"Something must have happened!"
Tonio's voice was resolute.
The spatial fluctuations he was detecting were far beyond anything an ordinary Pokémon could cause.
Something terrifying must be unfolding in some unknown corner of the world.
The data jumping wildly on his handheld device was the best evidence of that.
Tonio then noticed the collapsed stone pillar beside him.
He reached out and touched the broken surface—
it was as if the stone had been softened and corroded before snapping. His brow furrowed tightly.
"This can't be right… why would it look like this…"
But when bad luck strikes, even drinking cold water can choke you.
Before Tonio could finish his thought, another piece of stone loosened and—clang!—fell straight down, landing squarely on his head.
"Ah! That hurts!"
"Tonio! Are you okay?!"
Alice, who had been watching him worriedly the whole time, rushed over in concern.
"I'm fine," Tonio replied sheepishly.
Watching Alice's tender concern for Tonio,
Albert couldn't stand it anymore!
He was supposed to be Alice's fiancé!
"Alice, there's no need for you to be so gentle with someone like Tonio."
"Huh?"
Albert stepped forward, arrogantly slinging an arm around Alice's shoulders.
"Alice, don't forget—you're my future wife."
His tone was smug, his expression as if this were some great favor he was granting her.
That expression—that posture—
completely disgusted Alice!
[Diantha: What era did this guy crawl out of? Why does he sound like the greasy protagonist from some ancient romance novel?]
[Lusamine: Don't be so harsh. He's clearly a villain archetype.]
[Lillie: Mom, the keyword here is "greasy," not villain!]
[Gladion: I told you—stop watching those ridiculous dramas.]
[Johanna: Thank goodness Ash isn't like that, or I'd really worry about my Dawn.]
[Delia: Don't worry, my Ash always treats girls with kindness.]
…Really?
Cynthia's eyes flickered toward her hand—still firmly held in Ash's grasp.
His hand wasn't large, but it was strong and warm.
Maybe… Delia was right.
Ash really did know how to take care of a girl.
Feeling Cynthia's gaze, Ash looked up instinctively—
and their eyes met.
"Miss Cynthia, is there something on my face?"
Ash blinked in confusion. He was sure he hadn't worn the wrong clothes today… so why was she looking at him like that?
"Nothing~ I just think you're really sweet to girls, Ash~"
Cynthia's words trailed with a teasing lilt—
a tone every man knows well: the sound of gentle jealousy.
Ash had never dated anyone, but his instincts told him Cynthia wasn't exactly happy.
And when someone's unhappy… what do you do?
He thought hard, then—got it!
He released her hand, swung his backpack around to the front, and pulled out a small, beautifully wrapped box.
On the lid was a cute, chibi Squirtle print.
"Here! It's a Squirtle Mochi. It's really good! Whenever I'm feeling down, I eat one of these—it always cheers me up!"
Ash held the box out with both hands, offering it to her.
Cynthia, who'd just been sulking because he let go of her hand, was immediately distracted by the adorable treat.
She'd never tried this dessert before.
And just like that, her mood brightened.
"Thank you, Ash," she said softly, accepting the gift.
Why was she even comparing herself to those little girls earlier?
They weren't on the same level anyway.
After all—she was the world's strongest female Trainer.
That alone was something those eleven- and twelve-year-olds could never compete with.
Like May's dream of accompanying Ash to the top of the world—
well, Cynthia was already there, waiting for him at the summit.
"I'll be waiting for you~"
She took a bite. "Mmm, so good~"
The silky cream was like her heart right now—soft and full.
She didn't even realize she was daydreaming about her future with Ash.
How strange… and a little wonderful.
Across the room, Steven Stone was barely suppressing his laughter. His refined manners kept him composed—but only just.
He couldn't laugh aloud, could he?
Especially when Ash's two friends already looked completely shell-shocked!
These kids today had such fragile hearts…
Ugh, it was agony!
Knowing the gossip and not being able to share it—especially when the gossip was Ash and Cynthia!
He, the elegant heir of Hoenn, couldn't stoop to gossiping aloud…
but oh, the temptation!
Ding!
An email notification snapped him out of his inner struggle.
It was from Wallace.
The message read: "What did you see? Tell me everything!"
Perfect timing.
Steven grinned as he began typing furiously.
"Sorry, Ash. Sorry, Cynthia. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do…"
Meanwhile, in the footage—
Everyone, including Alice, was stunned by Albert's behavior.
Even Ash and his friends, who'd only just met her, were floored.
Brock looked heartbroken.
"No way… Miss Alice already has a fiancé?!"
Once again, Brock's love ended before it began.
But Alice wasn't someone who would quietly tolerate such arrogance.
Furious, she snapped,
"I told you before—I have no interest in that arrangement! Do you not understand what 'no' means?!"
She shoved Albert away and glared daggers at him.
Tonio, who'd been tense, finally exhaled in relief.
"I would never agree to something like that. Please, have some respect!"
Ash, Brock, and Dawn all sighed at once.
They didn't like Albert either—he'd been a pompous jerk since the start.
"Apologies, apologies," Albert said with false politeness. "I shouldn't have brought this up in public. How about coming to my mansion later for tea? As an apology."
Even after being rejected, he acted like he was being magnanimous—
and tried to twist Alice's anger into making her look unreasonable.
Some skill—but all in the wrong direction.
This time, Dawn couldn't stay silent.
She stepped forward, shoved Albert back, and snapped,
"Don't you know what shame is? Miss Alice already told you no!"
"You little brat! Stay out of this!"
Albert's temper flared—but arguing with a child only made him look worse.
[Sabrina: I can't stand it anymore! My idiot-allergy is acting up! Which town is this, Eterna? I'm coming to kill him myself!]
[Lance: Calm down! Sabrina, you don't want Ash visiting you in a mental hospital, do you?!]
[Bruno: Yeah, even if insanity makes murder legal, you'd still get locked up!]
[Nurse Joy (Goldenrod): Sorry, you two! Even our psychiatric ward refuses to take Miss Sabrina when she's like this. Please don't cause trouble!]
[Sabrina: Oh? Then I'll visit you two first.]
[Bruno: Lance, do we stand a chance?]
[Lance: In a Pokémon battle, sure. Against her powers? I suggest running. Fast.]
[Bruno: Understood! Everything was Lance's idea. If there's a problem, take it up with him—he's our team leader!]
[Aaron: Wow. You can do that? I'm learning so much!]
[Lucian: Try it and see what happens.]
In the end, Sabrina didn't go to Alamos Town.
Lance's words had worked—
he'd noticed long ago that whenever Ash was mentioned, Sabrina unconsciously softened.
Once again, the world was safe—for now.
Lance flew through the sky atop his Dragonite, feeling relieved.
He didn't realize, however, that he was passing over Goldenrod City.
And behind him, cloaked in pale-blue psychic light,
a girl floated silently in pursuit.
The rushing wind drowned out every sound—
except for the voice that echoed directly in Lance's mind.
"Found you~"
Lance: !!!
Who was that voice?!
They were ten thousand meters in the air!
Back in the footage—
Dawn's verbal barrage left Albert red-faced and speechless.
"Look at yourself—you only remembered your 'engagement' because no one else would date you, didn't you? News flash—it's the modern era. Your old tricks don't work anymore!"
The harshest words are always the truth.
Humiliated, Albert cast a pleading glance at Alice, hoping she'd defend him—
but she didn't even look his way.
Instead, she stepped up beside Tonio, took his arm, and declared,
"The one I like is Tonio—not you!"
Albert froze, nose red, face pale—a clown through and through.
Ash and Brock came up beside Tonio, curious.
"Who is that guy, anyway?"
Tonio only muttered, "He's… a baron," then fell silent.
Ash and Brock exchanged looks.
A baron? Seriously? What century was he living in?
Albert tried to save face with a forced laugh. "A very funny joke."
"Yeah," Tonio said quietly, "it really is."
Alice's gaze toward Tonio softened.
The scene shifted—to a memory.
A young Alice, crying, was lifted gently by a young Tonio.
When she woke, she threw her arms around him.
The memory faded back to the present park.
"It's true! The one I love most is Tonio!"
Even though Tonio still seemed insecure, Alice's voice was clear and firm.
[Lusamine: Aww, they were adorable as kids! Childhood friends turning to lovers—pure romance!]
[Lance: Help… someone help me!]
[Caitlin: Tonio must've saved Alice when they were young—that's classic first love!]
[Professor Oak: Wait, this looks familiar! Isn't that just like when Ash rescued Serena at summer camp?!]
[Serena: See? My story with Ash is the same—I've always liked him too!]
[Lance: Anyone? Help?!]
[Diantha: Girl, your competition's pretty intense.]
[Bruno: Did someone say Lance needed help?]
[Lorelei: Not important. He's a Champion—he'll live.]
[Bruno: True enough!]
Some people watched for fun, others saw themselves reflected.
In Kalos, in Asame Town—
Serena watched Alice and Tonio's story unfold.
Watching all the girls who'd traveled with Ash appear one by one,
she felt like she was seeing her own story play out.
Unrequited love. Longing.
Since that day at summer camp when Ash carried her back after she fell,
a seed had been planted in her heart.
And ever since this "Top Trainer Compilation" began, that seed had begun to grow.
The tanned boy she remembered had grown taller, stronger, more handsome.
And her sense of crisis grew with him.
It wasn't just admiration anymore.
Watching Ash laugh with other girls—May, Dawn—
a sharp ache stirred in her chest,
as if something precious was slipping away.
She knew what it meant.
The magazines her mom read said it clearly—
the pain of love unreturned.
And yes—this was that pain.
Even at ten years old, Serena already understood that faint, shimmering feeling.
So she gathered her courage and began typing in the live chat—
because no one truly knows what lies behind a username.
Just like she'd once thought Champion Diantha was cold and aloof—
but discovered instead, she was kind and warm-hearted.
In the footage once more—
The moment Alice's confession ended,
the light screen suddenly went dark.
A shadow loomed—Palkia's form flickering through the void,
and behind it, Dialga giving chase.
With the Space Gem shattered, Palkia couldn't exert its full strength.
Their battle grew fiercer and fiercer, until Palkia began to falter.
But even cornered, Palkia was no pushover.
Irritated, it suddenly rammed heads with Dialga—
space and time energy colliding in an explosive shockwave.
The entire dimension trembled.
They both staggered back, charging energy in their mouths.
Orange light gathered in Palkia's jaws,
blue in Dialga's—
two Roars of Time and Spacial Rends blasted forth, clashing midair.
The resulting impact sent violent ripples through reality itself.
Even the Unown began to riot in panic.
The shockwaves spread outward—
reaching all the way to Eterna's peaceful park.
Pikachu was the first to notice something wrong.
After fighting gods more than once, its instincts were razor sharp.
As it tensed, Ash and the others sensed it too.
The energy was so intense that the ripples in space-time were visible to the naked eye—
at least to Ash and Pikachu.
They saw circles—waves—radiating through the air.
Before Ash could speak, Tonio exclaimed,
"It's happening again!"
He snatched the device from Alice and checked the readings—
numbers were spiking wildly, completely unstable.
Clearly, something extraordinary was taking place.
Even Gallade, beside Ash, sensed the threat.
"Ai–lu!"
It raised an arm defensively, facing one direction.
Ash followed its gaze—
and saw—…
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard