The night passed quietly.
Before long, the eastern horizon began to brighten as the first traces of dawn appeared.
After spending the past two days participating in the Cerulean Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition, Ash should, by all rights, have enjoyed a rare chance to sleep in.
Yet, just as always, he was up at six o'clock sharp.
Leading his Pokémon out of the hotel, he headed straight for the beach to begin their morning training session.
During the competition, it had been Feebas and Magikarp who were competing.
Meanwhile, Pikachu, Frogadier, Pidgeot, and Fearow had been doing practically nothing.
Aside from their usual one-hour morning workout, they had spent the rest of their time relaxing and playing around.
For Pokémon accustomed to training every single day, such a leisurely schedule felt incredibly strange.
Even if Ash was perfectly happy letting them take a break, they themselves couldn't stand it.
The competitive atmosphere within Ash's first-string team had always been intense.
Everyone secretly competed with one another.
Now, Magikarp had repeatedly shown signs of evolution.
Meanwhile, Feebas had successfully seized the opportunity presented by the beauty competition and evolved into Milotic.
The Pokémon had heard Ash praise Feebas and Magikarp countless times.
He often spoke about how extraordinary their talent was.
How once they evolved, their strength would skyrocket.
How they would truly take flight.
Now one had already evolved.
The other stood on the very edge of evolution.
That reality placed enormous pressure on Pikachu and the others.
At a time like this, asking them to take a vacation or sleep late was simply impossible.
In fact, this morning it had been Pikachu and the others who woke up first and dragged Ash out of bed.
"Whoooosh..."
"Crash..."
Stepping out of the hotel and onto the beach, Ash felt the cool sea breeze wash over him.
The last traces of sleep vanished instantly.
The sound of waves crashing against the shore echoed endlessly.
Palm trees and coconut trees swayed gently in the ocean wind.
Stretching lazily, Ash looked at the eager expressions on his Pokémon's faces.
A smile appeared briefly before his expression became serious.
Training mode had begun.
One after another, he started assigning tasks.
He first called Pikachu over and opened its status panel.
Pikachu(Light Ball Integrated)
Level: LV.44
Type: Electric
Nature: Timid
Abilities: Static, Lightning Rod
HP: 100
Attack: 100
Defense: 100
Special Attack: 100
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 100
Total: 600
Potential: Gold (Royal Tier) 0.57%
Blessed by the world's destiny and carrying miraculous power beyond comprehension. Pikachu has reached its final evolutionary form and can no longer evolve.
Integrated Item: Light Ball
Effect 1: During battle, Pikachu-family Pokémon gain doubled Attack and Special Attack. The power of their moves is likewise doubled.
Effect 2: Outside battle, if either parent carries this item while breeding, the resulting Pichu will learn Volt Tackle.
Moves
Mastered
Thunder Shock
Electro Ball
Electroweb
Discharge
Electrify
Wish
Rain Dance
Surf
Spark
Thunder Wave
Thunderbolt
Iron Tail
Volt Switch
Eerie Impulse
Parabolic Charge
Light Screen
Reflect
Quick Attack
Double Team
Agility
Proficient
Play Nice
Sweet Kiss
Nuzzle
Tail Whip
Nasty Plot
Charm
Growl
Helping Hand
Slam
Ash carefully examined the data before looking at the small electric mouse standing before him.
"Pikachu, your combat system is already mature."
"Your skill framework has been fully established, and you've mastered all the core techniques you need."
"From this point forward, improving your strength won't be about learning lots of new moves."
"It'll be about steady accumulation and continuous refinement."
"You don't need to deliberately chase levels either."
"We battle regularly at the City Arena, so your level growth is already progressing well."
"Going forward, your training will focus primarily on improving your physical foundations—stamina, attack power, defense, and the like—while also deepening your control over your existing moves."
Ash explained his plans carefully.
Among all his Pokémon, Pikachu remained the most special.
An Gold-tier Royal-grade talent.
A Pokémon blessed by the world's destiny.
A true child of fortune.
No matter how talented Feebas or Magikarp were, they could never truly catch up to Pikachu.
Some gaps simply couldn't be bridged through effort alone.
Talent was one thing.
Destiny was another.
And things like luck, fate, and protagonist-level blessings were practically cheating.
Countless stories featured ordinary protagonists surpassing geniuses through impossible opportunities.
Pikachu was that kind of existence.
Unless Ash someday gained the loyalty of a Legendary Pokémon—or captured a Pokémon with an even more outrageous protagonist aura—Pikachu would forever remain the unquestioned ace of his team.
As a result, Ash invested more effort into Pikachu than any other Pokémon.
"Pikachu, today's training has two parts."
"First, you'll work on stamina."
"The training method is simple—run continuously through the shallow waters along the shoreline and use the resistance of the water to strengthen your body."
"Second, while running, you'll maintain constant Electric-type output."
"Start with Thunder Wave."
"As your endurance and control improve, gradually transition to Thunder Shock, then Parabolic Charge, then Thunderbolt."
After hearing the plan, Pikachu's eyes immediately lit up.
"Pika Pika! (^ー^)"
Pikachu nodded repeatedly.
Its intelligence was incredibly high.
The moment Ash finished explaining, it completely understood.
"Good."
"Then get started."
"Pikaaa~!"
Without wasting a second, Pikachu sprinted toward the shallow surf.
Splashes flew everywhere as the little electric mouse began its stamina training.
Watching Pikachu immediately throw itself into training, the remaining Pokémon grew restless.
"Gahyaa~! (Ash, what about me? What's my training plan? Hurry up, I want to start training too!)"
"Croak!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Fearow!"
Frogadier, Pidgeot, and Fearow crowded around him impatiently.
The moment Pikachu received its assignment, they could no longer sit still.
Ash laughed helplessly.
"Alright, alright."
"Don't rush."
"One at a time."
The beach breeze continued to blow across the shoreline.
Far out at sea, waves sparkled beneath the morning sunlight.
Nearby, Pikachu was already racing through the surf, electricity crackling continuously around its body.
Meanwhile, Frogadier, Pidgeot, and Fearow stared at Ash with burning anticipation.
The evolution of Milotic and the impending evolution of Valor the Magikarp had created an unprecedented sense of urgency throughout the entire first-string team.
Everyone knew one thing.
If they relaxed now...
They might not remain at the top for much longer.