"How could Ash send Pikachu into the arena? Pikachu might have a type effectiveness edge against Suicune, but their strength isn't even in the same league!" Sammy still couldn't help but question Misty and the others.
"Haha, if you'd seen how strong Ash's Pikachu really is, you wouldn't be asking that. Just watch. His Pikachu is incredibly strong." Brock patted his chest, saying proudly.
Pikachu's strength was something his companions knew all too well. Forget Suicune, even if Ho-Oh itself showed up, they wouldn't assume Pikachu was doomed. As long as it had a breath left, it could create miracles. Ash and Pikachu were the very definition of miracles.
Seeing Brock's confident demeanor, Sammy's eyes widened slightly. They were too blind to the idea of Ash and Pikachu losing. This was a Legendary Pokémon they were up against, not something that could be beaten by trust or type advantage alone. However, even if they lost, it wouldn't be a disaster. At worst, they could just let Suicune leave.
Thinking this, Sammy's restless heart calmed down somewhat. Fighting Suicune wasn't like fighting that Soshima guy from earlier. Losing wouldn't mean certain death. Ash must have thought of this, which was why he'd chosen Pikachu. Winning or losing wasn't important.
What mattered was accumulating experience for Pikachu. That's right, it had to be. Experience battling Legendary Pokémon was incredibly valuable, and for Ash's Pikachu, this rare battle would be of great benefit to its future.
Ultimately, Sammy's own vision was short-sighted. Sammy secretly shook his head, feeling that he was still far behind Ash as a Trainer. Ash was thinking so far into the future, while he was still only preoccupied with immediate wins or losses. He should learn from Ash.
On the field, Pikachu picked up the hat that Ash had tossed over and entered partner form. In fact, with Pikachu's current strength, even without partner form, he wouldn't lose to Suicune, but to show respect, Ash and Pikachu decided to go all out. Unlike the Aura fusion power boost, partner form was entirely a power created by Ash and Pikachu themselves.
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap!"
Ash immediately opened with Pikachu's fastest move.
"Pika!" Pikachu's figure transformed into a yellow flash, a streak of lightning tearing across the field. In an instant, Pikachu, wrapped in lightning, slammed into Suicune.
Boom! The immense force struck a vital point, yellow lightning crackling across Suicune's body. By the time Suicune could react, all it could feel was an overwhelming numbness.
"Pika!" After Pikachu's attack landed, his body recoiled from the impact and he flipped back onto the ground safely.
Sammy rubbed his eyes, his face filled with disbelief. He half-suspected he was seeing things. Pikachu, before Suicune could even react, had sent it flying with a single strike. Judging from the pained expression on Suicune's face, this attack wasn't just a knockdown, it was a serious injury.
What kind of joke was this? Was this the kind of feat Pikachu could pull off?
Misty and Brock looked at Sammy's dumbfounded expression and nodded in shared agreement. Right, anyone who didn't know Ash's Pikachu would have that exact reaction watching him attack for the first time.
They remembered back when they first met Ash, they'd looked just as terrified seeing Pikachu attack. And they'd been with Ash the whole time since, watching him create bizarre surprises at every turn.
Partner forms, cooperative techniques, so many moves, and even power boosts, all appearing inexplicably in the middle of battles. Now, watching Suicune get sent flying in a single opening move was no longer a surprise for them. If Pikachu had been sent flying by Suicune in one exchange, that would be the actually strange outcome.
"Ugh." Suicune stood up from the ground, its head shaking slightly with dizziness. The numbness throughout its body confirmed to it that the attack just now hadn't been an illusion. It really hadn't reacted in time.
Severely injured by an electric rat. Not bad. That single blow cut through almost half my stamina.
Calling it a serious injury was no exaggeration. Pikachu's speed had been faster than a normal Champion-level Pokémon, and his power had been near Elite Four Peak, and he'd hit a vital point for double damage. On top of that, Electric-type against Water-type was another effectiveness multiplier. All told, the damage could almost be considered quadrupled.
The fact that its stamina hadn't been halved was due to its thick fur and sturdy build. If its stamina hadn't been far superior to a Pokémon at Pikachu's tier, it would have been instantly knocked out by that single blow.
I knew the Rainbow Hero wouldn't be simple, or he wouldn't have been chosen by Lord Ho-Oh, but I didn't expect him to be this incredible.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
With that one attack landing effectively, Ash pressed the advantage, choosing to have Pikachu follow up with his signature move.
The golden lightning transformed into a flash, thunder tearing through the air, resounding in the sky, covering the entire forest in a golden hue.
"Ah!"
Suicune tilted its head back, letting out a series of clear, piercing cries, water vapor condensing wildly around it. It knew that facing a Pikachu with speed this excessive and attack power this high, any fancy techniques were useless. Only by using brute force could it turn the tables.
A deep blue column of water spewed from its mouth, carrying immense Water-type energy, like a surging ocean, crashing toward Pikachu. This was its signature Water-type move: Hydro Cannon.
Sammy held his breath in tension. Was this a head-on clash between the two? Ash's Pikachu had hit Suicune just now because of its extreme speed. It was unclear whether a head-on collision would be a match for Suicune.
The Hydro Cannon and Thunderbolt collided in mid-air with a deafening roar. There was no struggle, no resistance. The yellow lightning tore through the water column like a piece of paper.
In an instant, the Thunderbolt tore apart that powerful column of water. The sky full of steam was completely engulfed in vapor in the flash of lightning.
Suicune's pupils suddenly contracted as it watched, helpless, as the unstoppable bolt of lightning pierced through the Hydro Cannon and struck it head-on.
A mournful cry echoed through the forest. Yellow electric arcs surged wildly through Suicune's entire body, its originally transparent blue form swallowed by the lightning. A second later, Suicune's tall figure crashed to the ground.
The Thunderbolt's damage almost completely devoured Suicune's remaining strength. Although it hadn't lost its fighting ability yet, it was practically the same. Even standing was extremely difficult.
Sammy was completely stunned. He stared blankly at the small yellow figure on the field, his mind a complete blank. Hydro Cannon, destroyed head-on by Pikachu's Thunderbolt? That legendary Beast, nearly knocked out by a Pikachu in just two moves?
He began to suspect that something was wrong with this world. Speed couldn't compete, attack couldn't compete. That meant Pikachu was practically crushing Suicune in every aspect. If it were a Tyranitar or a Dragonite, Sammy might not have found it so unacceptable, but this was just a Pikachu.
"This is a bit unreasonable." Sammy muttered.
"A bit unreasonable? Not at all. This isn't even Pikachu's true strength yet." Misty said, smiling at Togepi.
Sammy suddenly turned to look at her in disbelief. Not its true strength? You knocked down a Legendary Beast in one move and you call that not showing its true strength?
Brock crossed his arms, nodding matter-of-factly. "If you'd seen how Ash's Pikachu previously defeated a Champion-level Suicune, you wouldn't be so surprised. This Suicune is only Elite Four level."
Champion-level Suicune. Are you guys just saying whatever comes to mind?
According to what Misty and Brock said, this Pikachu wasn't competing against Suicune for the first time. It had even defeated a Champion-level Suicune before?
Sammy felt his worldview completely transformed in that moment. Pokémon possessed boundless potential. If he were merely a Trainer, he'd be unable to uncover the many secrets hidden deep within them. So, what if he became a researcher? The word "researcher" surged through Sammy's brain and lingered there for a long time.
On the field, Pikachu and Suicune's battle was nearing its end. Although Suicune hadn't lost its fighting ability, it couldn't stand up anymore. Ash took out a light blue Poké Ball and threw it at Suicune. A Lure Ball. It increased the chances of capturing a Water-type Pokémon, and its color perfectly matched Water-types.
The Lure Ball hit Suicune directly, and Suicune transformed into a red light and was absorbed into the ball. The Poké Ball fell to the ground, wobbling three times in front of many watching eyes before finally clicking shut.
"Yes! I caught Suicune!"
Seeing Suicune captured, Ash, who had been scheming this all along, finally couldn't contain his excitement and jumped up in joy. This was his true self. After getting Suicune's approval, he'd already wanted to jump for joy, but he'd forced himself to hold back until now.
Ash, holding the Lure Ball, ran happily over to Sammy, and in front of Misty and the others, kept boasting.
"Congratulations, Ash." Sammy finally composed his shaken heart and stepped forward to congratulate him.
"Heh. This is just the beginning. Next, I can battle even more Legendary Pokémon and capture them." Ash waved his fist, speaking with full confidence.
"Haha, then I wish you good luck. Ah, Celebi's waking up." Sammy sensed some movement in Celebi's chest and quickly set it down.
Ash also calmed his joyful mood and, along with the others, approached Celebi. Celebi's eyes twitched slightly, slowly opening.
"So!" Ash and the others' close proximity startled Celebi. Although it knew Ash wasn't a bad person, being so close, it almost instinctively unleashed a psychic attack.
"Celebi, how are you? Are you alright?" Sammy asked worriedly.
"Celebi"
Celebi flew into the air, spinning twice, showing off its completely unharmed body. That small wound was nothing more than a scratch to the Guardian of the Forest. After falling into deep sleep from the shock, its body's self-healing had already restored the earlier injuries.
"That's good. Celebi, can you take me back to my time? I'm not from this era, and if I keep staying here, it'll be bad no matter what. The future is still going to pass, and this kind of disruption isn't good."
Seeing Celebi awake, Sammy expressed his desire to return. After all, he wasn't from this era, and staying here any longer might disrupt the order of space and time. Although he also wanted to chat more with Ash and his new friends, or even travel together, that clearly wasn't an option.
Celebi nodded, indicating that it could send Sammy back now.
Seeing this, Sammy looked at Ash and the others, a wry smile appearing on his lips. "Then, we'll say goodbye here. Ash, Misty, Brock, Serena."
"Going back so soon, Sammy? Staying and traveling with us for a while, witnessing the world forty years after your time, that wouldn't be a problem." Ash urged enthusiastically. Although he hadn't spent much time with Sammy, Sammy really resonated with him. From the first glance, Ash had felt a deep sense of familiarity that he himself couldn't explain.
Sammy shook his head. "No. The more things from this era I encounter, the greater the impact on the future. Be careful that because of my butterfly effect, all of you cease to exist. Time travel is a very serious matter. It can't be treated like a child's game."
Hearing this, Ash and the others wanted to keep him, but the words got stuck in their throats. Indeed, as Sammy said, if the future affected the past, it would be very serious. Although they were reluctant, they could only bid Sammy farewell.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely still be alive forty years from now. We'll meet again then." Sammy revealed a smiling face and waved to Ash and the others. Celebi then activated its time-manipulation ability, and a second later, both boy and Pokémon vanished from Ash's sight.
Watching the figures disappear, Ash felt a sense of emptiness in his heart. He wondered where Sammy lived in this era.