Black Ash spoke softly.
Hearing his words, Harrison opposite him smiled at that moment.
"To be honest, I've been following in your footsteps. But along the way, I realized that your path is your own—it's difficult for others to walk."
"But even so, I still obtained a Pikachu."
"So, Pikachu, let's defeat the senior we've been chasing for so long!"
With that, Harrison released his third Pokémon.
It was the Pikachu he had just mentioned.
This Pikachu's body was slightly larger than normal.
A bit bigger than the average Pikachu.
Clearly, it had undergone intense strength training.
Such a Pikachu naturally had considerable advantages in physical attacks.
But conversely, it also had certain disadvantages in speed.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
The moment it appeared, Harrison couldn't help but launch an attack.
His Pikachu flew forward rapidly, metallic light flashing on its tail.
Its tail whipped forward fiercely, causing the air to roar.
Ash's eyes lit up in the distance.
"Pikachu, go defeat your own kind!"
"Use Quick Attack!"
As his words fell, Pikachu's four limbs kicked off the ground, rushing toward the opponent at incredible speed.
The next moment, its tail and the opponent's head collided.
Terrifying air waves spread around them.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"
Harrison and Ash commanded simultaneously.
One Pikachu's body flashed with electric light as it blasted a massive current forward.
The other Pikachu launched a huge Electro Ball from its tail.
The two Electric-type attacks collided in mid-air, crackling loudly, then dissipated simultaneously.
As the lightning faded, both Pikachu rushed forward from the edges, closing into close combat.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds echoed endlessly across the battlefield.
Ash and Harrison stared intently at the battle.
They both knew neither would give up easily.
Especially Harrison—this was his first time in such close contact with Black Ash.
No matter what, he would give his all.
Because in this battle, he had to win.
"Pikachu, let's use Thunder!"
Harrison clenched his fist and thrust it forward, the heat in his eyes reaching its peak.
His Pikachu quickly retreated to the edge of the arena.
Finally, it gathered all its strength—lightning rolled in the sky above.
Against an Electric-type opponent, using other-type attacks might be slightly more effective.
But at this moment, neither Harrison nor Ash cared about that.
In this battle, they fought not just for victory, but to become stronger.
"Pikachu, use maximum power Thunderbolt!"
Ash clenched his fist, eyes burning as he commanded.
The next moment, both sides attacked simultaneously.
The surging lightning from the sky struck down, slamming into Ash's Pikachu.
Simultaneously, the surging Thunderbolt blasted forward, striking Harrison's Pikachu hard.
Both Pikachu gritted their teeth, enduring the lightning—neither wanting to give up first.
Time passed slowly.
Soon, one Pikachu couldn't hold on any longer, its expression twisting in pain.
Then, the current intensified rapidly, sending it flying backward.
Seeing his Pikachu fall to the ground, motionless,
Harrison was momentarily stunned.
He clearly hadn't expected his Pikachu to lose at the last moment.
But he showed no frustration—only a helpless smile.
"Sure enough, my training still isn't enough."
"After all, I can't make my Pikachu train its body by taking Hyper Beams."
He said slowly, finally looking at Ash again.
"So, for my fourth Pokémon… do you want to switch yours?"
Hearing this, Ash looked at Pikachu.
Pikachu's body flickered with weak electric light. It had survived that last attack, but that didn't mean it was still fully combat-ready.
In other words, after three consecutive battles, Pikachu had reached its limit.
Ash didn't hesitate. He spoke to Pikachu.
"Return, Pikachu. You did excellently. Let Charizard handle the rest."
Hearing this, Pikachu looked back at Ash, then nodded and returned to him.
Then, Ash took out a Poké Ball and pressed the release.
A massive Charizard appeared in the center of the arena. The moment it emerged, it spat flames to assert its dominance.
Seeing this, Harrison's eyes lit up.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, he indeed brought out his Blaziken.
[Caitlin]: It really is Blaziken. I feel oddly happy about this.
[Cynthia]: I don't know what you're talking about, but some people have been waiting for this Blaziken vs. Charizard battle.
[Flint]: Two Fire-type Pokémon, both hot-tempered—this battle will be absolutely spectacular.
[Steven Stone]: I suspect Ash can use Charizard to defeat the remaining three Pokémon on the other side.
In the Black World —
The moment Charizard and Blaziken faced each other, both glared with passionate intensity.
They each sensed the unique fighting spirit of the other.
"Charizard, rush forward! Use Dragon Rush!"
"Blaziken, use Fire Punch!"
Ash and Harrison commanded simultaneously.
The next moment, both Pokémon moved at once.
Charizard leaped into the sky, a sharp light radiating from its wings as it dove forward.
Blaziken's fist blazed with flames as it swung forward.
Charizard struck first, hitting Blaziken and knocking it back.
Blaziken's fist connected with Charizard's belly, drawing a grunt of pain.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
Watching Charizard in mid-air, Ash didn't hesitate.
Charizard's wings flapped violently, sending blades of compressed air toward Blaziken.
"Blaziken, dodge it! Use Feather Dance and Blaze Kick!"
Blaziken spiraled into the air, appearing beside Charizard.
Its legs erupted with flames as it kicked toward Charizard's head.
"Charizard, grab it! Use Seismic Toss!"
Ash clenched his fist, eyes burning as he commanded.
Hearing Ash's order,
Charizard didn't hesitate. Both claws shot forward.
It withstood Blaziken's Blaze Kick, then grabbed the opponent and soared into the sky.
"Blaziken, use Flame Charge to break free!"
Harrison shouted loudly.
He couldn't let his Blaziken take this move head-on.
Because he knew Charizard's technique was extremely powerful.
If Blaziken took a direct hit, there was no doubt it would be defeated.
But as flames continuously erupted from Blaziken, the fire even engulfed both Pokémon.
The scorching temperature made everyone watching feel the heat.
Yet Charizard, enduring this massive fire attack, showed no intention of letting go.
Soon, they reached the highest altitude.
The next moment, Charizard spun and slammed both of them directly toward the ground.
With a thunderous crash, both Pokémon were smashed violently into the earth.
Terrifying smoke spread outward.
Everyone stared intently, anticipating the outcome.
Ash, in contrast, wasn't worried—he knew Charizard would win.
Harrison watched hopefully for his Pokémon.
As the smoke slowly dissipated, only Charizard remained standing on the ground.
As for Blaziken, it lay motionless, unable to move.
This scene surprised everyone.
[Flint]: As expected, the Seismic Toss Ash's Charizard uses is always extremely powerful.
[Steven Stone]: Of course. Charizard even used this move to defeat a Legendary Pokémon before. Defeating a Dark-type is nothing special.
[Cynthia]: With this battle scene, Black Ash could potentially sweep the entire competition using only two Pokémon. His strength is truly astonishing.
[Caitlin]: Indeed—all the pressure is on our Ash now.
[Ash]: I'll work hard and surpass him. Please stop talking!
In the real world, Ash's eyes were full of helplessness.
Who would have thought that just for comparison's sake, everyone would put all the pressure on him?
Clearly the two sides were in different worlds, yet the competitive spirit had somehow entangled Ash with himself.
Ash looked somewhat helpless, but also full of surging fighting spirit.
He understood that under these circumstances, everything seemed different.
He knew he couldn't use the cruel training methods that Black Ash employed.
But he could make his Pokémon stronger through his own special training methods.
Even if he couldn't match Black Ash's speed, that was enough.
After all, he had two good friends: Brock, who could help train Pokémon,
and Misty, who cheered him on.
Brock and Misty beside him exchanged glances, light shining in their eyes.
They would accompany Ash. They would help Ash. They would make Ash stronger.
They were Ash's friends—lifelong friends. Barring accidents, that would never change.
Pikachu lay on Ash's shoulder.
"Pika! Chu!"
Hearing Pikachu's voice, Ash was momentarily stunned, then lowered his head, patted Pikachu's head, and smiled.
"Pikachu, you want to become stronger too?"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789