[Lance: Lt. Surge's jaw nearly hit the floor.]
[Lt. Surge: Heh, compared to me, the me from the other world had it even worse! That guy didn't even know what kind of monster Pikachu he was up against!]
[Volkner: Aaron, can you do that line again? "A Pikachu that doesn't evolve is trash!" Hahaha!]
[Aaron: Hey, hey, hey! I never said that! I just said Pikachu's potential is kind of limited if it doesn't evolve! Don't twist my words, damn it!]
[Leon: A Pokémon's potential isn't decided by itself alone—it depends on its Trainer too.]
[Leon: With Black World Ash around, even if Pikachu's talent was absolute garbage, its future achievements would never be low. Not to mention… this Pikachu seems different from any I've ever seen.]
[James: You think we'd go after a weak Pikachu?]
[Jessie: Exactly! We chased that kid for a whole year just to catch that Pikachu! A year! My beautiful youth, wasted!]
[Ash: Yeah yeah, I begged you to chase me, right? Happy now?]
In the Black World—
Facing a Pikachu that had finally shed all its training weights, Lt. Surge swallowed hard. In the dead silence of the gym, that single gulp sounded deafening. Even Raichu was sweating bullets, instinctively stepping back. You call that a Pikachu? Wasn't that just a Machamp in a Pikachu suit???
"Let's get started, 'grown-up'!" "R-Raichu, get ready! Be careful!" Lt. Surge didn't dare underestimate his opponent anymore. You kidding me? A Pikachu that plays around while carrying dozens of pounds of weight—how could that still be called a baby? If that "baby" punched him once, he'd probably cry from the pain.
"Pikachu—Quick Attack!" "Pika!!"
A streak of golden light flashed across the battlefield—in the blink of an eye, Pikachu was right in front of Raichu, slamming its tiny body straight into Raichu's gut! Raichu's eyes bulged. It was sent flying! "BOOM!!" Not even a second later, Raichu crashed into the gym wall with a heavy thud.
Cracks spidered across the solid surface. Raichu slid down limply and collapsed to the floor—completely unconscious. One move. Instant KO. A Quick Attack, normally fast but weak, had just one-shotted a Raichu. Even Ash himself hadn't expected that Pikachu, once unburdened, would be so much faster and stronger than before.
So it was true—weighted training really worked! Brock and Misty were both standing there, jaws hanging open, eyes nearly popping out. Wait—so Pikachu was holding back when it fought us?! This was way stronger than back then!
As for Lt. Surge… his face was frozen in disbelief. Several full seconds passed before the gym referee finally announced the result: "Ash wins!" Only then did Lt. Surge snap back to reality. He… lost? Got one-shotted?? No way! How was that even possible?! That was a Pikachu! A Pikachu! And his Pokémon was the evolved Raichu! In theory, Raichu's electricity, strength, and defense were all several times higher! Only its speed was slower.
But now… his Raichu had been instantly obliterated! "Ash Ketchum… now can you tell me, who's the baby?"
[Koga: Damn, that's badass! Compared to White World Ash, Black World Ash's energy is on another level!]
[Lt. Surge: 'A bit stronger'? He's way stronger! When White World Ash beat me back then, he didn't talk to me like that!]
[Olivia: Well, to be fair, those who run their mouths first usually get humbled later. You were just too arrogant, Lt. Surge.]
[Cynthia: Black World Ash is usually humble. He just treats people the way they treat him.] No one thought Black World Ash was in the wrong—after all, everyone knew Lt. Surge started it.
In the Black World—
Lt. Surge reluctantly handed over the orange Thunder Badge. Ash thanked him, then paused at the doorway. Without turning back, he spoke: "My Pikachu has been with me since I was seven." "Back then, he wasn't even officially mine. He was stubborn, wary of people." "We built our bond little by little.
One day, I asked him if he wanted to evolve." "But he told me… he wanted to stand at the peak of the world as the same Pikachu who first met me." "From that moment, I knew—I'd never make him evolve. And Pikachu would never want to." "Even so, I believe that one day, we'll stand at the very top together."
"Remember this, Lt. Surge—the one who beat you today isn't some 'baby.'" "It's Ash from Pallet Town—future World Champion and Pokémon Master!" With that, Ash walked out of Vermilion Gym and closed the door behind him. Inside, Lt. Surge held his battered Raichu and smiled wryly. "Future World Champion, huh… Heh. Guess I didn't lose unfairly."
[Duplica: That was beautiful! Believing in your Pokémon—that's the real path to the top! Black World Ash and Pikachu are shining!]
[Cynthia: White World Ash believed in Pikachu too, that's why he never evolved it either. Their bond's the same—it's just that White World Ash lacks drive.]
[Gary: "Lacks drive" is putting it nicely. He just doesn't realize how important real training is.]
[Brock: He only trains seriously after setbacks—like when he battled me, or Lt. Surge.]
[Lance: Huh? Are the Kanto Gym Leaders really this weak?]
[Professor Kukui: Cough cough—I've visited the Kanto Gyms before. By all rights, they should be full of top-tier Trainers.]
Back when Kukui took on the Gyms under his alias "The Masked Royal," he even competed in the Indigo League—and later challenged the Elite Four. Unfortunately, he was defeated by Lance himself. Then again, it couldn't be helped—after all, the Kanto Elite Four… were basically four Champions.
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