Ash had never imagined that such a tiny feather could possess such overwhelming power.
It could extend a person's lifespan, help Pokémon shatter their natural limits, restore stamina in battle, strengthen Fire- and Flying-type moves, and even serve as the key to the Rainbow Hero's trial.
With all these effects combined… wasn't this basically a cheat device?
[Newbie Ash: Isn't this just a feather? How can a feather possibly do all that?]
[Champion Ash: Yes, it can, because it's a feather from a Legendary Pokémon. Trainers pursue Legendary Pokémon not only for their rarity, but for the immense power they embody.]
[Champion Ash: Legendary Pokémon are born with staggering strength and potential. Even without serious training, many can easily reach Elite Four level. Their natural talent is almost always A-grade or higher, and combined with racial abilities far beyond ordinary Pokémon, they dominate any battle among peers.]
[Champion Ash: And their very bodies are treasures. Scales, feathers, crystals, tears, every fragment has enhancing properties for other Pokémon, and often amplifies the Legendary Pokémon themselves. When one reaches the Legendary level, their whole being undergoes a complete transformation.]
[Newbie Ash: Legendary level…? What kind of level is that? Is it really so far beyond a Champion?]
[Tactician Ash: Let me put it this way. Against a Champion, tactics can still work. With six Elite Four-level Pokémon, I can fight six Champion-level teams and still have maybe a 30% chance to win. But give me six Champion-level Pokémon against just one Legendary Pokémon? My odds drop below 20%.]
Ash's eyes widened. If even Tactician Ash, who prided himself on strategy, admitted that six Champions were almost helpless against one Legendary Pokémon… the gap was unthinkable.
[Champion Ash: Exactly. Legendary Pokémon are sometimes called Gods. Not every Legendary Pokémon earns that title. Ho-Oh is one of the greatest of these, which is why even a single feather carries such tremendous effects.]
'Gods…', Ash repeated the name silently.
He asked a few more questions about Ho-Oh's legends, then finally exited the group chat.
Back in the real world, Ash turned his attention to another prize he had nearly forgotten: the [Speed Limit Boost] he'd drawn from the lottery earlier. The Insight Eye had taken all his focus at the time, pushing this reward to the back of his mind.
As the name suggested, the Speed Limit Boost could raise a Pokémon's [speed potential ceiling]. If Pikachu's speed talent was already high, this could push it even further.
If he'd drawn an [S-grade boost], Pikachu's speed potential would instantly max out at S. Even an [A-grade boost] might raise it another tier. But a [C-grade boost]… it would help, though not by much.
According to the experts in the group, if a Pokémon had [A-grade potential], it might take [hundreds of C-grade boosts] to break through to S-grade.
Since Pikachu was the only partner Ash had for now, he gave the [Speed Limit Boost] directly to him. Little by little, Ash believed, Pikachu's abilities could all be raised to [S-grade].
After Pikachu absorbed the item, he didn't feel any different, but when Ash checked, Pikachu's [Speed stat] had shifted from [D—B+] to [C—B+].
Ash hadn't expected the boost to also raise Pikachu's lower fluctuation limit.
He remembered asking the group earlier about Pikachu's odd ability fluctuations. The various experts had all assured him it was normal.
According to them, every Pikachu in every world carried this strange quirk: their ability values would keep fluctuating until they reached [Champion level]. Mood, battles, even the surrounding environment all influenced it, making the swings difficult to control.
The result? Pikachu's power could jump wildly between battles. One moment he might hit as hard as a Gym-level ace, the next he might slump to Elite-level performance. This made damage calculations, defenses, and battle planning a nightmare.
Tactician Ash had even admitted that Pikachu nearly ruined his strategies at the start. Sometimes Pikachu was the key to victory; other times, he was dead weight. Only once he stabilized at [Champion level] did the fluctuations finally settle.
But now, the [Speed Limit Boost] seemed to be doing more than raising potential, it was also smoothing out the fluctuations. That was an unexpected bonus.
Just then, the door creaked open. Misty, dressed in pajamas and towel-drying her hair, called casually:
"I'm done. You go wash up."
"Me? Do I really have to? I can wash tomorrow~" Ash grumbled.
"No way! You've still got dust from the Spearow fight, mud from the rain, and dirt from leaning against the rocks. Go. Take. A. Bath!"
Ash rolled his eyes, sighing helplessly. "Alright, alright… You sound just like my mom…"
"What was that?!"
"N-nothing! You must've misheard!" Ash squeaked, bolting into the bathroom with Pikachu. A second later he darted back out, rummaged through his spatial backpack for clean clothes, then rushed back in.
Misty held her breath for a long moment before bursting into laughter.
"I think this journey is going to be… pretty interesting~" she murmured, plugging in a dryer and fluffing out her flowing orange hair.
Not long after, Ash emerged freshly showered. Both of them collapsed into bed almost immediately, falling into the kind of deep, dreamless sleep only total exhaustion can bring. For Ash, this one day had been more thrilling, more exhausting, and more life-changing than all of his past ten years combined.
Morning came quickly. After washing up, they returned to the Pokémon Center front desk, where Misty began explaining the rules of the Kanto League's grand Pokémon tournament, the Indigo League.