Giovanni had seen Pikachu’s earlier fearful expression clearly, and it was absolutely not an act.
A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
Could it be… that this kid did not even understand the most basic concept of type matchups?
Sending out an Electric type like Pikachu to face a Pokémon like Nidoqueen that possessed Ground typing?
Electric type moves had absolutely no effect on Ground type Pokémon.
Or was it possible that he still had some hidden trump card he had yet to reveal?
At this moment, Giovanni actually felt a trace of regret.
He began to feel that perhaps he had gone a bit too far.
No matter how far Ash would go in the future, right now he was nothing more than a rookie who had just set out from Pallet Town, a clueless kid who knew nothing.
If he had known, he would have sent out Nidorino to play with him instead.
Giovanni let out a quiet sigh in his heart.
Although he had indeed come here today with a slight intention of venting his low mood by bullying someone, a one sided stomp was not particularly interesting either.
With that thought, Giovanni decided to give up the initiative.
His voice came down from the high platform, calm and composed as he looked down from above.
“You can make the first move. Let me see what you and your Pokémon are capable of.”
“Then I won’t hold back!” Ash accepted the offer without hesitation.
Just as Giovanni thought Ash might finally reveal some kind of hidden card, Ash suddenly waved his hand and shouted a command that left even Giovanni momentarily speechless.
“Pikachu! Thunderbolt!”
“Pika…CHUU!”
Pikachu responded with equal vigor, transforming the fear it had felt moments ago into fighting spirit.
The electric sacs on its cheeks burst with dazzling sparks, and with a sharp cry, a thick bolt of electricity shot forward like a writhing serpent, striking Nidoqueen’s massive body with perfect accuracy.
The brilliant flash illuminated the entire gym for an instant.
Violent currents surged across Nidoqueen’s blue hide, crackling loudly as they danced over its surface.
“Nice one, Pikachu!” Ash shouted excitedly the moment the attack landed.
However, his excitement did not last long.
As the light faded, Nidoqueen still stood firmly in place.
Not only was it completely unharmed, it had not even shifted its posture in the slightest.
It simply lowered its head and glanced at its own body with mild confusion, as though it did not even realize it had just been attacked.
The smile on Ash’s face froze.
“H-how could this be…” After a long pause, Ash finally muttered, his voice filled with confusion.
Just as Ash was racking his brain in bewilderment, the electronic voice of his Pokédex suddenly rang out from his pocket.
“As is well known, Electric type moves have no effect on Ground type Pokémon.”
Ash felt as though the Pokédex had just mocked him, leaving him utterly speechless.
At the edge of the field, Misty could no longer bear to watch.
She raised a hand and firmly covered her face.
This idiot…
On the high platform, seeing that Ash had not revealed any hidden tricks after all, Giovanni shook his head in boredom.
The last trace of his expectations vanished along with that Thunderbolt.
So this kid really was nothing more than an ignorant novice at this stage.
Giovanni’s voice rang out again from above.
This time, the calmness from before was completely gone, replaced by undisguised disappointment.
“If this is all you are capable of, then you truly are disappointing.”
Those words made Ash’s body tremble.
He suddenly raised his head and shouted back toward Giovanni, “Shut up! It’s too early to decide that! We’re not just this weak! Just wait and see!”
If electricity would not work, then he would use something else!
“Pikachu, Quick Attack!”
Among the moves Pikachu currently knew besides Thunderbolt, the only one that could deal damage to Nidoqueen was Quick Attack.
“Pika!”
Pikachu could also feel Ash’s unwillingness to give up.
It immediately adjusted itself, pushing off with all four limbs as its body transformed into a streak of white light.
Dragging a long trail behind it, it dashed straight toward Nidoqueen at high speed.
But Giovanni did not even bother to command Nidoqueen to counterattack.
He simply stood there with his arms crossed, calmly watching as Pikachu’s glowing form slammed into Nidoqueen’s hardened abdomen.
Thud.
A dull sound echoed.
Nidoqueen’s massive body did not move even a fraction.
It merely lowered its head to look at Pikachu, which had collided against it, the ridicule in its eyes completely undisguised.
Giovanni’s voice continued to descend from above.
“As a Pokémon Trainer, it is not enough to only have confidence in yourself and your Pokémon. Knock it away.”
Smack.
With just that effortless strike, Pikachu cried out as it was sent flying backward, tumbling across the hard battlefield several times before finally coming to a stop.
“Pikachu!” Ash shouted anxiously.
“Pi…ka…” Pikachu shook its dizzy head and stubbornly forced itself back to its feet.
It shook the dust off its body and once again took on a fighting stance.
Seeing that Pikachu still had the will to fight, Giovanni did not hold back his words.
He quietly observed this future champion and spoke again.
“Understanding of both your own Pokémon and your opponent’s, basic knowledge of Pokémon battles, planning, strategy, adaptability during combat, and…”
His voice echoed continuously throughout the gym.
With each word he spoke, Ash’s expression grew increasingly serious, and increasingly unwilling to accept defeat.
Finally, Giovanni’s tone shifted, becoming filled with contempt.
“Forget it. Saying these things to you now seems pointless.”
“Damn it!” Ash clenched his teeth tightly.
He could clearly hear the undisguised scorn in Giovanni’s words.
He did not argue, nor did he waste time talking.
He simply continued, again and again, to command Pikachu to use Quick Attack, as though he hoped that through relentless assault he might somehow find a weakness in Nidoqueen.
But the outcome was obvious.
Each time, Pikachu charged forward with all its strength.
Each time, Pikachu was effortlessly swatted back by Nidoqueen.
The battle had completely turned into a one sided spectacle, with Nidoqueen toying with Pikachu.
In a sense, this could hardly even be called a Pokémon battle anymore.
Giovanni no longer spoke, nor did he issue any commands to Nidoqueen.
Even against Pikachu in this state, Nidoqueen could have ended everything with a single Ground type move, yet Giovanni merely watched coldly as this farce continued.
Even Misty, standing nearby, could not bear to watch any longer.
She sighed and called out to the stubborn figure on the battlefield, “Ash, just stop. You can’t win like this…”
The gap in strength was simply too vast, so vast that determination and perseverance could not make up for it in the slightest.
If this continued, Pikachu would only end up getting hurt for nothing.
(End of Chapter)