When people saw what Berry it was,
everyone who recognized it couldn't help but curse inwardly—
This is way too shameless!!
[Pryce: ??? Spenser, you can just DO that??]
[Thorton: Eating a Sitrus Berry mid-battle? Truly impressive, Spenser!]
[Anabel: That's kind of excessive, Mr. Spenser. Isn't that basically cheating?!]
[Bruno: Compared to Pryce's sleeping tactic, this is definitely worse!]
[Cynthia: He's taking advantage of the fact that Ash doesn't know Berry types?!]
[Lance: Sitrus Berry restores one-third HP instantly! Sure, Swellow also ate one,
but Swellow had not even fought yet. For it, the Berry is just a snack!]
[Spenser: Ahem, I was simply hungry and took a bite. I absolutely wasn't thinking that far!]
Even as he spoke, Spenser sounded guilty.
After all, this was basically applying a healing spray mid-battle.
His Venusaur was already tanky—
After eating a Sitrus Berry, its HP was practically back to half!
Even if Ash sent out ten Swellows, he'd struggle to beat it!
Even Spenser himself didn't understand why he did that mid-battle…
He wasn't usually someone who couldn't afford to lose!
…
After shamelessly recovering HP,
The battle continued.
Since the dense forest terrain wasn't suitable for Swellow's combat style,
Ash planned a strategy to lure the fight to the coastline.
After a difficult fight, Swellow finally won.
Honestly—
If Venusaur hadn't eaten that Sitrus Berry,
with its remaining HP, one Aerial Ace would have finished it instantly.
Viewers also saw how powerful Ash's Swellow really was.
It's Aerial Ace… seemed sharper than a normal Aerial Ace!
But this was only a momentary glimpse—
They still didn't fully understand the difference.
The nickname "Bug-Swellow" would probably only become clear in later battles…
Spenser's last Pokémon was Claydol.
Its strong psychic power toyed with Swellow effortlessly.
In only a few exchanges, Swellow went down.
Ash then sent out his first and final partner—
Sceptile!
The moment Sceptile entered the field,
the weather changed—
from sunny to pouring rain!
Waves roared, violent winds raged!
Both weather and terrain were terribly disadvantageous for Sceptile.
In heavy rain, Sceptile couldn't move as freely.
And Spenser excelled at weather-based combat.
Under Claydol's vast psychic power,
Sceptile was trapped inside a massive water tornado created from rain and wind!
While Sceptile struggled inside the vortex,
Spenser made him a target:
Psybeam, Rock Tomb, and even Hyper Beam!
Although the vortex reduced some of the damage,
Sceptile still became battered and wounded all over!
Sceptile, being a high-speed attacker, naturally has low bulk—
He couldn't endure long.
Once the water tornado weakened and threw him out,
Sceptile was already covered in injuries, barely able to stand.
Just then—
The storm abruptly stopped!
The blazing sun reappeared!
The seeds on Sceptile's back began glowing with a radiant golden light!
At this crucial moment, he learned a new move—
Solar Beam!
"You learned a new move, huh?
What a pity… You don't have the strength left to move anymore.
Let me finish this—Claydol, Psybeam!"
"Avoid it, Sceptile!!"
Ash activated his trademark move—"Dodge it!"
At Ash's shout, Sceptile suddenly felt strength surge into his exhausted limbs!
He leapt high—
With the sun at his back,
the seeds behind him shone brighter and brighter!
Solar Beam—charged!
"Sceptile, SOLAR BEAM!!"
With Ash's shout, a brilliant golden beam blasted out!
The terrifying golden shockwave swallowed Claydol entirely!
The explosion's afterglow forced Spenser to shield his eyes.
When the light finally faded,
Claydol was completely unable to battle.
After his resurrection-like awakening,
Sceptile opened with a decisive two-opponent sweep!
The scenes flowed on—
Sceptile's later battles were also shown.
At one point, he even battled Regirock.
Regirock is a Legendary Pokémon!
And the battle shown was Ash versus Brandon!
So does that mean Ash and Brandon had another Legendary showdown?!
But the clip only flashed briefly.
For some reason, the Heavenly Way Playback didn't show the full battle.
The final shown battle was Sceptile versus Blaziken.
Ash's opponent was May!
From the girl who began as a rookie with Torchic
to a seasoned Trainer able to stand alongside Ash with Blaziken—
Ash really helped May a lot along the way.
But it was equally due to May's own hard work.
In the end, their battle—
between friends, rivals, and in some ways, teacher and student—
ended in a draw.
The Grand Festival Ribbon was cut in half,
each taking one piece.
The footage ended here—
And Ash's Hoenn journey seemed to end here as well.
Everyone thought so—
until text appeared on the darkened screen.
[During Sceptile vs. Regirock, Ash was controlled, and Brandon was restricted.
Therefore, it is not considered an official Legendary battle and does not count as part of the Legendary War series.]
[After Darkrai, Sceptile still has one more peak battle. Please look forward to it!]
After these lines, a new scene appeared—
Ash, wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, eyes filled with determination.
In front of him—battle-worn Sceptile.
Facing them—
One of the strongest Trainers in the world,
Rank 1 of the Masters Eight—
Leon.
Leon's Pokémon was—
Rillaboom!
Leon's second strongest ace,
just slightly below Charizard!
A publicly recognized powerhouse!
The scene lasted only a few seconds
but sent the entire world into shock!
Ash… fights Leon in the future?!
And Sceptile's opponent is Leon's second ace, Rillaboom?!
Everyone knew such a day would come.
But they didn't think it would happen so soon.
Judging from Ash's appearance…
It must not be long after he wins the Alola League.
"Holy crap! Ash vs. Leon?! I want to see it!!"
"Hoenn's top grass-type vs. Galar's top grass-type! Who wins?!"
"Damn it, Heavenly Playback is doing this again! Right when it gets exciting, it cuts off! Release it now!!!"
"Aaah! No Sceptile battle??? I'm dying, give it back!!!"
"Cool, elegant Sceptile vs. wild Rillaboom—who wins?!"
"…"
Heavenly Playback's cliffhanger behavior wasn't new.
But everyone still couldn't get used to it.
Every time—
It stops at the best part!
Infuriating!
[Leon: I didn't think Ash would face me so soon… I thought it'd take at least ten years…]
[Cynthia: Don't underestimate Ash's talent.
But speaking of which—where's my battle with Ash?
I'm not weak at all, you know?]
[Lance: You? Wait for your turn! If anyone fights Ash next, it should be me!
I'm a Kanto Elite Four—future Kanto Champion!]
[Cynthia: Heh. Ranked 4th in the Masters Eight—what exactly are you bragging about?]
[Steven: Meanwhile, I'm third. Handsome and strong~]
[Lance: YOU ALL—!!]
Lance felt wronged.
This year's Masters rankings:
Leon first, Cynthia second, Steven third.
He, Lance, was fourth!
It wasn't because he lost—
It was because the ranking depended on challenger order and match frequency.
Lance simply fought fewer matches.
He gritted his teeth internally:
"When the Masters 8 tournament begins, I'll wipe all of you out!"
After watching Ash's battles, even the Champions felt fired up.
And Ash himself was thrilled at the thought of battling Leon someday.
Bulbasaur fell into deep thought—
Sceptile's threat was too big!
He felt like he might lose his spot as Ash's top Grass-type!
He needed to find a way to grow stronger…
without evolving!
Charizard, seeing his future comrade's power, was excited too.
The stronger his teammates,
the higher Ash's chance of becoming World Champion.
And strong rivals also meant better training for himself.
Misty also fell into thought.
The girl named May in the final scene…
She seemed like a potential rival.
Especially in the last moment when Ash cut the Ribbon in half and gave her a piece—
Her expression was… different.
And then there was that blue-haired girl, Serena…
As for the tanned girl—
Currently no threat.
Oh right—
Misty glanced at the blonde beauty, Cynthia, beside her.
This one was the real heavyweight.
If she ever got involved,
she'd become the ultimate boss battle for every girl.
Her presence was overwhelming.
Even Diantha—Champion and world-class actress—
didn't have Cynthia's aura.
Cynthia was the perfect blend of intellect, allure, elegance, and grace—
A goddess out of reach.
That was Cynthia—
The second strongest Champion of the Masters Eight.
…
Petalburg Gym
Max had forgotten his earlier sadness.
Partly because he was a child—
Partly because Ash's later performance was simply too incredible.
In the scene with Leon, Ash looked confident, courageous, unbelievably cool!
Max thought—
If it's Ash,
even beating his dad wouldn't be surprising.
After all, Ash was as strong as a world Champion!
Now he was chattering nonstop to his father,
excitedly retelling every adventure he remembered.
May, however, stared at the now-dark screen in a daze.
At the very end…
She felt her heart stir.
As for what that feeling was—
The current her didn't understand yet.
But it didn't stop her from becoming even more curious about Ash—
That boy her age…
What kind of amazing person was he?
Norman smiled as he listened to his son's rambling
and noticed his daughter's distant look.
Somehow—
He felt like both of his children were being stolen by that boy…
One with admiration,
the other with… something else.
…
"Ash's Sceptile is amazing!"
"Of course! Not just Sceptile—Ash's Swellow was awesome too!"
"And also—!"
At the Alola School, Lillie and the others were buzzing with excitement.
Such thrilling adventures—they longed for the same.
Suddenly, Kiawe added:
"Isn't the most amazing one still Ash himself?
A Trainer whose strength equals Pokémon… that's too cool!"
Everyone froze—then nodded vigorously.
This segment could be titled Sceptile's Path of Bonds—
But it could also be titled Ash the Super Rookie's Evolution!
From Bullet Seed to jumping like he's a Flying-type,
Ash was evolving fast…
Professor Kukui gazed into the distant sky,
growing impatient for Ash to arrive in Alola.
The Manalo Stadium was already under construction.
Would Ash make it in time for Alola's first Champion tournament…?
…
As the world continued its heated discussions,
The black screen displayed new text:
[Bond-Forging Series concluded.
Rewards will now be delivered to Treecko and Ash.]
[Additionally, the quiz question:
Who actually invented Team Rocket's machines?]
[A: Team Rocket HQ]
[B: Jessie]
[C: Meowth]
[D: James]
[E: All three together]
[Note: For this question, Team Rocket members are NOT allowed to participate.]
…
"WHAT?! This is discrimination! Blatant discrimination!! Why can't WE answer?!"
"I want to appeal! Appeal, meow!!"
"Too much! A question about us, and we're banned from answering!!"
Team Rocket was speechless with rage.
When they saw the question was about them,
they were excited—
But the final line crushed all their joy.
Not human!
Truly not human!
…Though Heavenly Playback was never human…
Still—too cruel!
Using their name for a question but banning them from answering—
unforgivable!
At that moment, two brilliant beams of light shot down from the sky.
One landed on Ash.
The other—on Treecko in faraway Hoenn.
Moments later, the light faded.
Ash looked completely unchanged—
But a message appeared in his mind.
His expression lit up, and he shouted:
"Treecko! Can you hear me?!"
'Tree-ko!'
Treecko's young yet resolute voice echoed in Ash's heart!
Now—
They could speak mind-to-mind.
…
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones