After bidding farewell to the Clefairy tribe, Ash and his friends continued down the tunnel. To their surprise, they soon found themselves at the cave's exit.
Originally, they had expected crossing Mt. Moon to take at least three days. Yet the hidden path the Clefairy had shown them turned out to be a shortcut. When they emerged, they realized they were already halfway down the mountain's slope. If they followed this trail, they could be out of Mt. Moon by the following noon and reach Cerulean City shortly afterward.
The kindness Clefairy had shown them was immeasurable. They had guided the group through a safe shortcut, allowed Ash to witness their mysterious ritual, given them each a precious Moon Stone, and, most unbelievably, led Ash to Ralts. What was supposed to be a long and ordinary trek had turned into an unforgettable stroke of fortune.
"Speaking of which…" Misty said thoughtfully as the three of them sat around the campfire that evening. "Clefairy probably never intended to take us to their ceremony in the first place. Even if it wasn't too shy around you, Ash, that was still a sacred place for their tribe. Outsiders shouldn't have been allowed. If not for those three troublemakers showing up, Clefairy might not have brought us in at all."
As she spoke, all three of them recalled Jessie, James, and Meowth, and realized, somewhat reluctantly, that they owed today's blessings to Team Rocket's meddling.
Brock chuckled, arms crossed. "Sometimes, a fool's blunder works out better than a schemer's plan. Team Rocket are the type who are both bad and stupid, so all their attempts at evil ended up backfiring… and helping us instead."
He couldn't hide his grin. The Moon Stone he'd received wasn't just a treasure, it was worth millions. Even if he didn't use it, selling it would give him enough money to pursue his Breeder dream without worrying about expenses for a long while.
"But bad guys are still bad guys," Misty said firmly, feeding a morsel of food to the newborn Ralts sitting on Ash's lap. "We can't just forgive them because their plan backfired and ended up helping us."
To win the little Pokémon's favor, Misty had been extra attentive, gently offering food and playing with Ralts to make her laugh. After some effort, the tiny Psychic-type finally began to accept her touch.
As for Brock… after scaring Ralts earlier with his sudden "inspection," the little one still kept her distance. No matter how he tried, she wouldn't come near him, leaving him sulking in exclusion.
"That's not fair," Brock sighed enviously, watching Misty happily feed Ralts. "I want to feed her too…"
Meanwhile, Pikachu had lost his position as the group's darling, but he didn't mind at all. His round cheeks sparked happily as he leaned closer, eyes shining. After all, he was a Ralts fan now, too.
Who wouldn't want to cradle such a little sister-like Pokémon.
Still, Ralts naturally remained closest to Ash, after all, he was her Trainer.
After playing with Ralts for a while and learning some basic Psychic-type breeding techniques from Brock, everyone slipped into their sleeping bags for the night.
Pikachu and Ralts curled up on either side of Ash. Now, like Pikachu, Ralts had become another Pokémon who preferred to stay outside her Poké Ball.
Ash looked as though he had fallen asleep, but in reality, his mind had already drifted into the chat group, eager to share his incredible good fortune…
[Newbie Ash: I finally know what Chosen One's Radiance does!]
[Champion Ash: Oh? It already activated? I've been wondering myself what a one-time S-rank ability could do.]
Even Champion Ash, a long-time veteran of the group, had never seen a one-time S-rank ability before. Since none of the other members had either, everyone was curious to hear its effects.
[Newbie Ash: The description said it would let me encounter an extremely rare Pokémon within three days, with a high chance of capture. And today… I met one that literally fell from the sky!]
Newbie Ash went on to recount his entire adventure: Team Rocket's interference, the Clefairy's ritual, the collapse of the giant Moon Stone, and finally, his capture of the newly hatched Ralts.
The group fell into a stunned silence before the chat buzzed with replies.
[Aura Hero Ash: As expected of an S-rank one-time skill! To meet such a one-in-a-million Pokémon… That's not "Chosen One's Radiance," that's "Destiny's Luck King."]
[Champion Ash: Your luck is outrageous. Among all of us, you might actually be the strongest in terms of pure fortune.]
[Newbie Ash: Hehe, I didn't think I was this lucky. By the way, before, you big shots mentioned that S-rank aptitude had special traits beyond just higher stat limits. What exactly did you mean?]
[Champion Ash: Honestly, I thought it would take you years to encounter a Pokémon with S-rank aptitude, much less a full six-stat S. Yet here you are, just ten days into your journey, already holding one. But the truth is… that special trait is far beyond what you need to worry about right now.]
[Tactical Master Ash: Still, it doesn't hurt to explain. Normally, while a Pokémon's level progression can vary depending on aptitude, some level faster, some slower, it doesn't "lock" the way stats do. The one exception is the God/Divine Realm.]
[Tactical Master Ash: To advance from Champion peak to Divine Realm, a Pokémon must meet a qualification. Specifically: at Champion peak, at least three of its stats must have S-rank aptitude. Only then is Divine Realm possible. That's the conventional requirement for entry.]
The Divine Realm, the pinnacle tier of strength in the Pokémon World, was unique among levels. Unlike other stages, which could theoretically be reached with enough time, training, and perseverance, the Divine Realm demanded a literal "entry ticket": S-rank aptitude.
Even Champion level, the highest most Pokémon could ever dream of, was still theoretically achievable given enough time and the right training. But the Divine Realm? Without three S-rank stats at minimum, no amount of effort, no sacrifice, no lifetime of training could ever bridge that gap.