Chapter 0844: Pikachu—The Art of an Oscar-Winning Performance(Two-in-One)

“Welcome, everyone, to the live site of the Alola League Tournament’s final Exhibition Match!”

The commentator’s voice blazed with excitement, shouting above the roaring cheers that echoed through the buzzing Arena.

Team Rocket weaved through the crowd, their racks loaded with snacks and drinks.

“Here’s your juice, sir!”

“Nothing beats an ice-cold juice in the summer, nya~!”

The students from the Pokémon School sat together in the stands.

“I can’t wait!” Lillie exclaimed.

“We’re about to see Gengar and Pikachu in action again~” Lana laughed.

“But Ash is still way behind Natsume-sensei, isn’t he?” Mallow wondered, tilting her head.

“Yeah,” Kiawe agreed, clenching a fist, “but even if he can’t beat Natsume-sensei, fighting with all he’s got will be enough!”

Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet watched the match, arms crossed.

“By the way…” Burnet noted, “the Masked Royal didn’t show up today.”

Kukui stiffened, scratched his cheek, and forced a smile. “He must have other business today!”

Burnet eyed her husband closely and whispered, “Don’t tell me—you’re the Masked Royal?”

“Ha, what? No way, hahaha!” Kukui tried to laugh it off, ruffling his own hair.

Burnet couldn’t hold back her giggles. As Masked Royal’s number one fan, she’d actually known his true identity as Kukui even before the tournament began.

Watching Kukui squirm with his “sheep in wolf’s clothing” act was endlessly amusing.

Glancing at Burnet’s mischievous smile, Kukui broke out in a cold sweat.

How’s that saying go…? My wife’s actually my harshest critic?

Elsewhere in the audience—

Aunt Delia, Professor Oak, Blue Oak, and Mr. Mime had all come to watch as well.

Red, meanwhile, was still at Mt. Silver, resting up for their all-out battle to come.

Professor Oak, in a tropical floral shirt, mused, “It’s been so long—Ash has really made it all the way to League Champion.”

“He’s still got a long way to go,” Blue Oak said, cocky as ever. “Still, a battle against Natsume-sensei is a real final exam.”

Time to see if a Champion is truly Champion-level!

Delia cheered at the top of her lungs, “Go, Ash, go!”

“Mr. Mime~!” Mr. Mime waved pom-poms.

Lily of the Valley Island, Sinnoh League.

Inside the Elite Four meeting room, Lucian kicked back on the sofa reading documents, Granny Bertha sipped tea from a thermos, Flint and Aaron squatted on the floor playing cards.

“Haha, you lost!” Aaron teased.

“Dang it!” Flint rubbed his Afro and pouted, “Lucian, switch with me—my luck’s garbage today!”

Lucian lifted his gaze from the papers, his stare “glowing with red-eye effects.”

“Yikes!” Flint shrank down, tugging at his yellow collar.

The door swung open—golden-haired Cynthia in a black trench coat, hand on her slim waist, smiling:

“You’ve all got half a day off. The Chairman approved it! Free time for all!”

“Woohoo!” Aaron threw his hands up, then looked confused, “But this is work day; why the sudden break?”

Cynthia crossed her arms. “Because watching high-level Pokémon battles is crucial trainer practice too.”

Granny Bertha asked, “Natsume and Ash’s exhibition match?”

Cynthia grinned, “You know it~”

The four Sinnoh Elites were caught off guard—left to chew on a big, lemony slab of jealousy.

But as Cynthia said, even Elite Four members could learn tons from watching Natsume’s duels.

So, they gathered in the meeting room, fired up the projector, and tuned in to the official livestream.

The official stream had over ten million viewers; chat messages flooded the screen, and the color commentator’s voice boomed:

“Both contestants have entered the arena!”

Ash and Natsume crossed to the center of the battlefield, with Hala serving as referee.

“Allow me to reiterate the match rules: This is a 6v6 full battle, on a ‘standard field.’ Combatants can freely switch Pokémon, but may only use one battle mechanic—either Z-Move or Mega Evolution; special forms not included.”

Hala swept a shrewd glance over both Ash and Natsume.

Ash’s lips curled with anticipation, his eyes blazing. Natsume smiled and dipped his head ever so slightly.

“In that case, I declare—”

Hala raised his flag, then slashed it down.

“Battle begin!”

Instantly, the arena’s giant screen flashed with both Trainers’ portraits. Six Poké Balls each lit up in flames as epic music rumbled and fire graphics roared across the display!

Ash pulled his signature Sun & Moon cap low, round face taut with focus, clenching his fist as the Z-Ring on his wrist glimmered faintly. He called out:

“Let’s go, Pikachu!”

Pikachu crouched low, eyes sharp and wild, a cocky little grin on his face. His cheek pouches crackled with sparks: “Pikachu!”

As Pikachu bounded onto the battlefield, Natsume-sensei simultaneously hurled a Luxury Ball.

“I choose you—Arcanine!”

With a boom, a flash of white coalesced into Arcanine’s majestic form.

“Pikachu?!”

Pikachu skidded to a stop, almost slipping, and looked up at the towering Arcanine.

“Arcanine!! ~(￣0￣)/”

Arcanine’s mane billowed, Rainbow Wing at his chest glinting as he peered down, the picture of familial warmth.

“Not looking too good for Ash.”

From the stands, Kukui analyzed, “Natsume-sensei’s opening with Arcanine’s ‘Intimidate’—he has no intention of going easy.”

Burnet nodded. “And I recall Ash’s specialty is fast-paced close-quarters battling, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. ‘Intimidate’ really puts the squeeze on Ash,” Kukui affirmed. “At this point, he’ll have to adapt on the fly.”

Ash’s eyes blazed. He shouted, “Let’s go, Pikachu—use Electroweb!”

“Pikachu!”

Pikachu leapt high, lightning surging from his tail, weaving together a net of sizzling electricity before hurling it forward.

But as the high-tensile net descended, Natsume commanded coolly:

“Arcanine, break through with Extreme Speed!”

“Arcanine! (｀0′)”

Arcanine crouched, then exploded off the ground with a thunderous boom.

He was a blur—nothing but a massive black streak as he barreled right through the web, without slowing an inch!

Electroweb clung stubbornly, sending currents crawling all over—but the barreling Arcanine didn’t even notice.

Pikachu froze, momentarily rattled—Ash’s bellow cut through the shock:

“Block it with Iron Tail!!”

“Pikachu!”

Pikachu braced, tail shimmering with gleaming steel, then sprang upward.

In mid-air, he spun a full 360°, his glowing tail colliding with Arcanine’s giant head. An explosive force erupted—

CLANG! Pikachu was sent flying!

Kukui was startled.

Ash’s defensive Iron Tail was flawless—but in raw strength and body mass, Arcanine simply outclassed Pikachu!

Suddenly, Ash shouted from the sidelines—

“That’s it! Thunderbolt, now!!”

Sent flying, Pikachu used the new distance strategically. As Arcanine slowed ever so slightly, Pikachu unleashed a surge of lightning!

“Pikachu—PIKA!!”

With a crackle and a roar, a thick thunderbolt lit up the field—engulfing Arcanine completely, even scorching the ground beneath his feet!

Everyone held their breath as the current faded. Pikachu landed on all fours, panting.

But then—

Both Pikachu and Ash froze.

When the last of the sparks fizzled, Arcanine stood tall and serene, still gazing calmly at Pikachu, the Rainbow Wing at his chest shimmering, showering his form with healing light.

Then, Arcanine shook his head, dusting off his singed mane—utterly unharmed!

Blue Oak’s eyes narrowed.

Rainbow Wing—the essence of Ho-Oh’s blessed power—overflowed with life energy, perfect for Natsume-sensei’s Sacred Fire-mastering Arcanine.

And as a tank build…

Even Blue Oak himself would have a nightmare breaking through that “Wall of Sighs”!

“Arcanine—”

Natsume’s eyes sharpened. “Flare Blitz!”

In a heartbeat, that ironclad fortress transformed into a war machine wreathed in flames.

“Arcanine!! (｀0′)”

Arcanine howled, bursting into orange fire—heat so intense that the audience held their breath.

BOOM!!

Like an arrow from a bow, the flaming Arcanine charged across the field in huge, bounding strides!

“Around the arena—use Quick Attack!” Ash called.

“Pikachu!”

Pikachu dashed in a zigzag Z-pattern, narrowly dodging. Strategy paid off—Arcanine slammed into the barricade at the edge, sending up a huge cloud of smoke!

Natsume hissed.

Running off the field doesn’t count as a loss, but Natsume would probably have to pay for repairs.

“Pikachu, Pikachu…” Pikachu hustled around, glancing back at the smokey crash site.

“Extreme Speed—catch him!” Natsume roared.

Pikachu was still running when he glimpsed Arcanine erupting from the smoke, trailing a streak of white—slamming Pikachu skyward with a thunderous impact!

“Pikachu!” Pikachu’s face scrunched as he spun through the air and crashed to the ground.

Gasps swept through the stands.

Barely a minute in, both Trainers had already thrown curveball after curveball—and Natsume-sensei had the edge!

“Ash was careless,” Blue Oak noted.

“Yeah,” Professor Oak agreed, arms crossed, “knowing Natsume, he probably had Arcanine miss on purpose just to make smoke cover.”

Blue Oak: “…Nah, he just has horrible luck.”

Ash called out:

“Return for now, Pikachu!”

“Pikachu!” (Got it!)

Pikachu nodded bold approval and sprinted back to Ash’s side to catch his breath.

Natsume-sensei felt mixed emotions.

Any time Pika-God is benched and swapped back, he’s right as rain and raring to go.

I’m calling it—this Pikachu is hacking with a hidden ‘Regenerator’ ability!

“Ash will be switching out Pikachu first!” the commentator cried.

“Against Arcanine, my next guy is this!”

Ash grabbed a Poké Ball and hurled it:

“Go, Krookodile!”

A beam of white light—crimson and black stripes—a real mafia boss, Krookodile adjusted his sunglasses with a snarl.

“Krookodile!” Krookodile roared, flashing savage fangs with supreme confidence.

Krookodile is Ash’s unmistakable ace from Unova. (Mainly because Unova didn’t have many battlers besides Krookodile.)

Its “Moxie” ability let its arrogance run wild—perfect for taking the sting out of Arcanine’s Intimidate.

Over in the stands, Island Kahuna Nanu nodded—his own partner was Krookodile, so he could tell Ash’s was no pushover.

With Earthquake’s double type advantage, maybe—just maybe—Natsume-sensei would have to swap out Arcanine!

“Arcanine…” Arcanine paced around Krookodile. Lion versus croc—the tension was real.

At the ref’s flag, Natsume and Ash called out at the same time:

“Arcanine, Play Rough!”

“Krookodile, Dig!”

“Arcanine!” Arcanine danced, gleaming pink with Fairy-type energy, pouncing like a playful cub.

But Krookodile burrowed first—digging into the earth as little dirt mounds popped up across the field!

Kukui tensed.

Play Rough is Fairy-type—super effective against Dark-types like Krookodile! If it lands, that’s a world of hurt!

But Ash didn’t recklessly go for Earthquake—a definite sign of his growth!

“Play Rough…” Blue Oak muttered, brow raised. “Targeted moveset—called it.”

Livestream chat scrolled with comments.

“Whew! Krookodile dodged a bullet!”

“Ash predicted Natsume-sensei’s call?”

“Ash: You thought I was on level one? Buddy, I’m on level five!”

Ash let out a breath.

Honestly, he didn’t overthink it—‘Dig’ and ‘Aerial Ace’ just happen to be his favorites.

“Arcanine!”

Arcanine scanned side to side, tracking the moving dirt.

But before Krookodile surfaced, Natsume recalled Arcanine and threw another Poké Ball:

“Go, Wash Rotom!”

The chat lost its mind.

“There it is! The classic swap read!”

“Wash Rotom just fits defensive switching—such a strategist’s pick!”

“Ash with the prediction, Natsume-sensei with the swap—ultimate respect!”

Wash Rotom looked like a mini washing machine with wings, floating and flashing a toothy, mischievous grin.

Krookodile burst from the ground, jaws wide, but Wash Rotom casually floated away:

“Whew—close but no cigar, Rotom!”

“Krookodile, Stone Edge!” Ash called.

Krookodile stamped the ground in a huff—cracking the earth until sharp stones hovered all around, then fired them in rapid volleys!

“Rotom! Hydro Pump!”

Wash Rotom’s lid popped, launching a massive Hydro Pump—colliding with the Stone Edge in a smoky explosion.

Mist flooding the battlefield, Rotom zipped low over the ground.

Ash clenched his fist, roaring:

“Krookodile—Dragon Claw!”

“Krookodile!!”

Krookodile’s claws glowed greenish-blue, like a dragon’s talons, as it lunged straight at Rotom!

Natsume’s eyelid twitched.

That pose—Alain also loves when he uses Dragon Claw.

Clearly, Ash picked up the ‘edgelord’ act from him!

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Dragon Claw slashed Wash Rotom over and over, sparking bursts every time—scarred all over in a matter of seconds.

‘Hang in there—I’ll patch you up when we get home,’ Natsume willed.

“Beep…long live understanding, Rotom! o(TヘTo)”

High-speed offense was Ash’s style—the infamous “wild punches that KO even the old Masters.”

But at such close range, even Rotom’s notoriously unreliable Hydro Pump should hit the mark!

“Natsume-sensei’s just hanging in there,” Mallow noted.

“Ash can’t let up or he’ll get countered in a heartbeat!” Kiawe said.

“It’s rough—Krookodile’s definitely slowing down!” Sophocles added.

“Rotom—”

Natsume’s eyes narrowed. “Hydro Pump!!”

BOOM!!

Just before Dragon Claw came down again, Hydro Pump blasted Krookodile back.

“Kro-ka!” Krookodile reeled under the onslaught of water, his sunglasses nearly flying clean off.

“Krookodile, slice it with Dragon Claw!” Ash shouted.

“Krookodile!” Krookodile braced with crossed arms, slashing into the water like trying to carve a river in two.

But even with all that thunder, Hydro Pump didn’t quit.

An Elite Four-level Rotom with a type advantage—Krookodile was being worn down hard!

Moments later—

Hydro Pump finally stopped.

Krookodile’s sunglasses popped off and clattered to the ground. He dropped to one knee—then toppled over.

“Krookodile unable to battle!” Hala waved his flag.

On the big screen, one of Ash’s Poké Balls dimmed out.

With a crush of cheers, the commentator declared:

“Natsume-sensei takes the early lead!”

Natsume-sensei’s gaze was steady.

Krookodile wasn’t even Ash’s toughest Pokémon.

Besides… Natsume glanced at Pikachu by Ash’s pants-leg, sneakily watching the action.

Pikachu:|･ω･｀)

Better conserve HP for later—just watching and learning for now!

Ash recalled Krookodile, studying Wash Rotom for a second. He muttered:

“Water and Electric, huh…”

“Okay.” Ash twisted his cap, his eyes fierce. “I choose you—Infernape!!”

Natsume’s eyes snapped open.

Oh no!

He took the matchup bait—Master of the Reverse Type buff incoming!