Year XX of the Pokémon Calendar.
This year had been a stormy one for Trainers across the Pokémon League!
Because this year, in the grand World League Tournament, the strongest eight Trainers had been chosen!
Those eight fought their way through brutal knockout rounds until, at last, the world's Champion was crowned, his name was Leon!
From that year onward, there was no longer any doubt about who stood at the top of the Pokémon world.
Countless Trainers everywhere set Leon as their goal, igniting journeys of their own.
Meanwhile, in the quiet town of Pallet in the Kanto region, another young Trainer was just about to begin his journey…
"Waaah!! I'm going to be late!! Mom, why didn't you wake me up?!"
A boy with Z-shaped cheek marks burst out of his room, still in pajamas, frantically digging for clothes.
"Ash, you're already ten," his mother sighed from the living room as she swept, "isn't it a bit much to still need me to wake you up?"
But before her words even landed, Ash was already gone.
By then he was nearly an hour late. No time to change. He bolted out the door in pajamas and slippers.
Professor Oak's Laboratory was almost two kilometers away, yet Ash covered it in less than five minutes. The townsfolk only felt a gust of wind whip past, by the time they turned, all they saw was his vanishing shadow.
But just as the lab came into sight, Ash suddenly clutched his head and dropped to one knee, his face twisted in pain.
A flood of incomprehensible messages hammered into his mind, like his brain might split apart.
Chat group… parallel worlds… ability inheritance… what IS all this?!
Congratulations on joining the Multiverse Chat Group. Everyone here is you, from a parallel world. Work with yourself, and climb to the very peak of Trainers.
This chat group has an ability-inheritance function. By accomplishing major feats in your world, earning Gym Badges, capturing special Pokémon, becoming an Elite or Champion, you'll earn lottery chances. The prizes are the unique abilities of other "Ashes" in the group. Check the group panel for details.
The messages condensed into this single explanation. Ash didn't understand anything about chat groups or "parallel selves"…
But he could now feel a glowing point in his mind. If he touched it with his consciousness, he knew, he'd enter that strange group.
The ten-year-old Ash gulped.
'The whole thing was terrifying. Was I… possessed by a Gastly?'
But being young, reckless, and brimming with courage, Ash clenched his fists, steadied his breath, then reached toward the point with his mind.
The next instant, he felt his consciousness peel away from his body, drifting through a vast, shimmering space. In the middle floated a massive screen.
Ash's jaw dropped. "Wh-what… what is this?!"
[Champion Ash: Yo, a newbie? Which dimension's me are you from this time?]
The sentence scrolled across the screen, signed with a name that made Ash's heart leap.
'Champion Ash?! What the heck is going on?!'
[Aura Ash: Another big shot from a main timeline? Great, one more to make us look bad.]
[Breeder Ash: Hah, I wonder if this one's a Breeder like me. Most of us here are all about battles, it's rare to find someone who actually specializes in raising Pokémon.]
[...]
Ash stared, completely dumbfounded. Champion Ash was already crazy enough, but "Aura Ash"? "Breeder Ash"? What was happening?!
He thought desperately, and suddenly words popped up on the screen.
[Ash: Uh… how do I send messages on this thing?]
[Ash: Wait, it worked?]
[Ash: Who are you guys? Why do you all have my name?! And what's with the weird titles?]
All it took was a flicker of thought, his messages appeared instantly.
[Champion Ash: It's normal for newcomers to be confused. Don't worry. I'll explain.]
[Champion Ash: Everyone here, every group member, is you. In our world, there are parallel timelines. Imagine this: when you reach a fork in the road, one version of you goes left, and another version goes right. Each choice creates a new timeline.]
[Champion Ash: And every Ash in this group is one of those alternate selves who went on to achieve greatness in some field. For example, I became Champion Ash, the world's top Trainer, after pushing through countless battles.]
[Champion Ash: Then there's Aura Ash. Even though he didn't rely on Pokémon to claim his title, his innate Aura talent made him into a human powerhouse who can go toe-to-toe with Legendary Pokémon. When it comes to battling with Pokémon, I'd say I've got the edge. But if it's raw physical ability? He could flatten ten of me at once.]
[Champion Ash: Next is Breeder Ash. He doesn't excel in battle, but when it comes to Pokémon breeding, he's world-class. Honestly, he might even be the best Breeder alive.]
[Champion Ash: So, newcomer… which version of Ash are you? What's your specialty?]
With that explanation, the picture started to click in Ash's mind.
Sure, he'd never been great with schoolwork, but Champion Ash had laid it out so clearly that even he understood it. If he couldn't, well… he might as well be a Slowpoke staring at its own tail.
So this was it, the members of this chat group were all versions of himself from different worlds, each standing at the peak of some field. Champion Ash ruled the battle stage. Breeder Ash had mastered raising Pokémon. Aura Ash had pushed his body to superhuman levels.
It was amazing… and awkward.
Because while they were all big shots at the top of their game, Ash was… well, Ash. He hadn't even received his first Pokémon yet. He was literally late to the starting line!
Compared to these legends, he was just a newbie with bed hair and pajamas.
[Ash: Uh… me? I don't think I'm special at all. I'm just about to get my first Pokémon, and… well, I'm late for that too.]
[Champion Ash: HUUUH?! Just starting your journey?! For real?! Every Ash who's joined this group so far had already reached the top in their field. This is the first time we've had a complete beginner.]
Even Champion Ash, who had seen plenty of newcomers come and go, froze for a moment.
A total rookie had joined the Multiverse Chat Group?!
If the other Ashes were like fully maxed-out game accounts, then this one was… basically the starter tutorial.
What in the world was going on?