Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokémon, is said to descend upon lands untouched by conflict, blessing them with peace and goodwill.
It is Togepi's final evolution. Compared to Togetic, Togekiss is far larger in size, yet its cuteness has not diminished in the slightest. Beneath that soft, gentle exterior lies power vast enough to inspire awe, and fear.
The Togepi cradled in Misty's arms froze the moment it saw Togekiss. Then its face lit up, and it squealed happily, waving its tiny hands with unrestrained excitement.
It didn't understand that Togekiss was its future form, but it felt an instinctive closeness all the same.
Drawn by the tiny creature's enthusiasm, Togekiss glanced over. A warm smile curved its beak as it nodded in response.
"By the way, Ash," Cynthia said with a smile, noticing Togepi's reaction, "you have a Togepi as well. Don't be fooled by how cute it looks, once it evolves, it becomes incredibly powerful."
No one understood Togekiss's strength better than she did.
After all, she owned the strongest Togekiss in the world.
For Togepi to reach this stage, it must first evolve into Togetic and then use a Shiny Stone.
Wild Togepi are exceedingly rare. Even in Johto, where they were first discovered, they are almost as scarce as Legendary Pokémon, spoken of often, seen almost never.
Because Togepi itself is so uncommon, its evolved forms are rarer still. Raising one all the way to Togekiss had cost Cynthia unimaginable effort. A single Shiny Stone alone was expensive enough to make most Trainers hesitate.
Calling herself the world's strongest Togekiss Trainer was no idle boast.
And yet, as Cynthia looked at the Togepi in Ash's care, she sensed something extraordinary.
Boundless potential.
If Ash chose to nurture it seriously, that Togepi might one day rival, perhaps even surpass, her own Togekiss.
"Heh," Ash chuckled, rubbing his nose at the praise. "Maybe someday. But for now, I just want the little one to grow up carefree. We'll worry about the future when it comes."
Togepi had been with him for a long time, ever since it hatched in the Grand Canyon three months ago.
In those three months, every other Pokémon on his team had evolved at least once and reached Mid level or higher.
Only Togepi was the exception.
It remained at Low-High.
Theoretically, that was already enough to trigger evolution. Yet Togepi showed no signs of changing at all.
Ash didn't mind.
Togepi wasn't meant to fight. Its role was to be adorable, to bring joy and good fortune. For battles, the rest of the team had things covered.
He had never trained Togepi deliberately.
All he wanted was for it to grow up healthy and happy. Nothing more.
Cynthia choosing to battle with Togepi's final evolution, however, caught him off guard.
Beyond her famed, nearly invincible Garchomp, a Pokémon so terrifying that even Leon's Charizard struggled against it, Ash knew little about her full lineup.
He'd opened with Pikachu.
Yet Cynthia hadn't answered with Garchomp, her Ground-type ace. Instead, she sent out a Flying-type Pokémon weak to Electric.
Was this a Champion's courtesy?
Even so, Ash didn't relax.
A Champion's Pokémon, any Champion's Pokémon, was no joke.
Be careful, Pikachu, Ash's voice echoed in its mind. This Togekiss is Champion level. Go straight into full-power mode.
Pikachu froze for half a heartbeat.
Champion level?
Buddy, are you serious!
That's almost two whole tiers above me! How is that fair?!
It questioned its entire existence for exactly one second.
Then it clenched its tiny fists.
So what if it's Champion level?
"Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, whipping his cap from his head and tossing it forward.
Pikachu leapt.
The cap landed perfectly atop its head.
In that instant, its aura changed.
Cynthia's eyes narrowed. "A cap-wearing Pikachu… I suspected it wasn't just decoration. Looks like I was right."
She lacked Ash's Eye of Insight, but years as a Champion had honed her instincts to a razor's edge.
The moment the cap settled into place, she felt it, Pikachu's level, stats, even its foundational values rising sharply, as though it had transformed into an entirely different Pokémon.
"What kind of item is that?" she asked. "It's like switching to another Pokémon altogether."
"I'm not really sure," Ash admitted honestly. "One time my cap landed on Pikachu by accident, and I realized it could draw out power far beyond normal limits. I call it Partner Mode."
Since she'd already noticed, there was no point hiding it.
"Partner Mode…" Cynthia repeated thoughtfully. "Power born from two hearts as one. Fitting."
She lifted her chin, Champion confidence radiating from her calm expression. "All right. You can take the first move. Let me see how much stronger that cap really makes Pikachu."
Ash wasn't foolish enough to refuse.
Since she was offering the initiative, he'd take it.
"Then I won't hold back, Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"
Lightning exploded.
Pikachu vanished in a flash of gold, reappearing before Togekiss in the blink of an eye, its small body wrapped in crackling electricity as it slammed forward.
Volt Tackle was among the fastest priority moves in existence, matched only by Extreme Speed.
And yet;
Without a single command from Cynthia, Togekiss merely tilted aside.
The electric charge tore through empty air.
The ease with which Togekiss avoided the attack made the truth painfully clear.
They were no longer fighting within the same league at all.
Otherwise, Volt Tackle could never have been dodged on a first-turn knockout attempt.
"Impressive speed," Cynthia said calmly. "At a glance, even most Elite Four Pokémon wouldn't be able to match that velocity. To reach that kind of speed, his base stats must already far exceed his tier, and the move itself is exceptional."
With a single look, she had parsed everything.
For the first time, Ash felt truly outclassed as a Trainer.
The Eye of Insight granted him overwhelming informational superiority against most opponents. Yet Cynthia, relying on nothing but experience and instinct, had produced an analysis just as precise, if not more so.
She truly deserved her title: Sinnoh Champion, ranked second in the world.
"Miss Cynthia's Togekiss reacted incredibly fast," Ash admitted. "This is the first time Volt Tackle's ever been dodged."
Because this had only been a probing attack, he hadn't activated Aura Power. Pikachu had fought purely on raw ability.
And the result was Volt Tackle's first failure.
Since mastering the move, Pikachu had never missed. Within the same tier, its speed was overwhelming; even Pokémon slightly stronger struggled to evade it.
Especially on a first-turn knockout attempt, when neither Trainer nor Pokémon had time to react.
Normally, without a command, a Pokémon wouldn't move at all.
Yet Togekiss had dodged autonomously.
That alone placed her on a level Ash had never encountered.
"Togekiss isn't an opponent you can face half-heartedly, Ash," Cynthia said gently. "Bring out everything you have. If you keep testing me, I won't hold back."
Her tone was mild, but the warning made Ash's expression tighten.
She hadn't just analyzed Pikachu, she'd read him.
This was the strongest Trainer he had ever faced. Even Lorelei's pressure paled in comparison.
Ash drew in a slow breath, then exhaled."Understood, Miss Cynthia. Then here comes everything. Let's go, Pikachu!"
The instant his voice fell, a fierce power surged from him.
Pikachu's aura spiked violently.
In a blink, he crossed into Champion level.
Cynthia's eyes narrowed.
Power-enhancing abilities existed, but none remotely as outrageous as this.
She already knew it could elevate Pokémon levels.
If it could do the same beyond Champion levels....
The implications were terrifying.
But this was battle, not theory.
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"
The second Volt Tackle was nothing like the first.
Lightning engulfed Pikachu as he braced all four paws against the ground.
BOOM!
A thunderous crack split the air.
Before anyone could blink, Pikachu slammed into Togekiss, every volt of electricity detonating on impact. Togekiss grimaced as her body was hurled backward.
THUD!
She smashed into Mewtwo's barrier like a falling star, dust and debris erupting outward.
Pikachu drifted lightly back to the ground. Only then did the others notice the shattered crater where he had launched himself.
That collision carried terrifying force.
Cynthia remained composed; Togekiss taking that hit had clearly been within her expectations, a mysterious light flickering in her eyes.
"Now! Press the advantage, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, seizing the moment.
"Pika."
"Togekiss, Extreme Speed."
Cynthia's voice was calm.
Togekiss vanished.
Lightning still danced around Pikachu as Thunderbolt died uncast, then a crushing force slammed into his body!
BOOM!
Just as violently as Pikachu had struck Togekiss, he was hurled backward, faster, harder.
He slammed into the barrier, front impact followed by a brutal rebound.
Ash staggered, knees buckling, body folding forward.
Partner Mode combined with Aura Power granted terrifying strength, but it also inflicted terrifying recoil.
This was no longer the old Partner Mode that merely used Ash's cap as a catalyst.
Now, even without full Aura Fusion, Ash shared Pikachu's perceptions, something akin to a partial fusion.
The boost was immense.
So was the cost.
And even then, Partner Mode's full potential remained unknown. Neither Ash nor any version of himself from another world truly understood what lay hidden within it.
This power belonged solely to this Ash.
Its promise was boundless.
But its drawback was already clear: Under Aura Power combined with Partner Mode, Ash bore double the damage.