Sam yawned as he walked into the Pokémon Center's restaurant.
It was already quite late in the morning, and there weren't many people inside.
"Over here! Over here, Sam!"
Ash and Misty waved enthusiastically. Judging by their expressions, they had clearly been waiting for a long time. Staying up late cleaning the Pokémon Center last night didn't seem to affect them at all.
Before Sam even entered, the two of them were still chatting energetically.
Their liveliness stood in sharp contrast to Sam's sleepy appearance.
What an enviable physique.
After grabbing some simple food, Sam finished his breakfast in just a few quick bites.
It wasn't that the food at the Pokémon Center wasn't good, in fact, it tasted great. Sam simply didn't have the luxury of eating slowly.
Some people clearly couldn't wait any longer.
Ash didn't say a word, but from the moment Sam appeared, the fire in his eyes never faded.
His fighting spirit was already burning.
As a Trainer, how could he make his rival wait?
To be honest, Sam was also looking forward to battling Ash, and Pikachu.
"If you want to fight, I'll be the referee!" Misty volunteered eagerly.
Yesterday's battle involving Pikachu was still vivid in her memory, and she wanted to see it happen again.
A referee was settled, and the venue was easy to find.
Just outside the cafeteria was the Pokémon Center's public battle arena.
Everything was ready.
The battle officially began.
"Then it's up to you, Pikachu!" Ash declared.
Since he only had one Pokémon, Pikachu was naturally his sole choice.
What surprised Sam was that even after witnessing his strength firsthand, Ash and Pikachu still faced him with confidence.
Was this ignorance giving rise to fearlessness?
Or was it the protagonist's courage to face overwhelming odds?
Either way, Sam had no intention of sending out Tyranitar. If he did, the battle would be meaningless.
This was Ash's first official battle against another Trainer, but it wasn't Sam's.
He had no intention of taking advantage of Ash.
The Pokémon Sam chose was Bulbasaur, the same Pokémon Ash had nearly chosen from Professor Oak's lab.
"Seed! Seed!"
Bulbasaur let out an excited cry the moment it entered the field.
Not only was Bulbasaur familiar with Pikachu, it knew it very well.
Bulbasaur's confident attitude immediately put Pikachu on guard. Sparks flickered across Pikachu's cheeks as it prepared to attack at any moment.
Before a single move was made, the air was already tense.
"Battle start!!!" Misty announced.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered without hesitation.
His command carried a strong personal style, relentless offense. To Ash, the best defense was always attack.
"Bulbasaur, use Petal Dance."
Sam remained calm, responding instantly.
Compared to Pikachu's agility, speed was Bulbasaur's weakness. Standing still and trading blows wasn't ideal, but if Bulbasaur could tank the hit and counterattack, the exchange would be worth it.
Thunderbolt struck Bulbasaur, but the damage was minimal.
Sam's judgment was correct.
Pikachu was terrifyingly strong when facing overwhelming opponents, but against a Pokémon of similar strength, it could no longer recreate yesterday's miracle.
At this moment, Pikachu's performance was no different from that of an ordinary Pikachu.
Misty was completely confused.
She couldn't understand why Pikachu seemed so powerful yesterday, yet struggled so much today.
Compared to Bulbasaur's sturdy body, Pikachu clearly lacked endurance.
Under the relentless assault of Petal Dance, Pikachu was forced backward again and again.
"What should I do…?" Ash muttered anxiously.
Once Pikachu fell into a disadvantage, Ash began to panic.
This was the weakness of a rookie Trainer.
They might perform decently when things were going well, but once the situation turned against them, it became difficult to recover.
Ash might have limitless potential—but right now, he was still just a beginner.
And this gap in experience was impossible to overcome in this battle.
"Bulbasaur, finish it with Vine Whip."
Seeing his opponent lose composure, Sam didn't hesitate.
If he couldn't seize this opportunity, he might as well give up on being a Trainer altogether.
"Seed."
Vines shot out from Bulbasaur's body, surging toward Pikachu at incredible speed.
The attack was far faster than Pikachu had anticipated.
Before it could dodge, the Vine Whip struck squarely.
With just one hit, Pikachu lost its ability to fight.
"How… how is that possible…?" Ash stood frozen in shock.
He hadn't expected the gap between himself and Sam to be this large.
When Sam chose Bulbasaur, Ash genuinely believed he still had a chance.
But reality proved otherwise.
From start to finish, Pikachu had been completely suppressed by Bulbasaur.
It was a total defeat.
.....