Raichu was completely suppressed by Pikachu from start to finish. From the opening Thunderbolt clash to the close-quarters attacks of Quick Attack and Iron Tail, Raichu had no chance to fight back.
Several injuries had already appeared on Lt. Surge's Raichu, and its mentality began to change—it grew increasingly irritable. When Surge glanced at Ash's Pikachu again, however, it looked perfectly calm and composed.
The smiles on Surge's lackeys' faces had completely frozen. Meanwhile, the smiles had shifted to Brock and Misty instead.
"A rookie trainer's Pokémon will always be rookies," Surge said with a faint smile. In his eyes, Pikachu only had a speed advantage. Besides, his Raichu hadn't used its full strength yet.
Let's see if you can still smile later…
"Pikachu, finish it with Thunderbolt," Ash said. He felt the battle had gone on long enough—it was time to end it.
"Oh? So you think you've already won?" Surge sneered.
"Raichu, show that little Pikachu what a real Thunderbolt looks like!"
Following Surge's command, Raichu unleashed Thunderbolt with all its strength, its eyes filled with contempt, as if it had already seen Pikachu collapse to the ground.
"Pika!"
"Rai—!"
Facing each other from opposite sides of the field, Pikachu and Raichu simultaneously released bright golden electric currents. Two streams of electricity surged forward and collided violently in the center of the arena.
Is that really a Pikachu?
Surge frowned.
This challenger's Pikachu was unusual. The electrical current released by Pikachu was actually much larger than Raichu's, and it looked even more powerful.
Wasn't Raichu supposed to be Pikachu's evolution?
After evolving, its Speed might drop a bit, but its Special Attack should increase. If it lost in Speed, that would be understandable—but why was it even losing in raw power?
Surge and his lackeys couldn't understand it. It wasn't as if they had never battled Pikachu before. In their minds, unevolved Pokémon weren't particularly strong, so they subconsciously assumed Pikachu's level must be lower than Raichu's.
But in reality, Pikachu's level was already higher than Raichu's.
On top of that, Pikachu was holding its signature item—the Light Ball, which doubled the power of its Electric-type moves.
Just as Ash expected, Pikachu's Thunderbolt crushed Raichu's attack with overwhelming force, instantly swallowing Raichu in a torrent of electricity.
"Rai—!"
Raichu's eyes rolled white as the electricity surged through it. Even though it was an Electric-type Pokémon, it couldn't withstand Pikachu's superior Thunderbolt. Its orange-brown body was scorched black by the attack.
One Thunderbolt was enough to instantly knock Raichu out.
Its eyes went from rolling white… to spirals.
"Well?" Ash asked with a smile in his eyes.
"Even a 'rookie Pokémon' just defeated Raichu that easily."
Lt. Surge stared blankly at Raichu, still unable to process what had just happened.
"Pikachu was amazing!" Misty rushed over and hugged Pikachu tightly. Pikachu had taken zero damage the entire battle while dealing massive damage.
"Pika~!"
Surge recalled Raichu into its Poké Ball. He never expected to lose to the very "baby Pokémon" he had mocked—let alone to the "rookie trainer" he had ridiculed.
By comparison, it seemed like he was the real rookie here.
"I lost. This is your Thunder Badge," Surge said as he handed the orange badge to Ash, finally acknowledging defeat.
"So… who's the rookie trainer now?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow as he took the badge.
Seeing Surge's awkward expression, Ash and his friends shared the same thought—if you mock others, you should also be prepared for the day you get mocked in return.
"Boss—!" Surge's lackeys glared angrily at Ash. That kid's way too arrogant.
Surge calmly looked at Ash. After a long pause, he reluctantly said:
"I, Lt. Surge… am the rookie trainer."
Satisfied with the answer, Ash and the others left the Vermilion City Gym.
"It really has to be Pikachu," Misty said as she carried Pikachu all the way back, unwilling to put it down. She was practically treating it like a plush doll.
Pikachu didn't resist at all. Being held by a pretty girl felt completely different.
Wow… abandoning your trainer for a girl, huh…
Ash glanced at the blissful Pikachu and casually changed the topic.
"Where are your Pokémon?"
When they returned to the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy hurried over and asked anxiously.
"Right here," Ash said, pointing at Pikachu and the Poké Balls.
Nurse Joy stared at Pikachu for a few seconds before asking, "And the others?"
"They're all here," Ash said, confused. For a moment he even wondered if Pokémon theft had occurred at the Pokémon Center. "These are all our Pokémon."
Nurse Joy explained simply:
"I heard you went to challenge Gym Leader Lt. Surge. Are your Pokémon alright?"
Only then did Ash and the others realize what she meant—she was worried their Pokémon had also been fried by Raichu's electricity.
"Our Pokémon are fine." To prove it, Ash even showed her the Thunder Badge.
"You really got it!" Nurse Joy's round eyes examined Ash carefully. This young trainer was surprisingly capable.
"Pika~!"
Pikachu suddenly jumped onto Ash's shoulder and glanced back at Misty—was she already tired of holding it?
Inside the Pokémon Center were many trainers who had been defeated by Lt. Surge. Although Ash and his friends were speaking quietly, the trainers noticed the Thunder Badge and looked at Ash with envy.
Ash put the badge back into his Badge Case, then took Brock and Misty to the restaurant for a meal. Afterward, they returned to their room.
He planned to use the Speed Enhancer.
Back in the room, Ash faced a dilemma.
Who should I give this Speed Enhancer to?
After thinking it over, almost every Pokémon on his team seemed suitable.
Bulbasaur didn't want to evolve, and its early-stage Speed was already quite good. If its Ability were changed to the Hidden Ability Chlorophyll—which doubles Speed under Sunny Day or Harsh Sunlight—then combined with the Speed Enhancer, it would become a perfect fast-attack build.
Squirtle, however, didn't seem suited for speed tactics. In the original storyline, Squirtle never resisted evolving, and once it evolved, a speed-focused strategy wouldn't work very well.
As for Charmander, Ash already had a Charizard-exclusive training manual, so it wasn't lacking in Speed development.
Pidgeotto and Butterfree already had natural speed advantages, so they didn't need the item right now.
After considering everything, Ash decided to give the Speed Enhancer to Bulbasaur—better to strengthen the Pokémon that would need it most later on.
As for Pikachu, its Speed was already top-tier. However, Ash still had five Basic Rare Candies in the system inventory.
He fed four of them to Pikachu, raising its level to:
LV.39
Unfortunately, Basic Rare Candies only worked on Pokémon below the Gym-level threshold.
Otherwise, Pikachu could have gone straight to LV.40 — Gym Level.
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