c178: Pikachu Wins! Chidori Sharp Spear
The three Pikachu clones darted in unison, their movements crisp and blinding. The residual sparks they left behind distorted the air itself, a testament to the overwhelming electric charge surging through the battlefield.
Jiang Cai'er froze for a split second.
In that critical moment, she thought of Qin Yun's composed smile the same confident, unwavering expression he wore earlier during the Active Block forging. That memory hit her like a Thunder Wave. Her timing staggered. Her eyes narrowed as she instinctively glared at Qin Yun, teeth clenched.
Jiang Cai'er's heart pounded. Despite her elite rank, her instincts screamed danger. She hesitated.and in that hesitation, she stepped back.
"If I lose, I lose. If I win, I win. Victory or defeat comes from my own strength... or lack thereof."
Her voice was unusually soft. Her pride as an elite trainer in Rustboro Gym trembled.
"Pikachu, return and rest."
Qin Yun's voice was calm but carried a note of uncertainty. Why had Cai'er hesitated? His Pikachu.no, that Pikachu still radiated volatile electricity.
A strange thought rose unbidden in her mind.
"Qin Yun... won?"
Cai'er hated losing. More than that, she hated losing to someone younger especially to a high schooler who wasn't even officially licensed as a professional trainer. Her face flushed with shame.
"Master, I…"
"She... when did she move to that spot?"
Pikachu's voice was faint exhausted. Static sparks drifted across its cheeks, crackling softly.
Kenin's expression shifted. He sighed silently. She knew the signs. That wasn't an ordinary Pikachu.
"Aerodactyl, Stone Edge!"
The Fossil Pokémon roared and swung its wings upward. Sharp stone fragments erupted from the ground like jagged blades.
"Aerodactyl!!"
"Don't let the lightning get through!"
"Pickup!!"
Could they win?
"Aerodactyl, return."
The timing was precise. The angle perfect. The Chidori Sharp Spear hit exactly where it needed to midflight, before Aerodactyl could gain enough altitude.
A pseudo-S-tier Pokémon at elite peak strength, Aerodactyl was brought down by an elite junior-rank Pikachu. The shock was immense.
"Master, he… he cheated!"
Jiang Cai'er's voice shook. But deep inside, she knew that wasn't true. She had simply been outplayed. The moment Pikachu and Aerodactyl crashed into the rocky ground, the fading glow of the Chidori Spear still flickered between them.
Cai'er had talent. That was undeniable. But compared to Qin Yun, whose strategies and systems had produced elite-tier training tools, she still had a long way to go.
The Pikachu clones had moved with purpose. The one that charged directly had always been heading for Aerodactyl's blind spot.
The thunderous strike. The piercing spear. Jiang Cai'er no longer underestimated Qin Yun nor his Pokémon. That clone's strength and precision had shaken her to the core.
Kenin looked at Qin Yun. The young man's eyes radiated unwavering determination. Even now, after the battle was decided, he stood like a general surveying the field.
Aerodactyl collapsed, wings twitching, unable to rise again.
"Fossil Pokémon…"
Jiang Cai'er's eyes narrowed. Qin Yun met her gaze with calm certainty.
Aerodactyl's flight speed and altitude usually made it untouchable to grounded opponents. But this battle had taken a toll. Pikachu had worn it down, chipping away at its stamina until only one decisive strike remained.
This Pikachu was not ordinary. No matter how many times she reviewed the battle in her head, Jiang Cai'er couldn't deny it.
"Pikachu, are you alright?"
Everyone stared, mouths open, eyes locked on the crater left by the attack. As the dust settled, a familiar yellow figure lay panting on the battlefield.
Another Pikachu stood nearby, electricity still coursing along its fur.
Jiang Cai'er's hand trembled. She had lost.
Kenin's tone turned strict. "Watch your words, Cai'er. This battle had no foul play. You lost because you hesitated."
The moment she saw that lightning, she knew, it wasn't meant for range. It was a close-range finisher, a calculated gamble with lethal precision.
As the Chidori Spear faded into the earth, a soft voice echoed: "Pickup."
Pikachu had felt Qin Yun's trust.
Kenin watched Jiang Cai'er lower her head, her confidence shaken. But it was necessary. She had to learn from this.
"Pikachu, go!"
"That power...!"
Kenin stepped onto the field, eyes serious. Pikachu's Sharingan faded from its eyes. It had pushed itself to the brink.
"It's alright now…"
"But... it still wasn't close enough."
"Pickup…"
Qin Yun cried out, clenching his fists. "Did you forget there were three Pikachus!"
Jiang Cai'er was stunned. She had seen the clones but lost track of their positions. That lapse cost her the match.
That smile of Qin Yun's… it haunted her. Her reaction lagged, and so did Aerodactyl's. It was the same mistake she had made in the first thirty seconds.
Qin Yun returned Pikachu to its ball without delay.
"It must've exhausted all its strength…"
"Cai'er."
Especially in the opening, Pikachu's strength had surged. Likely a result of the system booster and energy cube enhancements created through the upgraded Orchard.
Thunderbolt clashed against Stone Edge mid-air. Though it didn't fully stop the attack, it disrupted its trajectory.
Kenin knew Jiang Cai'er's pride was hurt, but rules were rules. Mistakes mattered.
Aerodactyl had the aerial advantage. Pikachu should never have been able to hit it. But misdirection and momentum did the rest.
"Pikachu!"
When Aerodactyl crashed, it was over. Its energy reserves were spent.
"What if this was a real league match?"
"We're in a real match now," Jiang Cai'er argued, still trying to justify herself. "And you didn't even use professional-level Pokémon!"
"No more excuses. Aerodactyl is down. Pikachu wins."
Jiang Cai'er bit her lip. The referee's voice echoed across the field.
"No do-overs."
The Chidori Sharp Spear's voltage was immense. Aerodactyl, with its Rock/Flying typing, had taken double damage. Even elite defense wasn't enough against that concentrated blast of electromagnetic force.
Nearby, a fatigued Pikachu staggered forward, sparks flickering around its cheeks.
Jiang Cai'er blinked. Qin Yun's smile… that moment. It rattled her deeply.
A clone Pikachu had suddenly flung the real one into the air.
Mid-throw, the original Pikachu had generated the Chidori Spear—pure lightning compressed into a single devastating blow. It pierced Aerodactyl mid-flight.
The moment she saw the thundercloud of energy forming, she knew: if it hit, it was over.
"He used the swing to shorten the gap?"
"It wasn't certain," Kenin murmured. "But it worked."
If not for that hesitation caused by the smile, she could've avoided it. She would've avoided it.
Jiang Cai'er trembled. She wanted to speak—but couldn't.
If Aerodactyl had flown just 20 centimeters higher, the strike would have missed.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Her voice cracked with emotion. "If I hadn't hesitated…!"
The battle was decided. And in that decisive flash of thunder, everything changed.
The lightning faded. The battlefield went quiet.
"I… I get it," she said, voice trembling. "Tch…"
Then, in a blinding flash, Pikachu summoned the last of its strength. A final bolt coalesced into its palm.
The battlefield lit up raw, violent, and beautiful.
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