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"Pikachu, calm down! Close your eyes!"
Just as the kaleidoscopic swirls of the Confuse Ray began to scramble Pikachu's senses, Ash's voice cut through the mental fog. Pikachu obeyed instantly, snapping his eyelids shut. The world went dark, but the dizzying lights were cut off at the source.
However, fighting blind was a death sentence against an Elite Four opponent—unless you had a direct link to a Master of Aura.
"Flash Cannon!" Lucian commanded.
Bronzong's metallic body hummed as it funneled energy into its central core. A brilliant, silvery-white beam of concentrated light erupted, tearing across the arena toward the stationary mouse.
"(Pikachu, upper right! Jump now!)"
Ash's voice didn't come from the air; it resonated directly within Pikachu's mind via Aura. Relying on his sensitive ears to track the whistling air and Ash's mental GPS, Pikachu launched into an Agility-boosted leap. The Flash Cannon scorched the earth beneath him, but the mouse was already closing the distance, a golden blur moving through the darkness.
"Impressive speed," Lucian mused, a scholarly smile playing on his lips. "He's hard to pin down. Bronzong, prepare Trick Room!"
"Flash (Shinny)!" Ash countered instantly.
The timing was frame-perfect. Just as Bronzong began to warp the dimensions of the arena, Pikachu—high in the air—burst with a blinding, supernova-like radiance.
Except for Ash, who had shielded his eyes, everyone was momentarily blinded. Lucian winced, and Bronzong's concentration shattered, the translucent purple walls of the Trick Room fizzling out before they could manifest.
"Now, Iron Tail!"
As the light faded and Lucian blinked away the spots in his vision, he gasped. Towering over Bronzong was a tail that had transformed into a shimmering, meter-long silver cleaver.
"This is..." Lucian's composure finally broke. He had heard rumors of Ash's "Heavy Cleaver" style, but seeing a G-Max level move from a standard Pikachu was a spatial anomaly he hadn't prepared for.
"Go, go, go, Pikachu!" Dawn was practically vibrating with excitement. She had already changed into her pink cheerleader outfit, with Buneary beside her in a matching costume, waving pom-poms with heart-shaped eyes.
"Mimi~!" Buneary squeaked, her adoration for the brave Pikachu reaching critical levels.
"Too much... way too much," Brock muttered, shielding his eyes from both the battle and the overwhelming "cheerleader aura" coming from the sidelines.
BOOM!
The massive Iron Tail slammed into Bronzong's head, a physical strike so heavy it sent the hundred-pound bronze bell skipping across the arena floor like a stone on a pond.
"Bronzong, quickly use—"
"Don't let him breathe! Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted, adjusting the brim of his hat.
In a high-speed skirmish, mercy is a liability. Ash knew that if Bronzong managed to set up Trick Room, the speed advantage would flip, and Pikachu would be a sitting duck. Pikachu ignited, becoming a meteor of gold-and-white lightning that slammed into the staggering Bronzong before it could even right itself.
The arena was engulfed in a cloud of ozone and scorching heat. Ash's Aura, however, told him the fight wasn't over. Lucian's Bronzong had the durability of an ancient fortress.
"Iron Tail plus Electro Ball!"
Pikachu leaped into a 360-degree spin. As his tail swung, he generated a crackling sphere of electricity, attaching it to the tip of the "cleaver." He brought the combined weight of the physical strike and the explosive energy down on the smoke-shrouded target.
CRASH!
The impact cleared the smoke. Bronzong lay flat on the cratered earth, its bronze hide scorched and its eyes swirled into the spiral patterns of total defeat.
"Pikachu!" The mouse landed, huffing for breath but flashing a triumphant "V" sign toward the spectators.
"Buneary, look! He did it! He's so cool!" Dawn cheered, her eyes glowing with the same infatuated light as her Pokémon.
Brock stood silent for a moment, looking at the young man who had just dismantled an Elite Four's partner. He's really doing it, Brock thought with a surge of paternal pride. This year, the Lily Valley Conference won't know what hit it.
"That was truly splendid, Ash," Lucian said, recalling Bronzong with a respectful bow. He walked over and patted Ash's shoulder. "I expect to see you on that Champion podium. Don't let that talent go to waste."
"I won't. Thank you for the lesson, Mr. Lucian," Ash responded solemnly.
Lucian laughed heartily, bid them farewell, and disappeared toward the forest. Once out of sight, he pulled out a sleek communication device.
"Cynthia? I've found someone you'll want to keep an eye on..."
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