Extreme, freezing frostlight erupted violently from Regice's body!
Endless deathly cold winds—
carrying razor-sharp snow particles capable of tearing flesh apart—
howled like a roaring white flood, mercilessly swallowing the space where Ash and Pikachu stood!
Dodrio—no, you'd better take that sentence back and say it again!
Dodrio, are you blind?! Can't you see what's happening on the battlefield?!
That ultimate blizzard—
The terrifyingly low temperature caused Ash's and Pikachu's muscles to stiffen instantly.
They couldn't even open their eyes!
They could only endure like two reefs frozen solid, struggling desperately against the cold grip of death!
Even the spectators watching the live broadcast behind Ash felt a piercing chill burst through the screen and slam into them!
"My god… is this the true power of a Legendary Pokémon?! Regice is basically an immortal iceberg!"
"It tanked a full Thunderbolt without a scratch—this is absurd! That defense is straight-up mythological!"
"Of course! Its body is forged from eternal Ice Age glacial ice! Ten Thousand Volts to it is basically a mosquito bite!"
"But honestly, that Pikachu has been trained insanely well. That Thunderbolt earlier—any other Pokémon would've been crippled, if not outright knocked out!"
"So what? Its opponent isn't even on the same dimensional plane. Under this kind of overwhelming gap, Pikachu turning the tables? Dream on!"
"Stop arguing about the outcome—this is basically free money for us! Just a shame the odds are so low. One to one-point-five—best case you make a hundred points."
"Hey, be grateful! Profit is profit! A mosquito leg is still meat! Ten points gets you a rare evolution stone—what more do you want?"
The crowd nodded in agreement.
Sure, one hundred points wasn't much.
But when they looked at the prices of the "basic" items in the shop—
They weren't unreasonable at all.
Just like that, all dissatisfaction vanished.
Perfect!
Once this one-sided slaughter ended—
They could start planning how to invest that extra hundred points into their journey toward becoming stronger!
Sinnoh Region
Champion Cynthia stared at the unscathed, towering Regice on the screen, her beautiful face showing unprecedented seriousness.
"This Regice… its individual strength is beyond imagination."
"Even my Garchomp… might not be able to defeat it easily."
Four-times weakness to Ice aside—
combined with Regice's terrifying defense—
A fierce fighting spirit ignited deep in Cynthia's eyes.
If she could battle an opponent of this caliber—
"Garchomp… you're craving this kind of ultimate battle too, aren't you?"
"Graaa!"
Garchomp let out a deep, excited roar, slamming its massive head downward, eyes locked onto the ice colossus on the screen, its entire body radiating battle hunger.
On the Battlefield
Ash's eyes showed not the slightest hesitation.
He absolutely refused to surrender here!
"We can't give up—no matter what!"
"Pikachu! Go on the offensive! Use Iron Tail!"
Ash clenched his fists and swung his arm downward through the freezing air, his voice firm as steel.
"Pika!"
Pikachu roared and shot forward like a fired cannonball!
Its tail erupted with dazzling silver-white light as it charged Regice with unstoppable momentum!
Iron Tail!
A Steel-type move!
If it landed cleanly on the Ice-type Regice, it should—in theory—deal devastating damage!
Seeing this, countless spectators broke into cold sweat.
Don't hit!
Please don't hit!
That was their hundred points on the line!
"Charge, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu is our god of war!"
"God-slaying Pikachu—crush it, nya!"
Unlike the crowd worrying about coins, Team Rocket was screaming themselves hoarse for Pikachu!
Pikachu, go!
Pikachu, show the same ferocity you use when electrocuting us!
Jessie, James, and Meowth trembled with excitement, wishing they could leap straight into the screen to wave flags for Ash and Pikachu!
They had bet everything on that yellow electric mouse!
At this moment—
Pikachu was their one and only faith!
Sinnoh Region – Veilstone City
Inside an unremarkable, shabby Pokémon Daycare—
Reiji, wearing an apron, stood frozen before the screen.
Once upon a time—
Reiji had been an elite Trainer who dominated the battlefield.
He traveled across regions, defeated countless Gym Leaders and powerful rivals.
He once held eight shining badges—from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh.
Those days were the pinnacle of his life.
Until—
He received an invitation to challenge the Battle Frontier.
At first, he was thrilled, assuming it would be another easy harvest of victories.
And indeed—
He crushed the first six Frontier Brains, collecting six Symbols.
Then—
He met the man who stood like an unbreakable wall.
Brandon.
Against the strongest Frontier Brain, Reiji suffered an utterly devastating defeat.
Not just a loss—
Brandon mercilessly exposed his fatal flaw:
An obsession with flashy form, but no true understanding or excavation of his own primal strength.
That blow—combined with defeat—shattered Reiji's will to continue as a Trainer.
He retired.
Became a caretaker.
Years passed.
But Reiji never forgot that battle.
Those two cold giants—Regirock and Registeel—
remained like crushing mountains in his heart.
And now—
Another ice titan appeared on the screen.
Regice.
Reiji let out a bitter smile.
"To defeat Brandon… it can't be done with nothing but Pikachu's momentum, Ash."
As he stared at Ash—so spirited, so unwilling to give up—
For a split second, he saw his younger self.
A sigh escaped him.
At that moment, Paul entered the room and immediately noticed the gloom on his brother's face.
He glanced at the screen—at Pikachu's desperate charge and Ash's resolve—
Then stepped forward.
"I can do it, Brother. I will win."
"When I become the strongest Trainer, I'll defeat Brandon for us and shatter that undefeated legend!"
Reiji only smiled faintly, offering no reply.
Back to the Battle
"Fire—Ice Beam!"
Brandon abandoned evasion entirely.
Offense was the optimal solution to every crisis.
The terrifying energy of Ice Beam made Ash feel bone-deep danger.
He dared not let Pikachu take it head-on!
If it hit—
Pikachu would be knocked out instantly!
"Pikachu! Now! Dodge it!"
Ash unleashed his ultimate secret technique!
No matter how deadly the move—
Once he shouted "Dodge it!",
it activated a 100% evasion divine skill!
Ice Beam slammed into the ground—
Instantly freezing half the battlefield into a smooth sheet of ice.
Ash hadn't yet realized the trap hidden in that detail.
He continued fighting with everything he had.
"Pikachu! Quick Attack!"
Pikachu's form blurred, becoming ghostlike.
Its speed surpassed what human eyes could track.
Brandon remained calm, voice steady.
"Ice Beam."
"Dodge!"
Once again, Pikachu narrowly avoided death.
But before Ash could order a counter—
The perpetually stern Brandon finally showed a faint, knowing smile.
"Now… the stage is finally complete."
"??? Someone explain what just happened! What did Brandon mean by that?! He's already won?!"
"Regice is absurdly strong—but wait! Why does Pikachu also feel unreasonably broken?! Dodging two Legendary attacks in a row?!
"And that Blizzard earlier—it barely seemed to hurt Pikachu at al!l
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