'Even that Pidgeotto didn't dare lose focus when battling me. Where did you get the nerve?' Scyther mocked. Fortunately, Pikachu reacted in time and avoided the lethal scythe strike.
"Pika—pi!" Pikachu cried out in fright. It knew Scyther had been serious just now. If it hadn't dodged in time, it might already be lying paralyzed on the ground.
'Slow reactions, hesitant movements, distracted in battle…' Scyther's expression gradually darkened.
'Someone like you… hasn't taken this battle to heart at all!'
Scyther erupted with a powerful aura. Countless sharp air blades burst from the scythes on its arms, relentlessly closing in on the hastily dodging Pikachu.
Cold sweat dripped from Pikachu's forehead. Fear rose in its heart, and for a moment, the thought of giving up surfaced in its mind.
(What do I do?! This guy really wants to kill me!)
'Giving up just like that? Is your desire for revenge really that insignificant? Or… do you simply lack the courage to become strong!' Scyther demanded. A trace of displeasure flashed in its eyes as it glanced toward Red. Red silently nodded. After understanding Red's intent, Scyther finally let go of its prejudice against Pikachu.
"Isn't this a bit too harsh?" Ash asked worriedly, unable to bear seeing Pikachu treated like this—even if it was for training.
"Ash! Do you think Pokémon battles are won just by shouting a few times? If you and Pikachu keep clinging to such childish attitudes, forget becoming a Pokémon Master—you won't even defeat Lt. Surge of the Vermilion Gym!"
Red rebuked sternly. The harsh tone left Ash speechless. He could act tough in front of others, but when facing Red and Delia, he never dared to talk back.
"Ash…" Misty murmured worriedly as she looked at him.
"Misty, this is something Ash must go through," Brock comforted her, though he too couldn't bear to see Pikachu being hurt by Scyther like this.
'Why bother with revenge? Wouldn't it be better to obediently stay as your trainer's pet?' Scyther sneered. 'Battle is a realm that weaklings like you can't even hope to touch!'
Scyther swung both arms. Two sharp wind blades merged into one massive blade that surged toward the injured Pikachu lying on the ground.
Perhaps it was unwillingness, perhaps fear—various emotions crashed into Pikachu's heart. In that moment, Pikachu, longing to grow stronger, roared and released a surge of powerful electricity from its entire body to resist the incoming giant wind blade.
(So you've finally mastered the release of your own electricity?)
A hint of relief flickered in Scyther's eyes. Using Agility, it moved at high speed and deliberately took the wind blade attack in Pikachu's place.
'Why would you…' Pikachu found it hard to believe. It couldn't understand why the cold Scyther would take the damage for it.
'Hmph! Don't get the wrong idea!' Scyther used Brick Break to shatter the remaining wind blade and looked at Pikachu indifferently. 'I'm just carrying out my master's orders!'
"You barely passed," Red nodded. "But you still need phased training."
Ash and Pikachu, who had just begun to celebrate, instantly drooped their heads in unison after hearing Red's words. They had thought the training was already over.
...
The next day.
After completing their special training, Ash and Pikachu arrived at the Vermilion Gym brimming with confidence. Red and the others accompanied them, intending to witness Pikachu's spectacular victory over Raichu.
As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw several rookie trainers defeated by Lt. Surge's two subordinates. Realizing they couldn't even get past the gatekeepers, most challengers turned away voluntarily, sparing Lt. Surge from constantly complaining about being forced into Gym battles.
When the two subordinates saw Red and the others arrive, they hurried back inside to summon their boss. Lt. Surge's eyes immediately landed on Red, and he instinctively trembled. He then shifted his gaze to the confident Ash beside him. Noticing the difference in Ash and Pikachu compared to before, Lt. Surge nodded and accepted the challenge—though he still didn't believe a mere Pikachu could defeat his Raichu.
"The Gym Leader battle will now begin. Each side may use one Pokémon. Gym Leader Lt. Surge will use Raichu. The challenger, Ash, will use Pikachu. There is no time limit. Battle start!" the referee announced, ringing the bell.
"Go, Pikachu!"
"Go, Raichu!"
Pikachu rushed forward to engage Raichu in close combat. Raichu intended to smack Pikachu across the face with its tail, but Pikachu nimbly dodged. Raichu froze in surprise, unable to understand how yesterday's "little mouse" had become so agile today.
Seeing itself effortlessly evade the attack, Pikachu smiled with delight. This was the result of yesterday's grueling effort. Thinking of that, Pikachu once again felt grateful for the help from Pidgeotto and Scyther.
"Impossible! Raichu, use Body Slam!" Lt. Surge ordered, unwilling to believe Pikachu had improved so drastically.
"Pikachu, use Agility!"
"What?!"
Lt. Surge stared in disbelief as Pikachu dashed across the field at high speed. Raichu looked around in confusion, unable to track Pikachu's position at all.
"Fine then… Raichu, use Thunderbolt to cover the entire field! I refuse to believe it won't hit!"
Raichu stood in place, gathering electricity before unleashing it in a violent burst. The powerful current instantly engulfed the entire arena, even shattering the glass above the Gym. Confident, Lt. Surge ordered Raichu to stop. In his view, a weak Pikachu could never withstand such high voltage.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in anguish.
"It's over!" Lt. Surge declared confidently.
As the smoke from the electric explosion cleared, something shocked everyone present—except Red. Pikachu stood unharmed. Its tail was stuck into the ground like a natural lightning rod, channeling all of Raichu's electricity safely into the earth.
"So that's it! Brilliant idea! Pikachu used its tail as a grounding wire to direct the current into the ground!" Brock praised.
"Pikachu is amazing…" ×3
From the shadows, Team Rocket watched in awe, further strengthening their resolve to steal Pikachu someday.
"Now's the time to counterattack."
Hearing his brother's reminder, Ash immediately commanded Pikachu to attack. Pikachu used Quick Attack to knock Raichu down, then spun and struck Raichu's face with Iron Tail.
Iron Tail had been learned under Red's strict orders. Mastering it allowed Pikachu to diversify its attacks instead of letting its tail remain mere decoration. Ash had only learned about the move yesterday—before that, he had thought Pikachu's tail was just an "ornament."
"Impossible! Raichu, hurry and use Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge shouted anxiously.
Raichu tried to release electricity, but stood there blankly. The earlier full-powered Thunderbolt had drained all its energy. No matter how hard it panted, it couldn't generate even a spark.
"Great chance! Pikachu, let Raichu see our Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted excitedly.
"Pika—chu!"
Pikachu unleashed a surge of electricity. The full force of Thunderbolt coursed into Raichu's body. Struck head-on while still stunned, Raichu convulsed and collapsed to the ground.
"Raichu is unable to battle! The winner of this match is the challenger from Pallet Town, Ash!" the referee announced loudly.
"Yes! Pikachu, we won!"
Ash lifted Pikachu in excitement, and Pikachu shared in the joy. This victory was the fruit of yesterday's grueling effort.
(Seems I evolved Raichu too early…)
After two defeats, Lt. Surge realized Raichu's weakness. Handing the Orange Badge to the victorious Ash, he decided to close the Gym for a week to train Raichu's speed.
Unfortunately for future challengers, this would make things much harder. A few had once managed to exploit Raichu's lack of speed to win, but after Lt. Surge's training, such naive hopes would likely no longer work.
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