The Wallace Cup had officially come to an end.
Ash, together with Dawn, Anabel, May, Brock, and Lucy — a total of six people — made their way to the Pokémon Center.
Wallace had arranged to meet them in one of the rooms there.
Along the way, Dawn and May kept excitedly sharing their experiences with the others, their faces glowing with happiness.
After all, the two of them had each won a Aqua Ribbon, and Ash had even managed to put on a dazzling performance against Wallace himself — something that still felt unbelievable!
"Ash is super amazing! I think even Solidad might not be his match anymore. Too bad Ash doesn't seem that interested in entering a Grand Festival himself," May said, her voice full of admiration.
"May, who's Solidad?" asked Dawn curiously.
The two girls kept chattering away as they arrived at the Pokémon Center. After asking Nurse Joy, they learned that Wallace was already waiting for them.
Creak—
The door swung open, and there they saw Wallace, currently video-chatting with Steven Stone.
"Hey, Ash! Long time no see! I can't believe you actually ran into Wallace. Wallace, Ash is amazing, right?" Steven greeted with a wide smile from the screen.
Wallace gestured for everyone to sit down.
"Yes, Steven. By the way, how's the stone project coming along?" Ash asked bluntly.
"We're just about finished. After you're done with the Sinnoh League at Lily of the Valley Island, everything should be ready for a public announcement. I'll come meet you personally when the time comes. We'll talk about it in detail then," Steven said.
Ash nodded. It was indeed better to discuss something so important face-to-face.
Dawn, May, and the others had no idea what they were talking about, but Wallace knew — and he shot a deep, meaningful glance at Ash.
This was destined to be a groundbreaking discovery!
For the next little while, Wallace chatted with Dawn and May, giving them deeper insights into the art of Pokémon Contest performances.
Both girls came away with a much stronger understanding of what true contest appeal meant.
They spent quite a long time there, but eventually, they had to leave.
May, Brock, and Lucy had a ferry to catch.
Although May was reluctant to part ways with Ash — she wanted so badly to continue traveling with him — some unavoidable factors, along with her own desire to grow stronger by traveling alone, made her decide to go.
She set off once again, aiming for the Johto region's Grand Festival.
After leaving Lake Valor City, Ash, Dawn, and Anabel continued their journey — their next destination was Pastoria City.
——
Pastoria City.
There was a Gym here — the Pastoria Gym.
Its Gym Leader was a very unusual middle-aged man.
He was burly, powerful-looking, and had a passion for wrestling and all kinds of physical sports.
When Ash and the others arrived, the Gym Leader wasn't even at the Gym.
The Gym attendants explained that he was off hosting a Croagunk Festival in a nearby village.
Apparently, in that village, everyone revered Croagunk as a guardian deity.
The Pastoria Gym Leader was no exception.
"If Brock were here, he'd love this," Ash chuckled. "Well, since the Gym Leader's busy, let's take it easy for today. It'll be good to let our Pokémon rest and relax a bit."
In truth, Ash was planning to use some Potential Boost Cards.
It was finally time to boost the Potential tier of his second-string Pokémon.
Dawn and Anabel eagerly linked arms and headed off to shop at the local supermarket.
Ash, meanwhile, found a big tree, sat down beneath it, and released all of his Pokémon.
"Come on out, everyone!"
"Sceptile!"
"Charizard!"
"Tyranitar!"
"Gengar!"
"Pika-pi!"
And more—
Sceptile, Charizard, Tyranitar, Gengar, Pikachu, Pidgeot, Grotle, Electabuzz, Monferno, Riolu, Gligar, Buizel—
Latias, Darkrai, and of course, Mewtwo.
Without even realizing it, Ash now had so many Pokémon traveling with him.
If it weren't for his system storage space, he'd be stuck with only six like everyone else.
Thank goodness for the system!
The moment Mewtwo appeared, it instinctively expanded its psychic senses, scanning the area for dozens of miles around.
It was a habit of Mewtwo's — constant vigilance.
"Darkrai, how does it feel? It's different from before, right?" Ash asked.
"Hmm... yes. Very different. I'm sensing things I never could before," Darkrai replied thoughtfully.
Ash smiled and immediately used a Potential Boost Cards on him.
Ding! [Congratulations, host! Potential Boost Card used successfully. Darkrai's potential is upgrading…]
Ding! [Congratulations, host! Darkrai's potential has advanced to Gold!]
Excellent!
Ash didn't stop there. He took out a Dark-type item next — the [Black Glasses].
He handed them straight to Darkrai.
"Darkrai, this will enhance your strength. It'll merge into your body, so don't be alarmed."
Darkrai accepted the Black Glasses, and instantly, the item fused into its being.
Darkrai could feel it immediately — his Dark-type energy surged by at least 20%!
A staggering boost!
Not only that, but Darkrai's mind felt sharper and more focused — a clear result of his upgraded talent.
Still holding five Potential Boost Cards, Ash kept going.
His next targets were Buizel, Grotle, Riolu, and Electabuzz.
One card for each!
Each of the four's talents skyrocketed from Blue-grade to Purple-grade!
Finally, Ash looked at Pikachu.
Ding! [Reminder: Upgrading from Gold to Black-potential requires three Potential Boost Cards! 1/3 cards available!]
Three cards needed?
Fine. He decided to save that last card for now.
Ash then handed out special enhancement items to Buizel, Grotle, Electabuzz, Gligar, and Riolu — each carefully selected to suit their growth paths.
"Riolu~!"
Little Riolu could feel the changes inside his body — especially his enhanced thought processes and sensitivity to aura.
He immediately rubbed affectionately against Ash's hand.
Ash smiled warmly and ruffled Riolu's head.
After all the upgrading, Ash left his Pokémon to relax and have fun while he walked over to Latias and Mewtwo for a bit.
Time passed quickly.
By sunset, Dawn and Anabel returned from shopping.
Together, the three of them once again approached the Pastoria Gym.
This time, the doors were wide open.
The Gym Leader, Crasher Wake, had returned.
Ding! [Congratulations, host! You have successfully arrived at Pastoria Gym. Beginning Sign-in…]
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T/N:
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