[Breeder Ash: In summary, to achieve the Divine Realm, a Pokémon must meet two conditions: it needs at least three S-rank aptitudes, and at Champion-level peak, at least three of its stats must actually be trained up to S-rank. Only then can it qualify for Divine Realm.]
[Newbie Ash: Ugh… my head's spinning. This sounds way too complicated.]
[Fishing Enthusiast Ash: Of course it's complicated! That's the highest peak in the Pokémon world. If just anyone could reach it, everyone would be walking around with world-ending power. The world would be total chaos.]
[Champion Ash: Exactly. A Trainer with a Divine Realm Pokémon can rival First-Class Legends, those gods of the world who also stand in the Divine Realm. If villains could reach that level, their first targets would be the Legendary Pokémon themselves.]
[Champion Ash: And every First-Class Legend has a divine duty tied to the balance of the world. If villains captured even a handful of them, the entire world order would collapse. That's why the requirements are so strict, it's like the world built in a form of self-protection.]
The group's words left Newbie Ash a little dizzy. He didn't understand all the fine details, but he grasped one key truth: to reach Divine Realm, S-rank aptitude wasn't optional, it was the entry ticket. Without at least three S-rank aptitudes, there was no chance, no matter how hard a Pokémon trained.
For most people, though, this hardly mattered. Even reaching Elite Four or Champion level was already beyond the reach of nearly everyone. Divine Realm was so distant it may as well not exist.
[Newbie Ash: So… does that mean my Ralts already has the basic conditions to one day reach Divine Realm?]
[Champion Ash: Heheh… that's a long road off for you. Focus on the present first.]
[Fishing Enthusiast Ash: Wait. WHAT RALTS? Hold on, scrolling back.]
A few seconds later...
[Fishing Enthusiast Ash: HOLY CRAP!! You've got to be kidding me! A shiny Ralts… with SIX S-RANK APTITUDES?! New guy, are you cursed with god-tier luck or something?! I swear I'm gonna throw up!!]
Fishing Enthusiast Ash had only just joined the conversation and hadn't seen the earlier messages. He thought the others were just speaking in hypotheticals about S-ranks and Divine Realm. But when he scrolled back and saw the whole story, his face practically turned green with jealousy.
A shiny Pokémon was already rare beyond belief. But shiny with six S-ranks? That wasn't just rare, it was unheard of. Across countless parallel worlds, no ordinary Pokémon had ever naturally reached full S-aptitude.
Yet this newbie, barely ten days into his journey, had casually stumbled into one.
It was enough to make anyone want to scream.
[Newbie Ash: cough cough… Anyway, I'll sign off for now, seniors. Time for me to keep studying the breeding techniques Breeder Ash gave me. Bye~]
Before the furious Fishing Enthusiast could explode further, Ash quickly logged out. Sure, nobody could literally crawl through the network to beat him up, but seeing someone rage on his account still felt a little awkward.
Back in the real world, Ash cracked one eye open and looked at the tiny Ralts curled up beside him. A warmth rose in his chest. Thanks to the seniors' explanations, he now understood just how impossibly rare the little one at his side really was.
In terms of sheer rarity, perhaps only First-Class Legends could compare to her.
And when it came to potential, this newborn Ralts was no less than the greatest of the Legendary Pokémon.
Why would such a miraculous Pokémon appear here, falling from the sky onto Mt. Moon, no less?
And in the form of an Egg… only to drain the colossal moon stone the moment she appeared.
The seniors in the group had speculated that without drawing out that immense reservoir of energy, Ralts might have remained dormant for who knew how long. It was only by consuming the stone's power that she had been born immediately. Otherwise, her arrival in this world could have taken years, or perhaps centuries.
Ash didn't know if this was the absolute truth, but the sight of the moon stone cracking and fading away still lingered vividly in his mind. It was hard not to believe their prediction.
Clutching those questions in his heart, Ash finally drifted into sleep…
The next morning passed in a blur. After waking around eight, they ate a quick breakfast, packed up, and pressed on. By early afternoon, they reached the gates of Cerulean City.
The journey from Pewter to Cerulean wasn't long, barely a day and a half, but Mt. Moon had been full of encounters. Geodude, Diglett, Sandshrew, Zubat… Ash had battled them all, steadily polishing his team's strength.
Still, growth was never instant. Once a Pokémon reached the advanced stage, progress slowed. Pikachu had stabilized at advanced-intermediate, Butterfree was still holding at advanced-junior, and Pidgeotto had only just edged up to normal-peak.
As for Ralts, the little one only knew three moves so far: Teleport, Tackle, and Confusion. Her potential was undeniable, but her battles were limited, partly because she had only just been born, and partly because Ash simply couldn't bring himself to push her too hard. Instead, he had her train Calm Mind each day as they walked, slowly cultivating her inner strength. For now, she remained at novice-senior.
All things considered, their overall growth on the road wasn't dramatic. But it was enough. The Cerulean Gym wasn't a threat like Pewter had been; this time, the type advantage was in Ash's favor.
Upon arrival, Ash and the others headed straight for the Pokémon Center. After checking in with his mom and Professor Oak and restoring his team's stamina, Ash was eager to face the Gym.
Just then, Misty mentioned she had "something to do" and slipped away, leaving Ash and Brock standing in front of the Center's sliding doors.