Everyone received the same initial 2,000 wager points.
Each round of the Heavenly Tally granted an additional 300 points.
Rules were simple:
You can only bet on one side.
Win, lose, or draw—three choices.
You cannot bet both sides.
Some people immediately went all in.
If there was ever a guaranteed win, it was now.
Who knew if future rounds would be this easy?
Others were more cautious, betting only half.
It wasn't because they believed Pikachu could win—
They were habitual conservative gamblers.
Five minutes passed.
Betting time ended.
Regice's odds displayed:
1 to 1.01 — the lowest possible payout.
Honestly, with almost everyone betting on Regice,
The odds should've been something like 100 to 100.00001.
Meanwhile, Pikachu had the highest possible odds:
1 to 50.
Then the Heavenly Tally displayed the worldwide betting ratio:
Regice: 99.99%
Pikachu: 0.01%
And everyone had the same burning question:
Who in their right mind bet on Pikachu?!
"Pikachu will definitely win!"
"…Ash, wake up! That's a Legendary Pokémon!"
"Your Pikachu—sorry, Pikachu, I'm not insulting you, but…"
Misty trailed off, unable to say it bluntly.
But the truth was cruel.
No matter how exceptional Ash's Pikachu was,
it couldn't possibly defeat a Legendary Titan.
Steven had thoroughly explained Regice earlier—
And even Champions might struggle against it.
Forget Legendaries—
Even just comparing trainer skill was unfair.
Brandon was a Frontier Brain with strength rivaling Champions.
Ash, in the footage, had probably been traveling for a year or two at most.
Winning? Impossible.
"I don't care! I'm supporting Pikachu!"
Ash instantly shoved all his points onto Pikachu—
without hesitation, without fear.
"Pika… Pikaaa!!"
Pikachu teared up from sheer emotion.
This was his Trainer.
The one who lived and nearly died with him.
The one who trusted him every time.
Even if Pikachu was terrified of fighting a Legendary…
He still declared in his heart:
This year at the Indigo Plateau, I'll be the MVP!!
Misty and Brock exchanged helpless looks.
Togepi tilted its head in confusion at the shouting.
"Sigh… what can we do with you?"
"This is just who Ash is."
With a shared smile, they each placed 1,000 points on Pikachu as well.
If they couldn't stop him, they could at least be crazy with him.
"You two… you're the best partners ever!!"
"Pikachu, don't let me down!"
Ash stared intensely at the screen.
Beside him, Pikachu clenched its tiny fists.
Future me, go wild!
Legendary Titans?
Kick every last one of them over!!
And aside from Ash, Misty, and Brock…
Three other fools also bet on Pikachu—
Team Rocket, still tailing them, of course.
The world watched as the battle finally began.
On-screen—
Brandon threw his Poké Ball.
A towering figure made of ancient glacier ice materialized—
Regice, the Iceberg Pokémon.
Even across the screen, its chilling aura seeped out,
like winter itself was breathing down viewers' necks.
Ash pointed forward dramatically.
Pikachu leapt into the arena.
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaaa—CHU!!!"
Blazing gold electricity burst from Pikachu's tiny body.
Thunderbolt struck Regice dead-on.
The dust cleared.
Regice stood there.
Unmoved. Unharmed.
Not even a crack.
Brandon hadn't even issued a command.
"Wh… what? It didn't work?!"
Ash's voice trembled.
"Whew—scared me! For a second, I thought Brandon was letting him hit for fun!"
"Same! I thought it was some mind game!"
"See?! Pikachu can't possibly hurt Regice!"
"Look—Regice didn't even flinch. How can Pikachu win?"
"This is free money. Easy twenty points!"
Spectators around the world were laughing.
To them, Pikachu vs. Regice was like
An egg thrown at a mountain.
A tiny mouse versus a Legendary Titan?
Ridiculous.
In Viridian City, Giovanni leaned back in his ornate chair.
Watching the screen, he compared Regice
to his own creation: Mewtwo.
Which one was stronger?
After a moment of thought, he dismissed the comparison.
This Pikachu wasn't nearly strong enough
to force Regice to use its full power.
Without seeing Regice pushed to the limit,
there was no point comparing it to Mewtwo.
Naturally, he had bet on Regice as well.
He had noticed something inside the Tally's shop—
An item that could locate Mewtwo.
The price was astronomical…
But Giovanni was patient.
A small, easy goal first:
earn twenty points.
The battle continued—
Brandon finally made his move.
"Regice—Blizzard!"
"Re-giiiiice!"
Regice crossed its icy arms, then swung them wide.
A colossal Blizzard swept across the arena,
snow and frost lashing Pikachu and even Ash behind him.
The freezing power gnawed at Pikachu's limbs.
"Don't lose! Pikachu—Iron Tail!"
"Pika!!"
Electric sparks snapped across Pikachu's fur,
stimulating his frozen muscles back to motion.
His tail gleamed silver—
He charged straight through the Blizzard like an arrow.
Brandon's eyes sharpened.
"Regice—Ice Beam!"
"Dodge it, Pikachu!"
Ash shouted his signature dodge command—
And somehow it worked.
Pikachu leapt aside, avoiding the Ice Beam—
but only barely.
Neither of them noticed
that the ground beneath Pikachu's feet
was starting to freeze solid…