"Whoa!!" Suicune raised its head and let out a clear howl, while the water vapor around it frantically condensed. It knew that against this insanely fast and highly offensive Pikachu, any flashy tricks would be futile.
Only by breaking through with sheer force could it possibly turn the tide.
A cerulean column of water surged from its mouth, carrying an overwhelming amount of Water Type energy, like a tsunami crashing towards Pikachu!
This is the signature move of the Water Type—Hydro Pump!
Samuel Oak held his breath in nervousness, is this going to be a direct clash between the two sides?! Ash's Pikachu was able to hit Suicune earlier because of its incredible speed, but facing it head-on, who knows if Suicune is its match.
The Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt collided explosively in mid-air!
"Boom—!!"
There was no stalemate, no tug-of-war.
The golden lightning tore through the thick water column like tearing through paper, instantly, and the pervasive mist was vaporized into steam, utterly obliterated by the Thunder Light.
Suicune's pupils contracted sharply, watching helplessly as the unstoppable lightning pierced through the Hydro Pump and struck its body squarely!
"Whoa—!!"
A piercing cry echoed through the forest. Golden arcs of electricity coursed madly over Suicune's body, the once clear blue body swallowed by the Thunder Light; in the next moment, Suicune's massive form came crashing down!
The damage from Thunderbolt nearly depleted Suicune's remaining physical strength. Although it hadn't lost its ability to fight, it was as good as done for. Even standing up seemed extremely difficult.
Samuel Oak was dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at the small yellow figure on the field, his brain utterly blank.
Suicune's Hydro Pump... was it really broken head-on by Pikachu's Thunderbolt? That legendary Holy Beast was pushed to the brink of collapse by just two moves from a Pikachu?!
He began to doubt whether there was something wrong with this world.
Speed, it couldn't keep up; attack, it couldn't outdo it. This meant Pikachu essentially crushed Suicune in all aspects!
If it were a Tyranitar or Dragonite, Samuel Oak might have been able to accept it, but this was just a Pikachu!
"This is too outrageous..." Samuel Oak muttered to himself.
"Outrageous? Not at all, this isn't even Pikachu's true strength." Misty said with a smile, holding Togepi.
Samuel Oak turned his head sharply, looking at her in disbelief. Not its true strength? You call taking down Suicune with one move not showing its true strength?!
Brock folded his arms and nodded as if it were only natural: "If you had seen how Ash's Pikachu pinned a Champion Level Suicune down before, you wouldn't be so surprised. The Suicune before us is only at an Elite Level."
Champion Level Suicune... are you just saying whatever comes to mind?
According to Misty and Brock, this isn't Pikachu's first encounter with Suicune, and it had defeated a Champion Level Suicune before?
He felt his entire worldview had been completely refreshed at that moment! Pokemon... have infinite potential!
If it's just becoming a Trainer, there's no way to uncover the many secrets deep within Pokemon, so... what if he became a researcher?
The word 'researcher' rose in Samuel Oak's mind and lingered there.
On the field, the battle between Pikachu and Suicune was also coming to an end.
Although Suicune hadn't lost its fighting ability, it simply couldn't get back up. Ash brought out a water-blue Pokeball and directly threw it at Suicune!
The Lure Ball, which increases the capture rate of Water Type Pokemon, also happens to match the color of Water Type Pokemon.
The Lure Ball hit Suicune directly, transforming it into a beam of red light and sucking it in. The Pokeball fell to the ground, shaking three times under the watchful eyes of everyone before finally clicking closed!
"Yay!! I caught Suicune!" Watching as Suicune was captured, Ash, despite always having a poised demeanor, couldn't contain himself and jumped up joyfully.
This was his true nature. After getting Suicune's approval, he almost wanted to jump up, but it wasn't over yet, so he held back until now.
Finally, with Suicune inside his Pokeball, it was time to celebrate!
Ash picked up the Lure Ball and happily ran over to Samuel Oak, Misty, and the others, constantly bragging.
"Alright, alright, Ash, you're the best. Even one of the legendary Three Holy Beasts was captured by you." Misty displayed an expression indicating 'I can't do anything about you,' though she was truly happy.
On this trip to Johto, her goal was to capture one of the legendary Three Holy Beasts, Suicune. Although she didn't capture it herself, her boyfriend did, and by extension, it was almost like she succeeded too.
However, in the future, she definitely wants to capture a Suicune on her own, through her own efforts!
"Congratulations, Ash." Samuel Oak finally composed his complex and volatile emotions and stepped forward to congratulate Ash.
"Heh heh, this is just the beginning. Next, I'll be battling and capturing more legendary Pokemon!" Ash said confidently, waving his fist.
"Hehe, well then, best of luck, Ash... it seems Celebi is waking up." Samuel Oak sensed movement from Celebi in his arms, quickly placing it down.
Ash also calmed his jubilant mood and joined Misty and the others in approaching Celebi.
Celebi's eyes fluttered and slowly opened—"Bi!!"
The faces of Ash and the others were so close that they startled Celebi. Although it understood Ash wasn't a bad person, being so near almost got it to launch a Psychic attack!
"Celebi, are you alright?" Samuel Oak asked worriedly.
"Bi—" Celebi flew into the air, twirling twice, showing off its completely unharmed body.
That small injury wasn't even a scratch for the Forest God. After falling asleep from shock, its self-healing restored the previous injuries.
"Glad you're alright... um, Celebi, can you send me back to my era? I'm not from this time, and staying here wouldn't be good for either the future or the past."
Seeing Celebi unharmed, Samuel Oak also expressed his desire to return.
He wasn't from this era, and staying in this timeline a bit longer might disrupt the temporal order.
Although he wanted to chat more with Ash and his newfound friends, or even travel together—such things were clearly not permitted.
"Bi!" Celebi nodded to show it could send Samuel Oak back right now.
Seeing this, Samuel Oak looked at Ash and the others, a wry smile on his lips: "So, this is goodbye, Ash, Misty, Brock, Serena."
"Leaving so soon, Samuel Oak? You could stay and travel with us for a while, witness the developments of the era forty years later, no problem!" Ash tried to persuade him.
Even though he'd spent a short time with Samuel Oak, Ash really felt a natural affection towards him since the very first encounter, even Ash himself didn't know why.
Samuel Oak shook his head: "No, the more I see of this age, the greater the impact on the future. Beware of my butterfly effect causing none of you to exist; time travel is serious business and shouldn't be taken lightly!"
Hearing this, any words Ash and the others had for persuasion stuck in their mouths.
Indeed, as Samuel Oak said, letting the future affect the past is quite serious.
Although reluctant, they could only bid farewell to Samuel Oak.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely still be around forty years from now, and we'll meet again!" Samuel Oak smiled and waved to Ash and the others, while Celebi activated the Power of Time, disappearing the next instant, both man and Pokemon vanished from Ash's sight.
Watching the disappearing silhouette, Ash felt a sudden emptiness in his heart.
Where exactly, in this era, is Samuel Oak living...?
...
Oak's Research Institute—"Ahchoo!!"