The Heavenly Tally's first "battle against the gods" had come to an end.
And if there was a first—
There would surely be a second.
At this point, neither the League nor Team Rocket,
nor any villainous organization,
bothered asking who was behind the Tally.
Any existence capable of such a feat
could probably erase the world with a flick of its wrist.
Instead of obsessing over an unreachable mystery,
it made far more sense to focus on tangible profit:
Wager points.
Exclusive rewards.
A chance to be featured on the list.
Light Ball had made one thing clear:
The Heavenly Tally tailored exclusive rewards
to the Pokémon or trainer being showcased.
Champions, Elite Four, even criminal bosses
found themselves secretly hoping—
Could they appear in a future tally?
Even if they hadn't yet fought a Legendary…
Who knew what the future held?
If a ten-year-old rookie could stand among gods—
Why couldn't they?
It was barely nearing noon.
Surely the Tally wouldn't only run one battle per day?
Just as that thought passed through countless minds—
The ethereal voice returned.
"The first divine battle has concluded.
Before we begin the second,
a special tally will now be shown."
A… special tally?
What kind of tally qualified as "special"?
"Special Tally:
The Craft of an Award-Winning Actor."
[Diantha]: "Award-winning actor"?
Are they… tallying me this time?!
She couldn't help the excitement.
In this world, most people focus on raising Pokémon and battling.
Those who could genuinely be called "actors" of that level
were few and far between—
And Diantha was a top-tier actress and the Kalos Champion.
The title fit her a little too well.
Was she… about to receive a reward?
What would the Heavenly Tally give her?
The thought made her heart pound.
But then, new lines appeared on the big screen:
[Special tallies use quiz-only format.
No betting and no winner's reward mechanism.]
Diantha froze.
What.
What did that mean?!
No bets?!
No rewards?!
This was targeted slander, and she knew it.
"Come down here! Let's talk about this face-to-face!!"
She'd thought the second round was her chance to roll in points—
But reality was brutally unforgiving.
[Cynthia]: Don't worry, Diantha.
If it's meant for you, you'll still gain something.
You just have to win the quiz.
[Charles]: A quiz, eh?
When it comes to knowledge—
Who can surpass me?!
Charles—the Keeper of the Pokémon League's sacred flame,
often called the League's honorary president.
With that long white beard and age-lined face,
his experience obviously ran deep.
[Professor Oak]: I can't pretend I didn't see that.
One by one, the world's Professors appeared in the comment stream.
In raw battle, they weren't ranked very high (Professor Oak excluded).
But when it came to Pokémon knowledge—
That was their battlefield.
Why else were they called Professors?
The screen shifted.
The special tally had begun.
The first scene was an open, grassy battlefield
beside a modest building.
[Professor Juniper]: That's… the battle field outside my lab.
As someone who had walked that path thousands of times,
she recognized it immediately.
So this was—
the Unova region.
The camera zoomed in on two figures.
On one side stood a boy in an orange jacket,
with light brown hair—
And almost no one recognized him.
Though Ash was at least known to many—Professor Oak, Gym Leaders, and various Champions—
this tea-haired boy…
No one said they recognized him.
On the other side, of course, stood the boy the entire world had now learned about to some degree:
Ash Ketchum.
He now wore a blue-and-white long-sleeved jacket,
and though the cap on his head was still red and white,
Its design had changed.
Compared to the Ash shown in the very first tally,
This Ash looked more seasoned.
Meaning—
This was Ash after defeating Regice.
[Diantha]: What is this? Didn't it say "Actor King's Self-Cultivation"? Why is it Ash again?
[Brandon]: Someone else's Actor King crown has been stolen. I won't say whose.
[Diantha]: ##
Brandon, crushed beneath the shame of losing to a kid with a Pikachu,
snatched the first opportunity to drag someone else down with him.
If he suffered alone, he'd die.
The footage played:
The tea-haired boy tossed a Poké Ball.
A small green serpent Pokémon appeared—
with long lashes and sharp, elegant eyes.
Snivy, one of Unova's three starters.
And Ash immediately pointed forward.
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
The world: !!?!?!
What kind of demon was this child?!
His opponent was obviously a beginner.
And Ash actually sent out the Pikachu
That had solo'd a Legendary?!
That wasn't a battle—
That was a public execution!
[Lance]: Ahem. For a moment, I thought Brandon was the cruelest man alive. Turns out Ash is even worse.
[Cynthia]: Mmm… Compared to "Pikachu vs. Regice,"
"Regice-slayer Pikachu vs. a new trainer's Snivy" is… exceptionally brutal.
[Alder]: Tch. Maybe Ash wanted to experience crushing someone after being crushed by Brandon earlier?
[Brandon]: …Can you people go one day without mentioning that?!
Brandon was firmly nailed to the Pillar of Shame.
Even if he'd used his full power—
even if he'd fought seriously with a Legendary—
He lost to a young traveler and his Pikachu.
There was no washing that away.
Unless…
Ash's Pikachu became even more absurd.
As soon as Pikachu appeared in the footage,
The screen suddenly froze.
A button materialized in front of everyone
who was allowed to send messages.
Then a question and four choices appeared on the giant screen:
[Question: Among the four individuals present, which one is the true Actor King?]
A: Pikachu
B: Trip
C: Ash
D: Snivy
You have only one chance.
A correct answer grants a reward.
A wrong answer will result in punishment.
A 60-second countdown begins.
The fastest to press their front-panel button earns the right to answer.
Immediately, chaos:
"Hey! Why don't I have a button?!"
"I don't either! None of my friends has one! What kind of discrimination is this?!"
Those unable to send messages seemed unable to answer the quiz either.
They could only watch the tally
like helpless viewers in a theater.
The Heavenly Tally ignored their protests.
The countdown began—
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