Ash, meanwhile, had no idea he had been marked for death by Team Rocket.
Even if he did know, it wouldn't matter.
As Giovanni had reasoned, Ash currently had a Champion-level Trainer guarding him at all times.
In under a single night, the Kanto Elite Four obliterated Rocket's bases.
Early the next morning, Lance and Cynthia—who had been guarding Ash—flew to Galar
for the Masters Eight drawing ceremony.
Ash's new guards became Lorelei and Bruno—
with Agatha's Gengar secretly watching from the shadows as well.
With this lineup…
Even Leon would hesitate to make a move on Ash!
That afternoon, Ash entered his third round match of the Indigo Conference.
The battlefield was the Ice Field.
Ash sent out Squirtle, Kingler, and Froakie.
against a boy named George.
George oddly opened with an Arcanine—
on an ice field—
But despite the surprise, Ash won safely.
Froakie performed well,
though still far inferior to the veteran water-type, Squirtle.
More training was needed.
Because there was no playback today,
Ash and friends took a rare stroll around the Indigo Plateau.
Despite heavy security—Lorelei and Bruno watching the shadows—
Team Rocket's trio still managed to approach Ash in disguise
and steal Pikachu.
Lorelei and Bruno didn't intervene,
instead smiling as they watched—
After seeing Team Rocket get blasted a hundred times in the playbacks,
Seeing it happen in reality was too amusing to miss.
And indeed—
Ash released Charizard,
overpowered Team Rocket instantly,
rescued Pikachu,
and sent the trio blasting off again with a Flamethrower.
Ash's current Pokémon were nothing like before—
especially Charizard.
As for Pikachu…
Every time Team Rocket touched him,
his "Oscar-winning actor genes" activated,
rendering him unable to resist.
A joke, of course—
But Team Rocket always prepared anti-Pikachu gadgets,
Yet forgot Ash's other Pokémon.
Thus, no matter how strong Pikachu was,
he always looked helpless when Rocket used specialized equipment.
Their talent for "Pikachu-targeting weapons" was maxed out.
The League, concerned by the breach,
strengthened security around Ash even more.
If a trio of weaklings could get this close—
What about next time?
After the commotion, Ash visited Treecko Forest,
meeting the Treecko he would one day catch.
Though they had already spoken telepathically,
This was their first face-to-face meeting.
Treecko was as prideful as shown in the playback,
but in front of Ash, that pride softened instantly.
The playback had clearly influenced him deeply.
Under Brock's guidance, Ash left behind supplements, Pokéblocks, and training gear,
allowing Treecko to grow strong even while staying here.
With the millennium tree restored,
many Treecko had returned to the forest.
It was, after all, their true home.
…
The next day, Ash fought his final match—the Grass Field.
His opponent was a young lady named Kumiko.
Brock immediately started cheering for the attractive big sister,
and Misty promptly beat sense back into him.
Ash used Bulbasaur, Pikachu, and Charizard.
Kumiko's Bellsprout was a soft-body counter-fighting monster—
absorbing electricity into the ground,
redirecting physical attacks,
and even giving Pikachu trouble.
But once Charizard entered, the match changed instantly.
Fire moves were a dimensional attack advantage—
Bellsprout had zero methods of resisting Flamethrower.
Ash defeated Kumiko and advanced to the Top 16.
Meanwhile, Gary faced his final opponent on the Rock Field.
He had intended to use Nidoking—
But when his opponent sent out a Golem, a shiver ran through him.
No… I can't use Nidoking.
Blastoise has gotten much stronger thanks to the Playback training device.
I'll use him instead!
And with Blastoise's overwhelming hydro-power,
The quadruple-weak Golem stood no chance.
Even in close combat—Golem's specialty—
Blastoise overpowered him with Mega Punch, then finished him with Hydro Pump.
Gary also advanced to the Top 16.
After the fourth round, the contestants received two days of rest—
one rest day, and one day for the drawing ceremony before Round 5.
During his break, Ash encountered a Trainer named Richie—
who also had a Pikachu.
Ash quickly recognized him—he was Ash's upcoming opponent.
Despite being future rivals, the two bonded easily,
training together for a full day.
And soon—
The Masters Eight Tournament began.
Ash returned to Professor Oak's lab,
watching the matches in the backyard alongside all his Pokémon.
These four matches represented the strongest eight Trainers in the world.
The first match was explosive:
Leon vs. Raihan!
Leon won 1–0 (one Pokémon remaining).
Gigantamax Charizard swept two Pokémon with unstoppable power.
Second match: Steven vs. Alder.
Alder, the weakest Champion,
was no match for Steven, one of the strongest.
His Volcarona fought brilliantly,
but ultimately lost to Steven's Shiny Metagross.
Steven won 2–0.
Third match: Wallace vs. Diantha.
Diantha had Mega Evolution as a trump card,
but didn't even need it—
Wallace wasn't strong enough to force her hand.
Diantha won 2–0.
Finally—
Cynthia vs. Lance.
Lance might be comedic in the playbacks,
but his real strength was top-tier.
He sent out two Dragonite, plus Charizard.
Cynthia fought through an intense battle—
ending it with Garchomp's Dragon Rush,
achieving victory.
Cynthia won 2–0.
Thus, the Masters Four were determined:
Leon vs. Steven
Diantha vs. Cynthia
The strongest Trainer in the world would be decided within two days.
After the intense battles,
at exactly 5 p.m.,
the next Heavenly Playback approached.
Not only did fans watch the Masters Eight today—
They also got a super-sized playback tonight.
Double happiness.
Cynthia and the others did not travel to Kanto this time,
since the semifinals begin tomorrow.
They agreed to return after the Masters Eight concluded
to continue watching Ash's Indigo Conference journey.
Ash and friends returned to Pallet Town to watch together.
Those present were:
Delia
Professor Oak
Misty
Brock
Gary
and Gary's six girlfriends
Which made Brock intensely jealous.
Ash only rolled his eyes—
"Getting obsessed with girls will only slow you down."
At 5 p.m.,
massive screens lit up all over the world.
Professor Oak brought extra stools so everyone and their Pokémon could sit.
[The 10th Playback is about to begin. This will be a large-scale plot playback.
Due to time constraints, only one playback will be shown today.]
[No guessing mode. Only answering mode.
Those who rank as 'Legends' will earn corresponding rewards.]
Many were disappointed.
Another no-guessing episode.
The gamblers had no chance to win back what they lost.
As for entering the Legendary Rankings…
99% of the world knew they had no chance.
…
Meanwhile—
on the stormy, snow-covered heights of Mt. Silver,
A beam of light fell.
A young man wearing a red-and-white cap
and a red-and-black jacket appeared at the summit.
Even in this freezing blizzard,
he didn't tremble at all—
instead calmly surveying his surroundings.
"This is… Mt. Silver?"
Just moments ago,
he had been training with his Pokémon here.
Then a beam of light descended,
pulling him away.
Even the being inside him—
one of the highest-tier Legendary Pokémon in existence—
could not resist the force.
That alone was terrifying.
When the light faded, he was still on Mt. Silver—
But something felt… different.
Suddenly, a screen appeared before him.
Massive amounts of information surged into his mind.
"Parallel… world?"
…
If you want to read more, join my Patreon/kazama677
I will drop 1 bonus chapter for every 50 Power Stones