High above the battlefield, a Rotom Drone flew in.
The thunderstorm stirred up by Zinogre had nearly brought it down; it had barely avoided being struck by lightning.
It hovered briefly and announced:
"Based on the outcome of this match, the rankings of the Pokémon World Championships have been updated."
With that, the Rotom Drone departed.
Bai Chen took out his phone and checked his ranking.
Defeating an opponent nearly 4,000 places higher had earned him a substantial number of points.
His ranking rose from 13,025 to 11,893.
Across from him, his opponent's ranking dropped to 10,320.
"The Pokémon World Championships?"
From the stands, Ash Ketchum murmured under his breath.
Serena quickly looked it up and explained,
"The Pokémon World Championships determine the strongest Trainer in the world."
"The strongest in the world?" Ash's eyes lit up.
"I didn't know there was a competition like that!"
Seeing Bai Chen turn to leave, Ash leapt straight down from the stands with Pikachu.
"Ash!" Serena cried out in alarm. The platform was nearly five meters high.
Ash landed steadily and ran up to Bai Chen.
"Excuse me! Could we have a Pokémon battle?"
Bai Chen turned to look at him.
Beneath the helmet, he froze for a moment, then glanced up at Serena and the others.
Did I wake up wrong today? This guy just walked right up to me?
After a brief pause, Bai Chen accepted reality.
Ever since learning about the clash between Groudon and Kyogre, he had already suspected that Ash's group was traveling through Kalos.
His gaze fell first on the Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder.
He wanted to see whether this Pikachu—the one that had followed Ash for so many years—was really "acting" every time it entered a new region.
Bai Chen stepped closer, staring directly at Pikachu.
"Pika…"
Pikachu instinctively shrank back behind Ash.
An attribute panel appeared before Bai Chen's eyes.
And immediately, he noticed something unusual.
Ash's Pikachu was not ordinary.
It was a Partner Pikachu.
Partner Pikachu had 110 more base stat points than a normal Pikachu, reaching a total of 430.
But what truly caught Bai Chen's attention was a unique skill.
Team Ace (Rarity: ?)
Cannot evolve
Base stats adaptively increase by +100
Always remains 10 levels higher than the highest-level Pokémon on the team (cap: Level 100)
All move proficiencies are permanently locked at the Master tier
Note: Generated by the World's Protection trait. Cannot be copied.
Team Rocket's Meowth once claimed that Ash's Pikachu was stronger than Raichu.
Raichu's base stats capped at 485, while Ash's Pikachu—under Team Ace—reached 530, comparable to fully evolved starters.
That also explained why Pikachu's level fluctuated so wildly.
Right now, it was only Level 48.
"So that explains why Pikachu used to lose to rookie Trainers' starters," Bai Chen thought.
Without teammates, Pikachu's level would have been barely ten.
Still… losing like that felt hard to justify.
With all moves locked at Master tier, how could it lose so easily?
After confirming there was nothing else unusual, Bai Chen shifted his attention to Ash.
He was curious about this "eternal rookie" Trainer.
Ash's own panel appeared.
Bai Chen focused immediately on Ash's trait.
World's Protection
Greatly increases vitality
Grants the power to create miracles
The description was vague—
And that was exactly what made it terrifying.
Pikachu's Team Ace skill was born from this trait.
In addition, Ash possessed two remarkable abilities.
Aura (Rarity 7)
Allows sensing emotions and intentions
Enables telepathy and environmental perception
Can project Aura to form barriers or attacks
Can synchronize Aura with other Aura users
Pokémon Master (Rarity 6)
Pokémon below Level 50 gain double experience during training
Does not increase movement proficiency
Aura was no surprise. Anyone familiar with Ash knew he could use it.
But seeing it stuck at only Intermediate proficiency, Bai Chen felt it was a terrible waste.
Ash could have become an Aura Guardian—but chose the path of a Pokémon Master.
As for Pokémon Master…
It explained everything.
No wonder Ash retrained new teams in every region, yet still pushed them to high levels.
With this skill alone, he had every right to be so fearless.
"Could we have a Pokémon battle?" Ash asked again.
Bai Chen closed the system interface.
I can't copy World's Protection, he thought,
but Aura and Pokémon Master… those are absolutely worth obtaining.
He looked at Pikachu and said,
"You have a very good partner. What's your name?"
"I'm Ash. This is Pikachu—my first partner and my strongest one," Ash replied, then asked, "Is that your Pokémon?"
Serena and the others finally caught up.
Bai Chen patted Nergigante on the head.
"She's also my first partner. And my strongest."
"Oh, right—I'm Bai Chen. A knight."
The group exchanged astonished looks.
Starting with a Legendary Pokémon…?
That was an absurdly high starting line.
"Can Pikachu battle her?" Ash asked eagerly.
"Pika!" Pikachu buzzed with excitement.
"Bold of you—to challenge my strongest partner right away," Bai Chen nodded.
"Since fate brought us together, I don't mind."
"Awesome!" Ash cheered. Missing the Gym battle hurt—but fighting a Legendary Pokémon made up for it.
They took their positions.
Bai Chen called out,
"Ash—after this battle, how about we Trainers have a match of our own?"
"A match? What kind?"
"No restrictions. You decide the rules. Do you accept?"
"Of course!" Ash grinned. "I'd love to!"
"Good. Then let's begin."
"Go, Pikachu!"
Pikachu leapt into the field, cheeks crackling with electricity.
Bai Chen turned to Nergigante.
"Go. Take it easy."
"Roar."
Nergigante landed lightly. Compared to Pikachu, she seemed uninterested.
That mouse's electricity isn't even stronger than Zinogre's. Is this really necessary?
Bai Chen sighed.
In terms of level and move mastery, Pikachu actually had the advantage.
And its Thunderbolt was no joke.
"We strike first! Pikachu—Quick Attack!"
"Tank it, then use Devourer Palm."
Pikachu became a streak of yellow light, slamming into Nergigante's wing—
More precisely, into her spine.
Metal-hard barbs blocked the blow and tore Pikachu slightly.
Nergigante surged forward in her reduced form—less power, more speed.
Her forelimb swelled with muscle.
Boom!
She smashed down.
"Dodge!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu barely escaped. A crater formed where it had stood.
"Pika…" Pikachu stared at the pit, shaken.
Ash pressed on.
"Quick Attack—again!"
Unaware of the damage accumulating, he tried to overwhelm with speed.
"Defend," Bai Chen ordered calmly.
After five Quick Attacks, Pikachu was already battered.
On the sixth, pain slowed it—just for an instant.
Ash noticed immediately.
"Those spines are that hard…? Pikachu—Iron Tail!"
Pikachu leapt, tail gleaming metallic silver.
Crack!
The black regenerative spines shattered.
Encouraged, Ash ordered repeated Iron Tails.
"Devouring Sweep."
Nergigante swept her wings.
Pikachu was sent flying—but with the spines destroyed, there was no tearing damage.
Nergigante focused her life energy.
In seconds, new spines regenerated—pure white, still soft, hardening with air exposure.
From the stands, Clemont adjusted his glasses.
"Incredible regeneration…"
Iron Tail couldn't keep up.
Ash finally remembered Pikachu's true strength.
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
"Nergigante—Thunderbolt."
Two lightning strikes collided midair, exploding violently.
Everyone gasped.
"She can use Thunderbolt too?!"
Nergigante couldn't—
But she could use Nature Power.
Zinogre's lightning domain hadn't fully dispersed. With mastery, she shaped it into Thunderbolt.
"Use Electro Ball."
Nergigante hurled a compressed sphere of lightning.
"Iron Tail—counter!"
Pikachu shattered it midair.
"Lightning Devourer Palm."
Nergigante dove, arm enlarged and wrapped in lightning.
Pikachu had nowhere to dodge.
Boom!
The blow sent Pikachu crashing down.
"Pikachu! Are you okay?!"
From the crater, Pikachu stood back up and squeaked.
"Good—use Electroweb!"
A net of lightning shot upward.
"Blade Storm."
Nergigante's wings unleashed countless air blades, shredding the net.
Ash clenched his fists.
Defense. Speed. Power. Regeneration. Even Electric moves.
How do you beat something like this?
Clemont sighed.
"He's in real trouble…"
Bonnie tilted her head.
"It looks even to me?"
Clemont shook his head.
"That's a Legendary Pokémon. Too well-rounded. No clear weakness—can't even determine its typing."
Bai Chen nodded inwardly.
Pikachu was exceptional—but Nergigante was still in her reduced state.
He was about to release that restriction—
Suddenly, two mechanical claws descended from above, seizing both Pokémon.
Everyone froze.
"What's happening?!" Ash shouted.
Then came familiar voices.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars
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