"Pika-Pika!"
Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt, striking the enormous hand of the Ancient Dragonite directly.
But against the Ancient Dragonite's overwhelming defensive power, the attack only made it pause briefly.
After destroying the annoying lighthouse beacon that had tricked it and venting its frustration, the Ancient Dragonite finally noticed that humans and Pokémon were standing nearby.
It stopped attacking.
"Ash, run! That's not an ordinary Pokémon!" Misty shouted.
She tried to pull Ash and Pikachu away, but Ash refused.
"That Pokémon must have heard the call of its companions. It traveled all the way here, only to find nothing but a lighthouse. It probably feels like it was deceived."
The Ancient Dragonite stood still, staring down at the tiny humans and Pokémon.
It seemed curious about what this human—who had lured it here—actually wanted.
Seeing that the Ancient Dragonite had stopped its destruction, Ash wasn't sure whether it could understand human language.
So he relayed what he wanted to say to Pikachu, letting Pikachu act as the negotiator.
Ash gripped a Poké Ball tightly.
If anything went wrong, he would immediately have Pidgeotto grab Pikachu and carry it away.
Fearless as ever, Pikachu stepped forward and began talking with the colossal creature.
The Ancient Dragonite looked down at the tiny yellow Pokémon greeting it—and even talking about its companions.
Curious, the giant dragon lowered its head to listen more clearly.
But everyone else misunderstood the gesture.
"Pikachu!" Misty's face turned pale. She thought Pikachu was about to fight Ancient Dragonite head-on.
Such courage—
Or stubborn recklessness—
They had never seen before.
Brock and Bill thought the same thing.
Pikachu wasn't even as big as one of the creature's fingers. Sending it forward looked like suicide.
What kind of Trainer would allow that?
Charging recklessly at a completely unknown Pokémon—
That was the definition of a reckless rookie.
Bill couldn't understand Ash's behavior at all. How could he dare provoke such a massive unknown Pokémon?
Yet after a while—
Pikachu finished its conversation with the Ancient Dragonite.
The negotiation ended peacefully.
The Ancient Dragonite gave Ash a long, deep look.
Then it turned around and slowly left the lonely lighthouse behind.
"…It just left?"
Everyone stood there in shock.
Just moments ago, the giant Pokémon had been attacking.
But after saying a few words with Pikachu, it simply walked away.
Was Pikachu… some kind of distant relative of that giant Pokémon?
No one understood what had just happened.
"Ash, what did Pikachu say to it?" Bill asked.
The enormous Pokémon that nearly destroyed the lighthouse had suddenly left. Had Pikachu made some sort of secret deal with it?
"Nothing special," Ash replied casually.
"I just asked Pikachu to tell it about the recent situation in the Pokémon world."
In his heart, Ash silently added:
…and about its old companions.
"That's it?" Bill still found it hard to believe.
That massive Pokémon didn't seem like the type that would be easy to talk to.
Although they hadn't seen its true appearance clearly, they had glimpsed enough of its silhouette. With some research, Bill might still figure out what species it was.
Ash nodded seriously.
He wasn't lying.
He really did tell Pikachu to say that.
He had simply also mentioned Ancient Gengar and Ancient Alakazam, telling the Ancient Dragonite that he had information about its companions.
"That's good," Misty said softly, looking at Ash and Pikachu with relief in her eyes.
Brock also spoke up.
"Ash, Pikachu—great job."
At first, when he saw Ash and Pikachu facing the Ancient Dragonite instead of running away, Brock had been completely stunned. He thought Ash was just acting reckless.
But now it seemed Ash had thought everything through beforehand.
Maybe that was exactly why Professor Oak had chosen him to begin his journey.
Bill also seemed to see a bit of Professor Oak's younger self in Ash.
A researcher needed partners like Ash and Pikachu—brave enough to face the unknown.
No wonder Oak had personally recommended him.
If Ash hadn't already been sent on his Trainer journey by Professor Oak, Bill might have tried to recruit him into the research field himself.
Any terms would have been negotiable.
"Ash, did you and Pikachu manage to see clearly what kind of Pokémon that was?" Bill asked.
The cry of that Pokémon was completely unfamiliar. Identifying it through its silhouette alone might lead to mistakes.
Ash and Pikachu's testimony would be the most reliable.
"No," Ash replied.
"We saw about the same as you did—just a rough outline."
Ash had no intention of revealing that it was an Ancient Dragonite.
If certain people found out, they might rush to capture it.
Even though Ancient Dragonite was unimaginably powerful, Pokémon hunters were notorious for risking their lives for money.
They would stop at nothing.
"Well… that's a shame," Bill said, though he didn't seem too disappointed.
"Fortunately, it only destroyed the lighthouse beacon."
"You can use the rooms downstairs to sleep tonight."
"As for me, I'll be staying up all night. Until I figure out the identity of that giant Pokémon, my curiosity won't let me rest."
Ash and the others went downstairs and had a late-night meal to calm their nerves.
Brock looked at Pikachu with concern.
"Pikachu, are you alright?"
Noticing that Pikachu's appetite seemed perfectly normal, he relaxed a little.
"Pika~!"
Pikachu looked up at Brock with its bright, lively eyes.
"That's good," Brock said. "I didn't notice you earlier."
He had been too focused on talking with Bill and hadn't realized where Ash and Pikachu had gone.
Just then—
[ Mission Completed: Negotiated with Ancient Dragonite.]
Reward: Ancient Dragonite's Scale has been stored in the System Backpack.
The mission had been completed without major danger.
Once again—
Pikachu had saved the day.
Pikachu had essentially acted as the translator between Ash and the Ancient Dragonite.
So technically—
Pikachu negotiating = Ash negotiating.
Totally reasonable.
Still, the Ancient Dragonite's strength was unbelievable.
Even after taking Pikachu's Thunderbolt, it hadn't been injured at all.
Ash opened the System interface and checked the Ancient Dragonite's Scale.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary scale.
The System didn't explain its purpose either.
For now, the Ancient Dragonite incident had come to an end.
Next, it was time to head to Vermilion City and challenge the Gym.
The third Gym Badge—
The Thunder Badge.
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