[Diantha: You're the one talking big. If you've got the guts, why don't you bet on Ash?]
[Alder: Cough, cough! This old man didn't say anything! Brandon and I go way back—I'm definitely betting on him!]
[Wallace: …Your shamelessness is truly impressive.]
The Champions and Elite Four were practically flooding the chat.
But from their words, one thing was obvious—
None of them believed in Ash.
It couldn't be helped.
On one side was a rookie Trainer, Ash.
On the other was Brandon, a renowned Trainer who had already captured three Legendary Pokémon.
As for the Pokémon in battle—
One was Pikachu, not even in its final evolution.
The other was Regice, a Legendary Pokémon.
Anyone with a functioning brain knew which side to pick.
Brock patted Ash on the shoulder and looked at him sincerely.
"Ash… it's not that I don't support you… it's just… well… you know."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Instead, he gave Ash a meaningful look.
Ash met his gaze with even more sincerity—his eyes blazing with passion.
"I don't know!"
"I just know my Pikachu will win!"
"Pikachu is the strongest!"
As he spoke, Ash clenched his fists tightly.
"Pika! Pikapi!"
Perched on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu echoed him with determination.
That's right!
As long as Ash was by its side—
It was the strongest!
Ash looked at Brock and Misty with shining, hopeful eyes.
Pikachu also stared at them with its big, glistening black eyes.
Brock and Misty: "…"
Damn it!
Their consciences actually hurt!
They couldn't bring themselves to crush his spirit!
Ash continued to unleash his unstoppable charm with those sparkling eyes.
Brock and Misty: "…"
"Alright, alright!"
"Fine, fine!"
"You're amazing, okay?!"
"You win, alright?!"
They held their foreheads helplessly.
What else could they do?
At this point, they could only stand by Ash, no matter what!
If even they, his closest companions, didn't support him—
That would hurt him too much!
With that thought—
Brock and Misty, half out of encouragement and half out of helplessness, each bet 100 points on Ash.
Ash grinned foolishly.
"Hehehe! I won't let you down!"
"I'm going to be the strongest Trainer in the future!"
And then—
Right before their shocked eyes—
Ash went all in.
Two hundred points.
Everything on himself.
Brock and Misty froze, their hands halfway raised to stop him.
Too late.
They simply couldn't move faster than Ash's all-in decision.
And just like that—
They could only watch as Ash dumped all his points onto Pikachu.
Yet neither Ash nor Pikachu thought there was anything wrong with that.
Was there a problem?
Of course not!
As far as they were concerned—
Pikachu winning was a certainty.
Ash and Pikachu both wore identical, confident smiles.
The sight made Brock and Misty's temples twitch uncontrollably.
This really was…
Ah, forget it!
"This is just… Ash being Ash."
Brock sighed helplessly, shaking his head.
Misty felt just as exhausted.
Mentally drained.
No more words.
Let him deal with the consequences himself!
…
At the Pokémon League—
Damaranchi cleared his throat lightly after seeing the results.
"Ahem."
"Ash may bear the title of the Rainbow Hero, but growth still takes time."
"The Ash in the video still seems a bit too inexperienced."
"Give him another ten or twenty years—defeating Brandon wouldn't be impossible."
From his words, it was clear where his bet lay.
Sigh.
It wasn't that he didn't want to support Ash—
Or Ho-Oh.
It was just that…
The rewards were way too tempting!
There was no way he could make such an irrational choice!
On the other side of the call, Professor Oak nodded, his face full of guilt.
"Ahem… yes, that's right!"
Exactly!
It wasn't that they didn't believe in Ash!
He just needed more experience!
Next time… next time, they would definitely support him!
…
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Between analyzing the Champions' opinions—
Browsing the irresistible items in the shop—
And choosing between the three options—
What seemed like plenty of time vanished instantly.
Win. Lose. Draw.
One choice out of three.
Trying to pick all options and guarantee victory?
That wasn't possible!
The only difference was—
Some people went all in.
Others played it safe and split their bets.
Each had their own reasoning.
Those who went all in believed—
The answer was obvious.
Why not take the free points?
Who knew if future questions would be this easy?