Ch1: Gift from the Magician
"The Champion is... Ash Ketchum————!"
At the venue of the [Eight Masters Tournament] held in the Galar region of the Pokémon world, the referee announcing the results let out a high-pitched shout.
This was the final battle of the world-class Pokémon ranking Tournament.
On one side was the Alola Champion, with twenty-five years of Pokémon journey experience.
Ten-year-old Ash, from Pallet Town in the Kanto region.
And on the other side was the undefeated, absolute Champion of this Pokémon world.
The Galar Champion, and also world-class Champion Leon.
In this final contest for the World Champion title, the six Pokémon each had raised battled, and the world-class match concluded with the fall of Leon's sixth and final Pokémon—Charizard.
In the end, the young boy named Ash won the match, and he would receive the honor of 'World Champion'.
And this young boy... was only ten years old.
At this moment, he became the youngest World Champion in history!
"Well, although there are still many regrets, it's not bad to get this ending."
Someone in front of the monitor silently closed the playback interface of the Eight Masters match, filled with endless emotions.
In his heart, Ash's peak was in Kalos, where he narrowly lost to Alain's Charizard with Torrent in that Champion battle.
His biggest regret was in Sinnoh; with his final lineup and tactics, he could have won, but he was stopped at the doorstep of becoming Champion by a Legendary Pokémon user who appeared out of nowhere and defeated six of his Pokémon with just two of his own.
However, with the end of the journey, Ash probably wouldn't have another chance to battle those he had lost to.
For no other reason, after the male secondary character in the Journey's new side story went offline, he activated the skill 'Destiny Bond', finally giving Ash, the Pokémon workaholic protagonist of over twenty years, a chance to rest.
After this, someone no longer had the heart to watch the subsequent plot; without Ash, he merely regarded the later story as an optional side story.
"Sleep, sleep."
After finishing the viewing, someone stood up and urged himself, but at this moment, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Immediately, someone fell down...
And at this moment, if one were to notice the time in the lower right corner of the monitor, they would find that someone was staying up late to watch the series.
2:45
Reminder: Quit staying up late.
"Ding-a-ling~"
The alarm clock by the bed made a loud noise, and a Pidgey popped out of a red and white Poké Ball.
At this moment, Ash only felt a bit noisy in his ears. He reached a hand towards the alarm clock by the bed, skillfully turning it off.
He gritted his teeth, covering his throbbing forehead. Just a moment ago, a slightly sour emotion had taken over his heart.
Memory fragments, like a revolving lantern, bombarded Ash's mind.
The regret of not being able to go to the next region, the unwillingness of losing in battles again and again, the hatred for a certain dog...
Ash woke up with a start from the strange yet somewhat familiar bed. His habit of lying in bed changed drastically at this moment. He didn't know where these resentful emotions came from, but... it seemed precisely because of these emotions that some of Ash's ideas for handling problems had subtly changed...
"Pika?"
Seeing a yellow-skinned mouse in front of him tilting its head, seemingly wondering why its Trainer got up so quickly today.
It didn't even need to use Thunderbolt to physically wake him up.
"I seem to... have seen myself..."
'What just happened?!'
'Why do I hate Goh so much now?'
Ash panted heavily, his expression somewhat startled and uncertain. He stammered, as if he had had a nightmare.
The yellow-skinned mouse beside him was slightly puzzled, wondering what kind of dream its Trainer had that would make him show such a terrifying expression it had never seen before.
Even so, after accepting his situation, Ash still calmed down.
He figured it was the nightmare he just had that caused a slight change in his mindset, but... even so, Ash's dream remained unchanged.
The goal is to become a Pokémon Master!!!
Although Ash had already become a Champion, he still seemed to be some distance away from the goal of becoming a Pokémon Master.
"Ash! Ash! You have a package!"
Footsteps approached, and a gentle voice came from outside the room. It was Ash's mother, Delia.
The doorknob turned, and the beautiful woman named Delia then pushed open the door.
Although Delia was a married woman, she was very well-preserved, not at all like the mother of a ten-year-old child.
A square box was held in Delia's arms. She was wearing an apron and holding a soup ladle still stained with broth.
"Are you awake already? It seems Ash has become more diligent after traveling for so long."
Delia said with some relief, bending down to place the cardboard box at the room's entrance, then turned to give a reminder.
"I don't know who sent it, but your name is on it. I brought it in for you. Remember to dispose of the packaging after you open the express delivery."
"Okay, got it, Mom."
Ash replied naturally and obediently.
"Okay, remember to change out of your pajamas and come eat."
Delia then closed the door, and a kitchen aroma wafted into Ash's nostrils, making his mouth water.
Ash was somewhat looking forward to breakfast, and Pikachu at his side was the same.
However, compared to breakfast, the human and the mouse were more curious about the package Delia had brought in.
Pikachu jumped off the bed, curiously circling the package, sniffing it occasionally with its nose, seemingly guessing what was inside.
Ash then got out of bed.
As far as he remembered, Ash hadn't ordered anything online recently. Could it be sent by someone he knew?
'Is it Serena, Dawn, Haruka, or...'
Ash curiously examined the package, looking at the sender's details above.
Sender: Magician
Sender's message: This is a gift. I hope you will take another step forward in your interactions with Pokémon and become a Pokémon Master soon!
Ash was puzzled but also had a guess: could this Magician be related to the Magician in his memory?
"Magician? This Magician is quite polite."
"Pika!"
Pikachu nodded in agreement.
Ash scratched his head. A package sent by a Magician... he wondered what good things were inside.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
The next moment, with a try-it-and-see attitude, Ash gave Pikachu a command.
"Pika!"
Pikachu immediately understood Ash's intention, and its lightning-shaped yellow tail instantly glowed with a metallic sheen.
Pikachu turned, its tail gently gliding over the package's seal, and the seal on the package was cut by Iron Tail.
Ash leaned down to inspect, wanting to see what this unknown Magician had sent.
Peeling open the cardboard box, the true appearance of the contents was revealed: three items were quietly placed inside.
There was another package inside the box, which seemed to be a storage shoulder bag.
Lying next to the shoulder bag was a pure white Poké Ball.
"This is a Premier Ball..."
Ash mumbled. This type of Poké Ball was often used to catch Pokémon of commemorative significance, and its value was priceless, making it extremely rare.
As he recalled, Lillie's brother Gladion had a Silvally in a Premier Ball.
And... this Premier Ball didn't seem to be empty. If it truly was from the Magician Ash remembered, then this should be a Poké Ball containing a Pokémon.
A Pokémon whose name and appearance were unknown...
Seeing this, Ash was already somewhat excited.
"Pika?"
Just as Pikachu was still wondering, Ash had already picked up the Premier Ball.
Seeing is believing, he wanted to see what exactly this so-called Magician had sent.
"Come out!"
Ash pressed the button on the Premier Ball, and a red light burst out, forming the outline of a Pokémon.
Soon, a small-bodied Pokémon appeared before Ash...
Ash watched intently, frowning as he looked at the small Pokémon that appeared, a smile of relief unconsciously tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"It's actually... a Mythical Pokémon..."