[Lance: Miss Sabrina, what kind of wish are you planning to make?]
At that moment, Lance was panicking.
He hadn't expected the livestream system to give Sabrina such an outrageous prize—
the power to grant any wish.
That was basically like… handing a nuclear bomb to a psychic psychopath!
Sweat trickled down Lance's forehead.
Inside the Goldenrod Gym, Sabrina curved her lips into a faint smile.
A wish, huh?
She'd already decided.
[Sabrina: My wish is…]
Everyone watching the comment feed sucked in a cold breath.
Sabrina, please… please make a normal wish.
The fate of the world is literally in your hands!
After all, the name "Sabrina" was known across the entire Pokémon world—
the most powerful psychic alive,
the strongest Psychic-type Gym Leader,
and a woman both beautiful and terrifying.
But fame aside,
everyone also knew one more thing about her—
Sabrina was completely insane.
This was the woman who once sealed off the entire city of Saffron,
turning her Gym into a dollhouse where everyone had to "play pretend" with her.
And now this woman had been given an omnipotent wish?
The audience collectively broke out in a cold sweat.
Would she… destroy the world?
It was entirely possible.
She'd done crazier things.
But this time—
Sabrina's choice shocked everyone.
[Sabrina: My wish is to revive Lucario and send him back a thousand years,
so he can reunite with Sir Aaron.]
…Wait what?
That—
that's not our Sabrina!
The Sabrina everyone knew would never be this gentle!
[Lance: Sabrina, is… that truly your wish?]
[Sabrina: Lance, are you dissatisfied with my wish? Or would you rather I choose… another one?]
[Lance: NO! No no no—it's perfect! Please, don't change it!]
Just that single exchange
had Lance sweating buckets.
If he said the wrong thing—
if Sabrina changed her mind—
and actually did wish for the world's destruction…
he'd basically become an accessory to the apocalypse!
Fortunately, that didn't happen.
At that moment, glowing text appeared on the screen:
[Wish Granted]
Then, the dimmed light curtain shone once again—
and within it,
Lucario's body began to reform,
his once-faded aura glowing a brilliant blue.
He stared down at his own hands,
his eyes wide with disbelief.
"I… I thought I was dead."
"Mew~"
Inside the Tree of Beginning, Mew sensed the Aura flare.
It floated over, eyes sparkling with wonder.
Even it couldn't believe that someone who'd passed on…
was now alive again.
"You don't know either?" Lucario murmured softly.
Before either could process what was happening,
a deep vortex formed above Lucario's head.
Caught completely off guard,
Lucario was sucked into the swirling darkness.
Mew's instincts screamed that something was wrong.
It tried to stop the vortex—
but before it could even move,
the portal vanished.
Mew blinked in confusion.
"Mew…?"
Did it… imagine that?
Then, the scene shifted—
Lucario was still there,
but now surrounded by streaks of falling stars.
He was in a temporal vortex.
After what felt like an eternity,
the world steadied once more—
A sky filled with sandstorms,
marching armies in the distance—
Lucario's pupils constricted sharply.
This was… a thousand years ago!
Before he could act,
a familiar voice called out:
"Lucario?! But I sealed you away!"
That voice—
Lucario would never forget it.
He looked up immediately—
and sure enough,
it was Sir Aaron.
At Lucario's side lay the very staff that once sealed him.
He could even feel another version of himself sleeping within it.
What was going on?!
Lucario didn't understand—
but one thing was clear.
He had truly returned to the past.
'Sir Aaron, please—let me fight beside you this time! My Aura can still be of use!'
Aaron, shocked but moved,
had thought he would never see Lucario again.
Yet here he was—
standing before him, alive.
Perhaps fate had given them another chance.
And this time,
Aaron chose to fight together with Lucario.
The scene showed the two soaring on Pidgeot toward the Tree of Beginning.
Familiar landscapes flashed by—
and memories of Ash surfaced in Lucario's mind.
At Aaron's request,
Mew appeared once again.
With Lucario now at his peak,
his Aura power surged,
and the energy Mew needed gathered quickly.
This time,
Neither Aaron nor Lucario's life force was drained.
The war ended.
Peace returned.
Aaron forged a crystal with his Aura,
leaving behind his gloves atop it.
Then, he and Lucario rode back to the castle,
reuniting with Princess Alice.
Everything… ended perfectly.
The final image was a painting—
Sir Aaron and his two loyal partners, immortalized together.
"Ash… let's travel again—
a thousand years from now."
And with that,
The picture faded to black.
[Caitlin: Uuu… my handkerchief is soaked! Sabrina, thank you! You gave Aaron and Lucario the perfect ending!]
[Cynthia: I never imagined you'd be so kind, Sabrina. Perhaps we could even become friends someday.]
[Caitlin: Cynthia! I'm your bestie!]
[Professor Oak: Wonderful. Everything's wrapped up beautifully.]
[Lance: Miss Sabrina, I apologize for doubting you earlier.]
[Sabrina: It's fine. I just didn't want to see Ash sad.]
[Ash: Thank you, Sabrina!]
At the Goldenrod Gym,
Sabrina saw Ash's message.
For the first time in years,
a faint, genuine smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.
So this is what it feels like to do something good…
Not bad.
"Gengar!"
Her Haunter floated over,
grinning mischievously as it conjured two dolls—
one shaped like Ash,
the other like Sabrina.
It really knew how to please its Trainer.
Once the rewards ended,
new text appeared on the screen:
[Special Quiz Begins]
[Question: What is the true relationship between Ash and Lucario?]
A. Master and Disciple
B. Reincarnation
C. Strangers
D. Ancestor
[Fastest correct answer wins a reward. Countdown: 30 seconds.]
[30… 29…]
The chat instantly exploded.
[Professor Oak: What kind of question is this? Shouldn't it be asking where Ash's Aura powers came from?!]
[Professor Kukui: Oak, maybe those details weren't covered in this broadcast.]
[Oak: But they never even explained Ash and Aaron's connection!]
[Delia: Our family's always lived in Pallet Town! We've never gone anywhere else!]
[Cynthia: Then option D—'Ancestor'—can be ruled out.]
[Bruno: I say B. Think about it—Ash's Aura is identical to Aaron's! Even Lucario was fooled. That's no coincidence.]
[Lance: Impressive, Bruno. You're using your brain for once.]
[Bruno: My training's extended to the depths of my mind!]
[Bea: …Brains don't have muscles, you know. That's terrifying.]
[Lorelei: 'Strangers' also fits, technically. They never met, after all.]
[Flint: It's between B and C, I think.]
[Ash: It's A! Don't forget—the gloves! I used the Aura gloves to awaken my power. That makes me Aaron's disciple!]
But—
He said it was too late.
The countdown hit zero.
[1… Buzz!]
[Answers Locked: Bruno—C / James—D / Ash—A / Kukui—B]
[Lance: Bruno, seriously? You said B, then picked C?]
[Bruno: I was just trusting Champion Cynthia's instincts!]
[Jessie: James, you idiot! You picked the worst option!]
[James: I panicked, okay?!]
[Cynthia: Actually, Ash's reasoning makes sense. The gloves symbolize inheritance. In martial traditions, if you train with a master's manual, you're considered that master's disciple—even if you've never met.]
[Mustard: Exactly! Once you take on a style's teachings, that bond is set. It's a spiritual apprenticeship.]
[Gary: Congrats, Ash! Maybe next time I'll get it right.]
[Ash: I didn't guess! I analyzed it!]
[Gary: Sure, sure. Totally believable.]
Ash clenched his fists.
He really wanted to punch Gary right now.
That guy always knew how to push his buttons.
[Congratulations! Ash answered correctly!]
[Reward: Gloves of the Aura Guardian]
[Item effect: Bestows the full inheritance of past Aura Guardians. Increases Aura power by 20%. (Usable only by those capable of wielding Aura.)]
[Korrina: Whoa, no way! That's amazing!]
[Bea: So the system itself acknowledges Ash as a true Aura Guardian!]
[Korrina: Yup! He's officially certified now!]
[Bruno: Nothing else to say—he's the real deal.]
[Cynthia: Then maybe Ash can teach my Lucario Aura techniques!
Ash, you're still at the Silver Conference, right? Wait for me—I'm coming!]
[Brock: Miss Cynthia! Please, allow me the honor of welcoming you personally!]
[Flint: …He's dead.]
[Wulfric: Sounds like you've been there before.]
Laughter filled the chat—
and the light curtain shifted once more.
[This special broadcast has concluded. The next one will begin in three days.]
[The livestream system will now undergo an upgrade. Please look forward to it.]
Everyone stared in surprise.
[Lance: "Upgrade"? You sure you're not just shutting down?]
And with that,
the global light curtains vanished—
leaving only the chosen few with small private screens.
If not for that,
many would've thought they'd been scammed.
During the three-day break,
the world itself began to stir.
The Alola Region officially announced the formation of its own Pokémon League.
Other regions began cracking down on "rogue adventurers."
Champions everywhere showcased their strength.
And Cynthia?
She unveiled a new form of evolution—
without a Mega Stone.
Her Garchomp, though subtly changed in form,
had its power skyrocket to unimaginable levels.
This demonstration proved to everyone—
the rewards from the livestream
were absolutely game-changing.
Well…
Almost everyone benefited.
Lance, unfortunately, suffered a small identity crisis.
During one of his "raids,"
He used too many large-scale Flying-type moves.
Spectators filmed it—
and suddenly, he was trending as "The World's Strongest Flying-type Trainer."
Apparently, when Bruno visited him for drinks,
a drunken Lance cried,
"I'm a Dragon Master, not a Flying-type specialist!"
Too bad Bruno recorded the whole thing—
and the video went viral overnight.
"BRUNO! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!"
But none of that mattered to Ash.
At the Silver Conference,
he had fought his way into the Top 16.
And his next opponent—
was none other than Gary Oak.
On the stage,
Gary puffed out his chest confidently.
"I told you, Ash! The score'll be six-to-zero—or maybe six-to-one at best.
This win's mine!"
He even tied a "Focus Band" around his wrist for extra flair,
raising his arm high as the crowd cheered wildly.
Under that cheering, Gary felt unstoppable—
as if nothing could go wrong.
Ten minutes later.
Gary was on his knees.
Hands on the ground.
Eyes hollow.
Pikachu had solo-swept his entire team.
Six.
To.
Zero.
And the "six" wasn't in his favor.
"Sometimes, failure is part of life,"
the announcer said kindly.
"Unfortunately, Gary Oak couldn't keep his pre-match promise—
but let's hear it for Ash Ketchum,
who advances to the quarterfinals of the Silver Conference!
A rising star is born!"
The crowd erupted.
Ash had done it.
He was moving on.
And in a twisted way—
Gary had, technically, kept his word.
Pikachu clearly hadn't forgiven his earlier arrogance…
so this time, it didn't hold back at all.
Pikachu went full power—no mercy.
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