It was a sentiment Gary understood all too well—the impact was manageable, but he had to remember it for next time. Gary felt as though he were on the verge of tears.
After so many rounds of the inventory, he had watched as Ash, who was once not even his equal, stepped by step began to catch up and even surpass him! While this wasn't entirely due to the inventory, one could not deny that the help of the Heavenly Dao was massive.
Most importantly, it had pulled in a figure like Red! With a mentor who shared almost his exact characteristics, it would be a miracle if Ash didn't reach new heights.
Now that the inventory had counted more than a dozen times, it was finally Gary's turn to receive a reward. Considering he had become the "Shield Brave" and helped save the world, the reward had to be significant.
Suddenly, four beams of light descended into Professor Oak's backyard! The group gathered there discovered that all four reward recipients were present.
As the light dissipated, Ash's side was the most eye-catching—a massive stone slab stood directly in front of him.
The slab was a head taller than Ash, shimmering with a faint, multi-colored light and exuding an esoteric aura.
The object gave Red a sense of profound familiarity; within seconds, he remembered where he had seen such a thing.
"The Plate of Arceus?"
As soon as Red spoke, the crowd was shocked. Red was the owner of the Flame Plate; outside of Professor Oak, no one was more familiar with the artifacts of the Alpha Pokémon. If he said this was a Plate of Arceus, it was almost certainly true.
"Well, Red is right. This is the Plate of Arceus!"
Following Ash's acknowledgement, everyone began to talk at once. Leon pointed out the common thread: in both instances where Red and Ash received a Plate, they had subdued legendary Pokémon.
Ash had caught Zapdos and subdued the Eternamax Eternatus that was terrorizing Galar.
Red then asked curiously, "Ash, what attribute is your Plate? Electric? Dragon? Or Flying?"
These attributes were all related to Ash's recent battles, but the final answer surprised everyone.
"The Plate attribute I acquired was... Fighting."
"The Fighting type... that should correspond to Lucario, right?" Leon mused. "But Ash didn't use Lucario in the last battle..."
At this time, Red asked a soul-piercing question: "Is there a possibility... that the Fighting Plate is for Ash himself?"
The realization was mind-blowing. Ash, who possessed the power of Aura, was essentially a "Fighting type" in a human form.
A Fighting Plate would allow his Aura power to achieve twice the result with half the effort. It seemed the Heavenly Dao inventory intended to strengthen the trainer directly!
"By the way, Gary, what reward did you get?" Ash asked, leaning the Plate next to him.
Gary's expression had been strange since the light dissipated. He didn't answer Ash directly, but instead asked Red, "Brother Red, do you feel anything?"
Red's stoic face became solemn. He looked at the boundless sky, his expression shifting to surprise. "That guy is here!"
"That guy? Who?" Ash looked in the direction Red was staring but saw nothing.
Misty whispered with uncertainty, "Could it be... is Blue coming over?"
Blue—the Gary isotope from the other world—was a trainer whose talent was unique, having become a champion in just one year. Now Red said Blue was arriving? Gary finally revealed the nature of his reward.
"My reward is to half-open the power of 'The Researcher' and transfer Blue to this world. The inventory has already explained my existence to him and the context of this world."
"Blue is responsible for fully developing the potential in my body. Once I grow and battle him, he can return to his original world. But he is currently in Alola... I don't know why he teleported there."
The reward was incredible for Gary's long-term growth. With the arrival of the "humanoid cheat code" Blue, Gary finally had the capital to stand on equal footing with Ash.
"Ahem, Miss Cynthia, what reward did you get?" Gary asked, quickly changing the subject after Ash questioned why he was calling Blue "Brother."
Cynthia took out a small, black, seed-like object that looked distinctly ominous. Usually, items with such an aura were related to Ghost-types.
"This item is called the Nightmare Seed," Cynthia explained. "When held by a Ghost-type Pokémon, the speed of using Destiny Bond, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater is doubled."
The champions shuddered. Double-speed Destiny Bond was the definition of "dirty" tactics. Cynthia's Spiritomb was already a nightmare to face; this made it terrifying.
"Heh... what a reward!" Leon wiped sweat from his forehead.
Cynthia smiled happily. "Leon, it's hard to say who wins or loses in the next Masters Eight Tournament~"
The rewards were finalized:
Ash: The Fighting Plate.
Gary: The "humanoid plug-in" Blue.
Cynthia: The Nightmare Seed.
Chloe: Pokeblock formulas for the advancement of the world.
As the reckoning ended, the screen in the sky began to shift once more.
[Inventory: The Path of the Charizard!]
[This inventory does not participate in the quiz; those on the list will be rewarded.]
[This inventory will randomly enter answer mode; please prepare.]
[Featured in this footage: The Emperor of the Crystal Tower — Entei; Mewtwo and the Genesect; The God of Death — Yveltal, and more...]
The inventory officially began, promising a journey involving vast space and many legendary battles. All eyes turned back to the sky to witness the story of the Flame Pokémon.
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