"Why is Ash sending Pikachu out? Even if Pikachu has a type advantage against Suicune, their power levels are in completely different leagues!" Sam couldn't help but voice his doubts to Misty and the others nearby.
"Heh, if you had seen just how strong Ash's Pikachu is, you wouldn't be asking that. Just watch—his Pikachu is incredibly powerful!" Brock said, patting his chest with pride.
They had all witnessed Pikachu's immense strength firsthand.
Forget Suicune—even if Ho-Oh itself showed up, they wouldn't believe Pikachu could lose!
As long as there was a breath of life left, miracles could happen; Ash and Pikachu were synonymous with miracles!
Sam still felt that Misty and Brock were being a bit too naive; after all, this was a Legendary Pokémon—not the sort of opponent that could be defeated simply through trust or type advantages.
Then again, it didn't really matter if they lost; the worst-case scenario was simply letting Suicune go free.
With that thought, Sam's restless anxiety began to subside.
Battling Suicune wasn't like facing the kind of opponent they had just dealt with; a loss wouldn't result in a dire, no-win situation.
Ash must have realized this too, which was why he chose to send out Pikachu. Winning or losing didn't matter—what mattered was gaining experience for Pikachu!
Exactly—that had to be it. Experience battling a Legendary Pokémon was incredibly valuable; for Ash's Pikachu, this rare opportunity to fight would be hugely beneficial for its future growth.
It turned out his own perspective had been too narrow.
Sam shook his head inwardly, realizing just how vast the gap was between his level as a Trainer and Ash's. Ash was already thinking about the long term, while he had been fixated on the immediate outcome of the battle; he really needed to learn from Ash.
Out on the field, Pikachu had already donned the cap Ash tossed to him, shifting into his Partner Form.
In reality, given Pikachu's current strength, he wouldn't necessarily lose to Suicune even without the Partner Form; however, out of respect for Suicune, both Ash and Pikachu had decided to give it their all.
Unlike the "cheat-like" power of Aura fusion, the Partner Form was a power born entirely from the bond between Ash and Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Zippy Zap!" Ash commanded the opening move, opting for Pikachu's fastest attack: Zippy Zap!
"Pika!" Pikachu's figure transformed into a bolt of lightning, a golden streak of electricity flashing across the arena. In the blink of an eye, crackling with electric energy, Pikachu slammed hard into Suicune!
"Bang!" A massive force struck a vital spot, and golden lightning crackled across Suicune's body; by the time Suicune could react, all it could feel was an intense, paralyzing numbness coursing through its frame.
"Pika!" After landing the hit, Pikachu sprang backward and landed gracefully on the ground.
Sam rubbed his eyes in sheer disbelief, wondering if his vision was playing tricks on him.
Pikachu... had actually sent Suicune flying with a single blow before the Legendary Pokémon could even react!
Judging by the pained expression on Suicune's face and its wretched cry, this wasn't merely a knock-back—it was a devastating hit that had inflicted serious injury!
You've got to be kidding me! Is this the kind of feat a Pikachu is actually capable of?
Misty and Brock nodded as they watched Sam's stunned expression—exactly. Anyone unfamiliar with Ash's Pikachu would react the same way upon seeing it in action!
After all, back when they first met Ash, they too had worn that same look of utter astonishment the first time they saw Pikachu fight.
Even after spending so much time by Ash's side, Pikachu still managed to pull off all sorts of bizarre "surprises."
Partner forms, partner moves... so many abilities and power-ups would simply manifest out of nowhere during battles.
By now, seeing Pikachu send Suicune flying in a single exchange was nothing out of the ordinary for them.
It would actually be strange if Pikachu were the one sent flying by Suicune in the opening move!
"Ugh..." Suicune rose from the ground, shaking its dizzy head. The lingering paralysis throughout its body confirmed that the blow hadn't been an illusion; it had truly been gravely injured by an "electric mouse" before it could even react!
That's right—that single hit had depleted nearly half of its stamina! Calling it a serious injury was no exaggeration.
The attack was faster than that of an ordinary Champion-level Pokémon, and its power approached the peak of the Elite Four tier; yet, it struck a critical weak point, dealing double damage.
Coupled with the type-effectiveness advantage of an Electric-type move, the damage was doubled once more.
All told, the total damage was effectively quadrupled!
The fact that its HP was only reduced by half was a testament to its immense natural toughness; had its stamina not far exceeded the norm for its current level, it would likely have been instantly knocked out by that single blow!
It knew the "Hero of the Rainbow" couldn't be ordinary—otherwise, Lord Ho-Oh wouldn't have chosen him—but it hadn't expected this level of extraordinary power!
Damn it—could an "electric mouse" really be trained to such a degree? It had roamed the world for ages, yet had never seen an electric mouse this strong!
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" With the first hit landing successfully, Ash pressed the advantage, ordering Pikachu to unleash its signature move: Thunderbolt!
"Pika—chu!!" A golden bolt of lightning shot forth, tearing through the air with a thunderous crack and bathing the entire forest in a brilliant golden glow.
"Wooooh!!" Suicune raised its head and let out a clear, resonant cry as water vapor rapidly condensed around its body. It knew that against a Pikachu with such absurd speed and devastating attack power, fancy tricks would be futile.
Only by meeting force with force could it hope to turn the tide.
A massive column of azure water erupted from its mouth, surging with immense Water-type energy like a raging tsunami as it bore down on Pikachu!
It was the signature Water-type ultimate move—Hydro Pump!
Sam held his breath in suspense. Was this going to be a head-on clash of raw power? Ash's Pikachu had managed to hit Suicune earlier thanks to its incredible speed, but it remained to be seen if it could match Suicune in a direct confrontation.
Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt collided violently in mid-air!
"BOOM!!"
There was no stalemate, no back-and-forth struggle.
Like paper being torn apart, the golden lightning instantly shredded the massive column of water! The mist filling the air turned to steam and vanished completely amidst the lightning's glare.
Suicune's pupils contracted sharply as it watched, helpless, as the unstoppable bolt of lightning tore through its Hydro Pump and slammed squarely into its body!
"Awooooo—!!"
A piercing cry echoed through the forest. Golden arcs of electricity surged wildly across Suicune's body; its once-clear blue form was swallowed by the electric glare, and the next moment, its massive frame crashed heavily to the ground!
The Thunderbolt attack had all but drained Suicune's remaining stamina. While it hadn't technically been knocked out yet, it was practically incapacitated; even standing up had become an immense struggle.
Sam was completely dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at the small yellow figure on the battlefield, his mind a total blank.
Suicune's Hydro Pump... overpowered head-on by Pikachu's Thunderbolt? That legendary beast—brought to the brink of defeat by a Pikachu in just two moves?!
He began to wonder if something was wrong with the world.
Speed—it couldn't compete. Attack power—it couldn't compete. It meant Pikachu was utterly crushing Suicune in every conceivable aspect!
If Ash had sent out a Tyranitar or a Dragonite, Sam might have found it acceptable—but this was just a Pikachu!
"That's a bit absurd..." Sam muttered to himself.
"Absurd? Not at all. That wasn't even Pikachu's true strength," Misty said with a smile, cradling Togepi in her arms.
Sam whipped his head around to look at her in disbelief. Not its true strength? You call taking down Suicune in one hit 'not showing its true strength'?!
Brock crossed his arms and nodded matter-of-factly.
"If you'd seen how Ash's Pikachu once pinned a Champion-level Suicune to the ground and thrashed it, you wouldn't be so shocked. The Suicune right here is only Elite Four-level."
Champion-level Suicune... Are you guys just spouting whatever nonsense you dream up? Listening to Misty and Brock, it seemed that Pikachu had faced Suicune before—and had even defeated a Champion-level Suicune in the past?
He felt his entire worldview being completely redefined in that moment! Pokémon... truly held infinite possibilities!
If one merely became a Trainer, it would be impossible to uncover the many deep secrets of Pokémon; so... what if one became a Researcher?
Once the idea of becoming a Researcher took root in Sam's mind, it refused to go away.
Out on the field, the battle between Pikachu and Suicune was drawing to a close.
Although Suicune hadn't been knocked out, it could no longer stand; Ash took out an aqua-blue Poké Ball and tossed it straight at the Legendary Pokémon!
It was a Lure Ball—designed to increase the odds of catching Water-type Pokémon, and its color matched them perfectly.
The Lure Ball struck Suicune directly, transforming it into a beam of red light as it was drawn inside. The ball fell to the ground, wobbled three times under everyone's gaze, and finally clicked shut.
"Yeah! I caught Suicune!" Seeing the capture succeed, Ash—who had maintained a cool, composed demeanor throughout the battle—finally let his excitement get the better of him and jumped for joy.
This was his true self; he had wanted to jump for joy the moment Suicune gave its consent, but knowing it wasn't over yet, he had held back until the very end.
Now that Suicune was safely inside the ball, he could finally let loose.
Ash picked up the Lure Ball and ran happily over to Sam, Misty, and the others, showing it off with pride.
"Alright, alright, Ash—you're amazing. You actually caught one of the Legendary Beasts," Misty said with a look that suggested, "There's just no helping you," though in reality, she was thrilled too.
Her own goal for this Johto journey had been to catch Suicune.
Even though she hadn't been the one to catch it, her boyfriend had—so, by a loose calculation, she could claim to have caught half of it. But in the future, she would definitely capture a Suicune of her own—through her own hard work!
"Congratulations, Ash." Sam finally composed his turbulent emotions and stepped forward to congratulate Ash.
"Hehe, this is just the beginning! I'm going to battle even more Legendary Pokémon and catch them, too!" Ash said confidently, pumping his fist in the air.
"Haha, well then, I hope your wish comes true... Oh, it looks like Celebi is waking up." Sensing movement from the Celebi in his arms, Sam quickly set it down.
Ash set aside his excitement and gathered around Celebi with Misty and the others.
Celebi's eyes fluttered, and it slowly opened them—"Celebi!"
The faces crowding in close gave Celebi quite a start. Although it knew Ash wasn't a bad person, having them get so close nearly made it unleash a Psychic attack in reflex!
"Celebi, how are you feeling? Are you okay?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Celebi..." Celebi flew up and spun around twice, showing off its uninjured body.
That minor injury didn't even count as a scratch for the Guardian of the Forest; after falling asleep from the shock, its body had naturally healed the damage.
"I'm glad you're okay... Say, Celebi, could you send me back to my own time? I don't belong in this era; staying here any longer might have a negative impact on both the future and the past." Seeing that Celebi was fine, Sam voiced his desire to return home.
After all, he didn't belong to this era; lingering too long in this space-time continuum might disrupt the order of time and space.
Even though he wanted to chat more with his new friends—Ash and the others—or perhaps even travel with them, it simply wasn't something that could be allowed.
"Celebi!" Celebi nodded, indicating it could send Sam back right away. Seeing this, Sam looked at Ash and the others, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"Well then, let's say our goodbyes here—Ash, Misty, Brock, Serena."
"You're heading back so soon, Sam? You know, there's no harm in staying to travel with us for a bit and seeing how the world has developed over the last forty years!" Ash urged enthusiastically.
Although he hadn't spent much time with Sam, he had taken an immediate liking to him; from the very first moment they met, Ash had felt a genuine sense of kinship—though he couldn't quite explain why.
Sam shook his head.
"No, I can't. The more I see of this era, the greater the impact on the future might be. I have to be careful; the 'butterfly effect' could potentially cause you all to cease existing. Time travel is a serious matter—it's not something to be taken lightly."
Hearing this, the words Ash and the others were about to use to persuade him died on their lips.
It was true—as Sam had said, the consequences of the future influencing the past could be quite severe.
Reluctant as they were, they had no choice but to bid Sam farewell.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely still be alive forty years from now—we'll meet again then!" Sam smiled brightly and waved at the group. Celebi channeled its power over time, and the next instant, both boy and Pokémon vanished from sight.
Watching the figure disappear, Ash felt a sudden, hollow ache in his heart.
He wondered where the Sam of this era was living...
...
Professor Oak's Laboratory—"Achoo!!"
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