"Boom—"
The collision of the two moves produced a violent explosion, and the surging energy nearly caused significant destruction.
Fortunately, Red used his psychic power in time, forming an invisible barrier around the area to prevent the aftermath of the battle between the two Pokémon from damaging the surroundings.
Red also didn't want to wake up the nearby citizens in the middle of the night. If he accidentally disturbed everyone, he'd probably be drowned in angry complaints.
The azure dragon was engulfed by high-voltage electricity. Under Red's gaze, Dratini was blasted backward, crashing hard against the wall, nearly knocking itself unconscious.
Pikachu panted heavily, its body trembling slightly as it suffered recoil damage equal to one-third of Volt Tackle's power.
But seeing Dratini in such a miserable state, Pikachu couldn't help but smugly raise its head and glance at Dratini, as if to say not to underestimate it—just being bigger didn't mean victory was guaranteed.
What Pikachu didn't realize was that although Dratini appeared well-developed, it was actually only a few months old, having just hatched when Red first arrived in Saffron City.
Red also didn't dare to train his companions too intensely with Dratini. At the very least, he planned to wait until it evolved into Dragonair, when its body would be more mature.
"Zzzzt…"
A faint electric current flickered across Dratini's body as it fell into a paralyzed state from Pikachu's Volt Tackle.
Just as Pikachu was feeling lucky, Dratini suddenly changed again. Its purple scales began to glow, and in the darkness of night, the light was especially dazzling, making Pikachu's eyes uncomfortable.
Because it had fallen into a status condition, Dratini triggered its Ability—Marvel Scale, increasing its Defense by 1.5 times.
"Pika pika!"
Although it didn't understand what had changed, Pikachu decisively unleashed Thunderbolt, intending to further drain Dratini's stamina.
The high-voltage electricity transformed into a lightning serpent, rapidly closing in on Dratini.
"Dratini, use Dragon Pulse!"
Dratini opened its mouth, gathering dragon energy, preparing to use Dragon Pulse to neutralize the incoming Thunderbolt.
But at that moment, Dratini suddenly stiffened. A faint electric current spread throughout its body.
Temporarily immobilized by paralysis, Dratini was forced to endure the full impact of Thunderbolt.
"Mi—!"
Dratini cried out in pain, gasping heavily, clearly exhausted and unable to continue fighting Pikachu, whose speed gave it a clear advantage.
Pikachu understood this as well, which was why it decisively used its strongest move, Volt Tackle, severely injuring Dratini in one blow.
"Come back for now, Dratini."
Seeing this, Red thought for a moment before deciding to recall Dratini to rest.
After all, Dratini was the youngest member of Red's team. Although it had exceptional innate talent, its mentality was still immature. Even with good physical development, it was no match for the battle-hardened Pikachu.
Red wasn't foolish enough to think that a Pikachu capable of surviving in a big city without being captured by passing trainers would be weak.
Hearing Red's words, Dratini pouted in grievance, sulking as it came over and rubbed against Red's chest, seeking comfort to vent its dissatisfaction.
"Alright, alright, I was just worried about you~"
Red smiled helplessly, gently stroking Dratini's head to comfort the little troublemaker.
After all, it was still just a child. Feeling Red's apologetic touch, Dratini immediately brightened up, happily licking Red's cheek and even casting a smug glance at Pikachu.
I have a trainer who loves me—do you?
Pikachu glared at Red in annoyance. Just moments ago, he had been so kind to it, yet now he was comforting Dratini instead.
What Pikachu didn't know was that its next opponent wouldn't be as easy to tease as Dratini.
After all, that one had endured a tragic childhood and even killed its own enemy…
After soothing Dratini's emotions, Red threw another Poké Ball, sending out a Ground-type Pokémon specifically meant to counter Pikachu.
As for why he didn't send out his massive Steelix, part of it was due to the environment, and part of it was because he didn't want to bully Pikachu too much—breaking its fragile spirit wouldn't be good.
"I'm counting on you, Marowak!"
As the white light faded, Marowak appeared, holding its thick bone club.
Noticing Pikachu still panting, Red immediately released the Power of Viridian, healing its injuries and restoring its stamina so it could face Marowak at full strength.
"Pika?"
Pikachu looked up at Red in confusion, not understanding why he would go out of his way to do this. Wouldn't it be easier to just let Marowak defeat it directly?
After all, the trainers Pikachu had encountered before always did things that way—though unfortunately, they were too weak, and even taking turns, they couldn't defeat it.
"I already have the absolute advantage. I don't want you to feel too disadvantaged, and I don't want you to join me out of resentment," Red said with a light smile.
Understanding Red's words, Pikachu slapped its cheeks, charging the electricity in its cheek pouches.
Marowak immediately locked its gaze onto Pikachu. Upon confirming its opponent, it rushed forward, releasing a terrifying killing intent. Its bone club spun rapidly as it prepared to unleash Bone Rush.
Startled by Marowak's fierce aura, Pikachu quickly used Iron Tail to try and counter the powerful incoming strikes.
"Bang—"
Pikachu gritted its teeth as the thick bone club pressed toward its face. Clearly, it hadn't expected Marowak's ferocity—pure brute force alone was enough to pin Pikachu in place.
Though both had once been the "young ones" of their teams, Marowak and Dratini were fundamentally different. One had endured harsh reality, while the other had grown up sheltered and had yet to truly mature.
"Pika pika!"
At close range, Pikachu released Thunderbolt, attempting to wear down Marowak's stamina. But Marowak merely sneered, completely ignoring the high-voltage attack.
The electricity struck Marowak's body but was effortlessly grounded into the earth. Only then did Pikachu realize that Marowak was a Ground-type Pokémon specifically sent out to counter it—no wonder Red had so "kindly" restored its stamina.
"Marowak, use Brick Break!"
Ignoring Pikachu's speechless look, Red decisively gave the command.
Marowak's left hand glowed white, forming a blade-like strike as it slammed into Pikachu's waist with tremendous force, nearly knocking Pikachu unconscious.
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