Those who chose to split their bets did so out of habit.
Keeping something in reserve always felt safer.
The ten-minute betting window came to an end.
At the top of the chatroom, a long progress bar appeared.
One side was yellow, representing Pikachu.
The other side was silver-white, representing Regice.
At this moment—
The silver-white side occupied 99.99% of the bar.
That meant an overwhelming majority had bet on Regice.
The yellow side?
Just a tiny sliver.
So small it could barely be measured between two fingers.
And yet—
That tiny sliver still shocked a lot of people.
"Wait… people actually bet on Pikachu to win? Are they okay in the head?"
"Hey, don't say that. Pikachu's odds are huge—500 to 1!"
"That's not the point! If you can't win, no matter how big the odds are, it's meaningless! Even gamblers don't bet like that!"
"Eh, maybe they just… gave up on life?"
People shook their heads as they talked.
Sigh.
Hopeless gamblers couldn't be reasoned with.
…
Pallet Town—
"Oh my, it looks like hardly anyone is supporting Pikachu!"
"But Pikachu is just so cute!"
"I'll support Pikachu then!"
Delia smiled warmly as she watched the screen.
…
Far away in the Kalos region—
A girl saw Ash and immediately placed her bet on Pikachu without hesitation.
"Pikachu is Ash's Pokémon. It will definitely win!"
…
And then there was Team Rocket.
The trio huddled together, whispering excitedly, their eyes filled with absolute trust in Pikachu.
"It has to be Pikachu!"
"Regice? So what if it's a Legendary Pokémon? It's nothing in front of Pikachu!"
"Pikachu is the strongest, meow!"
Bet!
They had to bet on Pikachu!
All in!
Not a second of hesitation.
Others might doubt Pikachu—
But they never would!
If they hesitated even a little—
It would be disrespectful to all the times they'd been blasted off!
Was Ash's Pikachu an ordinary Pikachu?
No!
Absolutely not!
What Pikachu?
That was Pikachu the God!
Even if Arceus showed up, it would still have to take a Thunderbolt or two!
Ash's Pikachu wasn't just Pikachu—
It was a legend!
Pikachu versus the Ice Titan Regice—
This was a battle of gods!
Who would win?
Hard to say!
The battle began—
The highly anticipated showdown:
Pikachu vs. Regice!
After several earlier rounds—
Ash was left with only one Pokémon.
Pikachu.
Meanwhile, Brandon sent out his final Pokémon—
Regice, the Ice Titan.
Its body looked as though it was carved entirely from ice—
A massive, pillar-like figure.
Its silver-white form and the seven golden dots on its face—
Even through the screen, people could feel the endless cold radiating from it.
Truly a Pokémon formed from Ice Age glaciers!
As the battle began—
Pikachu struck first!
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
At Ash's command, electricity surged across Pikachu's body.
"Pika—CHUUU!"
A brilliant golden light burst forth from its small frame—
And struck Regice directly!
Regice took the attack head-on!
The crowd held their breath.
Ash landed a hit!
Thunderbolt!
One of Pikachu's strongest moves!
…
"Whoa! Pikachu is insane! That speed was crazy!"
"Regice didn't even have time to dodge!"
"Why do I feel like… Pikachu is actually kind of strong?"
The audience buzzed with excitement.
Pikachu's speed was unbelievable.
And the power of that Thunderbolt far exceeded anything they had seen before.
It wasn't that they were inexperienced—
It was just that this Pikachu completely defied common sense!
…
On the screen—
Even after taking such a powerful Thunderbolt—
Brandon's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He remained calm, composed, and unshaken.
The electric glow around Regice faded.
And—
Regice stood there, completely unharmed!
Every facet of its icy body still gleamed brilliantly.
Now—
It was Brandon's turn to counterattack.
With steady precision, he gave his command.
"Regice, use Blizzard."
At his words—
A chilling light spread across Regice's body.
An overwhelming storm of freezing wind and razor-sharp snow surged forward—
Rushing straight toward Pikachu and Ash!