"Ash has successfully challenged Iris, who was ranked 49th in the Ultra Ball tier! Ash's ranking rises to 49th!"
After announcing the result, the referee Rotom exited the Opelucid Gym through the cracked glass.
All that remained was Iris, still frozen in shock.
Drayden even accidentally yanked out a few strands of his beard.
The sharp pain told him this definitely wasn't a dream!
How was this possible?!
Just a moment ago, Iris clearly had the upper hand—victory was right within reach!
And yet in the blink of an eye, the invincible Haxorus was lying on the ground!
This wasn't Pokémon at all!
Just what on earth had Ash gone through all these years?!
Why was he so strong?
So strong it was suffocating!
Diantha, however, saw it clearly.
Ash still retained some of the bad habits he'd had back at the Lumiose Conference.
Sometimes, there was no need for so much probing.
Doing so could easily put him at a disadvantage.
If Mega Charizard X hadn't been strong enough, he would've overturned right at the start.
[Bruno: I knew Master Ash would definitely win! Haters, speak up!]
[Gary: If you're bad, then train more. The future is the future, the present is the present! Don't use the future to compare to the present—even if this were the future, you still wouldn't be Ash's match! The only one who can be Ash's true rival is me!]
[Professor Oak: My boy, there's no need to get this excited.]
[Iris: Such a shame! I clearly still had a chance to win! Next time we really face off, Ash, I absolutely won't lose again!]
[Ash: It's fine. I've heard that line many times—but every time, I'm the one who wins in the end.]
[Diantha: Thank you, Ash. I successfully obtained the livestream reward. This is actually my first time experiencing something like this—I wonder what I'll get. How exciting~]
[Cynthia: Ash, your battle tempo has some issues. When you have time, come see me—I'll train you a bit.]
[Drayden: It's alright, Iris. Losing this time doesn't mean anything. You'll have many chances to face each other again. Just win it back next time.]
[Alder: From today on, you'll be starting devil training~]
[Iris: Ah!]
At that moment, a line of text lit up on the light screen.
[Congratulations to viewer Diantha for successfully answering the question]
[Livestream Reward Obtained: Champion's Bearing]
Champion's Bearing!
But wasn't Diantha already a Champion?!
[Champion's Bearing: After obtaining the Champion title, all Pokémon under your command receive a 30% boost to all attributes. If fighting on your home turf, the boost increases to 50%.]
[Diantha: Not bad. Ash, I really like this gift you gave me.]
…
The instant those words appeared on the screen, the entire livestream chat was wiped clean—
Then it began to scroll at a speed visible to the naked eye!
[Lance: Damn it! This reward makes me so jealous! As long as you're a Champion, your entire team gets a 30% boost! My god, that's way better than my Flying-type mastery!]
[Lorelei: Lance, you've changed. You're no longer that idiot who thought he was invincible.]
[Bruno: Exactly. I preferred you back when it was "Heaven's number one, Earth's number two, and I'm number three." Please go back to that.]
[Steven: Looks like this Q&A lottery is very random. I wonder if I'll get a chance. I'm really hoping the livestream gives me a gemstone or ore I've never seen before.]
[Wallace: You have no ambition. What if the livestream directly gives you a Diamond Princess Diancie?]
[Steven: Then the livestream would be my godfather!]
[Leon: Interesting. Mr. Steven is as straightforward as ever.]
Not just straightforward!
Wallace was certain Steven would absolutely mean it.
After all, that was the Diamond Princess Diancie!
He'd seen plenty of photos of Diancie in the Stone family.
To a mineral fanatic like Steven, nothing was more tempting than Diancie!
Kalos, Shalour City.
Having just finished a photoshoot, Diantha returned to her luxurious mansion.
Just moments ago, a streak of white light had flown out from the livestream screen.
She caught it in her hand.
In an instant, the light merged into Diantha's body.
The soothing sensation made her almost intoxicated.
But that wasn't the most important part.
What truly mattered was the information contained within that light—
And the changes it brought to her!
From that light, Diantha came to understand what "home turf" meant.
As long as she was in Kalos, her strength would unconditionally increase by 50%!
At the thought of this, a smile crept onto her lips.
"I need to find a way to get Cynthia to come to Kalos, then have a battle with her! I'll definitely pin her down hard!"
Just imagining such a scene made Diantha's smile grow even brighter.
A direct boost to combat power—this was far more practical than bond transformations.
Stable and efficient!
Didn't expect this, did you, Cynthia? This time, I win!
In battle, buffs that directly increase combat power were clearly the most cost-effective!
The only prerequisite was that Diantha could resist the temptation of having her Mega Gardevoir open with Shadow Ball.
(Seriously, every time Sister Diantha opens with Shadow Ball it cracks me up! Can you stop obsessing over that damn Shadow Ball already!)
Back on screen—
After Haxorus was defeated, Iris immediately rushed onto the field to check on its injuries.
Ash walked over as well.
Because of the angle, Ash had clearly seen the damage Haxorus took at the end.
That terrifying power from Seismic Toss had shattered its scales inch by inch, leaving it bloody.
First things first—stop the bleeding.
Ash extended his hand, pale-blue Aura power flowing into Haxorus's body.
The warm energy wandered through Haxorus's system.
Before long, the bleeding wounds stopped.
Even Haxorus's originally weak breathing steadied.
Seeing this, Iris finally let out a sigh of relief.
She recalled Haxorus into its Poké Ball.
Then, holding back her tears, she turned to look at Ash.
"Ash, this is the last time I lose to you. Next time, I absolutely won't lose!"
"How could that be? The one who wins next time will definitely still be me!"
Facing the stubborn Iris, Ash refuted her without the slightest hesitation.
He was a man aiming to become a Pokémon Master—how could he possibly lose?!
At this scene, Pikachu hopped over and jumped straight into Iris's arms.
It rubbed its cheeks against her.
Then it gave her a bright, sunny smile.
"Pika~"
Looking at that adorable, healing smile, Iris quickly forgot all her earlier unhappiness.
Seeing Iris smile again, Pikachu sighed inwardly.
Without it, this household would fall apart sooner or later!
Teacher Big Pika had really given too much for this family!
During the battle earlier, Pikachu hadn't returned to Ash's side at all.
What was it doing?
Naturally, it was exchanging notes with Emolga on how to better display one's "charm."
After all, Emolga relied on its "charm" to secure a lifetime free food-and-board pass with Iris.
A top-tier little green tea!
Fortunately, Teacher Big Pika took the essence and discarded the dregs.
It deeply understood the importance of social skills.
Otherwise, with Ash's level of emotional intelligence…
Who knew how many girls he'd already have made cry?
Pikachu really couldn't stand seeing girls shed tears~
At this moment, Drayden and Diantha also walked over.
Listening to the two of them bicker like children, Drayden looked a bit troubled.
Diantha, on the other hand, wore an amused expression.
Ash was even more interesting than she'd imagined.
If at first, approaching Ash had been due to a bit of goodwill and the pleasure of taking something from Cynthia…
Now, Diantha genuinely liked this slightly shy boy.
"Cynthia, you can't blame me for this~"
Diantha murmured softly, only loud enough for herself to hear.
Time together was always fleeting.
After the battle ended, Iris invited Ash to tour Opelucid City.
Ash naturally agreed.
However—
After that day, Iris would begin learning the responsibilities of a Champion, while Ash would be returning to Kanto.
As for Diantha…
She was studying a book in her hands titled How to Capture a Young Boy's Heart.
Though she still had two days of vacation, Diantha didn't choose to return to Kanto with Ash.
After all, this meeting had been rather rushed.
There were many things she hadn't had time to prepare.
Next time, Diantha was absolutely confident she'd face Ash in her best condition.
She believed that scene would be very interesting.
After all, her wardrobe still contained a whole series of bikinis—Squirtle-themed, Bulbasaur-themed, and more.
She was sure Ash would be interested in them.
Before leaving, Ash and Iris agreed to become members of the Masters Eight together.
As compensation for making Iris cry, Ash even had Professor Kukui mail Iris a Z-Ring as an apology gift.
As for Z-Crystals—
After learning that Z-Moves required striking all sorts of poses, Iris decisively chose only the Dragonium Z.
At parting, Ash turned back once more to look at the region called Unova—
And at the horizon, where two figures—one black, one white—flashed by, invisible to the naked eye.
[Marshal: Wait! If I didn't see wrong just now, weren't those two figures Reshiram and Zekrom?!]
[Cynthia: I remember Unova's legends speak of the Heroes of Truth and Ideals. From what we just saw, Ash is very likely one of those two heroes.]
[Professor Birch: Ash really is a hero collector.]
[Alder: Not sure—I'll watch it again!]
No matter how he looked, those two figures were clearly the legendary black-and-white twin dragons.
The Dragons of Ideals and Truth!
If that was the case, Ash's journey in Unova might not have been as simple as they'd imagined!
Alder stroked his beard stubble.
Judging by how things developed in Galar…
Ash might very well have borrowed the power of Reshiram and Zekrom to save Unova.
Thinking about it that way, the possibility felt quite high!
"Could Ash really be a walking hero?"
(Good thing he's a walking hero—if he were some unnamed elementary school kid, he'd be a walking god of death!)
Back on screen—
Boarding a plane bound for Kanto, Ash returned once more to Vermilion City.
Breathing in the long-missed fresh air, Ash stretched comfortably.
"Kanto really is the most comfortable! Don't you think so, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu nodded in wholehearted agreement!
At the very least, there weren't any strange, bizarre things here!
After all, in Kanto, Ash was protected by Ho-Oh and Lugia—
The kind of invincible state where even if you died, someone would resurrect you!
Returning to the Cerise Laboratory, Ash was just about to look for Chloe to share his recent experiences—
Only to learn that, because Ash had left without notice, Chloe had temporarily gone traveling.
This left Ash with a lump in his throat.
With no one to share with, he could only bottle everything up.
It was really unbearable!
After asking when Chloe would return, Professor Cerise could only shake his head helplessly.
Even he wasn't sure how long Chloe's journey would take.
According to her, she planned to challenge the Indigo Plateau Conference this time.
Hearing that, Ash instantly deflated.
After all, it had taken him nearly half a year to challenge the Indigo League back then. (75 episodes)
Looks like Chloe wouldn't be back for quite a while.
But judging by the timing—
Chloe's return would likely coincide with the opening of this World Championships Masters Eight Tournament.
At least she'd make it in time to see him compete.
With that thought, Ash finally relaxed.
After a whole day on the plane, Ash was exhausted.
He returned to his room and fell asleep immediately.
The next morning—
When the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room, Ash rolled over to avoid the glare—
And ended up pressing right down on Pikachu.
Wait a second.
"Pikachu!"
Electric sparks flew!
"Ahhh! Pikachu, stop waking me up like this!"
Ash collapsed to the floor, his body tingling from the shock.
As for Pikachu, it rubbed its eyes in confusion.
"Pika pi!"
Have you considered that you almost crushed me to death just now?!
This is just my instinctive defense mechanism!
Faced with Pikachu's reasonable argument, Ash directly pretended not to understand.
"Alright, alright—time to get up!"
Saying that, Ash stood up, shook off the soot on his body, grabbed his clothes, and headed for the bathroom.
Seeing this, Pikachu puffed out its cheeks angrily.
But what could it do? That was its Trainer after all.
In the bathroom, the considerate butler Gengar had already prepared Ash's toiletries.
After a quick wash, Ash changed into his usual outfit.
Heading downstairs, he finished breakfast as usual, then went to the backyard to train with his Pokémon.
After all, the battle with Iris hadn't just promoted him to the Ultra Ball tier—
It also served as a wake-up call.
From here on out, his opponents wouldn't be easy.
He had to give it two hundred percent!
Time flew by.
Before he knew it, afternoon arrived.
Ash finally freed himself from the busy schedule!
Just as he was about to take a break—
The Rotom Phone in his pocket rang.
"Bzzt, Rotom! You have an email from Professor Oak."
The sudden voice startled Ash.
He quickly took out his phone.
Sure enough, a message was displayed on the screen.
"Ash, it's Professor Oak. Are you interested in joining the Mew Project?"
That single short line instantly snapped Ash awake, all fatigue gone.
"The Mew Project?! Could it be a plan to search for Mew?!"
"That's amazing! I haven't seen Mew in a long time—I kind of miss it!"
Excited, Ash looked around and immediately hugged Pikachu beside him.
Then he shared the message with Pikachu.
"Pikachu, we'll be able to see Mew soon! What do you think—aren't you happy?!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu was very happy!
But—you're hugging me too tightly!
As expected, another burst of electricity followed.
Even Suicune nearby edged a little farther away, afraid of getting caught in the blast.
Ah, their relationship really was great!
Even Suicune felt a bit envious.
After the commotion, Ash picked up his phone again.
"Go to the research institute at the foot of Mt. Coronet in the Sinnoh Region for the trial?"
"Awesome! I can't wait!"
"Pika!"
The two hit it off immediately and began preparing to head for Sinnoh.
But before that, they had to pack their luggage.
After all, they didn't know how long they'd be staying.
At that moment—
The ever-popular head butler Gengar emerged from Ash's shadow, wearing a cute black bowtie.
"Gengar~"
…Six.
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