"Now begins the Gym Challenge battle. The two participants are Saffron City Gym Leader Lucci and Ash from Pallet Town. Each side may use one Pokémon. There is no time limit. The battle officially begins!" the referee announced.
"Since you're Red's brother, you must also be an outstanding Pokémon Trainer. Let my old partner battle you!" Lucci said, throwing the Poké Ball in his hand.
As the dazzling white light faded, a seasoned Alakazam appeared on the battlefield.
"This Pokémon is?" Ash asked in confusion, habitually taking out his Pokédex to analyze Alakazam's data. The Pokédex emitted a mechanical voice,
"Alakazam, the Psi Pokémon. It can freely control psychic powers and dislikes using brute force."
"I see, a Psychic-type Pokémon..." Ash pondered for a moment, seemingly thinking of a countermeasure, then shouted excitedly, "Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!" He sent out Pikachu from his shoulder to battle.
"I never expected things to develop so ridiculously..." Red said helplessly. He had clearly changed Sabrina's fate in advance just to make Ash's Gym Challenge easier. Yet Lucci had mistakenly assumed Ash's strength was no ordinary level and directly sent out his initial Pokémon. This was simply outrageous.
Seeing that its opponent was Pikachu, Alakazam casually waved its hand, signaling Ash to attack first.
"It looks really strong!" Ash muttered, but he showed no fear toward Alakazam's strength.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
"Pika—Chu!"
Electricity burst from Pikachu's body. The high-voltage current, like lightning serpents, attempted to swallow Alakazam before it. Yet neither Lucci nor Alakazam showed the slightest tension; they stood as steady as a mountain.
"Psychic!" Lucci ordered.
Alakazam's eyes glowed blue as it used Psychic to seize control of Pikachu's Thunderbolt. With a twist of the spoon in its hand, the controlled high-voltage current was sent straight back at Pikachu.
"This is bad! Pikachu, quickly use Iron Tail and drive it into the ground!" Ash urgently commanded.
Pikachu's tail glowed white as it thrust Iron Tail into the ground. The incoming high-voltage current was channeled through its tail into the earth, and Pikachu suffered no damage.
"Not bad tactics. You even thought of the method from your battle at the Vermilion Gym. Looks like Ash hasn't been slacking during this time!" Red nodded in satisfaction, sighing in relief. At least Ash wasn't as foolish as before.
"Worthy of being Red's brother. It seems I'll have to get serious too!" Lucci said sternly.
(Actually, Ash isn't as strong as you think…) ×2
Misty and Brock simultaneously looked helplessly at Red. The situation had already strayed far from an ordinary Gym Challenge. Lucci was clearly imagining he was battling Red himself.
"Alakazam, use Psychic!"
The previously lazy Alakazam suddenly vanished from its spot, appearing upside down in midair. Crossing the spoons in its hands, it unleashed psychic power, forcibly immobilizing Pikachu on the ground, then swung its spoons, slamming Pikachu up and down against the battlefield.
"This isn't even a battle on the same level!" Brock exclaimed in shock. The Saffron City Gym Challenge was far more terrifying than Ash's previous ones. After all, most of Ash's earlier Gym battles had involved the opponent holding back. Lucci, however, was deadly serious.
(Ash, forgive me…)
Red felt unfortunate for Ash's current predicament. He hadn't expected the difficulty of Ash's Saffron City Gym Challenge to increase by several levels again. Although Ash no longer had to suffer being turned into a doll by Sabrina, it now seemed impossible for him to obtain the Gold Badge.
"My courage and Pikachu's won't fall here!" Ash encouraged.
Upon hearing Ash's inspiring words, Pikachu broke free from Alakazam's psychic control through sheer willpower.
"Pikachu, since Alakazam can use Teleport to evade attacks, we'll gather all the lightning in the sky and unleash a full-area Thunder!" Ash commanded.
"Reckless!" Red shook his head. Blindly unleashing all its electricity would only exhaust Pikachu's stamina. This high-voltage discharge wouldn't threaten Alakazam and might even be used against Pikachu instead.
Pikachu released its lightning, spreading it throughout the battlefield. Alakazam, floating in midair, showed not the slightest sign of panic. Calmly raising one spoon, it gathered all the electricity together and redirected it toward Pikachu.
To prevent Pikachu from using Iron Tail again to disperse the electricity, Alakazam used its free spoon to cast Psychic, restraining Pikachu's movements.
Just as the electricity was about to strike Pikachu, Red silently threw his Poké Ball. The released Thousand-Year Gengar used Psychic to channel the massive current into the ground.
"This farce ends here," Red said calmly. Although he had witnessed Ash's growth, Ash's current strength was still insufficient to defeat a veteran Gym Trainer like Lucci.
"So I misunderstood..." Lucci realized. Seeing Pikachu collapse weakly on the ground, he understood he had subconsciously overestimated Ash's strength. He then looked apologetically at Red and Ash.
"It's fine! I was too full of myself!" Ash said shamefully. Blind confidence had been one of the reasons for his defeat.
"This is my responsibility. Without your permission, I raised the level of the Gym Challenge. It was my personal oversight that led to this result!" Lucci apologized, indicating Ash could challenge again.
But having witnessed the true strength of the Saffron City Gym, how could Ash easily accept what Lucci called 'holding back'?
"Actually, Ash, you really don't need to worry so much!" Misty stepped forward to advise him.
"Huh? Why, Misty?" Ash turned his head in confusion.
"Because the three League Badges you got before weren't entirely earned by your own strength. Especially Brock's Boulder Badge — he basically lost to you on purpose!" Misty said helplessly, telling Ash not to take the authenticity of Gym battles too seriously.
"How could this be..."
Ash collapsed to his knees in despair, recalling his previous Gym Challenges. It seemed exactly as Misty had said — not a single one had been won purely by his true level. Even the Vermilion Gym battle he was proud of had relied on Red's training help.
"Pika... Pika..."
As Ash's loyal partner, Pikachu stepped forward as well, patting Ash on the shoulder to comfort him.