What just happened???
What… did they just witness?!
Everyone watching stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to say a single word.
Because honestly—
They didn't even know what to say anymore.
…
Veilstone City—
Reggie was completely stunned by Pikachu's double Iron Tail strike.
Unlike most trainers—
He had personally battled Brandon before.
He had defeated several other Frontier Brains.
But against Brandon—
He suffered a crushing defeat.
A defeat so overwhelming…
It became a shadow that haunted his entire life.
Part of why he opened a Day Care—
Was because of what Brandon had said.
But another part…
Was fear.
That battle made him fear battling itself.
He lost the courage to stand on the battlefield again.
So he chose to run.
But Ash…
Looking at Ash Ketchum, Reggie's expression turned complicated.
He had never faced Regice—
But he knew very well—
A Pokémon belonging to Brandon…
And a Legendary Pokémon at that—
Its strength would never be inferior to Regirock or Registeel.
Yet Ash—
With Pikachu—
Had pushed Regice this far…
"That's… really amazing, Ash…"
"I'm nothing like you…"
A relieved smile appeared on Reggie's face.
Looking at Ash, he muttered softly:
"Even if you lose… you'll keep moving forward, won't you?"
"And…"
"Maybe… you and Pikachu really can defeat Brandon."
At this moment—
Reggie chose to believe in Ash.
…
"As expected of twerpy and Pikachu!"
"Ohhhh! That's right! Pikachu is the strongest!"
"Hahaha! We're getting rich overnight, nya!"
Team Rocket Trio laughed wildly, hands on their hips!
"Pikachu! Twerpy! Charge! Nya!"
…
Back to the battlefield—
The double Iron Tail dealt heavy damage to Regice.
If it were anyone else—
They would've panicked.
But Brandon was no ordinary trainer.
He remained calm.
"Use Ice Beam!"
"Regiii—!"
Cold energy gathered rapidly in Regice's hands—
And shot toward Pikachu!
"Dodge it!"
Once again—
Pikachu was trapped inside a massive pillar of ice created by Ice Beam.
Brandon smiled faintly.
"Use Rest."
…
Good lord.
At this point, everyone watching could only say—
What the hell?!
The chat exploded:
[Lance:…Alright, I have to say it this time—Brandon, that's kinda unethical.]
[Cynthia:Yeah… it's annoying. Ash actually had the advantage.]
[Diantha:Advantage? He was about to win! If Brandon didn't use Rest again—this is straight-up shameless! Using this against a kid?!]
[Steven Stone:…This is… a bit too much, Mr. Brandon.]
[Wallace:I'm not gonna lie—I was already thinking about jumping into the battlefield myself when I heard "Rest."]
[Brandon:Hmph! What do you mean shameless? This is strategy! Strategy, understand? Once you step onto the battlefield, there's no such thing as age or experience differences! Using every method to win is only natural!]
[Professor Oak:Hahaha! Brandon's not wrong—he just got a bit too into beating up a kid. Totally normal!]
Brandon: "..."
What is a fatal blow?
That right there—
Was a fatal blow.
After seeing Professor Oak's message—
Brandon nearly coughed up blood.
Refute it?
He didn't even know how!
So—
He chose to pretend he saw nothing.
Cough cough.
"…That kid is actually pretty impressive."
To push him this far—
He acknowledged Ash.
But in battle—
He would never hold back.
Because losing after being called shameless?
That would be even worse!
Right now—
Brandon desperately wanted to find and capture Regice!
No—
It wasn't enough yet!
His coordination and strength with Regice—
Still weren't enough!
He had to become stronger!
…
Pokémon League—
Charles Goodshow shook his head.
"Sigh…"
"If this were a different battlefield—or a different opponent—Ash would've already won."
"Brandon is completely relying on experience to bully a kid."
He sighed deeply.
Embarrassing.
This was truly embarrassing!
"Hahaha! Brandon's not wrong—he just got a bit carried away beating a kid. Totally normal!"
Professor Oak added casually—
Stabbing Brandon twice more in the heart.
Cough.
Well—
Ash was from Pallet Town after all!
His glory—
Was Pallet Town's glory too!