Pikachu leaped high, its lightning-shaped tail transforming into a giant sword.
The chilling aura seemed to freeze the entire space.
Slash.
The whole world turned golden.
As the golden light faded, Rhydon lay on the ground, unmoving.
The entire audience was stunned.
After standing dumbfounded for a long time, Giovanni only came back to his senses at the referee's reminder.
This world-shattering sword strike had even left the well-traveled Giovanni completely shocked.
Gently licking his instantly dry lips, Giovanni pondered his next move.
Send out his ace Pokémon to crush his opponent, to reclaim both his lost face and dignity?
Heh, if he really did that, not only would he not get back the face he had already lost, but if word got out, he would probably lose even more face.
He, Giovanni of the Earth, who hadn't even used his ace in the Kanto and Johto Gym Leader exchange battles — in a small Gym guidance battle against a newcomer who had been a Trainer for less than a month — wouldn't using his ace just make everyone laugh?
After careful consideration, Giovanni made a decision.
"Ash from Pallet Town, I'll remember you. You've won this Gym challenge." With that, Giovanni took a green badge from his pocket and coolly tossed it into Ash's hand.
[Koga: Oho, that badge-tossing move was quite stylish. Tell me, Giovanni, have you been secretly practicing it when you're alone?]
[Giovanni: Practice? I was born with it.]
[Ash: Didn't we agree on a three-on-three battle? Why aren't we fighting anymore?]
[Lance: What's there to fight? With Sacred Sword unleashed, who can contend? Unless Giovanni wants to rebuild the Viridian Gym, there's no need to continue.]
[Lorelei: Using his main team would not only lose face but also potentially destroy the Gym. Not using his main team means serving up his Pokémon to Pikachu. Giovanni only had one option: surrender.]
[Giovanni: Surrender? Watch your words. Parallel World Ash has already proven he deserves the Earth Badge, so the me in that world probably couldn't be bothered to waste time continuing the evaluation.]
[Bruno: As expected of the big boss, he always has a way with words.]
[Lt. Surge: Excuse me, where did Will go? Why has he disappeared again?]
[Lance: Don't worry, the next time Pikachu shows signs of weakness in battle, Will will jump out.]
Having received the Earth Badge, Ash didn't rush to Pewter City, the location of the next Gym, but instead began new special training in Viridian Forest.
After the battle with Giovanni, Ash also realized his team's shortcomings.
He relied too heavily on Pikachu. Once Pikachu was targeted or knocked out, he could only stare helplessly.
The newly joined Pidgeotto and Riolu might be able to bully bug catchers, but if they wanted to truly help in a real battle, they were still far from ready.
Unfortunately, the Pokémon League rules stipulate that Trainers cannot participate in official Pokémon battles. Otherwise, his team could have gained another combatant.
[Bruno: Parallel World Ash is very confident in his own strength? Is he also a fighter?]
[Lorelei: Whether he's a fighter or not, his confidence is well-founded. Have you forgotten Parallel World Ash's insane performance when he was five years old?]
[Bea: How could I forget! Grabbing a mountain wall with one hand and a Kangaskhan with the other. I've never seen a five-year-old with stronger core strength than him. It's a shame Parallel World Ash isn't from our world; otherwise, I would definitely invite him to join my dojo.]
[Bruno: Even without Black Ash, it's not a problem. Our Ash isn't bad either; his physical fitness is also quite extraordinary. Bea, if you have the ability, you can try to lure him to your dojo.]
[Bea: Oh?]
Bea became interested.
When she had time, she would definitely go to Kanto to meet Ash, whom Bruno praised.
Kanto Town.
Misty muttered, "That Bruno, Elite Four, really is something!"
With Serena as her biggest rival, she was already struggling — and Bruno actually recommended a beautiful female fighter to Ash. This was simply adding insult to injury.
What angered Misty even more was that Ash was actually looking forward to Bea's arrival.
"Is that girl named Bea also a Trainer? That's great, I really want to have a Pokémon battle with her."
Ash's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Sigh, Misty sighed helplessly. She was having such a hard time.
...
In fact, the audience had always been curious about how Black Ash trained his Pokémon, and how he managed to cultivate Pikachu into a monster.
Today, they finally witnessed Parallel World Ash's special training methods.
"Get up. How can you become a true strong person if you fall so easily?" With a stern expression and no trace of joking, Ash during training was like a completely different person.
Staggering back to his feet, Riolu gritted his teeth, swallowed all the grievances in his stomach, and roared as he charged at Ash again.
Bullet Punch.
Ash caught Riolu's punch with a single palm and said lightly, "Slow, soft, and powerless. Riolu, you still have a long way to go."