Chapter 281: Pikachu's Ferocious Assault (Part 1)
The battered state of Scyther indirectly showcased the terrifying power of Pikachu's electricity.
"Are you okay, Scyther?" Gary asked anxiously.
Noticing Gary's worried expression, the electrified Scyther, despite the paralysis from the electric attack, forced out a faint smile at its Trainer, signaling it could still continue fighting.
Of course, this was nothing but Scyther's warrior pride; in truth, the Flying-type's strength was already all but gone.
"Return, Scyther," Gary decided, unwilling to risk more injury. He promptly retrieved Scyther in its Poké Ball despite the desperately pleading look in Scyther's eyes.
"I'm counting on you, Steelix!" Gary called.
A flash of white light revealed a muscular Steelix with a sharp drilling horn on its forehead.
"Roar!" Steelix let out a fierce roar, spinning its sharp drill menacingly to intimidate its opponent, Ash's Pikachu.
Steelix's arrival rekindled some of Gary's confidence, knowing Steelix was immune to Electric-type attacks and could use Ground-type moves aimed squarely at Pikachu. This tactical advantage was the source of his renewed hopes.
"Pikachu," Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement at facing Steelix, eager for the challenge after feeling unimpressed by Scyther's earlier performance. Pikachu seemed just as eager.
"Gary, Steelix isn't going to be an easy opponent this time!" Gary warned, raising Ash and Pikachu's alertness.
"Really? Pikachu and I are looking forward to this," Ash said calmly, confident in his bond with his partner.
"Steelix, use Rock Slide!" Gary ordered decisively.
Sharp stone blades appeared, swirling around Steelix. Under its command, they swiftly launched toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu's little sibling atop Ash's shoulder called out anxiously, clearly concerned for its elder brother.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," Ash reassured, calming his partner's restless energy.
"Use Double Kick and Iron Tail to destroy those stones!" Ash commanded.
Simultaneously, Pikachu's arms and tail glowed brightly as it unleashed consecutive strikes that shattered the incoming projectiles into harmless pebbles.
"Ash's Pikachu is unbelievable..." Gary muttered in disbelief, really astonished by such power.
"Haha, don't underestimate Ash's Pikachu. Although it joined his team later than others, its power is far beyond its appearance," Professor Oak explained to the group nearby.
"Pikachu easily ranks among Ash's second-tier Pokémon, and is one of the strongest. After all, Partner Pikachu's innate talent is much greater," Oak said.
At this, everyone glanced toward Ash's Pikachu, nodding in partial understanding.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu suddenly vanished from sight and moments later appeared directly in front of Steelix, ramming into it with all its might. The force pushed back even the heavy Steelix.
"Steelix, use Stomp now!" Gary shouted.
Despite being surprised by Pikachu's strength, Steelix immediately roared and stomped hard, its massive legs pounding on the ground.
"Use Iron Tail, strike the ground!"
Pikachu quickly slammed its electrified tail into the ground, disrupting the shockwave from Steelix's stomp, then used Brick Break to smash the scattered stones approaching it.
"Steelix, use Rock Blast!" Gary switched tactics.
Steelix gathered multiple boulders in its hands, launching them rapidly at Pikachu to inflict damage.
"Use Thunderbolt to break the rocks!"
Pikachu immediately released a powerful surge of electricity, shattering the hardened stones in midair and striking Steelix.
However, due to Steelix's Ground-type immunity, it channeled the entire electric attack safely into the earth, completely negating the Thunderbolt's damage.
Just as Steelix's battle advantage seemed sure, Pikachu suddenly used Quick Attack to dart to Steelix's rear, stepping onto its back to launch a surprise offensive.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail now!"
"Steelix, turn around quickly and use Drill Run!"
Gary urgently commanded Steelix to face Pikachu and counterattack with its spinning drill horn.
"Pika...chu!"
Pikachu swung its tail vigorously, suppressing Steelix's Drill Run, then spun and struck its tail again with iron-strengthened force, smashing Steelix's cheek and causing significant damage.
"Use Double Team!"
Just as Steelix readied a counterstroke, it found Ash's Pikachu had already created dozens of copies, making it impossible for Steelix's senses to identify the real one. The copies scattered, allowing Pikachu to escape the attack range.
"Steelix, use Rock Slide to sweep the copies away!"
Seeing close combat was ineffective, Gary ordered Steelix to unleash Rock Slide, attacking all of Pikachu's duplicates at once.
Sharp stone blades floated around Steelix and swept forward with incredible speed, destroying many of the copies.
"Quick Attack."
Ash immediately ordered.
The remaining copies closed in on Steelix, forcing it to accelerate its Rock Slide attacks in hopes of hitting the real Pikachu.
But before Steelix could react, Pikachu dashed forward and slammed into Steelix heavily, delivering a combo of Brick Break and Iron Tail.
Bang!
Pikachu's electrified fist slammed onto Steelix's forehead. Injured and howling in pain, Steelix staggered as Pikachu spun and struck another Iron Tail to the forehead.
Bombarded by Pikachu's relentless offense, the huge Steelix was helpless, crushed by the much smaller Pikachu's rapid attacks.
Moments later, Steelix collapsed weakly to the ground, unable to continue battling.
"Steelix is unable to battle!" the referee promptly announced, glancing in amazement at Pikachu's fully energized state, as if the previous fight had been mere warm-up.
"Both Pokémon are partners named Pikachu, but their strength gap is simply huge..." Gary said in disbelief.
He had planned to use Ash's Pikachu as a battle benchmark but quickly realized it was useless, especially after Steelix's unexplained defeat.