The scene opened on a massive, circular building.
At its very top, a giant Poké Ball symbol gleamed in the sunlight.
An arena.
An official Pokémon League arena.
[Cynthia: Oh? This time… Sinnoh, isn't it?]
As Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia recognized it instantly—the Lily of the Valley Conference stadium.
So this "battle against the gods" would unfold at the League itself!
But wait… who brings a legendary to a League battle?! That was insane!
The camera zoomed in, cutting to the inside.
The stadium roared with cheers, the seats packed shoulder to shoulder.
In the stands, Ash's friends suddenly spotted something.
"Wait—that's me?! I'm in the audience!" Brock shouted.
"Looks like it's a battle I was at! But… huh, Misty's not next to me."
Instead, a blue-haired girl sat at Brock's side, clearly traveling with him at this point.
Which meant—
"So… I must've split up with Ash by then…" Misty murmured softly.
Just imagining it left her chest feeling strangely empty.
While Ash and his group stared at the stands, the rest of the world had their eyes fixed on the battlefield.
On one side stood an unfamiliar figure.
Blue-green hair, wrapped in a crimson cloak, giving off an ominous aura.
On the other—someone everyone knew well.
Ash!
Though his outfit had changed again—his cap now red and black, a black-and-yellow jacket, his face looked more mature than during his fight with Brandon.
Clearly, this was later in his journey. Almost the same period as that "special highlight" just shown…
…
"Again? Ash, I'm calling you Brother Ash now! Why do you always charge legendaries head-on?!"
"Three highlights, three times it's Ash. Definitely worthy of the 'bro' title."
"So, what's Brother Ash sending out this time? Don't tell me… Pikachu again?"
"Honestly, before that special 'Best Actor' highlight, if Ash sent Pikachu I'd have cursed him out. Now? You never know when Pikachu's gonna decide to go full Broadway!"
While the crowd speculated with friends, the live barrage of comments scrolled madly across the Heavenly Record.
[Cynthia: This must've been at the Lily of the Valley Conference, before his battle with Trip.]
[Lance: Oh? And how do you figure that?]
[Diantha: Are you seriously asking that? What are you, Bruno?]
[Bruno: ??? Why am I being dragged into this?!]
[Professor Oak: Just look at Ash's clothes and face. From the first highlight until now, he's worn four different outfits across four regions.]
[Professor Oak: Which means he gets a new outfit every new region.]
[Professor Oak: And here, his look matches right before Unova. So this fight must've happened just before he went there!]
[Cynthia: As expected of Professor Oak—brilliant deduction!]
For the first time, Lance started doubting his own intelligence.
How did they piece all that together in seconds?!
Even if you brought ten Brunos, they'd never reach that conclusion!
(Bruno: …You wanna repeat that?)
As an Interpol investigator, Lance could've figured it out if he thought harder. But after so many highlights in a row, his brain was fried.
At the start, he'd been the most suspicious and cautious of anyone.
Now? He was also the most glued to the screen.
…
Earlier, some viewers had glimpsed a flash of blue hovering beside the cloaked man—clearly a Pokémon.
But since the focus was on the Trainers, no one caught its details.
After giving both competitors a close-up, the video froze.
Then a few lines of glowing text appeared:
[Highlight: Pokémon Who Fought Gods With Mortal Flesh (Part II)]
[Battlefield: Sinnoh League—Lily of the Valley Conference]
[Match: Ash's Pikachu vs. Tobias's Latios]
[Betting begins now. You have five minutes.]
Sure enough—it was Pikachu again!
The audience, though half-expecting it, still gasped aloud.
Two god-fights chosen by the Heavenly Dao… and both featured Ash's Pikachu?!
Was Ash just unlucky to keep bumping into legendaries?
Or was he actually lucky, to get so many chances to fight them?
After all, most Trainers could go their whole lives without ever seeing a legendary.
Ash had fought two in barely two years!
"So, who are you betting on this time?"
"I'm waiting for the Champions' picks first!"
"What if they trick you again?"
"Come on, not everyone's as shameless as Diantha, right?"
"Yeah, and this time there's no conflict of interest. They've got no reason to mislead us!"
"Besides, we don't even know what a Latios is! Better wait for the Professors' lecture."
"Good point. I'll hold my chips too."
Most of the world had the same thought—wait for the Champions' bets, and the Professors' info.
Only a few brave souls jumped in right away.
After all, sure, Pikachu had already "slain a god" once.
But after that "Best Actor" fiasco, trust in Pikachu had dropped sharply again.
One miraculous burst was rare.
Most of the time, Pikachu was still just… an ordinary electric rodent.
At least, that's what everyone firmly believed.
…
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito