Lucario could only watch helplessly as the ground rushed closer and closer beneath him.
At this speed—
Am I going to die this fall?
No way… right?
Mega Lucario swallowed hard, a chill running down its spine. It had a bad feeling that after this hit, it would be lying in the Pokémon Center for at least half a month.
It wanted to fight back, desperately so—but with its arms locked in a crushing grip, there was no move it could use! Watching the ground draw nearer, Mega Lucario felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Damn it! I'm never fighting this Mega Charizard X again!
"Charizard!"
The entire arena trembled as Mega Charizard X smashed Lucario into the earth.
It was like an earthquake.
The audience instinctively grabbed onto anything nearby.
Korrina clung to the rail before her, her knuckles white.
So this is Ash's strength…
The Gym Leader of Shalour City—completely overwhelmed, without a hint of suspense!
No one thought Mega Lucario could stand after that.
Not even Korrina herself.
Already weakened by the previous Flare Blitz, Mega Lucario had been like a candle in the wind.
Now, that candle was out.
The battle was over.
As the dust slowly cleared, Mega Charizard X stood proudly in the center of the rocky field, utterly invincible.
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
Charizard tilted its head back and let out a magnificent stream of blazing blue fire.
"Congratulations to Trainer Ash! His Mega Charizard X has successfully defeated Trainer Korrina's Mega Lucario! Korrina, please send out your second Pokémon!"
But the rest of the battle was merely formality—her Mienshao didn't stand a chance.
"Congratulations to Ash from Pallet Town for advancing! His current rank in the Super Ball tier is now No. 921!"
With Rotom's announcement, the match ended in Ash's victory.
Korrina, despite the defeat, smiled faintly.
She recalled her fainted Mienshao, then walked over to Ash and offered her hand.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks!"
Ash grinned and shook her hand without hesitation.
[[RECURRING] Gurkinn: My granddaughter's so cute when she's flustered!]
[Korrina: Grandpa! Stop eating sugar, it's bad for your teeth!]
[Delia: Korrina, dear, come visit Pallet Town sometime～]
[Serena: I'm coming too!]
[Delia: The more the merrier～]
[Wulfric: Flint, what do you think of Ash's Mega Charizard X?]
[Flint: Yeah, Fire-type Elite—you've got to give your professional opinion.]
[Flint (Elite Four): My verdict? Top-tier. Certified beast!]
[Leon: Ash's Charizard is impressive. With some more training, it might even rival mine.]
[Gary: Whoa, even the Champion says that?!]
Gary scrolled through the comments, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
In five years, Ash had trained an ordinary Charizard strong enough to challenge the Champion's.
Could his Blastoise really keep up?
No way.
Even if it couldn't, it had to. Otherwise, in five years Ash would be among the Masters Eight, and Gary… still stuck in the Super or Ultra Ball tier?
That would be humiliating.
He was Gary Oak—Ash's eternal rival!
"Blastoise, we've got work to do," Gary muttered, gripping the Poké Ball in his hand.
Inside, Blastoise suddenly shivered.
Why did it feel like it was about to be forced into Torrent mode full-time?!
Scene Transition—
After advancing to the Super Ball tier, Ash didn't immediately end his Kalos journey.
He lingered a few more days.
During that time, he visited Goodra—who was overjoyed to see him again.
He also made a stop in Asame Town.
Unfortunately, Serena wasn't there. After winning the latest TriPokalon, she had earned the title of Kalos Queen and moved on to compete in Hoenn's Contests.
Another rival, gone.
Chloe quietly jotted something down in her mental notebook—
Another love rival added to the list.
On his last day in Kalos, Ash went to Lumiose City, where he met the now more mature Clemont and Bonnie.
After catching up, Ash got straight to the point.
"Bonnie, I need a favor. Can you ask Squishy to deliver a message to Greninja? Tell it… I need its help."
Ash's eyes were steady and serious.
"I will! Leave it to me!" Bonnie said, full of determination.
Chloe, however, looked puzzled by the exchange.
It wasn't until they boarded the flight home that she finally asked,
"Um, Ash, Greninja's also one of your Pokémon, right? Why do you need Squishy to send the message instead of going yourself?"
Her big eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Ash chuckled. "That's… kind of a long story."
He rubbed his nose and began recounting his adventures in Kalos.
"So that's how it is! Greninja was your Kalos Pokémon… but why the middleman?"
Ash sighed. "After the Lumiose Conference, that guy Lysandre did something that summoned a giant stone creature. Whenever it touched a crystal, it exploded. If it weren't for Squishy stopping it, Kalos might've been destroyed!"
(Never trust a guy with an external brain module…)
Even as he spoke, Ash shuddered.
He'd seen many legendary battles, but this "drag-everyone-down-with-me" villain had been on another level.
He'd even thought Lysandre was a good guy at first—turns out, he was a total maniac.
A jaw-dropping revelation, casually dropped by Ash.
Chloe was dumbfounded. How dangerous were your travels, exactly?!
[Lysandre: I'm not! I didn't! He's slandering me! Ash is lying!]
[Bruno: Wait… is this real? Someone actually tried to destroy the entire region?!]
Bruno believed it immediately—after all, it would happen in the future.
[Professor Oak: I thought Lysandre was respectable… guess you can't judge a book by its cover.]
[Diantha: I've already ordered the immediate lockdown of Lysandre Labs. We'll uncover the truth soon enough.]
[Lance: If you need manpower, contact us. The Kanto League stands against evil!]
[Alain: Wait… what?!]
Of everyone blindsided by this turn of events, no one was more shocked than Alain.
If not for watching Ash's Mega Charizard X earlier and rediscovering his own purpose—
If not for submitting his resignation to Lysandre just minutes before—
He might've been arrested alongside him!
Ash… you're a lifesaver!
Alain's gratitude for Ash skyrocketed in that instant.
He owed him big time!
[Diantha: One more thing—our investigation found that Lysandre had an accomplice named Alain. He was last seen wearing a white lab coat. If spotted, please contact the Kalos League immediately. He's extremely dangerous—Lysandre reportedly gave him a full Mega Charizard X set, including a Key Stone and Mega Stone, along with a genetically enhanced Charmander with the Water Absorb ability, possibly now a Charizard. Do NOT engage—retreat immediately!]
[Alain: !!!]
Walking the streets of Lumiose, Alain froze.
One moment ago—
Freedom!
The next—
Wanted again!
Lysandre hadn't lied. He really had given Alain those items… and the Charmander.
People around him were already starting to avoid him.
His wanted poster was plastered all over the city.
What do I do now?!
Panicked, Alain ducked into an alley and tore off his lab coat, revealing a black jacket underneath.
To be safe, he threw on a pair of sunglasses.
Perfect.
He was no longer "Researcher Alain from Lysandre Labs."
He was now… Trainer Lanai of Kalos!
Flawless plan.
Scene Transition—
After hearing Ash's full story, Chloe's confusion only deepened.
What kind of Pokémon was Squishy, to defeat such a monstrous weapon?
Could it be… a Legendary?
Thinking of little Bonnie's innocent face, Chloe began to question reality.
A girl under ten… with a Legendary Pokémon?
She had to confirm it.
"Ash, what kind of Pokémon is Squishy exactly? And what's its connection to Bonnie?"
"Squishy is Zygarde," Ash explained. "It's one of the Aura Trio—alongside Xerneas and Yveltal. It monitors the ecosystem, and when it collapses, it sacrifices itself to restore balance."
"Wha—?! It is a god!"
Chloe was speechless.
Why did everyone around Ash sound like a total monster?!
"Yeah," Ash admitted, sighing, "it's a god. But unfortunately, it only listens to Bonnie."
Even Ash couldn't win Zygarde over—one of the few Legends beyond his reach.
"And what does that have to do with Greninja?" Chloe pressed.
"Well, after that battle, even though Squishy destroyed the stone creature, it left behind a lot of negative energy in Kalos. My Greninja can see that energy, so Squishy asked it to help purify it."
Ash sighed softly.
He couldn't blame Greninja—it was the only one who could do that job.
It had been more than a year now; the corruption should be nearly gone.
If he could have contacted Greninja directly, he never would've needed Squishy's help.
Chloe could only shake her head in disbelief.
"Ash… one of your journeys sounds more exciting than my whole life!"
You're telling me.
(A little continuity patch—to justify Greninja's return later.)
[Alder: Those Kalos Gym Leaders are doomed. Once Bonnie starts her journey in six years, they'll be facing a kid with both a Tyrunt and a god-tier Pokémon!]
[[RECURRING] Gurkinn: Wait, is that a baby Tyrantrum I see with her?! That's hers too?!]
[Viola (Santalune Gym Leader): What kind of rookie travels with a Tyrunt and a Legendary?!]
[Grant: Forget the badge—she can have it for free!]
[Bonnie: I'm not that amazing…]
[Professor Sycamore: Is no one going to talk about how Squishy is actually Zygarde?! That's the Z-God—the overseer of all nature!]
[Florges: So what? We Gym Leaders still couldn't beat her anyway.]
[Diantha: Bonnie, how about becoming my apprentice?]
[Bonnie: Huh? Really?!]
[Diantha: Of course. Become my student, and you'll be the next Kalos Champion!]
[Bonnie: Heehee! I can be a Champion too!]
[Alder: Ugh, I'm so jealous! It took me forever to find Iris, and now Diantha just gets a free future Champion handed to her?!]
Scene Transition—
The plane landed in Vermilion City.
Back at Cerise Laboratory, Ash collapsed face-first onto his bed.
"Man… nothing beats a good bed!"
"Pika~!"
Several days passed quickly.
After reaching the Super Ball tier, it took longer to find evenly matched opponents—especially in the same city.
So Ash spent the time training.
One day, an alert popped up—
"Masters Eight Tournament: Raihan VS Champion Leon."
Just one glance, and Ash's eyes lit up—then dimmed again.
"What?! Another half-month before Leon's next match?!"
"Half a month's too long!"
Chloe, sketching a scene of the Cerise backyard, looked up with a gentle smile.
"What's wrong, Ash?"
She strolled over, followed by her Pokémon—Darmanitan, Stantler, Misdreavus, and Yamper.
Under Ash's careful guidance these past weeks, she'd learned their strengths and weaknesses.
They weren't particularly strong in battle—except maybe Darmanitan, who was just tough from age and experience.
Ash lifted his head weakly.
"Leon's next battle isn't for another half-month!"
"So you're bored, huh?"
"Of course! Matchmaking in the Super Ball tier is way too slow."
Just then, Professor Cerise approached with his two assistants.
"Ash, Chloe—you're both here?"
"Dad!" "Professor Cerise!"
"Chloe, remember you said you wanted to find a Pokémon with real potential?"
Her eyes instantly brightened. "You found one?!"
If she could catch a strong Pokémon, maybe she could start closing the gap between her and Ash.
"Well," the professor began, rubbing his face tiredly, "a student of mine in Sinnoh reported seeing the shadow of a Totem Pokémon at one of the Sinnoh heritage sites. If that's true, catching it would give you a powerful partner."
He looked utterly exhausted—clearly, he'd been working nonstop for his daughter's sake.
But he couldn't help it. He only had one daughter, after all—spoiling her was a father's duty.
"Totem Pokémon? But aren't those only found in Alola?" Chloe asked, ever the academic.
"Good question," Professor Cerise said approvingly. "You've kept up with your studies even as a Trainer."
He adjusted his glasses and continued explaining—
"'Totem Pokémon' refers to those that have been infused with Totem Aura. The Alolan ones are special—larger than their kind and capable of commanding others of the same species…"
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