Flint originally planned to start with his signature Defense Curl + Rollout combo, but then he thought his opponent was just a ten-year-old, newly debuted child.
There was no need to be so harsh.
"Golem, Rollout."
Just Rollout? Ha. He was underestimating him.
Ash, being underestimated, didn't get angry; instead, he happily accepted it.
Being underestimated was great — it meant he could win more easily.
[Bruno: Flint is having an episode. This is probably going to be bad.]
[Lorelei: It can't be helped. Ash's age is too misleading. No one expects a kid under ten to be this strong.]
[Bruno: Hey, Lance, are you panicking? Worried the Champion seat you've coveted is about to be stolen?]
[Lance: Joke. What would I worry for? I might not be worse than Ash!]
[Lorelei: Not worried? Then why are your legs shaking?]
"Riolu, Bullet Punch!"
After a month of intense training, Riolu's Bullet Punch had evolved into something brutal — fast and fierce.
The punches were as fast as lightning. In just a blink to Flint, Riolu was already in front of Golem.
Yet even now, Flint didn't care.
Bullet Punch was a Steel-type move, and against Rock/Ground-type Golem, it would only deal double damage.
A mere double damage? Nothing special.
Flint didn't know his repeated underestimation was exactly what doomed Golem.
Riolu's fist had just touched Golem's shell when Golem realized something was wrong.
"Such a heavy punch…"
If only it had used Defense Curl first. With that defense boost, it might've held on.
Now? Everything was over.
"Bang!"
A huge crash echoed as Golem smashed into the wall, leaving Flint speechless for a long time.
"Argh, argh, argh, argh!" Flint scratched his head like crazy.
"The wall is broken. I'm gonna get scolded by Mimi again…"
Golem being one-shot wasn't even Flint's biggest worry — paying for wall repairs was.
Today's ticket sales were basically gone.
Flint was miserable, but the spectators were thrilled.
"This little… little brother is insanely strong!"
"This is my first time seeing Mr. Flint's Golem get knocked out in one hit. Is this the power of the super-rare Riolu?!"
"Ahhhh, I want a Riolu even more now!"
Having suffered heavy losses, Flint no longer dared underestimate Ash.
He was going all out.
"Normally, I only use him against challengers who already have six badges," Flint warned.
"Bring it on!" The stronger the Pokémon, the more excited Ash and Riolu became.
If Flint used weak Pokémon, they'd be unhappy.
"Go, Onix!"
Its ancient dark-gray rocky skin, scar-covered body, and piercing eyes instantly stunned the audience.
[Bruno: This Onix is truly perfectly trained.]
[Lance: Yo ho, aren't you a Fighting-type master? Since when do you study Onix?]
[Bruno: Fighting-type is work. Rock-type is life.]
Lance, who wanted to roast him, could only mumble, "Awesome…"
Flint, now serious and using his ace Pokémon, was terrifying.
Riolu was heavily suppressed with almost no chance to fight back.
Even worse, Bullet Punch on Onix felt like nothing but a tickle.
Onix was over ten times Riolu's size. Its defense was monstrous — Bullet Punch alone couldn't defeat it.
Onix's casual counterattacks felt like mountain-crushing blows. Riolu had no choice but to rely on speed.
But this wasn't a solution. Riolu's stamina was draining fast. If this continued, Onix would simply wear it down.
[Chuck: Riolu's performance is perfect, but Ash should switch Pokémon.]
[Korrina: Riolu has only trained for a month. Battling a strong Pokémon like Onix is too tough.]
[Bruno: Send Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu is great at fighting Ground-types.]
Questioning Ash, understanding Ash, becoming Ash.
Ash from both worlds had shown Trainers everywhere:
Electric-types can't fight Ground-types?
Bullshit.
[Steven: Onix knows Iron Tail, right? Between Onix's Iron Tail and Pikachu's Iron Tail, which wins?]
[Will: Why even ask? Even a kid knows it's Onix!]
[Lt. Surge: Here he comes, the legendary Will who gets slapped in the face every time!]
[Flint: I was torn on who to pick, but once Will spoke, I knew — Pikachu's Iron Tail is stronger.]
[Wallace: Parallel World Ash's Pikachu is the GOAT. My money's on Pikachu.]
Just when everyone thought Ash would switch Pikachu in, the system hit them with a surprise.
[Ding!]
[Entering the prize quiz segment!]
[Question: What move did Riolu use to defeat Flint's Onix?]
[A: Bullet Punch]
[B: Reversal]
[C: Aura Sphere]
[D: Counter]
[E: Steel Fist Double Strike]
The long-awaited quiz returned.
Normally this would hype up the chat, but now everyone had only one thought:
Riolu… won?!
[Brawly: Are you kidding me?! Riolu actually won?!]
[Chuck: Mom, I can't answer this question!!]
[Korrina: Is it a rule that any Trainer named Ash has an abnormal Riolu?!]
[Lt. Surge: Haha, Will, Riolu just saved you from getting slapped in the face. Aren't you gonna bow to Riolu?]
[Will: Hmph! Whether I'm saved is still unknown!]
[Goodshow: Now is not the time for such trivial things! The priority is answering the question!]
True.
Win or lose didn't matter to them. But answering correctly? That could change their lives.
Everyone focused.
[Steven: It's definitely not Bullet Punch.]
Riolu had been tickling Onix the whole time. If Bullet Punch worked, Onix would've been down long ago.
[Flint: Why are all my option buttons gray? System, there's a bug!]
[Aaron: No bug. Did you forget? You're banned from answering.]
[Flint: Damn it!]
[Bruno: B! Trust me. No one understands Fighting-types better than I do. Among these moves, only Reversal can turn the tide!]
[Brawly: Not necessarily. Counter could work too.]
[Bea: Counter? With Riolu's tiny body? One hit from Onix and it's heading straight to the afterlife.]
[Korrina: Do you even understand Riolu?! The correct answer is Aura Sphere!]
White Ash's Lucario had once handcrafted a massive Aura Sphere — a legendary scene.
[Chuck: But Riolu can't learn Aura Sphere, right?]
[Professor Oak: Correct. Riolu cannot freely manipulate Aura before evolving.]
[Korrina: Heh. You still don't understand Parallel World Ash. A normal Riolu can't — but since when is Ash's Riolu normal? Before Pikachu used Sacred Sword, who expected Pikachu to learn Sacred Sword?]
Silence.
Good point.
Looking at Ash with "ordinary eyes" was a fatal mistake.
To err is human, to forgive divine.
[Professor Oak: Then I'll choose C — Aura Sphere.]
[Brawly: I'm sticking with D!]
Flint, unable to answer, started another topic.
[Flint: Anyone know what E is? Steel Fist Double Strike? I've never heard of it.]
[Aaron: If you've never heard of it, don't choose it— oh wait, my bad, you can't choose anyway.]
[Flint: …]
Kanto Region.
Brock said, "Misty, I chose B. What about you?"
"I chose C. Korrina's explanation makes sense. Ash, what did you choose?"
"E, Steel Fist Double Strike!" Ash said with smile.
"Steel Fist Double Strike?!"
"Yeah. Doesn't that move name sound super cool?"
Brock and Misty went silent.
[Countdown for remaining answer time…]
[3]
[2]
Hoenn Region, Petalburg Gym.
Max shouted, "Sister, haven't you decided yet?!"
May snapped, "Don't rush me!"
"There's no time left!!!"
"Why don't you choose it yourself?!"
"Wuwuwu, I'm not old enough… people under eight can't answer…"
"Oh. Right. I forgot."