"The Gym battle will now begin," the referee announced, his voice echoing in the tense silence. "Each trainer may use one Pokémon. Gym Leader Lt. Surge will use Raichu. The challenger, Red, will use Beedrill. Let the battle begin!"
Lt. Surge hesitated. Beedrill's quiet, menacing aura had unsettled his Raichu, and the cold, crimson glow in Red's left eye sent a shiver of pure dread down his own spine. He couldn't understand why this boy was so furious.
"Since you won't attack, I won't hold back," Surge finally roared, trying to bolster his own courage. "Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"
Though it was afraid, Raichu obeyed. A high-voltage current surged from its body, a serpent of pure lightning that shot toward the airborne Beedrill. The serpent struck, and Surge felt a flash of triumphant excitement—until he realized the Beedrill had dissolved into a phantom. It was nothing but an afterimage.
"X-Scissor." Red's voice was as cold as ice.
Beedrill appeared behind the stunned Raichu, its twin stingers glowing with a venomous green light. It struck fiercely, the powerful blow leaving two deep scars on Raichu's back. The single attack left the larger Pokémon gasping for breath, its will to fight completely shattered.
"Pin Missile," Red commanded.
"What?!" Surge cried out, horrified. He didn't expect Red to continue the assault. His Raichu was clearly unable to battle, yet this boy was ordering a finishing blow. It was pure retaliation.
"Rai!"
Hit by countless needles in its vital points, Raichu shrieked in agony. Ash, Misty, and Brock couldn't bear to watch, turning their heads away. Only Red and Beedrill watched impassively as Surge ran onto the field, cradling his battered Pokémon and screaming, "I surrender!"
"Only by experiencing it yourself can you understand the feelings of those trainers you so mercilessly defeated," Red said, his voice flat and indifferent. "While it is frustrating to be provoked by amateurs, you do not let your emotions affect a battle. If you feel annoyed, have your subordinates screen challengers first."
Red understood Surge's frustration, but it was no excuse for a Gym Leader to abandon his responsibilities. The harsh lesson hit its mark. Surge's arrogance vanished, replaced by a humble respect. This ten-year-old had easily crushed him. Worshipping strength was the culture of a trainer, and Red was undeniably strong.
"Ash," Surge said, turning to the other boy, finally noticing the family resemblance. "I'll be waiting for your challenge tomorrow." (No wonder he looked like he wanted to kill me,) he thought with a helpless sigh. (Standing up for his little brother... I guess I was just unlucky.)
He handed the Orange Badge to Red, who had now successfully obtained his fourth.
The group returned to the Pokémon Center. Though Pikachu wasn't critically injured, it needed treatment. Lying on the hospital bed, it threw a tantrum, still smarting from the humiliating defeat. While Ash was trying to console his partner, Nurse Joy approached with a proposition. She had a Thunder Stone. They could evolve Pikachu to match Raichu's power.
Red stood aside silently. This was a choice for Ash and Pikachu alone. Hiding in the shadows, Team Rocket waited, their collective breath held. For once, they were not villains but a silent cheerleading squad.
Ash held the Thunder Stone out. Pikachu looked at it, then at its trainer. With a defiant cry, it smacked Ash's hand with its tail, sending the stone tumbling onto the bed. Its choice was clear. It would defeat its evolved form as a Pikachu, with its own strength.
"I understand!" Ash said, gripping his partner's paws. "We'll defeat them together!"
"Pikachu says it has to win with its own hands! There's no victory without hard work!" Meowth translated from the shadows, tears streaming down its face.
"In that case," Red said, stepping forward. "Once you're rested, you will both undergo my special training."
Ash and Pikachu, knowing Red's strength, were instantly excited. The jolt of adrenaline was too much for the exhausted mouse, who promptly fainted again.
Later, in the Pokémon Center's private training yard, Ash and a recovered Pikachu found Red and his golden Pidgeotto waiting.
"Shiny Pokémon are really something else," Brock said admiringly. "Even after seeing it so many times, I'm still mesmerized by those feathers. It's proof of your skill as a trainer, Red."
"Lt. Surge's Raichu has a fatal flaw: its speed," Red began his lecture. "He used a Thunder Stone to evolve it prematurely, so it never learned the speed-based moves Pikachu excels at. Your task is to master that advantage."
The training began. Pidgeotto used Air Slash, and Pikachu barely dodged, the attack cleanly slicing a nearby branch in two. Before Pikachu could react, Pidgeotto closed the distance with Aerial Ace, knocking it to the ground.
"Don't get distracted!" Red reprimanded. "Battles are won and lost in the details!"
"This monster is ruthless! He doesn't even go easy on his own brother!" Jessie grumbled from her hiding spot.
"No wonder all his Pokémon are so powerful," James said with envy.
Pidgeotto unleashed a powerful Twister, trapping Pikachu in its vortex. Seeing its hero about to give up, Team Rocket suddenly burst from the shadows, dressed in bizarre black costumes, waving flags and fans. "Pikachu, go, go! Victory!" they chanted.
Inspired by the strange cheerleaders, Pikachu renewed its efforts, breaking free from the twister with a powerful Thunderbolt.
"We are the cheerleading squad that gives shouts of love to those challenging a Gym!" they declared, trying to cover their tracks.
Misty just smiled and waved. "Team Rocket, thank you for your encouragement!"
The trio nearly tripped over themselves as they fled, wondering how their 'perfect' disguise had been seen through so easily.
"Speed training is barely passable," Red said calmly once the chaos subsided. "Now for power." He tossed another Poké Ball. "Your next opponent is this. Come out, Scyther."
Two flashes of blade-light appeared before Pikachu's eyes. Before it could react, the azure Scyther was on it, its Fury Cutter a blur of motion. Unlike Pidgeotto, who had at least held back, Scyther was terrifyingly strict. Pikachu dodged the first strike, but the chillingly sharp scythe was already swinging for the next.
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