After recalling Ninetales, Blaine sent out his second Pokémon, Arcanine.
Arcanine were rare even in the wild, and the League primarily assigned them to security forces. Raising one was expensive, since the quality of the Fire Stone used for Growlithe's evolution determined the Pokémon's long-term potential.
But the cost came with immense returns.
One evolution from a Fire Stone could rival two full evolutions of a Starter Pokémon, making Arcanine extremely valuable.
For an Elite Trainer like Blaine, owning one wasn't strange. What stood out was its strength.
This was far beyond what Gardevoir could currently handle.
Her earlier dominance over Ninetales had only been possible because Blaine used Extrasensory instead of Fire-type attacks. With Flash Fire and the volcanic terrain enhancing flames, a Fire move would have overwhelmed her Psychic directly.
Now that Arcanine was on the field, staying in would be reckless.
"Gardevoir, return!"
Ash recalled her immediately. Mega Evolution and Aura Fusion boosted power but not stamina, and Gardevoir couldn't waste energy against an opponent she couldn't overcome.
Ash placed his cap gently on Pikachu's head.
"It's your turn."
"Pika!"
Pikachu hopped onto the arena, only to squeal and shuffle his feet rapidly. The battlefield atop the volcano was scorching, far hotter than where he had been standing earlier. After adjusting for a moment, he steadied himself.
"Pikachu already? He's using his ace this early?" Gary muttered, confused.
"What about the last round? Who's closing the match?"
"Ash is," Misty replied.
Gary froze.
"That wasn't a joke?! He's actually fighting a Pokémon himself?!"
To him, the idea was absurd. Humans wrestling regular Pokémon was already unbelievable, fighting a top tier ones was unthinkable.
But Brock simply shook his head.
"Gary, your worldview is too small. Once you see more, you'll understand."
"Toge!" Togepi chirped proudly.
Gary stared blankly.
'How am I the crazy one here?'
Still… he couldn't shake the uneasy curiosity growing inside him.
'Is Ash really that strong?'
On the battlefield, Blaine's expression hardened.
He had studied Pikachu in past recordings, but no matter how often he replayed the battle against Arbok, he couldn't decipher Pikachu's mysterious moves, two unknown Electric techniques and one strange aerial maneuver unlike anything documented.
But Pikachu's current level was what truly shocked him.
Previously, when Blaine studied Pikachu's battle against Arbok, Pikachu had only been in the lower-to-mid range of trained Pokémon.
But now… Pikachu's strength had jumped all the way to the very peak of his current tier.
That kind of growth made no sense.
How could a Pikachu's level rise this much in barely a month?
For most Pokémon, improving even a little at this stage took immense time and effort.
Yet Pikachu had reached the top of his tier already, and seemed close to breaking into an even higher rank.
Was this really a Pikachu? Or some disguised Legendary species?
What Blaine didn't know was that Pikachu had reached this peak half a month ago.
And he'd been stuck there ever since.
For ordinary Pokémon, taking weeks or months to break past a plateau was normal.
But for Pikachu, who usually grew at an explosive rate, stalling for half a month was extremely unusual.
Ash had tried countless ways to help him break through, but nothing worked.
Now, however… facing Blaine's Arcanine might be exactly what Pikachu needed to shatter that bottleneck.
"Let's begin, Blaine."
Ash's Aura surged into Pikachu, and crackling rings of energy burst from Pikachu's body.
Even Arcanine's thick fur was pushed back by the shockwave.
Despite his smaller size, Pikachu's Aura was even more intense than Gardevoir's had been.
Blaine was impressed, but still confident.
"Impressive… but still not enough to surpass my Arcanine."
Arcanine held a clear advantage, as long as they watched out for Pikachu's strange moves.
"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"
Arcanine struck the ground and vanished in an instant, faster than Quick Attack, faster than the eye could follow.
"Pikachu!!"
Ash didn't give a command, just called Pikachu's name. And Pikachu understood instantly, leaping high into the air.
A split-second later, Arcanine shot past the spot Pikachu had been standing.
The resulting shockwave alone blasted cracks into the volcanic walls.
If Pikachu had taken that hit directly, he would've been seriously injured.
"Surf!"
At Ash's call, Pikachu unleashed a surge of power, and a massive tidal wave formed in midair, rising like a blue mountain above the battlefield.
For a Pikachu to generate such a Water-type attack, especially on a volcano, any spectator would've sworn he was a Water-type Pokémon instead.
The wave covered the entire field.
Even if Arcanine couldn't be seen, it didn't matter. There was nowhere left to run.
"What?! How does a Pikachu use Surf?!
Arcanine, Flamethrower!"
Blaine didn't even have time to marvel at it. He immediately ordered a counterattack.
A Water-type move of this scale, on a volcano, from a Pikachu,it shattered all logic.
And aside from the three mysterious moves Blaine already knew Pikachu possessed, this revealed yet another completely unknown technique.
Where was Ash even learning these moves from?!
The huge wave fell.
Arcanine screeched to a halt, spun around, and fired a blazing blast of flames.
"Szzzzh—!!"
Flames slammed into the tidal wave, evaporating huge volumes of water instantly. Thick, white steam engulfed the entire field, swallowing both Pokémon from view.
Soon enough, pained howls echoed from inside the Mist.
Between Arcanine's hastily fired flames and Pikachu's fully prepared Water attack, it was obvious which one held the advantage.
Even with the volcanic fire energy weakening Water moves, water still beat fire, and Pikachu's strength far exceeded what his "tier" should allow, because he carried a Light Ball.
"Floating Fall!"
Blaine couldn't see anything through the thick Mist, but Ash could track Arcanine perfectly through Aura.
At his command, Pikachu dropped straight from above, slamming into Arcanine just as the dog Pokémon tried to stand.
Arcanine was blasted out of the Mist with another sharp cry.
"Arcanine, steady yourself! Regroup, Fire Spin, now!"
Blaine finally understood why Koga's Arbok was beaten senseless.
Ash's strange power was outrageous, he could read Extreme Speed, track positions in zero visibility, and react instantly. It felt like fighting someone who was outright cheating.
But surrounding Arcanine in a swirling shield of flames might buy him a moment to breathe.
"Roooaaar!!"
Arcanine, trembling from the earlier hit, forced out a roar and ignited a ring of heavy flames around himself, forming a blazing barrier.
He desperately needed a pause.
Pikachu's Floating Fall hadn't dealt devastating damage thanks to Intimidate, but the flinching pressure built into the move left Arcanine barely able to act.
Even this Fire Spin had been forced out purely through willpower, and Arcanine had nothing left to follow up with.
He needed seconds.
Even one.
But Ash wasn't giving him any.
"Surf!"
Ash attacked with the cold precision of a hunter.
No mercy.
Pikachu leaped again, and another giant tidal wave rose beneath him, crashing forward with unstoppable force.
The wave blew the Mist away at once.
Pikachu, wearing Ash's red-and-white cap, rode the crest of the water with a bright, eager grin, like he was surfing for fun rather than fighting for his life.
The tidal wave hit the Fire Spin in an instant.
Steam exploded outward in loud hisses. Flames evaporated water, water crushed flames, the clash was violent and brief.
Arcanine's fiery shield broke.
Only then did Blaine shout, "Arcanine, Extreme Speed!"
But Arcanine's muscles trembled.
The flinch effect from Floating Fall hadn't fully faded yet. He couldn't trigger Extreme Speed in time.
His eyes widened, and the wave swallowed him whole.
"BOOM!"
Water crashed down onto the battlefield, splashing into the lava below with explosive hissing.
Pikachu flipped neatly in midair, landed lightly in front of Ash, and posed like he'd just pulled off a cool stunt rather than executed a devastating attack.
Gary watching Pikachu fight, stared in utter shock.
"T-this… this is a Pikachu?! What kind of monster is this Pika-thing?!"