A single sentence set off a wave.
Silas's wild, cocky declaration sent the Bikers into a collective rage!
Immediately, Poké Balls appeared in every Biker's hand, each one tossing theirs into the air!
White light flashed—Cloyster, Golem, Arbok, Heracross, Machoke… Pokémon after Pokémon appeared. There were twelve in all, glaring at Silas just as fiercely as their trainers—a pack of predators sizing up their prey.
Facing these twelve Pokémon, Silas pulled out a Master Ball. "Pikachu, take care of them."
Bang!
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu popped out right in front of Silas. Staring down twelve opponents, Pikachu showed not a hint of fear. Its cheeks sparked with electricity—a blatant, wordless taunt.
Its appearance sent the Biker gang howling with laughter.
"A Pikachu? He's seriously going to take us all on with a Pikachu? This kid's out of his mind!"
"Hahaha, a measly Pikachu against all of us? I thought he had some powerhouse Pokémon up his sleeve. Didn't expect him to send out just a Pikachu!"
"Lame! This is just lame! All of us dumping every Pokémon we've got for one dumb kid's Pikachu—if word gets out about this, people'll die laughing!"
Silas wasn't fazed by their mockery—at all.
But just because Silas ignored them didn't mean Pikachu would!
After all, Pikachu was Silas's partner—no way it'd let anyone trash-talk its Trainer so recklessly.
So without waiting for a command, Pikachu sprang into action!
In a blur, Pikachu vanished from its spot—reappearing right in front of Golem, its tail shining bright white, electricity dancing along its edge—Thunder Tail!
Pikachu's tail whipped down, crashing onto Golem's rocky hide!
Bam!
"Golem!"
A sound like splitting boulders filled the air, Golem letting out a howl of pain!
With just a single Thunder Tail, Golem's rock-hard shell was shattered with a web of cracks, ready to crumble at any second. The Bikers were stunned.
That was a Golem!
A Golem's shell is tough as granite!
How could Pikachu break it in a single strike?
Once the shock wore off, the Bikers' attitudes shifted—they finally realized just how terrifying this Pikachu was!
A mohawked guy yelled, "Machoke, use Brick Break!"
"Machoke!"
Machoke struck a bodybuilder pose and charged Pikachu!
"Agility! Thunder Tail!" This time, Silas gave the orders.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu's form vanished again—years of toughening up in Tyranitar's gravity field had made Pikachu lightning-fast, way faster than most Pokémon could even see. When it used agility, it was a blur, invisible to the naked eye. Machoke stopped, confused, glancing at its trainer for orders.
Bam!
Before it could react, a crushing pain exploded in its back, a single blow launching it straight into its trainer—a split-second KO before Machoke could even cry out!
With Pikachu dropping two Pokémon instantly and with the same move, the Biker crew started to panic!
"Cloyster! Use Water Gun on Pikachu!"
"Arbok, get close and use Wrap!"
"Heracross, Fury Attack!"
...
"Muk! Use Sludge Bomb!"
All at once, the Bikers barked orders to their Pokémon—projectiles charged, fangs bared, every attack converging on Pikachu. Silas just raised an eyebrow. "Lightning jump—Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu jolted its muscles with electricity, then sprang high into the air—soaring several meters up!
BOOM!
From that height, Pikachu became a thunder god—bolts erupting from its body, a catastrophic Thunderbolt raining down, striking with the wrath of the heavens. As it hit, the lightning split into ten jagged "dragons," each roaring down on a different target!
"Cloyster!"
"Arbok!"
"Heracross!"
...
"Muk!"
Ten Pokémon howled as the lightning struck—when the sparks cleared, all ten Pokémon were out cold, thin arcs of electricity still dancing across their bodies!
But the Bikers barely even noticed—they were paralyzed, staring in shock.
One attack.
A single blow, and Pikachu had wiped out ten Pokémon in an instant!
Who was this Pikachu?! Where had this monster come from?
All the Bikers could do was gape at Pikachu, minds totally blank—it was just too incredible.
"That's insane." Even Giselle, standing behind Silas, stuck her tongue out, clearly in shock. "Why is Pikachu suddenly this strong? Wasn't it always the weakest until now?"
"It's not sudden," Lorelei said, shaking her head and smiling wryly as Pikachu raced back to Silas, fishing for praise. "It only seemed weak because it was always spending time next to those other monsters. In reality, its power probably matches up to even quasi–Elite Four–level Pokémon."
"Quasi–Elite Four?" Giselle's eyes went wide—she'd never imagined the Pikachu she always played with could be this powerful.
"Let's go." As Giselle stood dazed, Silas already recalled Pikachu, ignoring the stunned Bikers as he yawned, "All done here. Let's get back to our bicycle trip."
...
Three days later.
Cinnabar Island.
This was a legendary place.
Once, the island was known for the Cinnabar Gym leader, Blaine. Although Blaine's reputation wasn't what it used to be, no one could deny he'd once been an Elite Four member of the League.
Today, the island was famous for its hot springs. Ever since the springs were discovered here a decade ago, it's become a magnet for tourists, not just Trainers. So many flock for the bathing that the once-glorious Gym is now practically forgotten; all anyone talks about is Cinnabar Island's hot springs.
"We're finally here!" As soon as she stepped off the ferry, Giselle's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hot springs, here I come!"
"…*3"
Giselle's wild display drew a lot of odd looks, so much so that Silas and the others broke out in sweatdrops. Just as Suzie was about to remind Giselle to act like a proper lady, a cheeky old man's voice boomed, "That's right, little Giselle! Tonight, Grandpa's joining you in the hot springs!"
That voice made the sweatdrops even bigger—nobody needed to look to know who it was.
"No way!" Giselle's face twisted in horror. She glared at the old man like he was a pervert. "I am NOT sharing a hot spring with you! If I'm going, it's with Sister Suzie and Big Sis Lorelei only!"
The culprit, of course, was none other than Blaine—the former Fire-type Elite Four!
Right now, Blaine was leering at Giselle and cackling like a creep. "No need to be shy, little Giselle! I used to take you to see Magikarp and buy you lollipops all the time! C'mon, we haven't seen each other for ages—let Grandpa give you a little check-up, hmm?"
"Gross!" Giselle exploded.
As Giselle's banter with Blaine got weirder by the second, Silas hurried over to break it up. "Hey there, Blaine—been a while."
"Ah, Silas!" Blaine's eyes twinkled. "It's true, been ages! Tonight, we gotta have a little drink. I've heard all about your adventures—tonight, let's have a long chat!"
"I'll pass." Silas shook his head without hesitation, grinning politely. "I'm just here to challenge the Gym, maybe hit the hot springs—I figure you're cool with arranging that, right, old man?"
"No problem." Blaine didn't even blink, nodding. "You're on my turf now, so I gotta show you a good time—or Oak'll tell everyone I mistreated his grandson. Follow me, dinner's already waiting!"
"Thanks."
...
Night fell.
Blaine treated Silas's group to a great dinner, then had staff guide the girls off toward the hot springs.
Once the girls had left, Blaine got serious. "Silas, it's time to talk business."
"PASS!" Silas refused on the spot, sighing, "Blaine, I already told Lorelei to pass on my message—it's clear enough. I'm here to train Pokémon, not get roped into your League politics."
"Same here," Blaine agreed instantly, eyes narrowing. "To be honest, what I'm really interested in is your Pokémon."
"My Pokémon?" Silas was puzzled. "Don't tell me you're tired of the hotel ladies and are moving on to a new hobby?"
"Get out!" Blaine snapped, face changing. "Do I look like that much of a creep?"
"Not really." Silas shook his head, which seemed to placate Blaine—until Silas smirked and added, "Actually, you don't have to look like one, you just are."
"You—!" Blaine pointed at Silas, but found himself at a loss. In the end, he changed the subject: "What I mean is, your Pokémon are insanely strong. Not just your four monsters—even this Pikachu that's been with you for three months, its rate of growth is alarming."
That startled Silas into alertness. He squinted. "What are you getting at?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Blaine said, narrowing his eyes. "I don't know how you're training your Pokémon, but for your own sake, you should keep a low profile. People only ignore Pikachu because your Charizard and the others are so flashy—they overshadow Pikachu's real strength. But you're not going to be traveling with all of them forever, right? Sooner or later, someone's bound to see through the act. When that happens, how many people do you think will try to get what you've got?"
Blaine's warning sent a chill down Silas's spine. He had planned to travel to the next region with just Pikachu, since his other four Pokémon had little room left for growth and were better off staying in Kanto to guard the region.
Now, after hearing Blaine's warning, he knew he'd need to change that plan. Traveling with just Pikachu would be way too risky. He looked at Blaine and nodded. "Thanks."
"For what?"
Seeing Silas's face, Blaine knew he'd made his point and went on cheerfully. "If you really wanna thank me, then once you become Champion, send a little extra funding Cinnabar Gym's way, huh? Budgets are tight these days!"
"Heh…"
Silas couldn't help smirking. Knowing Blaine's past, there was no way budget was really an issue—for a former Elite Four, the League would never let him go short. If he was broke, the most likely answer was that Blaine was blowing all his money… on women!
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