The three Pokémon Tobias had shown so far were all formidable. Darkrai, Latios, and Heatran.
But does that an all his Pokémon are around the sa level? Gary thought as he watched from the sidelines.
It was possible that the rest of Tobias's team was slightly lower in strength—maybe even below Elite-tier. But knowing how this tournant had gone so far, it was much more likely that he was hiding at least one Champion-level threat in his lineup.
On the field, Tobias recalled Heatran.
"It seems I underestimated the trainers at this League Conference," he said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet stadium. "But there will be no more surprises."
He threw his next Poké Ball.
"Go."
A beam of light hit the ground, and a majestic, blue-and-white beast materialized. Long, ribbon-like tails drifted around it as it stood proudly on the battlefield.
[Lv. 68 Suicune / Quasi-Legendary]
The stadium erupted again.
"Suicune!"
"Another Legendary Pokémon?! Does this guy only use Legendaries?!"
This was his fourth Pokémon. Many in the audience were already assuming that the remaining two must be Legendaries as well.
Ash didn't hesitate. "Latias, use Mist Ball!"
"Woo!"
Latias condensed a swirling ball of psychic energy wrapped in mist and fired it straight at Suicune.
"Hydro Pump," Tobias ordered calmly.
Suicune opened its mouth and fired a massive torrent of water. The Hydro Pump easily overpowered the Mist Ball, tearing right through it and continuing up toward Latias. Latias quickly banked sideways, barely dodging the blast.
Ash's face tightened. He could feel the pressure. This Suicune is stronger than the Heatran.
"Ice Beam," Tobias commanded.
Suicune wasn't an Ice-type, but it was known as the incarnation of the North Wind. Its control over ice energy was just as potent as any true Ice-type Pokémon. A freezing blue beam shot into the sky. Latias didn't dare try to block it; she imdiately flew evasive maneuvers to stay out of range.
Seeing that Suicune's attacks weren't landing, Tobias changed tactics.
Suicune exhaled, and a thick, creeping Mist rapidly covered the entire battlefield, completely obscuring Suicune from the air. Latias hovered above, unable to see her target.
"Latias, blow it away with Tailwind!" Ash shouted.
"Woo!"
Latias flapped her wings, generating a powerful gust of wind ant to scatter the Mist. But before the wind could take full effect, a freezing beam of light shot out from the thick fog, aid perfectly at her.
Bang!
Latias was hit square in the chest by the Ice Beam.
"What?!" Ash was stunned. "How did it see her through the Mist?!"
From the tunnel, Gary shook his head slightly.
"Because Suicune is the embodint of the North Wind."
It wasn't a Psychic-type, but Suicune could read the flow of the wind. Every movent Latias made in the air created ripples, and Suicune could sense those changes to pinpoint her exact location. The title wasn't just for show.
"Woo!!"
The super-effective hit did massive damage. Ice crystallized across Latias's body, and she began to fall toward the ground, struggling to stay airborne.
"Finish it," Tobias said. "Blizzard."
Suicune let out a cry, summoning a ferocious, freezing storm that slamd into the falling Latias.
Bang!!
Latias hit the ground hard, her eyes swirling. She had already spent a lot of energy fighting Heatran, and taking two powerful Ice-type attacks back-to-back was too much.
"Latias is unable to battle! Suicune wins!" the referee announced.
The crowd let out a collective breath.
"Latias went down... Who is Ash going to send out next?" the comntator wondered aloud. "Could it be another Legendary Pokémon?"
Gary, however, knew Ash's roster. Ash only had two Pokémon left. One of them was Pikachu. If Ash had listened to his advice, the other one should be Charizard.
Under the gaze of thousands, Ash turned to the partner at his side.
"Pikachu, it's up to you."
"Pika!"
Pikachu leaped from Ash's side and landed firmly on the battlefield, sparks flying from its cheeks.
[Lv. 66 Pikachu / Champion-tier]
Not bad, Gary thought.
Pikachu had been with Ash from the very beginning. Its level had grown steadily over the years. If not for Pikachu's naturally low base stats, it would be even more terrifying.
Because Gary had intervened earlier, the original tiline was shifting. Pikachu wasn't facing Latios this ti—it was facing Suicune.
Normally, an Electric-type facing a Water-type would give Gary peace of mind. But this was Ash. The title of "Reverse-Type Master" wasn't given to him for nothing. If Ash had sent out Charizard—a Fire-type—to fight a Water-type, Gary might have actually felt more confident in a win.
In the stands, the crowd was confused.
"Wait, Pikachu?"
"He didn't even evolve it into Raichu? Is he giving up?"
"You don't know what you're talking about! That Pikachu is incredibly strong!"
"Strong? You really think a little mouse is going to beat Suicune?"
The supporters who knew Ash's Pikachu wanted to argue, but they hesitated. Even they found it hard to confidently say that Pikachu could take down a Legendary beast like Suicune. Most of them hadn't watched the Battle Frontier, so they didn't know Pikachu had already defeated a Regice in the past.
The noise died down as the referee signaled the battle to continue.
Tobias looked at Pikachu, a hint of dismissal in his eyes. "Hydro Pump."
Suicune fired another massive blast of water.
"Pikachu, dodge it and use Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.
"Pika!"
Electricity surged through Pikachu's body, boosting its speed. It easily sidestepped the heavy Hydro Pump, then fired a thick bolt of golden lightning right back. The attack struck Suicune directly.
"Arooo!!"
Suicune roared in pain. It hadn't expected Pikachu to be that fast, nor for the Thunderbolt to pack such a massive punch. The super-effective damage hit hard.
The audience gasped. Pikachu had actually landed a solid blow! Its small size and incredible speed were proving to be a huge advantage against Suicune's larger, heavier attacks.
"Suicune, Surf!" Tobias commanded, deciding to use an area-of-effect attack that Pikachu couldn't simply dodge.
Suicune gathered water energy, preparing to summon a massive wave that would wash over the entire field.
"Quick Attack, now!" Ash countered.
Zip!
Pikachu moved like a blur. Leaving a trail of white light, it crossed the battlefield in an instant and slamd directly into Suicune with a loud Bang! The impact interrupted Suicune's attack, causing the water energy to dissipate.
"Ice Fang!" Tobias ordered quickly. He realized that giving Pikachu any distance was dangerous.
"Arooo!"
Suicune's fangs coated in freezing energy as it lunged forward, snapping at Pikachu from just a few feet away.
"Iron Tail!"
Pikachu spun in mid-air, its tail glowing with tallic energy.
Clang!
The Iron Tail t the Ice Fang head-on. The force of the clash sent Pikachu flying backward, high into the air.
Ash seized the mont. "Pikachu, use Thunder!"
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