Chapter 464: Pikachu, I Choose You to Battle King Regis!
Chapter 464: Pikachu, I Choose You to Battle King Regis!
"Everyone, come on out!"
Ash eagerly took out several Poke Balls from his pocket and threw them with full force.
With a series of bright flashes, all of his Pokemon appeared in the living room.
There was Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Boneila, and Crawdaunt.
May and Max had been traveling for many days, and it had been a while since they had a proper meal like this.
They all swallowed their saliva, and May couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Naoki, your cooking is amazing!"
Brock picked up a Poke Block and a piece of Poke Puff, examining them closely.
"This rich aroma and translucent gloss, only a very skilled Pokemon Breeder could create such treats. Mr. Naoki, are you also a Pokemon Breeder by any chance?" Brock inquired.
"It's not that exaggerated," Naoki laughed and shook his head. "It's just a matter of practice. With so many Pokemon on the ranch, I make Poke Blocks and Puffs for them every day, and over time, I've honed my skills."
"Pika pi..."
Hearing this, Ash's Pikachu picked up a Poke Puff and popped it into its mouth.
The next second, a look of sheer bliss appeared on its face.
"Pika~chu~"
"Looks like Pikachu loves it too!" Ash smiled.
"Help yourself if you like it," Naoki said with a smile.
He turned and whistled to call his Pokemon home for dinner.
The crisp whistle rang out across the ranch.
Playing outside, the Diglett, Salamence, Delibird, Seviper, and Trevenant all rushed over from different directions.
Golem and Vibrava had already been waiting in the living room, while the Eeveelutions had gone off to play in the World Tree.
Even though they had toured the ranch in the morning, the sight of so many unfamiliar Pokemon still captivated Ash and his friends, drawing their gazes.
"There sure are a lot of different Pokemon here!" May exclaimed.
Max, looking around, suddenly noticed something. "Hey, where's Giratina and Mew?"
"They're probably at their secret base with Mew and Teddiursa," Naoki explained. "It's a hidden place Mew created using its Secret Power move, and even I don't know the exact location."
Just as Ash was about to say something, a Pokemon with a large head suddenly appeared in the living room.
Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and the other Pokemon eating were startled by the sudden appearance, letting out startled cries.
When Brock saw the silhouette of the Pokemon, his eyes widened in shock.
"That Pokemon, what is it?!"
Ash immediately pulled out his Rotom Phone and aimed it at the mysterious visitor.
The next second, Rotom's electronic voice sounded from the phone.
"Regice, the King Pokemon. It possesses the power of healing and benevolence and is known for its compassionate heart."
"Regice?!" May exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be...?"
She immediately thought of the legend that had been trending online recently.
Brock had already opened the Pokemon Forum and clicked on his followed list. Sure enough, he found a user named Regice among them.
"Yes, it's that legendary Pokemon!" Brock nodded, his face filled with awe.
He turned to Naoki, and recalling Professor Oak's mention of his previous visit to Naoki's ranch, an incredible idea popped into Brock's mind.
No wonder Professor Oak published the paper on Regice afterward...
So the trainer who caught Regice was Mr. Naoki?
"No need to be so surprised," Naoki chuckled softly. "Just treat Regice as a regular Pokemon."
Regice had also come for dinner after hearing the whistle.
Hearing Naoki's words, Regice nodded slightly and spoke, its voice carrying a regal tone, "Pay it no mind. I am no longer a king. I am now merely a humble farmer."
Ash and his friends widened their eyes, stunned into silence by this revelation.
"Alright, let's eat!" Naoki said, breaking the brief silence.
Everyone gathered around the table, and Ash, Brock, May, and Max couldn't help but glance at Regice from time to time.
It was their first time dining with a legendary Pokemon, and it felt surreal!
Ash, on the other hand, had a determined look on his face.
"Mr. Naoki, after dinner, can I battle Regice?"
Naoki was slightly taken aback.
Regice, however, looked at the young trainer with interest and asked, "You wish to battle me?"
Ash nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling with aspiration. "Yes! Because my dream is to become a Pokemon Master by encountering and battling every Pokemon in the world!"
"And after that?" Regice inquired.
"After that..." Ash thought for a moment before replying, "I'll travel the world with Pikachu and the others, exploring every corner and meeting Pokemon I've never seen before!"
"Ash..." May stared at him, seemingly lost for words.
Naoki wasn't sure what to say either.
Regice seemed moved by Ash's words.
It nodded slightly and accepted Ash's challenge. "Very well, I accept your challenge."
"Yes!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.
Naoki glanced at Ash's Pokemon, hesitating to say something.
Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Boneila, and Crawdaunt...
Aside from Pikachu, the other three Pokemon were likely new additions to Ash's team, weren't they?
Pikachu: Me, battling Regice?
No matter how I think about it, there's no way I can win, right?
But upon further thought, this was Ash, so Naoki felt that this was quite normal.
After all, Ash had just set out on his journey and after completing the Rainbow Sage's trial, he had challenged Ho-Oh.
Because he was so eager to battle, Ash ate his lunch quickly.
Seeing this, May couldn't help but exclaim, "That Ash, he's really something else..."
Brock, who had traveled with Ash for several years, nodded with his arms crossed. "That's just Ash's style!"
After lunch, the group headed to the battle arena within the ranch.
Regice floated to the arena, while Naoki stood together with May, Max, and Brock.
"Hey, aren't you going to give any commands, Mr. Naoki?" May asked.
Naoki shook his head. "Regice knows what to do."
In the arena, Ash predictably sent out Pikachu.
"Alright, Pikachu, I choose you! Go!" Ash pointed forward as he gave the command.
Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder and rushed to face Regice.
"Pika!"
The battle officially began.
Even though Regice didn't make any noticeable movements, Pikachu could still feel an intangible yet powerful psychic force emanating from it.
This caused Pikachu's expression to turn serious.
However, it didn't back down and bravely faced its opponent.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt!"
"Pika—Pika!"
As the command was given, a powerful electric current erupted from Pikachu's body.
The dense electric light transformed into countless bolts of lightning that surged towards Regice.
Facing this attack, Regice didn't dodge. With a slight movement of its will, a transparent wall of light appeared in front of it, blocking Pikachu's Thunder Bolt entirely.
"Pika?! " Pikachu exclaimed in surprise.
Regice, on the other hand, launched its own attack.
Its psychic power materialized and struck Pikachu with tremendous force.
The speed of this attack was so fast that Pikachu couldn't react in time and was sent flying backward.
"Pikachu!" Ash quickly shouted, "Hang in there!"
Hearing these words, Pikachu gritted its teeth and persevered.
It glared at Regice, determined to continue the battle.
Seeing this, Ash's mind raced as he quickly changed his strategy. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
As the command was given, Pikachu's body began to move at an incredible speed, eventually transforming into a white light as it rushed towards Regice.
However, Regice merely lifted its hand, instantly summoning a cluster of spiritual energy that flew towards Pikachu.
The next second, Pikachu collided with this psychic attack.
Accompanied by a loud explosion, Ash's Pikachu was knocked flying once more, landing on the ground, unable to battle any further.
And with that, the battle concluded.
"As expected of a Legendary Pokemon!" Brock exclaimed, unable to contain his awe.
May and Max were equally astonished by Regice's immense power.
Based on the strength Regice had just displayed, Ash's Pikachu stood no chance of winning.
However, Ash didn't feel discouraged by the loss. Instead, he sincerely thanked Regice for the battle.
Regice nodded slightly, then used its healing waves on Pikachu before disappearing to go back to the greenhouse to play with its phone.
"So, what do you think?" Naoki asked with a smile as he walked forward.
Ash nodded vigorously. "Wow, Regice is so strong!"
As he said this, Ash turned to look at Naoki's other Pokemon, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Mr. Naoki, let's continue the battle! Treecko and Crawdaunt are still ready to fight!"
Naoki: "..."
Alright, then. He had promised Ash earlier, so Naoki couldn't go back on his word.
Thus, Naoki casually called out a few of his Pokemon and had them battle Ash in one match after another.
By the time they finished, it was already 5:00 in the afternoon.
Naoki went to tend to the ranch's business, preparing the day's produce to be sold to Zack.
Meanwhile, Ash took his Pokemon, including Pikachu, to help tire out the hyperactive monkey.
Young people always seemed to have boundless energy, and Ash didn't seem to get tired at all. Naoki felt that his energy could rival even that of the hyperactive monkey.
Brock and Max began observing the Pokemon ecology within the ranch.
Looking at the multitude of Pokemon in the ranch, Max felt envious.
He wished he could grow up faster so that he could have his own Pokemon and embark on a journey with them!
After seeing Zack off, Naoki returned to the ranch and found Ash lying on the grass next to the hyperactive monkey, both of them exhausted and breathless.
Naoki noticed that the hyperactive monkey seemed to have taken a liking to this energetic young trainer.
Seeing this, Naoki silently nodded, understanding the situation.
After dinner, Mew, Teddiursa, and Giratina returned to the ranch.
Since this was the second day of the Millennium Comet's appearance, they had come back to witness this rare celestial event.
Although it wasn't visible from Rustboro City, the night sky above the ranch was filled with countless stars.
"It's so beautiful!" Haruka murmured in awe.
Just then, Satoshi and Masaru recalled the rumors they had heard about Cielaque.
They looked at the starry Pokemon and asked curiously, "I heard that if you make a wish to Cielaque when it wakes up, it can grant any wish. Is that true?"
Mew and Teddiursa, sitting nearby, also looked at Cielaque with curiosity.
Hearing their conversation, a puzzled look appeared in Cielaque's eyes. "A wish?"
Naoki leaned against Golexton, stroking its large claw, a smile on his face as he watched the scene unfold, but he didn't interrupt.
Masaru stepped forward and nodded vigorously. "That's right! I wish for snacks, endless snacks!"
"Snacks, snacks..." Cielaque repeated, then flew up happily.
The wish papers on its head lit up.
Immediately after, bags of snacks appeared out of thin air.
Seeing this, Satoshi and Masaru's eyes widened in amazement.
"It really can grant wishes!" Masaru exclaimed excitedly.
Meanwhile, in a store in Rustboro Town...
The Rocket Team trio, Jessie, James, and Meowth, were grumbling to each other as they worked in the store.
"It's your fault! The things you said were overheard by those Salamence, and that's why our Meowth Balloon was destroyed!"
"That was our last activity fund! Now we have to work here to make up for it!"
"How was I supposed to know that would happen?" James complained. "And you two were thinking the same thing!"
"Enough chattering, Meow!" Meowth snapped as it straightened the shelves. "Let's just earn enough money to repair the Meowth Balloon and get out of this place, Meow!"
Just then, the bags of snacks on the shelves they were responsible for began to disappear one by one.
Meowth was startled. "It's haunted, Meow!"
There were only the three of them in the store's warehouse, and outside, the sky had darkened. As a chilly wind blew past, even Jessie and James felt a shiver of fear.
Suddenly, the warehouse door opened.
It was the store owner, checking on the progress of his new employees.
But when he saw the empty shelves, he froze in place.
Staring at the trio, he shouted, "I told you before you started working here, absolutely no snacking on the merchandise!"
"It wasn't us, Meow!" Meowth denied, shaking its head frantically.
However, there was no one else there.
The boss slammed the door shut. "Hmph! Since you don't have the money to pay for it, you can work it off! Seviper, keep a close eye on them and make sure they do their jobs!"
With that, the boss left.
Only a strange-looking Pokemon with two heads remained, glaring at them menacingly.
"It's true! Cielaque really can grant wishes!"
On the ranch, Haruka looked at the snacks scattered on the ground, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Just as they were about to make another wish to Cielaque, Naoki's voice sounded from nearby.
"These are snacks from a store in Rustboro Town. See the store's logo on the packaging?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"These snacks were probably teleported here from a nearby store," Naoki speculated.
"Huh?"
Haruka walked over to inspect the snacks and indeed found the store's logo.
"So, Cielaque can't grant wishes anymore?" Takeshi noticed the implication.
"Energy is conserved in nature," Naoki explained. "These snacks couldn't have appeared out of thin air."
"I see." Satoshi looked at the snacks and suddenly realized that the store owner must be distressed about their disappearance. Turning to Cielaque, he said, "Cielaque, can you please return these snacks to the store?"
"You don't want the snacks anymore?" Cielaque asked, confused.
Before Satoshi could answer, Teddiursa stepped forward and explained the situation to it.
"Yum yum!"
After listening, Cielaque nodded in understanding.
It flew up into the air once more, and the wish papers on its head lit up again.
The next second, the snacks vanished one by one.
"Right, Cielaque, what are your plans from now on?" Haruka suddenly remembered something.
Now that Cielaque didn't have to sleep for a thousand years, it could go wherever it wanted, couldn't it?
Hearing the question, everyone turned their attention to Cielaque.
Cielaque, in turn, looked at its two new friends, Mew and Teddiursa.
That morning, they had taken it to the beautiful World Tree, shown it the Great Adventure Team's secret base, and Mew had shared its toys.
There were so many fun things to do and explore in that tree.
Cielaque loved it there and felt it could play there for a thousand years and still not get bored.
But... it was needed in Farawayland.
The land and the Pokemon living there depended on it to absorb energy from the stars and nurture the earth.
Thinking of this, a conflicted expression appeared on Cielaque's small face.
What should it do?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
