Bang! Boom!!!!!!
In the arena, just as Eevee leaped out of the ground, ready to attack Voltorb, Lt. Surge's command rang out, and Voltorb's body instantly emitted a dazzling light.
A powerful energy erupted, and a huge shockwave spread, colliding directly with the Shadow Ball Eevee had just fired. The two forces exploded and clashed, creating an intense shockwave.
The deafening explosion caused Brock and Misty to instinctively cover their ears. Ash also subconsciously shielded his eyes against the rushing air. As the explosion subsided, a large amount of smoke spread out.
"That... that guy actually used such a suicidal method!"
As the explosion died down, Misty lowered her hands, looking at the smoke-filled arena in surprise, and then glared at the opposite side of the field with apprehension.
Self-Destruct was Voltorb's signature move, but it was also a move that inflicted equal damage on both sides, as its name suggested. Therefore, trainers who cherished their Pokémon rarely used this move under normal circumstances.
Ash also frowned slightly. He hadn't expected Lt. Surge to have suicidal intentions from the start, deliberately using the same offensive methods to lure him into close combat with Dig, and then unleash Self-Destruct.
"How about it, kid? Scared, aren't you? This is real battle, not like the pretend fights you kids play." As the smoke dissipated somewhat, Lt. Surge's figure appeared, a smug smile on his face.
"..."
"This guy is so annoying!" Ash remained silent, simply watching the arena, but Misty was a little exasperated.
At this moment, the smoke in the arena had completely cleared. The ground, shattered by the explosion, looked like a wasteland. Voltorb's figure appeared first, now motionless and charred black, having lost its ability to battle. Such was the nature of Self-Destruct.
Looking at the arena, now reduced to ruins, everyone searched for Eevee's figure.
"Hmm?? Could it be that the power was too great, and your Eevee was blown to smithereens.?" Lt. Surge said with a cold laugh, looking at the arena.
"Is that so??" At that moment, Ash gently nudged his cap, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Eevee Eevee Eevee!!"
Then, the cracked ground split open further, and a figure leaped out from beneath the earth, landing on the ground, panting heavily. It was Eevee! Everyone's expressions changed at this sight.
"Nani??" Lt. Surge was also stunned to see this. To have survived such an explosion seemed impossible.
"How could that be! The Self-Destruct should have been successful."
"When it exploded, my Eevee first used Shadow Ball to block part of the Self-Destruct's power. After its body was thrown back by the explosion, it used Dig to go underground and dodge the blast. How about it, kid?"
Seeing Lt. Surge's shocked expression, Ash retorted with Lt. Surge's own mockery.
"What?!" Lt. Surge was also a bit surprised to hear Ash's words, not expecting such a calm judgment to be made under those circumstances.
Hearing Ash call him "kid" infuriated him, leaving him fuming but with no other options. However, it was clear that Ash was not one to take a loss lying down.
"Pffft ha ha!"
Hearing Ash call his opponent "kid," Misty couldn't help but burst into laughter. Compared to Lt. Surge calling Ash "kid," Ash calling Lt. Surge "kid" was even funnier. How could there be such a big "kid"?
"Uh... Voltorb is unable to battle. Eevee wins!"
The two gym members were also surprised. Although Lt. Surge had lost before, it was the first time they had seen him so humiliated. Recovering themselves, they quickly announced the result of the first match.
"Return, Voltorb!" Lt. Surge reluctantly recalled Voltorb.
He hadn't expected this young man to be so troublesome, but this also made Lt. Surge completely serious. Ash, however, didn't mind; if his opponent wasn't serious, it would be meaningless to him.
"Young man, I acknowledge your strength, but now I'm going to bring out my true power! Let me show you! Go!" Lt. Surge shouted, then threw a Poké Ball.
Bang!!!
A Pokémon with dark orange fur appeared before them, with brown patterns on its back and a long tail resembling an electrical wire, ending in a lightning bolt symbol.
It had yellow electric sacs on its cheeks, brown tips on its hands and feet, and curled ears pointing upwards. Its build looked quite robust.
"This is... Raichu?!"
Misty and Brock, looking at the Pokémon before them, subconsciously spoke.
Raichu was also the evolved form of Pikachu. After evolving, Raichu's electrical power was incredibly strong; a single Thunder Shock could deliver 100,000 volts of electricity. Raichu's height was only about 80cm, but it could easily paralyze opponents several times its size.
"How about it? This is my ace, unlike your pet Pokémon." Lt. Surge regained his confidence after sending out Raichu.
"Rai!"
Raichu's personality also seemed to be like Lt. Surge's, arrogantly looking at the Eevee and Ash before it. Misty, standing behind, couldn't help but comment.
"This Raichu looks like it'll be tough to deal with." She was a bit worried if Ash could handle it.
"Eevee, you worked hard, come back for now!" Ash looked at the panting Eevee in front of him, took out a Poké Ball, and chose to recall Eevee directly.
During the previous battle, although Eevee had agilely dodged the explosion, the blast generated when Shadow Ball and Self-Destruct collided still affected Eevee. Thus, Eevee was injured and had consumed a good amount of stamina.
Although gym battles were a series of matches, theoretically, Eevee could continue to fight, and even if it consumed some of Raichu's stamina, it would be beneficial. However, Ash decided to let it rest first.
"Pikachu, go!" After recalling Eevee, Ash glanced at Pikachu by his feet.
A fated showdown. Ash sent out Pikachu. The legend of "Pikagod" began here. In the anime at this time, Pikachu wasn't yet "Pikagod"; it had even feared seeing so many Pokémon brutally defeated.
Unlike later, when it faced off directly against various legendary Pokémon, and all that began right here.
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