Early the next morning, the second round of the Indigo League was about to begin!
Ash woke up bright and early, ready to head to the stadium.
During breakfast, a piece of news unexpectedly caught Ash's and all the Champions' attention:
"Last night, Kalos Champion Diantha traveled by helicopter to Elite Four Wikstrom's residence and battled him using her Gardevoir.
The result was… devastating."
Alder shivered involuntarily.
This woman… when she snaps, she really snaps.
And he still had dirt on Diantha—
that embarrassing moment where she yelled "MEGA EVOLUTION!!" in that exaggerated pose…
And now she'd beaten Wikstrom without Mega Evolution?
If she did Mega Evolve, she could probably sweep six Pokémon in a row…
That was the terror of Diantha.
Even he, a former Unova Champion and one of the Masters Eight,
wouldn't be able to handle her Mega Gardevoir.
Would she come back afterward to settle accounts with him next…?
"Ehehe, Diantha is just a little impulsive.
She totally could've waited to watch the Indigo League first.
Instead, she beat Wikstrom up last night and had to catch an early flight this morning."
Cynthia smiled as she spoke.
Well—Cynthia and Diantha were best friends…
Birds of a feather indeed.
Who talks about beating someone and quartering them as if that's normal?!
Terrifying.
Neither Cynthia nor Diantha was the type of person to offend.
"Is Miss Diantha coming this morning?" Misty asked.
"Of course. She only went back to teach Wikstrom a lesson.
She still wants to watch Ash's matches~."
So Diantha was… this petty?
Misty quietly carved that fact into her heart.
"Alright! I'm full! Guys, I'm heading out!"
"Haha, go on. We'll be watching from the VIP seats."
"Do your best, Ash! Show them the spirit you showed against me yesterday!"
"Good luck, Ash!"
"Go, Taro-boy!"
Everyone offered their encouragement.
After the Heavenly Tally, and after spending even one day together,
everyone already saw Ash—and even Misty and Brock—as genuine friends.
Champions and Elites weren't as unreachable as most people imagined.
They were still human.
But… to be acknowledged as their friend,
you needed either good character or strong ability—at least one solid strength.
Otherwise?
If they befriended every person who approached them,
They'd be friends with half the world by now.
"Thanks, everyone! I'm going!"
Ash, Misty, and Brock arrived at the main stadium.
Today was another round of drawing lots.
The remaining battlefield types were: Rock, Ice, and Grass.
Ash drew the Rock Field, with his match scheduled for 2 PM.
With time to spare, Ash went to gather intel on his opponent.
The opponent was a boy named Koyan (random filler name).
He had: Graveler, Nidorino, Sandshrew, Ivysaur, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, and Onix.
Aside from Ivysaur, they were common Pokémon.
On paper, Ash wasn't intimidated at all.
But—as a true veteran of the "Baby Squad"—
He knew better than anyone never to underestimate any Pokémon.
Otherwise, you'd get chomped like a baby Magikarp.
After appearing in six of the Tally's highlight reels, Ash was one of the hottest contestants.
He now had plenty of fans.
The old Ash would have already been floating from pride.
But Misty and Brock stuck close to him, constantly reminding him:
"Ash, they admire you because of what you'll become,
not who you are right now."
"If you really want to become a Pokémon Master,
don't drown in these sweet words!"
Ash wasn't dumb.
With their reminders, he stayed completely grounded.
The three sat together in the Pokémon Center.
After politely refusing several fan photo requests, Misty asked:
"Ash, what Pokémon are you planning to use on the Rock Field?"
"Well, since his Rock-types are many and the field is Rock… I want to use Water-types.
But Charizard and Pikachu will definitely battle too…"
"So you're thinking Kingler? Or your gang-boss Squirtle?" Brock asked.
Ash shook his head.
"No—I want to use him!"
He pulled out a Poké Ball, eyes gleaming.
Misty and Brock exchanged puzzled looks.
Aside from Kingler and Squirtle… what Water-type did he have?
Suddenly, Misty's voice trembled.
"A-Ash… where's your egg?"
Brock froze.
The egg that Ash adored—the one containing his future Greninja—was gone?!
Ash slept, hugging that egg!
"Ehehe, right here!"
Ash shook the Poké Ball with a grin.
Earlier that morning—
Ash woke up feeling something damp on his cheek.
He opened his eyes and found…
a blue frog staring at him with giant glossy eyes!!
Ash shot straight up in shock!
Pikachu woke with a jolt, too—
almost firing a Thunderbolt on instinct.
After they calmed down, they stared at the little frog.
Bright yellow eyes, white bubble-like scarf, white glove-like hands…
Ash immediately recognized it from yesterday's research.
"Froakie!! Why is there a Froakie on my bed?!"
He hadn't realized what had happened yet.
Pikachu pointed to the now-empty desk.
Ash finally understood.
This was his Froakie.
And… it hatched in half a day?!
That was ridiculously fast!
"Ki~no!"
The newborn Froakie tilted its head cutely.
It didn't understand anything yet—
It simply treated the first person it saw as its trusted one.
And Ash… was the first.
"Froakie… will you become my Pokémon?"
Even though Ash wanted Froakie badly,
He still asked for its consent.
"Ki~no!"
It didn't understand the words—
but nodded instinctively.
Becoming this boy's Pokémon felt like fate.
Ash tapped a Poké Ball on Froakie.
Click.
No shaking.
No resistance.
He had captured one of his future strongest partners—
The Water-type is destined to share an incredible bond with him:
Froakie.
"I caught Froakie!!"
"Pika pii!!"
"And that's why… I now have three Water-types!
I want Froakie to try battling this afternoon!"
Brock frowned.
"Ash… never mind battling—did you even feed it infant nutrients?
Newborn Pokémon are fragile!
This is their most important developmental period!"
"You need supplements to help it safely transition!
Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
Brock was ready to drag Ash to buy supplies.
"It's fine, Brock! I studied newborn care last night.
I knew Froakie needed something,
so I bought it from the Heavenly Tally Shop!"
Ash proudly held up a little blue bottle.
"These are 'Newborn Energy Blocks'!
There are two inside.
Feed the first within 24 hours of hatching,
the second two hours later—
And the Pokémon will perfectly transition through infancy
straight into its growth phase!"
"Though… it cost 200,000 points."
Brock froze.
A top-tier held item costs around 100,000.
But something that perfectly skipped the entire infant period?
200,000 was cheap for that.
A normal newborn would need half a month of care.
But with this item, Froakie was already physically stable.
Brock exhaled in relief.
'Ash really… has changed.
The Tally didn't just strengthen his Pokémon—
It made him grow, too.'
In just two days, the Heavenly Tally had transformed Ash.
He was already faintly resembling the future Master Ash they had seen.
"Let me see Froakie!! Please, please!"
Misty's eyes sparkled.
Water-types were her joy.
"Sure! Come out, Froakie!"
Pop!
The blue Froakie appeared on the table.
Nearby fans instantly noticed.
"What Pokémon is that?!"
"Never seen it! Must not be from Kanto!"
"Looks like a frog… did Ash just catch something new?!"
People recognized Greninja—
But few knew Froakie.
Especially in Kanto.
"Wow! So cute!"
Misty scooped Froakie into her arms.
The poor newborn froze—
His eyes were turning into little swirl shapes of confusion.
Brock examined Froakie with his breeder instincts.
"Coat, eyes, muscle response… yes.
Froakie has definitely passed the infant stage.
The Tally Shop really is incredible."
"Ash, you still have about 3.3 million points, right?"
"Yep! I want to get Charizard's Mega Stone and a Key Stone next!"
"Great choice," Brock nodded.
"Ash, you've really been doing your homework."
Ash rubbed his nose, proud.
After seeing his future self on the screen,
how could he be satisfied with staying weak?
"Ki~no!"
Froakie escaped Misty's hug and leapt onto Ash's shoulder.
Women weaken my evolution speed!
—was exactly the look he gave.
"Awwww! I wanted to play with Froakie more!"
"After the match! Froakie, do your best in your debut!"
"Ki-no!"
He was born loving battle—
and excitement flickered in his golden eyes.
2 PM arrived—Ash's match time.
Misty and Brock sat in the coach seats again—
not to guide Ash, but because the view was great.
Koyan looked like a typical Bug Catcher kid—
nothing like the intimidating prodigies Ash usually met.
When he saw he'd be battling Ash,
he felt both excited and terrified.
Excited because Ash was a rising star.
Terrified… because of that monster Pikachu.
That Pikachu apparently fought a Champion yesterday.
And survived.
But excitement and fear aside—
The battle had to begin.
When the referee announced the start, both sent out their Pokémon.
Koyan: Nidorino!
Ash: Froakie!
This surprised the audience.
What about Pikachu?
What about Charizard?
Why send out a tiny frog they'd never seen?!
But in the VIP seats—
The Champions' eyes widened.
"Diantha, is that…?"
"Yes," Diantha said firmly.
"That's our Kalos starter—Froakie."
Ash's Froakie had hatched… in half a day?!
And he was actually sending it into battle?!
Yesterday, he clearly had Brock, a trained Breeder, at his side.
There was no way Brock didn't know newborn Pokémon shouldn't fight.
Unless…
Was Ash just being childish and wanting to show off a rare Pokémon?
Wanting a taste of using Greninja early?
If that were the case, the match must be stopped immediately!
Ash loved Pokémon too much to risk harming a newborn.
But—
"Wait," Leon said calmly.
"Look at Brock.
He's not panicking at all."
The Champions looked.
Brock—the breeder—sat calmly.
Leon continued:
"That means Froakie is no longer an infant.
And the reason must be something… we don't know."
"Impossible!" Steven protested.
"All Pokémon must experience infancy!"
Leon tapped the Heavenly Tally interface in front of him.
The Champions froze.
Right.
That shop.
If any place could break common sense,
It was the Heavenly Tally Shop.
"Watch," Cynthia said.
"Ash wouldn't harm his Pokémon."
At the persuasion of two top Champions,
Diantha sat back down.
On the field—
The battle was about to begin.
Koyan had no clue what Froakie even was.
He would have to test the waters first.
The match was on.
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
50+ advanced chapters available.
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 30 Power Stones.