The scene opened on a massive, circular building—
a stadium with a giant Poké Ball emblem adorning its front.
A hollow center, ring-shaped structure…
This was unmistakably a League Conference Stadium.
[Cynthia: Oh? Is this in Sinnoh?]
As Sinnoh's Champion, Cynthia recognized the location at a single glance—
The Lily of the Valley Conference arena.
Which meant…
This divine battle was taking place on one of the grandest competitive stages.
But…
Who brings a Legendary Pokémon to a League tournament?!
This was getting absurdly out of hand.
The shot zoomed in, and the interior of the arena burst into view—
a roaring crowd, stands packed to the brim,
an atmosphere boiling with excitement.
Among the audience, Ash, Brock, and the others spotted a familiar face—
"H-hey! That's Brock sitting over there!"
"So this must be a battle from my timeline… except… that isn't Misty next to me."
Beside Brock sat a blue-haired girl—
Clearly, someone is traveling with him at this stage.
Meaning—
"So… in the future, I'll stop traveling with Ash…?"
Misty murmured, her voice barely audible.
While Ash's group focused on the audience,
the rest of the world's viewers fixated on the battlefield.
On one side stood a man no one recognized—
blue hair, draped in a red cloak, radiating an icy, oppressive aura.
On the other side…
Another all-too-familiar figure—
Ash Ketchum.
His clothes had changed again:
a red-and-black hat, a black-and-yellow jacket.
More mature features than his match against Brandon.
"Seriously?! It's Ash again?! Ash, bro, I beg you—why are you always fighting LEGENDARY Pokémon?!"
"Three tallies, three times it's Ash. The 'bro' in Ash-bro is absolutely earned."
"Is Pikachu fighting again? Please tell me he's not sending Pikachu… again."
"Man… before the special tally, if Ash sent out Pikachu, I'd go all-in betting on him…
But now?
You never know when Pikachu's going to turn on the acting mode!"
People everywhere were theorizing about the upcoming bets—
Though those without chat permissions could only discuss with friends.
The live comment feed exploded:
[Cynthia: This battle should be at the Lily of the Valley Conference—before he battles Trip later.]
[Lance: Oh? Why do you say that?]
[Diantha: Lance… are you becoming Bruno? You can't figure this out?]
[Bruno: ??? Why did I get dragged into this?!]
[Professor Oak:
From Ash's appearance and outfits, we can match each version to a different region.
In the first tally alone, Ash has already worn four different outfits.
Thus, every time he changes regions, he changes outfits.
This version looks almost identical to the one before Unova—
Meaning this battle happens shortly before he arrives in Unova.]
[Cynthia: As expected of Professor Oak—wonderfully precise analysis.]
Lance stared at the Champions around him, questioning his entire life.
How did they deduce that in seconds?!
Even if you multiplied Bruno by ten, he still wouldn't figure it out that fast.
(Bruno: Say that again. I dare you.)
Lance was a Search Officer as well as a Champion;
Once pointed in the right direction, he could follow the logic.
But after so many tallies back-to-back, his brain felt scrambled.
Ironically, he had begun as the most cautious observer.
Now he was the most engrossed viewer of them all.
Earlier, some viewers caught a fleeting glimpse of a blue Pokémon by the blue-haired man—
But no one fully saw it.
Everyone had been too focused on the trainers.
The image froze after showing both trainers' close-ups.
A new set of glowing words appeared:
[Tally: Pokémon Who Challenged Gods With Mortal Bodies (Part Two)]
[Battlefield: Sinnoh League—Lily of the Valley Conference]
[Matchup: Ash & Pikachu VS Darkrai's Trainer—LATIOS!]
[Betting period: Five minutes.]
So it WAS Pikachu again.
Viewers had expected it—
But it still made their jaws drop.
Two legendary battles.
Two tallies.
Both belonged to Ash…
and Pikachu.
Was Ash unlucky for constantly running into Legendaries?
Or lucky for always GETTING to battle them?
Most people would never see a Legendary even once in their lifetime…
Ash had encountered two in less than two years.
"What are you guys betting on?"
"I'm waiting for the Champions! Let them make the prediction first!"
"Aren't you afraid they'll scam you again?"
"Come on, not everyone is as shameless as Diantha!"
"Besides, this time we aren't competing against them. Why would they lie?"
"And honestly…
None of us even knows what a Latios can do!
Better wait for the Professor's lecture!"
"True. I'll follow that!"
Most of the world waited patiently for the Champions and Professors to weigh in.
Only a few impulsive souls had already placed bets.
Sure, Pikachu once slew a god…
But after the special tally exposed his 'acting career,'
Global confidence in him plummeted again.
After all—
A berserk moment is rare.
Most of the time, Pikachu is still… well… Pikachu.
That much, everyone firmly believed.
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