"Raichu! Use Thunder at full power!" Lt. Surge's roar echoed throughout the Vermilion Gym.
Raichu struggled out of the crater in the wall, eyes now completely bloodshot. The Pokémon was utterly enraged.
"Rai!" Raichu furiously pounded its chest, the electric sacs on its cheeks blazing with an unprecedented, blinding light.
The dozen or so high-voltage generators suspended from the gym ceiling all groaned under the strain. The sharp smell of ozone filled the air.
Crackle! Countless golden arcs of electricity raced wildly through the air.
"Here it comes! The boss's strongest move!"
"This kid's done for! Raichu's Thunder can blast an entire building apart!" the two apprentices shouted excitedly.
May backed away in terror and ducked straight behind Lin Hao. "Lin Hao! Just surrender! This move could kill someone!" She clutched his jacket tightly.
Lin Hao watched the thunderstorm gathering beneath the ceiling across from him and gave a bored yawn.
"Thunder, huh?" Lin Hao rubbed his chin.
"Pikachu," Lin Hao said.
"Pika!" Pikachu perked up its ears in the middle of the battlefield.
"Hit back with Thunderbolt," Lin Hao said.
The entire gym fell silent. Even Lt. Surge, who had been frantically building up power, froze.
A full two seconds passed. "Hahahaha!" Lt. Surge doubled over with laughter. "Kid, have you been scared stupid?"
"What?" Lin Hao raised an eyebrow.
"Using Thunderbolt against my Thunder? That's your first mistake!" Lt. Surge pointed at Pikachu. "Your second mistake is that my Raichu has two Abilities: Static and Volt Absorb! Electric-type moves won't just fail to hurt it-they'll heal it!"
"Oh." Lin Hao remained expressionless. "That applies to ordinary electricity."
"Bullshit! Electricity is electricity!" Lt. Surge roared. "Raichu, blast it to pieces!"
Boom! A bolt of lightning as thick as a bucket crashed down from the ceiling! With enough force to destroy everything in its path, it hurtled straight toward Pikachu's head.
"Pikachu, do it." Lin Hao snapped his fingers.
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu grinned and pressed its two tiny paws firmly together.
Boom! A blinding pillar of golden electricity shot skyward from Pikachu's body. This was no ordinary Thunderbolt.
This was lightning unleashed without restraint, with its Special Attack stat maxed out by the system!
The two bolts collided violently in midair. Pikachu's golden pillar sliced straight through Raichu's Thunder like an unstoppable sword! It tore through without the slightest resistance!
"What?!" Lt. Surge's smile froze.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt followed Thunder's path and slammed viciously into Raichu.
Bzzzzzt!
"Rai!!" Raichu wailed.
Lt. Surge's eyes widened. "Don't be afraid, Raichu! Absorb it! You have Volt Absorb!"
Yet three seconds later, the golden electricity engulfing Raichu had not been absorbed. Instead, it grew increasingly violent, and Raichu's body began convulsing.
Thud! Black smoke billowed from Raichu's body. Its eyes rolled back, foam spilled from its mouth, and it toppled stiffly to the floor. Its entire body was charred black, and the smell of burning filled the air.
Dead silence gripped the gym. The two apprentices' knees buckled, and they dropped straight to the floor.
Standing behind Lin Hao, May gaped so widely that her jaw nearly dislocated. Lt. Surge stared blankly at the smoking Raichu on the floor, his brain completely frozen.
"How... is that possible..." Lt. Surge's voice trembled. "Raichu's Volt Absorb... stopped working?"
"It didn't." Lin Hao strolled forward, bent down, and picked up the smug Pikachu, returning it to his shoulder.
"Then how did it get knocked out by electricity?!" Lt. Surge shouted in despair.
"It's simple." Lin Hao looked at him as though he were an idiot. "A cup can hold water, but what happens if you pour Niagara Falls into it?" Lt. Surge froze.
"Your Raichu's electricity absorption limit is too low." Lin Hao spread his hands. "My Pikachu's voltage was too high, so it blew its fuse. Get it?"
"Blew its fuse..." Lt. Surge muttered, his entire worldview shattered. This is a fucking Pokémon battle, and you're explaining physics to me?!
Inside the Legendary Pokémon space:
Zapdos snorted. "(That fat rat's electricity barely deserves to be called Thunder! It couldn't even curl my feathers!)"
Ho-Oh immediately snapped back, "(Quit yapping, you plucked chicken! Master's Pikachu is the strongest!)"
"Both of you, shut up." Lin Hao sealed off the space in his mind.
Back in the real world, Lin Hao walked up to Lt. Surge and held out a hand. "Stop spacing out. Pay up."
Lt. Surge swallowed, staring at Lin Hao in horror. With trembling hands, he took an orange badge from his pocket and offered it to Lin Hao. "This is the Thunder Badge..."
"Where's the money?" Lin Hao ignored the badge and stared straight at him. "You said you'd pay double if I won. Hurry up and give me the two hundred thousand. I want to get back and sleep."
Lt. Surge gritted his teeth but did not dare argue. He took out a bank card and handed it to Lin Hao. "The PIN is six eights."
Lin Hao immediately beamed, snatched the bank card and badge, and stuffed them into his pocket.
"Thanks, boss. Very generous of you." Lin Hao waved and turned toward May. "Let's go, Investigator." He brushed the dust off his clothes. "Time for a feast."
May followed him out of the Vermilion Gym in a daze. The sunlight outside was dazzling. As she watched him saunter ahead with his hands in his pockets, a thought sprang into her mind.
"Lin Hao," May suddenly said.
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