The Kanto League Competition's top sixteen battles were in full swing. To ensure the Trainers' Pokémon remained in peak condition, the League specifically scheduled a one-day rest after each match.
Ash stood on the Pokémon Center's balcony, gazing at the towering League building in the distance. Pikachu rested on his shoulder, its tail gently swaying.
"Pikachu, I hear our next opponent is very strong," Ash said, stroking Pikachu's ear. "But we're definitely going to win!"
"Pika Pika! (That's right!)" the electric mouse responded confidently.
Just then, a man in a black suit approached them. "Trainer Xiao Zhi, hello. I am an assistant for the Kanto League." The man said politely, "Mr. Marcus Horn, the Vice Chairman, would like to invite you to his office for some special guidance regarding tomorrow's match."
Ash blinked. "Special guidance?"
"Yes, it's a special privilege for outstanding Trainers," the assistant smiled. "The Vice Chairman greatly appreciates your performance."
Pikachu's ears perked up, and a flicker of alert flashed in its eyes. "Pika..."
"That's great!" Ash readily agreed. "We'll go right away."
Following the assistant through the League building's corridors, Ash noticed the decor was much more luxurious than he had imagined. The marble floors gleamed, reflecting like mirrors, and portraits of past Champions hung on the walls. When they arrived at an intricately carved wooden door on the top floor, the assistant knocked.
"Come in," a deep voice called from inside.
The door opened, revealing an astonishingly spacious office. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the magnificent view of the Indigo Plateau, and various precious Pokémon statues adorned the mahogany desk.
A middle-aged man with impeccably combed gray hair sat in a leather chair. Beside him stood a blond teenager, about seventeen or eighteen, with an arrogant expression on his face.
"Ah, Trainer Xiao Zhi." The middle-aged man stood up and extended his hand. "I am Marcus Horn, Vice Chairman of the Kanto League."
Ash shook his hand politely. "Hello, Mr. Horn. You mentioned special guidance?"
Marcus smiled, signaling the assistant to close the door. "First, let me introduce you. This is my son, Allen Horn. He also participated in the League Competition this year, but unfortunately, he was eliminated in the preliminaries."
Allen pouted, scrutinizing Ash from head to toe. "Hmph, just got lucky, that's all."
Ash frowned but said nothing. Pikachu, however, had already jumped onto Ash's shoulder, glaring warily at the father and son.
"Actually, I didn't just call you here for guidance." Marcus sat back down, his hands clasped on the desk. "I heard you have a very special Pikachu, and several other rare Pokémon."
Ash nodded. "Yes, Pikachu and I have traveled together for a long time; we are the best partners!"
"Best partners?" Allen suddenly scoffed. "Don't be naive. Pokémon are just tools. Powerful Pokémon should belong to those who can maximize their value!"
"Allen!" Marcus shot his son a warning glance, then turned back to Ash, a smile returning to his face. "My son speaks a bit bluntly, but he's not wrong. Trainer Xiao Zhi, your Pokémon have immense potential, but in your hands, they are truly... wasted."
Ash, sensing Marcus's ill intent, said angrily, "What do you mean by that?"
Marcus took a document from his drawer. "This is a Pokémon ownership transfer agreement. Sign it, and your Pokémon will be managed by the League. Of course, you will receive generous compensation."
The air in the office seemed to freeze. Ash's eyes widened, looking at the document in disbelief.
"You... you want to steal my Pokémon?" Ash's voice trembled with rage.
"Don't say it so harshly." Marcus maintained his smile. "This is for the future of the Kanto League. Your Pokémon will be taken over by my son, and he will train them into true Champion-level Pokémon. I don't believe a child like you can gain Arceus's approval."
Allen had already impatiently pulled out a Poké Ball. "Hurry up and sign, country bumpkin. That electric rat of yours will be much more useful in my hands!"
Sparks crackled on Pikachu's cheeks. "Pika—chu!"
Ash slammed the document onto the desk. "Impossible! My Pokémon are my partners, not commodities!"
Marcus's smile vanished. "Trainer Xiao Zhi, you need to understand, this is not a request." He pressed a button on the desk, and the office wall suddenly slid open, revealing six Poké Balls. "I have six Champion-level Pokémon. Do you think you can resist?"
Ash took a step back, but there was no fear in his eyes. "Pikachu, prepare for battle!"
"A foolish choice." Marcus shook his head. "Go, Tyranitar!"
A red flash, and a gigantic Tyranitar appeared in the center of the office, letting out a deafening roar. Pikachu jumped to the ground, its electric sacs already charging.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Golden electricity struck Tyranitar directly, but the latter merely swiped its claw, dispersing the current. Allen laughed loudly, "Is that all you've got?"
Marcus released five more Pokémon: Salamence, Metagross, Blaziken, Blastoise, and Venusaur. Each radiated a powerful aura, surrounding Ash and Pikachu.
"Last chance, sign it," Marcus said coldly.
Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, an unusual light flickered within. "You simply don't understand what true power is."
Suddenly, eighteen different colored lights burst forth from Ash, coalescing in the air into eighteen shining ancient plates, each engraved with mysterious runes, representing different types.
"This... this is..." Marcus's face changed dramatically.
"Arceus's plates," Ash's voice seemed to echo. "The power granted to me by the Creator God."
The eighteen plates rotated around Ash, forming a perfect protective circle. Marcus cried out in panic, "All Pokémon, full attack!"
Tyranitar's Hyper Beam, Salamence's Dragon Breath, Metagross's Meteor Mash, Blaziken's Blaze Kick, Blastoise's Hydro Pump, Venusaur's Solar Beam—six powerful attacks simultaneously assailed Ash.
However, when these attacks touched the plates' aura, they vanished without a trace, as if swallowed by the sea.
"Impossible!" Allen shrieked. "How is this possible!"
Ash raised his hand, and the Normal-type plate glowed with dazzling white light. "Judgment!"
A pure wave of energy swept out, knocking all six Champion-level Pokémon to the ground. Marcus and his son staggered back, hitting the wall.
"You... who exactly are you?" Marcus's voice trembled.
"I am Ash, a Pokémon Trainer from Pallet Town," Ash said calmly, the eighteen plates slowly rotating around him. "And also Arceus's chosen guardian."
Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder, proudly puffing out its chest. Ash took a rope from his backpack and quickly bound Marcus and his son.
"What are you doing? Let us go!" Allen struggled. "Do you know who my father is?"
"A criminal who is about to go to jail." Ash took out his rotom phone. "Mr. Lance and Chairman Damaranchi will be very happy to see you."
After the call connected, Ash briefly explained the situation. In less than twenty minutes, the office door was pushed open, and Kanto Champion Lance and Pokémon League Chairman Damaranchi walked in.
"Ash, is what you're saying true?" Lance asked gravely. When he saw the six unconscious Champion-level Pokémon on the floor and the eighteen floating plates, his pupils contracted sharply.
Chairman Damaranchi—a white-haired but vigorous old man—walked up to Marcus, shaking his head in disappointment. "Marcus, I gave you so much trust..."
"Chairman!" Marcus said eagerly, "Let me explain, this is all a misunderstanding! It's this kid—"
"Enough!" Damaranchi interrupted sharply. "I've long received reports about your abuse of power, but I lacked evidence. Now that you've been caught red-handed, what more do you have to say?"
Lance checked the audio evidence provided by Ash—it turned out Ash had secretly recorded the entire conversation with his rotom phone. After listening to the recording, Lance's face was terribly grim.
"Marcus Horn, Allen Horn, you are suspected of multiple crimes including abuse of power, coercion of Trainers, and illegal possession of Pokémon," Lance declared. "According to League law, you are sentenced to life imprisonment, effective immediately!"
Marcus's face turned ashen, while Allen began to wail. League guards quickly escorted the two away.
Chairman Damaranchi turned to Ash, his gaze complex as he looked at the floating plates. "Ash, I didn't know you had such a deep connection with Arceus..."
Ash put away the plates, and the light gradually dissipated. "Chairman, I just want to protect my Pokémon."
"You did the right thing." Damaranchi nodded. "As compensation, the League will give you some special ites." He winked at Lance.
Lance took out two shining stones from his portable case: a vibrant Grass Stone and a Psychic Stone emanating psychic waves.
"These can allow your Rainbow Eevee to unlock new forms," Lance explained. "Consider it a small token from the League."
Ash took the ites and said gratefully, "Thank you, Chairman, thank you, Mr. Lance."
Lance hesitated, then took out a blue stone with dragon scale-like patterns. "This is... a Dragon Stone. It's not compensation; it's a personal request from me. I want to see the legendary Dragon Eevee form."
Ash was surprised as he took the rare ite. "Dragon Eevee!! Can it really evolve? Although Eevee has Mew's genes."
"Based on your Eevee's data, it's theoretically possible, and even regular Eevee should be able to," Lance said excitedly. "But no one has succeeded yet. Since your Rainbow Eevee can change forms at will, it should be able to absorb this stone."
Ash nodded and took a Poké Ball from his waist. "Come out, Rainbow Eevee!"
A flash of light, and a vibrantly colored Eevee appeared before everyone. It curiously surveyed its surroundings, and its eyes lit up when it saw the five ites.
"Eevee, these are for you," Ash said, placing the three stones on the ground. "See if you can absorb their power."
First was the Grass Stone. After Glaceon absorbed it, its form changed again—its body was still rainbow-colored, leaves encircled its neck, and its tail resembled new branches. Leafeon leaped gracefully.
"Amazing!" Lance exclaimed.
The Psychic Stone transformed Umbreon into Espeon—with rainbow-colored fur, a mane like the sun, and a glowing ruby on its forehead.
Finally, the Dragon Stone. Espeon hesitantly touched the stone. Suddenly, a powerful golden light erupted, forcing everyone to close their eyes.
When the light dissipated, an unprecedented Pokémon appeared before everyone—its entire body covered in black and gold scales, a pair of majestic dragon wings growing from its back,
The tip of its tail was a sharp, blade-like structure, and its eyes shone like molten gold. It raised its head and let out a peculiar sound, somewhere between a dragon's roar and a cat's meow.
"This is... Dragon Eevee!" Lance's voice trembled with excitement. "It's perfect!"
Dragon Eevee affectionately rubbed against Ash's leg, then spread its wings and circled the office, its movements graceful and powerful.
(Unlocked Dragon-type Partner Move: Dragon Roar: Power: 90, Accuracy: 100, Effect: Ignores Fairy-type immunity to Dragon-type and deals double damage to Fairy-type. Note: Partner Moves can only be used in normal form. They cannot be used when switching to an evolved form or Terastallize. The same applies to Pikachu.)
Chairman Damaranchi nodded with satisfaction. "Ash, your Pokémon constantly surprise me. It seems the Kanto League can no longer contain your talent."
Ash stroked Dragon Eevee's head, deep in thought. "Chairman, do you mean..."
"After you finish the competition here, perhaps you should consider traveling to other regions," Damaranchi said with a smile. "The world is vast, and Arceus chose you; you must have a more important mission."
Lance nodded in agreement. "If you come to the Johto region, be sure to find me. I have many questions about Dragon Eevee that I'd like to ask."
Ash looked at the Pokémon surrounding him—Pikachu, Rainbow Eevee (now returned to its basic form)—and showed a determined smile. "I'll consider it. But for now, we still have a competition to win!"
As they left the League building, the setting sun painted the Indigo Plateau golden. Ash looked back at the towering structure, clenching his fist.
"Pikachu, Eevee, starting tomorrow, we're going to show everyone what real Pokémon battles are all about!"
"Pikachu! (Understood!)"
"Eevee! (No problem!)"
The spirited cries of the two partners echoed in the twilight sky, foreshadowing the beginning of a brand new adventure.