With the Heavenly Tally Review's reward
Professor Kukui could now prepare for the Manalo Conference far earlier than in the original timeline.
He could finally build a true League-style tournament for Alola.
Manpower?
Just let the school help out!
Besides… Steven said he would be coming, didn't he?
With Steven Stone assisting, establishing the Alola League would go twice as smoothly!
It was a pity that Alola's Z-Crystals and Z-Rings couldn't be traded or gifted.
No matter who it was, they absolutely had to complete the Island Challenge and receive the Tapus' recognition.
Otherwise, Alola's Z-Power could have become a top-tier export material…
Kukui's reward this time might not be as luxurious as the ones given to Pikachu or Charizard,
but it was undeniably the most suitable reward for him.
Meanwhile, Ash's reward—
[Because Ash defeated Professor Kukui—
Pikachu will directly enter First Ascension Form, retaining mid-stage First Ascension power.
Upon entering Hoenn, Pikachu no longer needs to undergo the First Ascension process again!]
[Because Pikachu defeated Tapu Koko—
Reward: Ash's Pikachu exclusive Z-Crystal, Pikanium Z;
standard Electrium Z;
and a Z-Power Ring!]
First… First Ascension Form?
What??
Pikachu had hidden forms like this?!
Could it be that the reason other Pikachu worldwide weren't as absurdly strong
was simply because they never underwent "Ascension"?
And the rewards that followed were equally monstrous!
No one knew how long it would be before Ash reached Alola in this timeline,
and even if he went right now, with his current strength,
he absolutely could not pass the Island Trials.
But the Heavenly tally simply skipped all that—
giving him the Z-Power Ring, Electrium Z, and even the exclusive Pikanium Z right now.
Truly fitting rewards for defeating Tapu Koko.
But defeating Professor Kukui should've been the harder part!
That was a major match victory.
So what exactly was this "First Ascension Form"?!
Then, the Heavenly tally Review displayed an explanation regarding Pikachu—
[Ash's Pikachu is blessed by heaven and earth, possessing limitless potential.
But awakening this potential requires a price—these are called: Rebirths.]
[Every time Ash and Pikachu finish a region, Pikachu's power is reforged—
His overall strength was reduced by 80%, without forgetting moves,
in exchange for greater potential and faster growth.]
[Kanto and Johto are adjacent, so Pikachu does not undergo rebirth between them.
But upon entering Hoenn, Sinnoh, etc., Pikachu's strength weakens dramatically—
only to slowly recover over time.]
[Mid-First Ascension refers to Pikachu's power at the point in Hoenn
when Ash was challenging the Ever Grande Conference.
Upon reaching the Battle Frontier, Pikachu had reached peak First Ascension.]
[Pikachu in Alola = Fifth Ascension Peak.]
The world: "…"
The Champions: "…"
All Professors: "…"
Everyone—human or Pokémon—fell completely silent.
They all knew Ash's Pikachu was special.
But no one expected THIS kind of special.
Rebirths that grant infinite potential.
A Pikachu with limitless growth.
What sort of monster was this Pikachu?!
Even Legendary Pokémon—no, even the Creation Trio—might not possess something so absurd!
And Pikachu in the Alola era was merely Fifth Ascension.
If he entered Paldea or Galar someday…
Just how strong could Pikachu become?!
Immediately, every villainous organization's heart skipped a beat.
Right now, Pikachu was still small and weak.
If they captured him now…
Wouldn't that be easier than catching a Legendary?
He could be studied, weaponized, and guaranteed to become a terrifying powerhouse!
As for loyalty?
Just slap a control device on him!
But then—
The Heavenly tally delivered another message.
[Pikachu can only successfully undergo Ascension
while traveling with Ash.
Ash must complete the region's trials to unlock the next rebirth.]
[For example—Finishing the Hoenn League at Ever Grande…]
[Finishing the Lily of the Valley Conference in Sinnoh…]
In other words:
Pikachu only becomes stronger with Ash.
You couldn't skip regions, couldn't cheat the process,
couldn't chain Ascensions back-to-back.
Only after Ash and Pikachu grow enough in one region
Could Pikachu undergo the next rebirth?
For Ash, this was perfect.
So many regions, so many tournaments—
Exactly what he wanted as someone aiming to be a Pokémon Master!
And this time…
He would not repeat what happened in the original timeline.
No more "six regions without a single Championship."
With the buffed Pikachu, buffed Charizard, and Froakie arriving ahead of schedule—
Ash would never fall short again.
As for the villain teams—
If Pikachu only grew while with Ash…
Then, capturing him had no value.
In that case, they might as well destroy him.
If they couldn't obtain it, they'd destroy it.
That was the logic of evil organizations.
Letting Ash grow freely would be disastrous for them.
"Nyahaha! The twerp's Pikachu really is as special as I thought!"
Meowth commented.
"But… if he only gets stronger while traveling with the twerp…" Jessie frowned.
"You idiots! We just follow the brat forever!" Jessie declared proudly.
"When Pikachu gets strong—we steal him!
Before that, we steal something easier—like his Charizard!"
James and Meowth: "!!!"
Somehow… this weird logic actually made sense.
Whether they could catch Charizard or future god-tier Pikachu…
Well, the Rocket Trio always had limitless confidence.
The Heavenly tally finished Pikachu's explanation, then posted one final message.
[Today's review ends here. Tomorrow at the same time, a new review will begin.]
[Additionally—aside from "Mortal Flesh Rivaling Gods" and special episodes,
new themed series will be introduced in the future. Please look forward to it.]
The massive screen dimmed—
And this time, it vanished entirely.
As if the Heavenly Dao itself was being upgraded.
At that moment, two beams of light descended from the sky!
One shot toward distant Alola—
and the other landed near the Indigo Plateau…
"Shff!"
Inside Steven's temporary residence, Ash and Pikachu were enveloped in light.
Moments later, the glow faded. Pikachu looked a bit slimmer, sharper—
And in Ash's hands was a black-and-silver Z-Power Ring,
set with a golden Z-Crystal shaped like Pikachu's tail.
The Pikanium Z.
Meanwhile, an Electrium Z appeared in Ash's other palm.
Everyone immediately understood—
The rewards had arrived.
Even among world-class trainers,
the sight of a Z-Power Ring and exclusive Z-Crystal drew unmistakable envy.
A lifelong treasure.
Using it in the Indigo League would be pure dimensionality reduction warfare.
And then—Pikachu's First Ascension…
"I just thought of something…" Cynthia suddenly said.
"Pikachu losing to that Snivy back then…
Was it because Ash had just arrived in Unova,
and Pikachu's Electric-type attacks were banned by the plot—
Plus, the rebirth weakening?"
Dr. Lorelei crossed her arms.
"If Pikachu weakens every time he enters a new region… It's plausible."
That also explained Pikachu's long-standing inconsistency.
"But more importantly—how strong is Pikachu right now at First Ascension?"
Leon said, eyes gleaming.
First Ascension Pikachu was far below Fifth Ascension Pikachu from Alola—
But power was power.
And Leon's battle instincts were burning.
"Leon! Let's battle—Pikachu and Charizard!" Ash declared.
"Pika!! Pikachu!"
"Rooaar!!"
Pikachu felt the surging new electricity inside him and was already hyped.
Charizard, strengthened by the Rainbow Wing, was equally eager.
Thus—
Two newly strengthened Pokémon challenged the strongest champion alive—
Leon of Galar.
"L-Little Ash, don't joke around!" Misty cried.
"That's Leon! One of the strongest Champions in the world!"
"Yeah! You haven't even cleared the first region!" Brock added.
A crushing defeat now could shatter Ash's confidence.
And the Indigo League was tomorrow—
If Ash broke psychologically, it would be disastrous.
"Don't worry," Steven said calmly.
"Just trust him."
Cynthia nodded.
"Ash isn't who he was before. These two days… he's grown a lot."
Indeed—Ash no longer looked like the reckless 10-year-old they knew.
Seeing his future self had matured him greatly.
"Hahaha! I accept, Ash!" Leon grinned.
"Let's head to the Free Battle Arena!"
"You got it!"
Ash recalled Charizard and Squirtle.
(The author: Yes, yes, I forgot to give Squirtle and the others screen time—
But feel free to imagine their shocked expressions watching Pikachu earlier!)
The Free Battle Arena sat beside Indigo Stadium—
a public battlefield requiring a small fee.
But when the staff saw who walked in—Steven, Cynthia, Leon, Alder, Lance, etc.—
They waved them in for free.
Within ten minutes…
The entire Indigo Plateau knew:
Galar's undefeatable Champion Leon vs. the boy dominating the Heavenly Dao—Ash Ketchum.
By the time the crowds rushed over,
the battle had already ended.
Rumor said Leon wiped the floor with him—
BUT Leon himself stated:
"For his age, Ash is already far stronger than I was."
From Leon, the world's #1—
That was insane praise.
But then again…
It was Ash.
Of course, he was a monster.
That night, Ash lay awake in bed.
Pikachu slept soundly beside him.
He had expected the defeat—
But he needed to test his current limits.
Charizard and Pikachu were defeated by a Pokémon Ash had never seen—
a Galar starter called Cinderace,
who could change its type depending on the move it used.
Afterward, Leon evaluated the two:
Pikachu – "Just below Elite Four level… but not by much."
Charizard – "Comparable to a standard Gym Leader's ace."
With time, both could become true aces.
Leon also explained that Pikachu's overwhelming lead came from two things:
First Ascension boost
Light Ball (energy doubled)
Given that, Ash indeed had a strong shot at winning the Indigo League.
He even had 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt—
Though he didn't use it against Leon,
Ash had a feeling he could.
But the recoil might leave both of them exhausted.
A trump card for emergencies only.
Ash stared at the ceiling, thinking…
Could he really command such powerful partners?
These weren't Pokémon he trained from scratch—
Their power came from shortcuts.
Compared to them, Ash felt like the weak link.
"Pika?"
Pikachu crawled onto Ash's chest, half-asleep but worried.
"I'm fine, buddy… it's just…
Am I holding you all back?
Are my commands dragging you down?"
"Pika!! Pikachu pika pika!!"
Pikachu scolded him fiercely.
Ash blinked—then laughed.
"…You're right. Skill levels don't measure Bonds.
Man, when did you get so wise?
Alright, alright—sleep time!"
"Pikaaa~"
"Oh yeah, Diantha went back to Kalos today.
I wonder if that Elite Four guy—Wikstrom—can sleep tonight."
"Pikaaa…"
Worry about yourself first, genius…
"Fine, fine! I'm sleeping now!
After the League, I still need to visit Lance's clan for that Dragon-type egg!
Wonder what I'll get…"
"Pika!!"
SLEEP!!
"R-Right, right! Sleeping now!"
Ash closed his eyes—
And on the table beside him,
a Pokémon egg slowly began to glow a soft, pale blue…
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