened in an instant, lightning crawling over them.
The numbness and burning agony only fanned its rage.
Lightning didn't care if your eyes were closed.
Especially when your body was almost all water.
Its massive body thrashed in the stream, tidal waves surging up around it.
This level of attack still couldn't completely shut a Gyarados down.
With a body that large, its vitality was ridiculous.
"Now!" Ash's eyes flashed, his voice sharp as drawn steel.
"Volt Tackle—go in!"
"PIIII——KA——!!!"
Pikachu abruptly dropped out of its high-speed weaving and planted its paws on a slick boulder near Gyarados's flank.
It started to charge.
Volt Tackle was Pikachu's finishing move.
It needed wind-up.
Conveniently, Gyarados had no space to dodge—
and right now it was blind.
Time seemed to hold its breath.
Every spark of golden light rushed inward, collapsing onto Pikachu's body and wrapping it in a churning aura of electricity.
The flowing lightning looked almost solid.
"Chuuuuu——!!!"
With a shriek that split the sky—
Pikachu became pure light.
It launched.
In that instant, it wasn't a Pokémon anymore, but a pillar of electricity over a meter thick, a solid lance of gold smashing toward Gyarados's open jaw—
or more precisely, the thinner-scaled neck just behind it.
There was no sound.
Or rather, sound was drowned, drowned completely by the sheer intensity of light and power.
Vision filled with searing gold.
"Th-that…!" Misty was stunned to her core.
Was this really the "rookie Trainer" she thought she knew?
Had Pikachu ever been this terrifying before?
Why was it this strong?
BOOOOM——!!!
The delayed explosion finally hit.
Gyarados's massive body took the full brunt of Volt Tackle, charged to max power and boosted even further by the Light Ball.
A compact car slamming into an eighteen-wheeler—
And somehow, the truck was the one that went flying.
That was how absurd it looked.
The moment Pikachu hit, Gyarados's entire body lurched backward.
It was hurt.
Badly.
Its roar this time was nothing like the earlier ones—
It was full of raw agony and shattered disbelief.
The dragon head and the top third of its body were wrenched backward under the overwhelming impact.
Scales along its golden neck blackened, cracked, and shattered, fragments flying in all directions.
Beneath, scorched flesh smoked.
Losing balance, the enormous body toppled like a mountain struck by a titan's hammer, crashing down into the torrent.
KRRAAAASH——!!!
Waves exploded out to either side.
Muddy water mixed with golden scale shards and Gyarados's groans swallowed the entire clearing.
One hit.
One decisive hit.
Pikachu had defeated Gyarados.
Pikachu had won.
Misty clamped her hands over her ears and crouched down. In her mind, there was only the afterimage of that annihilating golden beam and the image of the golden giant collapsing.
Gyarados… had fallen.
As the last of the gold glow faded—
The colossal body drifted in the stream, rising and sinking with the current. Its scarlet eyes were still open…
But the madness had drained away like a receding tide.
What was left was exhaustion.
And dazed confusion.
Did that hit knock some sense into it?
Not exactly.
It had knocked it clear.
Its mind was still at the "Magikarp" stage.
The earlier rampage had been the result of the brain restructuring that came with evolution.
The wound along its neck was a jagged, ugly thing, blood leaking into the muddy water.
Yet its gaze pushed through the murk to fix on the small human shape standing on the bank.
—A human…?
—What just… happened?
Gyarados realized its thoughts were moving much more clearly now.
Things it'd never understood as Magikarp…
Were suddenly possible to think about.
Past memories surfaced slowly.
It hadn't been beaten stupid—
Just beaten senseless.
—Did I… attack humans?
—And get dropped by… a little electric rat?
The realization started to settle in.
The difference in strength was enough to make one simple fact very clear.
It knew exactly who the boss was here.
Ash tugged the brim of his cap down.
He stood on the shattered bank, jacket and hair soaked by wind and spray, but he stood tall.
His eyes were sharp as a raptor's.
He stared straight into Gyarados's eyes.
This was the critical moment.
If he showed a hint of weakness now, all of this would have been for nothing.
That's right.
Gyarados—
I beat you.
So now you listen to me.
Slowly, Ash raised his hand and pointed at the giant in the water, voice quiet but carrying the weight of command. It cut clean through the crashing waves.
"Had enough?"
"Then calm down."
"And remember—"
"Who your Trainer is."
"Pika, pika."Pikachu folded its tiny arms across its chest, striking a pose like a veteran powerhouse.
It would've looked awesome if not for the tail secretly braced against the ground to keep it from tipping over.
A bit… yeah.
"Rrr…"Gyarados let out a low, hoarse rumble, stripped of the earlier fury.
Its immense head dipped, sinking into the murky water. Through the ripples, its crimson eyes stared up at the boy on the shore—
And at the yellow rat beside him, still breathing hard, electricity faintly crackling across its fur.
Gyarados's thinking was simple.
You're strong.
You hit hard.
I can't beat you.
So you're the boss.
I listen to you.
"Submit to me," Ash said softly.
Seeing Gyarados quiet down, he fished a glowing blue Pokéblock from his pocket and tossed it into its open mouth.
Reinforcing its memories of being fed as a Magikarp—and starting to build a habit of listening.
"Rrr~" It wasn't nearly enough to fill its mouth, but Gyarados chewed anyway, huge head lowering even more as it drifted closer to the shore.
It still thought it was a Magikarp, apparently—
And was asking for head pats.
"Good boy." Ash reached out and rubbed one of the horns on its head.
"♡♡♡"
Golden Gyarados's eyes narrowed contentedly.
[Friendship: ↑↑↑]
Misty slumped down on the ground, legs giving way.
She stared at the golden titan lying peacefully in the water, then at Ash and Pikachu on the shore.
"You two…" she whispered, almost numbly.
"…you look like actual war gods."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios