"Damn it! Gengar, Darkrai, follow me—we're going in!"
Ash thought he had been careful enough, but even so, something still went wrong.
In the original timeline, no one had ever been pulled into the spirit realm. But now, Dawn and Anabel, along with Piplup and Pikachu, had been sucked in!
Gengar and Darkrai both nodded, and without hesitation, Ash charged straight into the ominous rift!
Left behind were just Conway and Angie, along with a small Shinx.
"Ahhh!!! This is bad—really bad! They all got sucked into that thing! Hurry, report to Professor Rowan!"
Conway and Angie stood frozen, stunned by the surreal horror that had just unfolded.
That strange little girl from earlier... and those ghostly pale hands had reached out from the darkness, grabbing Piplup and dragging Dawn, Anabel, and the others inside. Even someone as knowledgeable as Conway was completely shell-shocked!
Before long, they had brought Professor Rowan and some of his research assistants to the scene.
"Ah! Professor, this is the opening! Back when the construction team was working on restoring the ruins, they accidentally damaged part of the site, and this opened up!"
"They believe… this might be a gateway to the Spirit World!"
"They were pulled in there? Pale white hands? That's..."
The assistants all exchanged looks—and what they saw in each other's eyes was unmistakable panic.
This was supposed to be a peaceful Pokémon Lecture Event… and something like this had happened?
"Seal off the area immediately! Contact Officer Jenny for this district—no one goes near that thing until she arrives!"
The situation was far too unclear.
Even though Professor Rowan deeply wanted to rescue Ash and the others, there was simply nothing he could do at this point.
In a scenario like this, acting rashly would only make things worse and potentially lead to more casualties.
"Ash... Professor Oak told me about you. He speaks so highly of you… You'd better not… end up like this…"
Professor Rowan stared into the gaping rift with worry in his eyes.
That swirling, multicolored vortex looked like a demon ready to devour all who dared approach.
—
The moment Dawn was dragged into the rift, an overwhelming chill struck her.
Her entire body felt frozen!
Icy winds howled all around!
It sounded like people were screaming, howling in agony…
"Ah… this is terrifying! Ash! Ash, where are you?!"
Clutching Piplup tightly, Dawn burst into tears, unable to even open her eyes to see the horrors around her.
"Dawn, are you okay?!"
Anabel had followed right behind her, and it wasn't until now that Dawn realized she'd pulled Anabel in too.
"Hehehe... Come play with me..."
"Keh keh keh… A living one has entered…"
"Aaahhh... delicious... so delicious…"
The two girls were overwhelmed—Dawn couldn't take it anymore, and Piplup had already fainted.
Anabel's mental strength was better than Dawn's, but at the end of the day, she was still a girl.
"Pika! Chuuu!!"
In that critical moment, it was Pikachu who stood tall.
A thunderous bolt of lightning blasted through the darkness!
In an instant, the black world was illuminated.
Electric-type moves—especially lightning—were naturally effective against ghostly, unclean forces like these.
"Pika! Pika-pi!"
Pikachu: Don't worry! Ash will definitely come to save us. Until then, I'll protect you both!
Pikachu was as reliable as ever.
All around them floated bizarre, grotesque entities.
Their eyes glowed blood-red.
Their bodies were deathly pale.
With long claws, and though they had legs, they didn't walk—they floated.
"Awoo…"
Just then, a massive figure began drifting toward them.
Pikachu instantly locked onto it.
That thing gave off an aura… on par with Champion-tier Pokémon at level 70 or above!
A serious threat.
But Pikachu didn't back down.
"Pika! CHUUU!"
Electric sparks crackled on his cheeks—pure power brewing.
"Darkrai, Dark Pulse!"
"Gengar, watch our surroundings!"
"Pikachu, get over here!"
Ash's voice suddenly rang out across the darkness, echoing through the cold winds.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out joyfully and darted toward the sound of his Trainer.
Dawn and Anabel suddenly felt a pair of strong arms pulling them close, shielding them.
"You're safe now. I'm here."
It was Ash's voice.
Only now did the girls realize—they were being held tightly in Ash's embrace.
Just moments ago, they had been on the edge of despair… but now, in his arms, they felt safe again.
It's Ash. If it's him… he'll find a way to handle this, right?
That thought surfaced in both their minds simultaneously.
The next instant—Darkrai's Dark Pulse exploded outward!
The evil-type energy swept through the dark world, dispelling the malicious entities in an instant!
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder.
Gengar hovered at Ash's side, ever-watchful.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Darkrai wasn't just any Pokémon—it was level 99!
A powerhouse at the peak of Legendary Tier-2.
At full power, its Dark Pulse wiped out everything nearby without leaving a trace!
Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Darkrai has successfully defeated enemies and earned 38,500 battle experience points!]
The notification in Ash's mind made him pause.
Even these things… can give EXP?
Darkrai was already at level 99. Normally, if it defeated Pokémon below level 60 (Elite Four level), there'd be no EXP gain.
Which meant… some of the things it had just destroyed were equivalent to level 60 or higher?
Ash's heart surged with excitement!
This was a golden opportunity!
A perfect chance for Darkrai to break through!
No, not just Darkrai—for all his Pokémon!
"All right… Latias, come on out!"
———
"Charizard! Tyranitar! Sceptile! Pidgeot! Monferno… everyone, let's go!"
Ash called out all his partners.
Even Pikachu joined the fight!
Darkrai went off solo, while Latias helped keep the others coordinated.
And then—Mewtwo stepped forward.
Mewtwo stood guard over Ash and the girls.
"This energy… it makes me feel uneasy."
Mewtwo frowned slightly.
He raised a finger, and in an instant, a Protective Shield enveloped Ash, Dawn, Anabel, and himself.
The Pokémon surged into battle.
Ash didn't use his EXP multiplier cards on the Pokémon he caught in Sinnoh.
But his core team—like Tyranitar and Charizard—already had solid foundations.
Time to use the Tenfold Experience Multiplier Cards!
Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Pikachu has defeated an enemy. Tenfold EXP Multiplier applied—earned 320,000 battle EXP!]
Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Tyranitar has defeated an enemy. Tenfold EXP Multiplier applied—earned 285,000 battle EXP!]
Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Riolu…]
Ding! [Congratulations, Host! Electabuzz…]
Ding! …
Level-ups were coming in nonstop!
Until finally—two more alerts rang through Ash's mind from Darkrai and Latias!
Ash's eyes lit up brighter than ever.
These two had reached Level 99—and now, they were about to break through the barrier to Level 100!
The threshold of Tier-1 Legendary power!
He never expected this. What started as a disaster… had turned into a miracle.
A turning point.
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T/N:
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