Being acknowledged by several Champion-tier powerhouses, Professor Kukui's strength was already beyond question.
And with people like Cynthia stating that Kukui's personal battle power was already comparable to a Champion…
If he added Tapu Koko to his side, then his total power basically matched the level of the Champions of the World Coronation Series!
Which meant—
Ash in Alola was already standing at the Eight-Master level.
Both his partner Pokémon and his own ability as a Trainer had reached that height.
[Leon: Ash will definitely become someone who won't lose to me in the future!]
[Bea: …Leon, isn't that a bit much? No matter how strong Ash is, he still can't compare to you…]
[Raihan: Exactly! He's my only acknowledged rival! Don't go admitting someone else that casually, you jerk!]
Ash had been incredible in the battle, sure—
But to Galar's Gym Leaders Bea and Raihan, there was no way Ash could surpass Leon.
After all, Leon was the strongest Champion in Galar's history,
with a Charizard so overwhelming that Gym Leaders couldn't even lift their heads in battle.
Even ignoring Charizard, the rest of Leon's team was monstrously strong.
Ash's Pikachu was powerful, yes…
But how could it possibly compare to Leon's Charizard?
Let alone Leon's other Pokémon that could completely overpower Ash's team.
To them—two people who idolized Leon—there was no way they could accept Leon's claim.
"Ash? Surpass Leon? Before age 20? Don't joke!"
[Steven: I don't think Leon's wrong. Pikachu isn't Ash's only powerhouse. He still has Charizard, Greninja—plus he's traveled so many regions. Who knows what other strong Pokémon he's caught?]
[Cynthia: Yes. With Ash's talent, instincts, and potential… he'll never end up weaker than us.]
When the #2 and #3 of the Masters Eight spoke,
what could #7 Raihan and non-Masters-Eight Bea say?
They could only swallow their dissatisfaction.
Ash? That little brat? Stronger than Leon?
Not in this lifetime!
[Alder: By the way… where's Lance? He's awfully quiet.]
[Diantha: Lance? Where are you? I miss hearing you brag about nonsense.]
Lance's fists clenched.
Diantha was barely three meters away.
He really wanted to go over there and punch her.
But he couldn't.
Kalos Region
"YEEEES!! Ash won again!! I knew he could do it!"
Serena jumped up in excitement.
Ash's victory filled her with joy.
Then she suddenly remembered…
She had bet on Ash again.
Nine million… multiplied by fourteen…
How much was that again?
No one knew it yet, but the biggest winner since the start of the Heavenly Rankings event had appeared:
Serena of Vaniville Town.
126 million points—
enough to exchange for an Arceus Plate in the Heavenly Shop.
But what she'd choose… only she knew.
Team Rocket HQ
Giovanni's face was darker than a lump of coal.
He had already driven all his subordinates out.
Why stay? To watch him lose face?
He originally believed Tapu Koko's special Z-Move would easily defeat that tiny Pikachu.
Who could have predicted…
That wasn't a Pikachu.
It was an Ultra-Pikachu, a being on par with a legendary-tier creature.
Even a guardian deity using a full-power Z-Move couldn't defeat it.
Another stain was added to Giovanni's record.
Not even Mewtwo's escaping made him this furious.
"Pallet Town's Ash… Fine. Very well. The League had better protect you. Otherwise…"
Otherwise, Ash would never get the chance to grow.
A potential future Trainer on par with Dragon Master Lance—
How could Giovanni let him mature?
Even though that boy… reminded him faintly of himself.
Not in looks—
But in the way he treated his Pokémon.
Sinnoh — Sunyshore City
Volkner stared blankly at Ash's victory.
Ash and Pikachu had always created miracles…
But this opponent was different.
This time, it was Tapu Koko, an Electric-type legendary with divine authority.
And it even used its terrifying Z-Move.
Yet Pikachu and Ash still won.
Volkner saw many things in Ash… things he'd lost.
"…Maybe I should get serious again. Ash will challenge the Lily of the Valley Conference soon. Which means he may come to my Gym."
"Electivire, Raichu, let's start training. One day… We'll battle Ash. And his Pikachu."
His extinguished fighting spirit reignited.
Team Rocket Trio
"The twerps won again, meow!"
"Pikachu just keeps getting stronger! It even beat Tapu Koko!"
"That means it's worth catching! Thanks to the twerp, we got a huge number of points again! Let's use them to make stronger robots!"
The three whispered loudly in a bush—
loud enough that passersby wondered why the bushes were talking.
Gary Oak
Gary held his teacup, hands trembling.
He believed in Ash…
But he didn't expect that.
That level of power…
Just thinking about facing that Pikachu in the Indigo League made him nervous.
"No, no… It hasn't grown that strong yet! Right?!"
"If Pikachu were really that strong, would Ash have been eliminated in the Top 16?!"
"Relax, Gary… That guy hasn't beaten you that many times!"
After internally giving himself a full pep talk, Gary finally calmed down.
He downed his tea in one gulp and prepared to study his next opponent.
Prof. Oak's Lab
Professor Oak stared at Ash and Pikachu, overwhelmed with emotions.
He had personally given that stubborn electric mouse to Ash.
Who would've imagined… those two would grow into something like this?
Even a legendary guardian deity lost to them.
And Ash himself…
His movements, his presence—
He already had the makings of a Champion.
"As expected of you, Ash…"
"Pikachu really is your perfect partner…"
He touched an old sketchbook, its surface faded.
He read it every day.
It held his most precious memories.
Ash & Pikachu
"Pikachu! We won again! We beat Professor Kukui! Tapu Koko too!!"
"Pika—Pika!!"
No one was more excited than Ash and Pikachu.
They'd believed they could win—
But it was still unbelievable.
One was a legendary guardian.
The other was… a Pikachu.
Pikachu became a fan of itself.
"So that's how cool I look at full power… Maybe I should stop slacking…"
Champions' Gathering
"Congratulations, Ash. Pikachu. You defeated another powerful opponent," Leon praised.
Other Champions followed.
Only Lance stayed silent.
He was still doubting his entire worldview.
How could a Pikachu possess power rivaling a legendary?
Even raising a weak Pokémon to high levels wasn't impossible—
But raising a Pikachu to that level was like winning a hundred consecutive lottery jackpots.
No wonder people pursued high-base-stat Pokémon like starters and pseudo-legendaries.
Lance was losing his mind.
What species was that Pikachu?!
Shop Preparation
"Based on the ranking's schedule, today's battle should be the last," Cynthia said while scrolling through the Heavenly Shop.
Even without the points arriving yet, she had already begun browsing.
Forty thousand points! When was she ever this rich?
She could finally buy her ice cream…
and the stomach medicine she'd need afterward.
"Tonight's battle is done. Ash, you can all rest here," Steven added warmly.
His new residence was enormous—housing all the Champions wouldn't be a problem.
Ash thanked him happily.
Points Settlement
Almost everyone who bet on Kukui instantly lost all their points.
Meanwhile, others skyrocketed.
Misty & Brock passed 1,000,000 points.
Ash hit 3.5 million.
Leon & Alder reached 460k.
Elesa had 80k.
But the most shocking—
Steven.
"You bet on Ash?!"
"Of course. Mikuri warned me: if 90% of people bet on one side, don't follow. My 600 points wouldn't return much anyway."
"But if I bet on the underdog… I could gain a lot."
Steven smiled at his 8400 points.
Lance suddenly understood.
He would bet on high odds from now on.
If he had to choose between money and his pride…
Goodbye pride.
Rewards
[Reward settlement complete.]
[Professor Kukui receives: Absorbable Charcoal, Manalo Stadium Blueprints, and Sufficient Funding]
[Absorbable Charcoal: When given to a Pokémon, the Pokémon slowly absorbs its energy over time.
Once fully absorbed, the charcoal's boost becomes permanent.
Effect: Fire-type damage permanently increases by 20%.]
Kukui froze for a moment—
then burst with joy.
The charcoal was great, yes,
but the second reward was leagues above it.
He had once competed in the Indigo League.
Only after winning it did he challenge the Kanto Elite Four.
He lost to Lance, but that defeat gave him a dream:
to build an Alolan Pokémon League.
And in the future, he saw in the recordings, the Alola League clearly existed.
Funding, blueprints, rules—
Everything needed planning.
But right now, he didn't have the capability.
The Aether Foundation's current relationship with him wasn't nearly as good as in the future.
Even if they knew he was the Masked Royal, they wouldn't necessarily fund him.
The true trigger for founding the Alola League…
was Ash's arrival.
But that wouldn't happen for years.
He thought he'd have to wait a long time.
He never expected—
The Heavenly Rankings would directly give him all the funds and the Manalo Stadium blueprints.
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