"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Without hesitation, having sensed the danger, Ash immediately commanded Pikachu to attack. Brock, standing nearby, wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.
(This is bad! Recklessly angering such a powerful Pokémon is not a good idea!)
Brock stared nervously at the blood-red Gyarados, only to see it reveal a disturbingly human-like look of disdain.
Part of the blood-red Gyarados' pale yellow skin suddenly turned jet black, and the aura it emitted changed drastically as it directly endured Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
"How is that possible?!" Misty cried out in horror. As someone who aspired to become a Water-type Pokémon Master, she was extremely familiar with Gyarados' attributes. Ordinary Gyarados were Water and Flying-type, four times weak to Electric-type moves. But the blood-red Gyarados before her was clearly not normal.
"This is bad, it's completely enraged Gyarados!" Brock said in panic. The blood-red Gyarados' eyes now revealed killing intent, and golden energy particles began gathering at its mouth, preparing to unleash a devastating Hyper Beam.
"Beedrill, stop Gyarados—use Cross Chop!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Ash momentarily forgot his fear and turned in delight toward Red not far away. In Ash's mind, as long as his older brother appeared, there was no danger.
Realizing it had targeted the wrong opponent, yet with Hyper Beam already charged at its mouth, the blood-red Gyarados had no choice but to reduce the energy output as much as possible, praying it wouldn't harm Ash and the others.
Under the trio's panicked gaze, Beedrill rushed straight toward the Hyper Beam. Crossing its twin stingers, which emitted a white glow, it used Brick Break to block the impact of the Hyper Beam and, in one fluid motion, shattered it.
(As expected of Master's starter Pokémon…)
The blood-red Gyarados sighed inwardly. Even though part of the energy had been weakened, its Hyper Beam was not something that could be casually blocked—yet Beedrill had dismantled it with its own power.
"Ash, that was too reckless!" Red scolded. If he hadn't sensed the disturbance in time, Ash and the others would have been in serious danger.
Already accustomed to being reprimanded, Ash lowered his head silently. The blood-red Gyarados, which had been about to slip away, was also scolded by Red. Both sides had made mistakes. The blood-red Gyarados shouldn't have trained Hyper Beam recklessly without observing its surroundings, and Ash shouldn't have rashly attacked it. If he could win, that would be one thing—but provoking trouble without the strength to back it up was simply foolish.
"So this is Red's Gyarados… but why is its skin color like that?" Misty asked in confusion, looking at the blood-red Gyarados in its altered form.
Misty had never seen a shiny Gyarados and mistakenly assumed all shiny Gyarados looked like this blood-red one. In truth, that was a serious misunderstanding. The blood-red Gyarados had been modified on top of being shiny, fundamentally different from ordinary shiny Gyarados.
Because of Ash and the others' sudden intrusion, the training of the other four Pokémon was interrupted. They had sensed the battle between Beedrill and the blood-red Gyarados and came over to see what was happening.
"Wow! Are these all your Pokémon? Every single one of them is wearing limiters!" Ash exclaimed in amazement. The other four Pokémon were incredibly fast as well, gathering beside Red in no time. Their imposing lineup left the trio in awe.
"So you didn't show your full strength from the beginning?" Brock murmured. Only now did he realize that when Red challenged the Pewter Gym, he had deliberately sent out Charmander and Pidgey, whose types were at a disadvantage, using the battle to promote their evolution.
"That Scyther must be your sixth Pokémon!" Misty said in admiration. Most trainers treasured their initial six Pokémon dearly, so for Red to choose Scyther as his sixth spoke volumes about its potential. Its gleaming green sheen alone highlighted its extraordinary nature.
"So strong…" Ash muttered, recalling his own starting lineup. He lowered his head in frustration. Ever since childhood, he had never surpassed his brother. The only thing he ever had over Red was passion for Pokémon—and even that, Red had once willingly conceded.
"Alright! I challenge you!" Ash declared passionately, intending to have a six-on-six Pokémon battle against Red.
"No way, Ash! The gap between you and Red is just too huge! Even if Red held back on purpose, you probably couldn't defeat even one of his Pokémon!" Misty said bluntly, though she was speaking the truth. With Ash's current lax training, he couldn't defeat any of Red's Pokémon.
"I think so too. Let's just head to the lighthouse and rest first," Brock added, trying to persuade Ash to give up under the excuse of resting.
But once Ash got fired up, he wasn't easily talked out of it.
"It's fine! He can use psychic powers to help us get to the lighthouse quickly!"
It had to be said—Ash was only clever when it came to Pokémon battles. At a time like this, he even remembered to have Red use Teleport to get them there quickly.
Seeing that persuasion was useless, Misty and Brock stepped back, clearing space for the two brothers to battle.
"Ash, as your older brother, I need to tell you something. I have always taken Pokémon battles extremely seriously. You must also give one hundred percent when facing my attacks," Red said sternly. With just a glance from him, Scyther stepped forward and stood before Ash and Pikachu.
"What Pokémon is that?" Ash habitually took out his Pokédex to analyze Scyther's data. "Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. It uses its sharp scythes to cut down prey and take their lives. It only flies with its wings in rare circumstances."
"It looks so dangerous!" Ash shouted. "I'm counting on you, Pikachu!" He sent out his most reliable vanguard—Pikachu.
"Ash, you make the first move," Red said, handing over the initiative so Ash could demonstrate his current strength.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Double Team."
Scyther's body suddenly split into multiple afterimages. Countless clones moved rapidly, making it impossible for Pikachu to lock onto its true position. Even when the electric current was released, it only struck the clones.
"Bug Buzz!"
Scyther's wings began vibrating, releasing a piercing buzz. The sound drilled into Pikachu's ears, disrupting its focus. Pikachu clutched its ears in pain, trying desperately to block out the noise.
"X-Scissor!"
Scyther charged forward, crossing its glowing green scythes, and defeated Pikachu in a single strike.
"Pikachu is unable to battle!" Brock announced, acting as referee for this match.
"Butterfree, I'm counting on you!" Ash shouted as he threw another Poké Ball, sending out his Bug-type Butterfree.
"Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"
Butterfree flapped its wings, releasing Sleep Powder in an attempt to put Scyther to sleep.
"Swords Dance."
Scyther spun rapidly, generating a powerful gust that blew away the Sleep Powder. Worse still, Butterfree accidentally inhaled some of it itself and immediately fell to the ground, fast asleep.
"This is bad! Swords Dance greatly boosts a Pokémon's Attack. Ash is in even more danger now!" Brock said. Having never witnessed Red's true strength before, he had no idea what kind of offensive pressure Ash was about to face.
"Air Slash."
Scyther slashed forward, creating a sharp blade of wind that shot straight toward the sleeping Butterfree, defeating it in a single hit.
"Butterfree is unable to battle!" Brock declared, looking at Ash with concern. In the end, however, he could only sigh helplessly. Red was Ash's older brother—it wasn't his place to lecture him.
"Squirtle, I'm counting on you!" Ash shouted as he threw another Poké Ball. Squirtle appeared on the field, full of energy.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!"
A stream of water shot toward Scyther, only to be split cleanly in half by Scyther's raised scythe.
"The gap in strength is way too big!" Misty exclaimed. Up to this point, Scyther didn't even have a visible scratch—it hadn't even finished warming up.
"Air Slash."
Scyther once again unleashed a sharp wind blade. Seeing this, Ash quickly ordered Squirtle to withdraw into its shell to block the attack. But to their shock, the sturdy shell was left with a visible slash mark, making the trio fully realize Scyther's overwhelming power.
"Too naive. Scyther, charge in and use Brick Break."
Scyther rapidly closed the distance. Its right scythe glowed white as it struck Squirtle with Brick Break while it was unable to move.
Moments later, Squirtle poked its head out of its shell with spirals in its eyes.
"Squirtle is unable to battle!"