"Should I capture a Litwick and raise it? Although, if I'm going to raise a Ghost-type Pokémon, the Gengar line from the Kanto region seems like a much better choice."
"Gengar's base stat total is only 500, but it can Mega Evolve. On top of that, Gengar can also Gigantamax."
"Then again, speaking of Ghost-type Pokémon, Wikstrom's Aegislash seems pretty good too..."
Once his thoughts turned to capturing a new Pokémon, Ash became completely absorbed in the subject.
The dark, eerie atmosphere surrounding him was completely ignored.
Fearow, meanwhile, activated Foresight and Keen Eye, carefully scanning everything ahead.
Whether it was Ghost-type Pokémon suddenly leaping out to frighten them or hidden mechanisms firing arrows and other projectiles from behind walls and bricks, Fearow dealt with every single one of them.
At that moment, Fearow flew ahead of Ash while Ash simply followed behind it, looking almost like someone standing in line for a medical test while completely absorbed in their phone.
The second trial, [The Labyrinth of Unease], which was supposed to be terrifying, failed to cause Ash even the slightest disturbance.
Whether it was the frightening and gloomy environment, the Ghost-type Pokémon that suddenly appeared, or the various traps and hidden mechanisms scattered throughout the castle maze, none of them managed to slow him down.
The terrified screams coming from the Trainers who had entered the castle before him...
The screams of those who entered afterward...
Ash ignored them all.
He simply followed behind Fearow while continuing to think about which new Pokémon he should capture next.
Less than ten minutes later, Ash became the first Trainer to emerge from the maze, despite not being the first participant to enter the castle.
"Congratulations, Ash. You've successfully passed the second trial."
Seeing Ash and Fearow emerge from the dimly lit castle and arrive at the viewing balcony on the second floor, Wikstrom revealed a look of genuine surprise.
In truth, Fearow had done practically all the work during the second trial.
Ash had spent almost the entire time thinking about which new Pokémon he should capture.
If Ash hadn't been distracted and had actually taken the trial seriously, using his Aura to scan and investigate his surroundings, he would have completed the second trial in even less time.
"Thank you. It's all thanks to Fearow."
Ash responded modestly when he heard Wikstrom's congratulations.
He then glanced toward Serena, Clarissa Joy, and the others and gave them a reassuring nod.
However, rather than going over to join them, Ash remained beside Wikstrom and waited for the other participants to finish their trials.
Compared with the first trial, which tested the physical strength and willpower of both Trainers and Pokémon, the second trial tested a Trainer's courage, ability to react under pressure, and coordination with their Pokémon.
Just like the first trial, it looked simple on the surface, but actually completing it was quite difficult.
Whether it was the sudden appearances of Ghost-type Pokémon in the frightening, gloomy atmosphere or the hidden mechanisms that could be triggered at any moment inside the dimly lit castle...
One careless mistake was enough to cause a participant to fail.
There had originally been ten Trainers who passed the first trial, including Ash.
Yet an hour later, when Wikstrom officially announced the end of the second trial, only five of the ten Trainers had successfully completed it.
Ash wasn't particularly surprised by the elimination rate of the second trial.
Fortunately, Misty, Tierno, and Trevor had all managed to pass.
Misty's experience during the trial was surprisingly similar to Ash's.
She had relied almost entirely on the strength of her Pokémon to make it through.
Misty's Marill was somewhat "timid," and the moment it entered the dark and gloomy castle, its emotions completely collapsed.
Then its Huge Power Ability activated.
Marill immediately charged forward at full speed, barreling through the maze without hesitation.
Whether it encountered Ghost-type Pokémon or hidden traps and projectiles, everything was dealt with by Marill's fists.
Anything that appeared in its path was either sent flying or smashed apart.
Misty simply chased after Marill, and before she knew it, she had passed the entire trial with remarkable ease.
In fact, the amount of time Misty took to complete the second trial was even shorter than Ash's.
This genuinely surprised Wikstrom.
But then he remembered that Misty was Ash's girlfriend as well as the Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym in Kanto.
At that point, Wikstrom immediately understood.
Misty's performance could be considered an unexpected result.
Tierno and Trevor's performances, on the other hand, were much more conventional.
By relying on the excellent coordination between their Pokémon—Poliwhirl and Sandslash—they steadily overcame the various obstacles inside the maze.
In the end, the two of them also successfully passed the second trial.
After everyone had rested for several minutes, the third trial—the final trial—was about to begin.
"The third trial is called [The Knight's Glory]."
Wikstrom stood before the five remaining Trainers and began explaining the final challenge.
"A knight's glory must be earned, protected, and defended through battle. The content of the third trial is actually very simple."
He gestured toward the Pokémon standing behind him.
"The Pokémon behind me is a Klefki. All you need to do is obtain one key from it, and you'll pass the final stage of the trial."
"However, before you can approach Klefki and take one of its keys, you'll have to get past me and my Pokémon."
Wikstrom's expression became serious.
"So, the five Trainers who passed the second trial... are you ready?"
As he spoke, Wikstrom drew a prop sword made of rubber from the scabbard at his waist.
His eyes gleamed as he looked at the five Trainers standing before him.
"We're ready."
The other four Trainers answered immediately.
Ash merely nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Sophocles."
Ash turned toward Sophocles behind him.
"Wikstrom's Knight's Way promotional tour is making its final stop here in Lumiose City, right? When he held these Knight Trials in the other cities, did any Trainers actually manage to pass the trials?"
"Well..."
Sophocles lowered his voice as he explained.
"As far as I know, there were some participants who were ultimately awarded the Knight Honor Badge. But as for actually obtaining the Knight Armor... no one managed that."
"I knew it..."
After hearing Sophocles' explanation, Ash silently muttered to himself.
As expected.
The third trial looked simple on the surface, but its actual difficulty was extremely high.
Breaking through the defenses of Wikstrom and his Pokémon was one of those things that sounded easy when explained but was incredibly difficult to accomplish.
Ash had personally experienced Wikstrom's strength during the earlier performance.
As an Elite Four-level powerhouse, Wikstrom's strength was unquestionably extraordinary.
And as a knight himself, his physical combat ability certainly couldn't be underestimated either.
At the very least, it was far beyond what an ordinary person could hope to match.
Wanting to break through Wikstrom and his Pokémon was already an incredibly difficult task.
Even if Wikstrom deliberately suppressed his strength and went easy on the participants, successfully forcing their way through that defensive line would still be extremely difficult.
In other words...
This was practically an impossible trial.
"First participant, Kemar. Please step forward and begin the trial."
While Ash was still thinking, the third trial officially began.
The staff member standing at the side looked down at the participant list and called out the name of the first Trainer.
"Yes!"
The Trainer whose name had been called stepped forward.
His Pokémon companion was a Diggersby, whose enormous ears were shaped almost like the muscular arms of a bodybuilder.
"The trial begins!"
The staff member handed the Trainer a rubber prop sword.
And with that, the final trial officially began.
...
The Knight's Glory trial had begun.
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