With Clawitzer's fall, Ash secured yet another victory.
His ranking instantly rose—to 1023rd place!
And just as the Rotom Battle System tallied the results, his next opponent appeared on the screen—
A familiar name.
The Gym Leader of Shalour City—Korrina.
At that very moment, Korrina was leaning against the railing of the audience stands, quietly watching Ash's match.
"I didn't expect you to still be this strong after all this time, Ash. But you'd better know— I've gotten stronger too!"
She flashed a bright, confident smile down at him.
That radiant smile, along with her teasing words, didn't escape Chloe's notice from the seats nearby.
Wait—what?! Another old acquaintance?! And she's a pretty girl, too?!
Chloe's whole body tensed up, sweat forming on her forehead.
[Korrina: Huh? Why am I smiling like that? Something feels… off!]
[Gurkinn: My granddaughter! You've fallen for the boy, haven't you?!]
[Serena: !!!]
Rival in love—right beside me?!
Serena had always thought that, in Kalos, Ash had only ever interacted with her.
But now it turned out that not only had he actually been to Kalos, he'd even met this young, energetic rollerblading beauty?!
Suddenly, Serena felt her sense of advantage slipping away.
Serena, oh Serena!
You're supposed to be Ash's future wife!
How can you lose now?!
You've got plenty of… assets! Don't back down!
On-screen—
Ash stared at his Rotom Phone in disbelief.
"Her rank's even higher than Gym Leader Bea's uncle's?! Korrina's gotten this strong?!"
A spark ignited in his eyes.
He was fired up!
"Congratulations! You've been matched with an evenly-ranked opponent!"
No more words were needed.
Under Chloe's faintly jealous gaze, Korrina skated down from the spectator's platform, her rollerblades clicking softly against the floor.
The battlefield was switched to Rock Terrain.
As they met in the player's tunnel, the two old friends struck up conversation.
Compared to their first meeting in Kalos, Korrina had grown taller.
Now, with her rollerblades on, she stood almost eye-level with Ash.
"Long time no see, Ash."
"Haha, long time no see, Korrina—and you too, Lucario!"
Ash greeted the pair warmly.
But as soon as he spoke, Lucario's half-closed eyes snapped open.
That Aura…!
Lucario could hardly believe it. How had it missed this before?
The strength of Ash's Aura—
even it couldn't compare!
They hadn't met in years, but Ash and Korrina still shared that special bond—
the bond forged through Lucario's Mega Evolution.
While the battlefield was being prepared, the two chatted happily.
Which only made Chloe, separated from them by a wall, grow increasingly anxious.
Why did Ash have so many close female friends?!
And all of them were stunning—and totally different types!
First May, then Dawn, now Korrina—
what next? Serena?!
Just the thought made Chloe sulk a little.
Still… she had an advantage.
Right now, she was the one standing beside Ash!
If she worked hard—if she became strong enough—she could stay by his side forever.
Alright then.
Let me see your strength, Ash Ketchum.
Chloe clenched her fists, her eyes burning with determination as the two trainers took their positions.
[Delia: Look at Chloe, her ears are bright red!]
[Professor Cerise: My daughter, listen—being forward is fine, but don't give yourself away too easily!]
[Flint: Hah! I know that feeling! That's when you realize your precious cabbage is about to be eaten by a pig!]
[Lt. Surge: You moron! It's called mutual attraction! Mind your own business, old man!]
[Bruno: Heh heh… awkward tension alert!]
[Chloe: I-I'm not in love or anything!]
Back in Vermilion City, Chloe's entire face flushed scarlet.
Why did her heart race whenever she saw Ash's face?!
That was something her future self would do, not her!
But… ugh, why did he have to look so handsome?!
She was definitely looking at him through rose-colored glasses.
On-screen—
Ash and Korrina faced each other across the rocky field.
"My current rank is 1001. If you beat me, you'll advance to Great Ball tier!"
Korrina smirked playfully.
"Is that so? Perfect! Sounds like the best challenge I could ask for!"
Ash didn't take offense—he was even more excited.
Advancing to Great Ball meant facing stronger and stronger opponents—
and getting one step closer to the Masters Eight!
"Trainers ready. This will be a 2-on-2 match. The first to defeat both of their opponent's Pokémon wins."
Rotom the referee floated between them, signaling the start.
"It's your turn, Mienshao!"
Korrina threw her Poké Ball first.
Mienshao, the Martial Arts Pokémon—
its long, white arms flowed like silk sleeves, purple markings streaking its lean body.
Ash had fought this Pokémon before—
back when it was still a Mienfoo.
"In that case… it's your turn, Riolu!"
Ash hurled his Poké Ball, and Riolu landed nimbly on the rocky field.
Facing the evolved Mienshao, Riolu's fighting spirit blazed.
"Riolu!"
"Good! Let's start strong—Vacuum Wave!"
Ash punched the air, then thrust his arm forward.
Riolu mimicked him, gathering energy between its palms before blasting wave after wave of compressed Aura toward Mienshao.
"Mienshao—U-turn!"
At Korrina's sharp command, Mienshao vanished in a violet flash—
its speed too fast for the naked eye.
A single punch sent Riolu flying backward!
Then Mienshao dissolved into light, returning to its Poké Ball.
"Since you chose Riolu… then come out, Lucario."
Korrina's smile deepened, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She was doing this on purpose.
That sly, sunlit grin—
on Korrina's beautiful face framed by flowing golden hair—
had just a hint of playful wickedness.
Personality—shattered!
But she didn't seem to care.
After all, what was more fun than—
bullying the little puppy?!
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
Her cheerful voice rang out.
[Gurkinn: My sweet granddaughter! Shame on you—picking on a child like that!]
[Korrina: I-I swear I didn't know I'd be like this in five years!]
[Professor Kukui: Maybe she's trying to help Riolu train. That Aura Sphere didn't seem full power.]
[Cynthia: Even so, that's not a battle Riolu can win right now. What will Ash do—recall it, or let it fight on?]
Cynthia watched the broadcast intently—then glanced at Ash sitting beside her.
…Was it just her imagination, or did he look way too fired up?
"Even so," Ash said on-screen, "I believe in miracles! My Riolu won't go down that easily!"
Yep.
That line was pure Ash Ketchum.
Cynthia smiled and took a slow lick of her mango ice cream.
The rich sweetness melted on her tongue—
and she closed her eyes in quiet delight.
On-screen—
"Riolu, let's show them! Use Aura Sphere—just like that day! Feel the Aura!"
Ash posed dramatically, mimicking the stance of channeling energy.
No one noticed the faint orange gleam flashing across the stripes on his Aura gloves.
Despite Korrina's overwhelming challenge, Ash didn't hesitate.
He wasn't switching out Riolu.
Even if they lost—it didn't matter.
Riolu's future was limitless!
"Rio!!"
Korrina raised an eyebrow. "Ash, you do remember Riolu can't learn Aura Sphere yet, right?"
She flicked her long golden ponytail back confidently.
As Lucario's trainer, she knew their movepool inside and out.
"That's not necessarily true! If you believe and push forward, miracles happen! My Riolu is destined to become an Aura Hero!"
"What?"
Korrina didn't catch all of that—but what she saw next left her speechless.
Riolu brought its hands to its waist,
and blue Aura began to swirl between them.
Just as Lucario's Aura Sphere shot toward it—
Riolu thrust its own forward!
It wasn't as bright or stable,
but it was unmistakably—
an Aura Sphere!
"This—this can't be! Ash, your Riolu's hacking reality!"
Or maybe it had never stopped hacking.
Korrina's jaw dropped.
A Riolu using Aura Sphere?!
If her grandfather saw this, he'd faint!
But it was real—
Riolu had done it.
Two Aura Spheres—one deep blue, one light—collided midair.
The resulting explosion kicked up clouds of dust across the rocky terrain.
Riolu's attack held its own for a few seconds before Lucario's broke through,
slamming into the ground in front of it.
Chunks of shattered stone flew everywhere—
but Riolu smashed them apart with quick, desperate punches.
Even so, its breathing grew heavy.
The energy drain was enormous—
after all, Riolu was still a Waveform Pokémon.
"You did it! Riolu, that was amazing!"
Ash's voice lifted its spirits.
After so many failed attempts—
it had finally mastered Aura Sphere.
"Rio~!"
"Alright, that's enough. You've done great—leave the rest to your teammates."
Though Riolu wanted to keep fighting, Ash recalled it.
The little guy had already pushed far beyond his limits.
Korrina pouted slightly. "Aww, I wanted to see more of your Riolu in action. Guess I'll have to stop teasing puppies for now."
Ash grinned. "Of course! Against you, I've gotta give it everything I've got!"
He raised his right hand—
the Key Stone in his Aura glove gleaming brightly.
The meaning was clear.
Korrina's eyes lit up with excitement.
So Ash had a Key Stone now too?!
"In Kalos, there's no way we aren't having a Mega Battle!" she said, raising her own hand.
Her embedded Key Stone shimmered with light.
[Lance: Wait—what is that thing, anyway?]
[Lorelei: You don't even know? Shame on you, Lance, you're embarrassing Kanto!]
[Lance: How about someone just tell me, then?!]
[Steven: It's fine, Champion Lance. You must've been busy. Let me explain.]
[Diantha: This, my friends, is Kalos's treasure— the Key Stone, which allows Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution—an evolution beyond evolution itself!]
[Lance: Huh?!]
[Bruno: Heh heh, look who's clueless now! Even I knew that one!]
[Lance: Then SAY it sooner, you muscle-brained oaf!]
Even through the chat, one could almost feel Lance's blood pressure rising.
[Diantha: As Professor Sycamore discovered, some Pokémon can access a power that surpasses evolution through the resonance between a Key Stone and a Mega Stone. This is called Mega Evolution.]
[Lance: Oh, so it's like Dynamaxing? Not a big deal.]
[Diantha: Not quite. Mega Evolution works anywhere—not just in Galar!]
[Lance: !!!]
[Ash: So that's how Key Stones and Mega Stones work! I actually have one set already—the system called it Mega Charizard X!]
[Gary: Ash, where did you even get that?!]
[Ash: From the livestream rewards, of course! Why?]
No one could argue with that.
Gary just sighed. Why did Ash always get the good stuff?!
[Cynthia: Now I'm curious to see it. I wonder if we'll get to watch your Charizard's Mega X form in action five years later.]
[Alain: Mega Charizard X, huh… sounds familiar.]
A new kind of power—
a new kind of battle—
was about to unfold.
Let Ash Ketchum be the one to show the world what Mega Evolution truly meant!
On-screen—
After recalling Riolu, Ash didn't choose Pikachu.
Instead, he pulled out another Poké Ball from his belt.
He tossed it high into the air.
"Rooaaar!!!"
With a powerful, echoing cry,
Charizard burst forth—its wings spreading wide as it descended from the sky.
The sunlight cast the shadow of a dragon across the rocky field.
"This is Charizard—my partner from my Kanto journey, and the first Pokémon I ever Mega Evolved!"
Ash's voice brimmed with pride.
It had been a long, long time since they'd fought side by side.
"That presence… Ash, your Charizard is incredible!"
Korrina looked up in awe as the blazing dragon slowly descended.
Wait—
Ash had a Charizard?
Since when?!
She'd never heard him mention that before!
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