In front of the Indigo Plateau Conference venue, Ash and Pikachu, who had just received their rewards, were quickly surrounded by a crowd.
Ash hadn't expected that he would already be this famous.
Pikachu, too, was treated like a star among stars, surrounded on all sides.
But since he was still afraid of strangers, Pikachu immediately switched into his "electrotherapy" mode…
[Lance: Ash has gotten even more great rewards! With so many new moves, he's going to save a ton of training time!]
[Leon: Honestly, I used to think Ash would need another ten years before he could stand before me. Now I think… five years at most!]
[Cynthia: A champion in five years? Leon, you didn't even reach champion level at fifteen, did you?]
[Leon: True. I became Galar's Champion at sixteen. But Ash… I believe he has that potential!]
[Alder: Ash really is the most talented trainer I've seen in years. Sigh, if only he were in Unova—I wouldn't have to worry about leaving no successor behind!]
[Diantha: By the way, where is Ash right now?]
[Lorelei: I just happened to pass by the Indigo Conference venue, and I saw him. Right now, he's basking in all the attention!]
[Lorelei: …Oh no, something's wrong. Ash's Pikachu just zapped everyone unconscious. I'd better go take care of this.]
All the Champions: …
What were the odds? And of all people, Lorelei was the one to stumble upon that?
Speaking of the Indigo Plateau Conference, Lance and Professor Oak had mentioned earlier that they were rushing back specifically for tomorrow's opening ceremony.
"Professor Oak, if you don't mind… may I come with you to Kanto?" Leon scratched the back of his head and grinned. He wanted to meet that boy with his own eyes!
"I'd like to go see him as well, if you don't mind me tagging along, Professor Oak." Cynthia spoke softly. She was very curious about Ash too.
That boy who had already created three miracles—what kind of person was he now?
"Count me in!"
"Me too!"
In the end, every Champion present chose to go to Kanto to meet Ash—
and, while they were at it, watched the Indigo Plateau Conference in person.
As for the Elite Four… Well, if the Champions all left, someone had to hold the line back in their own Leagues, right?
That responsibility, naturally, fell on the Elite Four.
So the various Elites stared bitterly at their Champions.
They wanted to go too!
"Go, go! Everyone should go! Haha, Ash really admires strong trainers like you all!" Professor Oak, of course, welcomed them with open arms. With so many Champions visiting Kanto, the region's reputation would soar!
[Today's Heavenly Record ends here. It will resume tomorrow at 5:00 PM sharp.]
[During the break, the comment feed will remain open. The giant screen will be retracted. Please look forward to tomorrow's inventory!]
These two lines of text flashed across every screen in the world.
Today, the Heavenly Record had appeared suddenly, revealing three unprecedented battles: a god-slaying battle, a "best actor" battle—and at the center of it all, that one Pikachu!
At first, people had been wary, but soon they relaxed and simply watched. The Heavenly Record had brought this world not only new entertainment, but new possibilities.
Its display of power surpassed even that of legendary Pokémon!
And now, though it was still only afternoon, the broadcast ended.
Perhaps that was to prevent the world from plunging into chaos.
Otherwise, if such fascinating content kept streaming—with rich rewards and betting games to boot—nobody in the Pokémon world would work anymore. Even Champions might go on strike!
How could the world not descend into disorder?
Lance stared at the screen as it faded, speaking with some regret:
"Only three battles? And one of them is a special feature? That's all for today?"
"What's the rush? There's always tomorrow! This is the perfect chance for us to head to Kanto and meet Ash!" said Diantha as she was already calling someone to fetch her luggage.
This trip to Kanto might last until the end of the Indigo Conference, so she'd better pack extra clothes.
"Professor Oak, did you already book a plane? Or…"
"Oh no! The flight's already closed! Let me check the next one…"
Prompted by Leon, Professor Oak slapped his forehead and quickly pulled out his phone.
"No need, Professor Oak. Use my family's private jets instead. With this many people, I'll just call for a few more." Steven Stone spoke up, stunning everyone.
After all, he was the Champion of Hoenn—and heir to its largest corporation.
For him, a few private planes were nothing.
"Er… well, since Champion Steven is so generously sponsoring, it'd be rude to refuse."
And so, the Champions set their course for Kanto.
There was still some time before Steven's planes arrived, so they began discussing the second battle of the day—the god-slaying fight.
"Pikachu seemed to get stronger and stronger as it went on…"
"And that talking Meowth—could it be a new species?"
"Ash said it belonged to Team Rocket…"
Everyone chatted noisily.
Meanwhile—
In the Pokémon Center lobby, Ash and Brock were seated together. Across from them sat Misty, and beside her, a mature, breathtakingly beautiful woman.
Her wine-red hair was tied into a high ponytail, her orange eyes gleamed behind black-rimmed glasses, and her… impressive figure nearly rested on the table itself.
Judging by the hearts in Brock's eyes, she was without doubt stunning.
This woman was none other than Lorelei, Kanto's Ice-type Elite Four member!
"I can't believe I actually met Master Lorelei today! And I'm even having tea with her!! Aaaah—I think I'm going to faint!" Misty squealed excitedly.
Lorelei, however, calmly sipped her tea. Running into Ash and the others here had been entirely unexpected.
But with the Heavenly Record shaking the world, it seemed the course of destiny itself was quietly changing…
Ash meeting Lorelei early, the Champions all gathering in Kanto—
What would happen next?
(Just a tease)
That's the chapter!
The author's note:
As you can see, I'm running two parallel tracks—the inventory pushes the story forward in the "real world." After all, if Ash earns rewards but never uses them, what's the point?
Also, regarding the inventory: I'll be adjusting some battles, like the Masters Eight tournament and the fight against Tobias last chapter.
It's not that I dislike Ash's "Journey team," but relying only on those Pokémon would shortchange the ones in his reserves. So for the Masters Eight, it'll be full 6-on-6 matches, with as many of Ash's Pokémon appearing as possible.
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