[Lance: What the—Lugia?! And it's VS Pikachu?! Can Pikachu even handle that? That's a god!]
[Cynthia: Lugia's power is so immense that a flap of its wings can blow away houses. Legend says it hides at the bottom of the ocean because its power is too overwhelming. It can calm raging seas and storms, which is why it's revered as the "Sea Guardian."]
[Archie: Hah! That thing dares call itself Sea Guardian? Lord Kyogre is the one true god of the sea! Lugia's just an outsider that isn't even Water-type!]
[Lance: Don't you start this slander. Don't make me come enforce the law across regions!]
[Bruno: Haha, here we go again. Watch out—League Investigator warning!]
[Aaron: A "Sea God"? The screen can't be serious. Pikachu fighting a god? That's a joke!]
[Leon: Uh… after hearing Champion Cynthia's explanation, Lugia really does sound terrifying. Maybe the screen isn't wrong. Maybe this is Ash's unique power.]
[Steven: Leon has a point. Let's keep watching.]
At Steven's reminder, all eyes turned back to the light curtain.
Could it be? Could a human truly stand against a god?
Right now, Ash didn't look like anything special—just a hot-blooded kid.
Yes, the trophies and badges were glorious… but compared to a god? They were nothing.
Across all the leagues in the world, only a handful had ever battled gods.
And those few stood at the very top.
Could a boy with just a Pikachu really fight Lugia, a Tier One Legendary?
It sounded insane. Unreal. Pure fantasy.
[Question: What is Ash's relationship with Lugia?]
A: Rivals
B: True Friends
C: Brief Acquaintance
D: Strangers
[You have 30 seconds to think. After 30 seconds, a buzzer round will begin. The first four responders gain the right to answer.]
[Each person may choose only one option. Duplicate answers will be reassigned randomly.]
[Countdown: 29… 28… 27…]
The sudden quiz stunned the crowd.
Ash's relationship with Lugia?
Wasn't the answer obvious?
He was just a ten-year-old kid! How could he possibly be Lugia's "true friend"?
This had to be a freebie question.
[Bruno: This is a total gimme! No way Lugia knows Ash. It's gotta be "Stranger."]
[Misty: Not necessarily. Ash did meet Lugia once in the Orange Islands.]
[Gary: Pfft, this is hilarious. Ash, your teammates are basically spoiling the answer for you!]
[Lorelei: The right answer is—]
[Bruno: C! Definitely C!]
[Lorelei: Well, well. Even your rock brain managed to buzz in.]
[Aaron: Wait, why C? Shouldn't it be D? For a "brief acquaintance" both sides need to actually know each other. A one-sided meeting is more like strangers.]
[Bruno: …You make a good point. So is it C or D?]
Deep in the mountains, Bruno paused mid-punch beneath a waterfall.
"Coach, this question is too hard… My head itches. Am I… growing a brain?!"
[2]
[1]
[Buzz in!]
Time was up.
The light curtain filled with answers—A, B, C, D scrolling like a flood.
[Congrats to Ash, Cynthia, Bruno, and Gary for buzzing in!]
[Ash chose B. Bruno, Cynthia, and Gary all chose C.]
[Due to duplicates, answers were reassigned.]
Final results:
Cynthia: A
Ash: B
Gary: C
Bruno: D
[Bruno: Nailed it! Heaven itself must've guided me to D!]
[Lance: …What? They haven't even revealed the answer yet. How can you be so sure?]
[Bruno: Listen, it's obvious. Everyone debated between C and D. I picked C, but got reassigned to D. That means fate chose me. Clearly, I'm the chosen one!]
[Steven: …Bruno, your explanation just fried my CPU.]
Bruno roared in triumph, punching the waterfall so hard the flow split in two.
He could already imagine the envious looks on Lorelei's and Lance's faces when his answer was proven correct.
The prize didn't even matter.
Their jealousy—that was his true reward!
And then—
[Congrats! Ash answered correctly. Reward: Light Ball!]
Bruno froze.
It felt like plunging into an ice bath.
[Bruno: NO! Impossible! My flawless logic can't be wrong!]
[Lorelei: Pfft—serves you right. Spouting nonsense only to get smacked down. Classic Bruno!]
[Gary: Damn it, Ash! Did you know the answer from the start and just keep quiet?!]
[Ash: No way. I've only ever met Lugia once.]
[Gary: Then how do you explain picking the right answer?!]
[Cynthia: Yes, I'd like to know too. Ash, what kind of charm lets you befriend the Sea Guardian itself?]
[Diantha: Exactly. Tell us, I'm dying to hear!]
[Ash: Honestly, I don't know. It was just my instinct. I felt that Lugia and I would definitely become the best of friends!]
Everyone: Instinct?!
That's not how this works!!
In White Silver Town, a beam of golden light descended onto Ash.
He reached out reflexively, catching it in his palm.
A pleasant tingling spread through his body.
That familiar feeling—electricity!
Years of Pikachu's Thunderbolts had hardened him against electric shocks.
The Light Ball's charge was nothing compared to that.
To Ash, this tiny spark was weaker than one of Pikachu's whiskers.
As the tingling faded, he opened his hand.
Misty and Brock leaned in close.
Resting in his palm was a golden orb, glowing faintly.
"So pretty…" Misty whispered, mesmerized.
Well, she was a girl—sparkly things were irresistible.