From the very first moment Leon sent out Charizard,
He activated Gigantamax without hesitation.
Once Gigantamax is triggered, a Pokémon's HP instantly doubles,
And all of its moves are transformed into Max Moves.
There was no doubt about it—
Leon knew exactly how to play this game.
Using Gigantamax at full health was unquestionably the optimal choice.
Charizard transformed into a ferocious, monstrous silhouette,
letting out a thunderous roar as it unleashed its signature move—
G-Max Wildfire!
Gigantamax moves possess an innate tracking effect.
Under normal circumstances, they are nearly impossible to dodge.
Togekiss had no choice but to use Protect and block head-on.
But—
G-Max Wildfire pierced straight through Protect.
Togekiss was instantly knocked out.
Cynthia was left with only her final ace—
Garchomp.
After Gigantamax Garchomp and several minutes of intense combat…
Garchomp still fell in defeat.
There was no helping it.
Despite the type advantage,
Leon's Charizard was simply too high-leveled.
Cynthia accepted second place with grace.
Thus, the world's strongest Trainer was decided.
Leon of the Galar Region.
Later that afternoon, the third-place match would be held—
Steven versus Diantha.
But Ash wouldn't be able to watch.
Because he had his own battle to attend—
The Top 16 of the Indigo League.
"Leon's Charizard is very strong," Red commented calmly.
"Gigantamaxed, it's even stronger than my Mega Charizard."
Ash froze.
"…Leon's Charizard is that strong?!"
Red's Mega Charizard had once defeated a high-tier Legendary.
That feat alone was unprecedented in the modern era.
And yet Leon's Charizard could reach the same level?
"It's fine," Red said flatly.
"A Charizard that's ten years older than mine being called the strongest Trainer in the world isn't unreasonable."
"But now?"
"Even Gigantamax, it still can't beat my Charizard in base form."
Ash: "..."
Brother.
Are you even listening to yourself?
But Red wasn't exaggerating.
Leon's Gigantamax Charizard had already surpassed Red's past Mega Charizard.
However—
Gigantamax only lasted three turns.
And back then, Red's Mega Charizard still wasn't capable of defeating high-tier Legendaries alone.
The victory over Mewtwo involved many external factors.
This wasn't about talent.
Red firmly believed—
In this world, Leon could confidently be called the second greatest prodigy.
Second only to Ash.
The problem was simple.
Leon was too strong.
His Charizard had no equals.
No worthy sparring partners.
No true rivals.
Red's Charizard had Blue.
Had Mewtwo.
Opponents were what drove growth.
Leon became "the undefeated champion" too early.
Even after becoming Champion, Red and Blue still fought back and forth.
Leon?
He crushed everyone.
That was why his growth plateaued.
A pity.
But not for long.
Red glanced at Ash, who was still watching the TV with bright eyes.
Last night's training exceeded Red's expectations.
Most Trainers would have broken under such relentless pressure.
Ash didn't.
Neither did Pikachu nor Charizard.
And after an entire night of hellish training—
Their growth was undeniable.
Effort had paid off.
By the afternoon, the Indigo League Top 16 officially began.
Gary had already advanced to the Top 8 that morning.
They were placed in opposite brackets—
Meaning they could only meet in the finals.
If they both made it there.
Ash's opponent, Hiroshi, was a solid Trainer.
Before the Heavenly Rankings descended,
They would have been evenly matched.
Now?
The gap was enormous.
Ash sent out Froakie and Muk, winning with ease.
When Hiroshi sent out his final Pokémon—Pikachu—
Ash responded in kind.
The result was predictable.
Ash's Pikachu—already approaching Gym Leader tier—
was in a completely different league.
Hiroshi bowed out at Tothe p 16.
For a rookie Trainer, that was already a success.
They shook hands and left the arena amicably.
Ash's next opponent would be a girl named Yuri.
The Top 8 battles would be full six-on-six.
Ash planned to prepare—
But when he exited the stadium,
he was greeted by Red's blank expression.
"…Are you sure that guy had eight badges?"
"Yes," Ash said seriously.
"Hiroshi's already considered strong among the participants."
Red: "..."
What kind of charity badges were these?!
A Charmander that hadn't even evolved managed to collect eight?!
Red wasn't mocking unevolved Pokémon—
But to him, evolution equaled power.
Refusing evolution?
He hadn't known Ash long enough yet
to realize all of Ash's Pokémon were anomalies.
Back on topic—
The quality of these eight badges was questionable at best.
Including Hiroshi's so-called ace—
A Pikachu named Rain.
A completely ordinary Electric-type mouse.
Not every Pikachu was Ash's Pikachu.
Or Red's.
Red rubbed his temples.
Why did I even train you so hard last night?
"I checked your next opponent," Red said flatly.
"Your Charizard and Pikachu can sweep her entire team."
"No research value."
"Instead, teach me how to use the internet tonight."
"…Huh?"
Internet?
Ash thought he had misheard.
Red… wanted to go online?
"You're not thinking about games, are you?" Ash asked.
"I'm watching your previous ranking footage," Red replied.
"Professor Oak said it's all online. I'm not familiar with your world's network system."
"Set it up for me tonight."
"Got it!"
Watching high-level battles was far more interesting
than wasting time on low-tier matches.
Seriously—
Why did a Top 8 contestant still have Spearow and Tentacool…?
That afternoon, Red continued training Ash.
And Gary joined in.
He refused to fall further behind.
Misty and Brock watched from the sidelines.
Ash also brought Treecko over to train occasionally.
At this point, Treecko was practically already his Pokémon.
Red was intrigued by Ash's ability to travel between regions at will.
But without knowledge of spatial power,
there was nothing he could research.
The Masters Eight third-place match concluded.
Diantha placed third.
Steven placed fourth.
Double battle systems were simply too overwhelming.
Restrictions would be inevitable in the future.
At 5 PM—
The screen descended.
By now, the world felt strange without it.
The Heavenly Rankings had become a daily ritual.
Entertainment.
Knowledge.
Power.
Who wouldn't love it?
In Oak's backyard, everyone prepared their seats.
Treecko was there too—
A twig from the World Tree clenched in his mouth.
Training efficiency doubled.
The screen lit up.
Lines of text appeared:
[A New Chapter Begins — Ranking: Ash and Legendary Pokémon (Part One)]
[Subtitle: Mewtwo Strikes Back]
[This chapter has no betting phase. Quiz mode may appear.]
[The footage begins now.]
The world exploded in shock.
Mewtwo?!
That Mewtwo?!
If Mewtwo was included—
Then this world also had one.
And Mewtwo was classified as a Legendary Pokémon.
Which meant—
The previous speculation was likely correct.
Mewtwo truly existed.
Clear Cliff
Mewtwo's expression darkened.
"Mewtwo's counterattack"…?
Was this about that time?
He had erased everyone's memories back then.
And now—
It was being broadcast to the world.
Cringe.
Absolute black history.
Red's Mewtwo sensed the footage from within its Poké Ball.
So this world's Mewtwo had a different story…
The footage began.
It showed Mewtwo's creation.
Birth.
Escape from Viridian Gym.
The truth shocked everyone—
Team Rocket created Mewtwo.
Giovanni's face turned pitch black.
Powerful science.
Utter failure.
Gary's face also darkened—
Because for a split second, the footage showed him being one-shot.
Oh.
So that was why Red vs Mewtwo felt familiar.
The scene shifted.
A sunny grassland.
Ash, Misty, Brock—camping.
Familiar trio.
Familiar Pikachu.
Nostalgia hit instantly.
Ash lay lifeless on the table—
Until a pirate-looking man challenged him.
Instant revival.
From the pirate's words—
Ash already held eight Gym Badges.
Right before the Indigo League.
Meaning—
This was a story that had already happened.
But…
"Have you met Mewtwo before?" Gary asked.
Ash, Misty, and Brock looked at each other—
And shook their heads.
"No memory at all."
"…Except maybe when I saw Red's Mewtwo. It felt familiar—but I can't remember anything."
Misty and Brock nodded.
They remembered nothing.
At all.
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