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Pikachu's… limit?
Has it already reached its limit at the professional level? That doesn't make sense!
When Ash heard what Breeder Ash said, his first reaction was disbelief.
Perhaps an ordinary Pikachu would be secretly delighted to reach the professional level, but his Pikachu is different—literally different.
Whether it's its partner form, its fluctuating ability values, or its effortless breakthroughs in level, all prove Pikachu's extraordinary nature.
Before reaching the professional level, Pikachu hadn't encountered the slightest bottleneck. In this situation, the big shots in the group actually said Pikachu had reached its limit?
How could that be?!
[Newbie Ash: Is there some mistake? Pikachu has been quite smooth sailing until now. Whether it's level-up, learning skills, or other aspects, it shows no sign of reaching its limit. I actually feel that Pikachu is still far from its limit.]
[Breeder Ash: Your feeling is indeed correct. Pikachu is still far from its ultimate limit, but its current level is indeed its endpoint. If it wants to advance further, then some special methods must be used.]
[Newbie Ash: Special methods? What do you mean?]
[Breeder Ash: Let me think. It's better if I explain from the beginning. First, our Pikachu is very special. You should have already deeply experienced this, right?]
[Newbie Ash: Mm-hmm.]
Since its debut, he had never seen a Pikachu as special as his. Not to mention seeing one, he hadn't even heard of one. Furthermore, the partner form was a skill exclusive to his parallel world counterpart.
So Ash had never even considered the possibility of his Pikachu reaching its limit.
[Breeder Ash: But have you ever thought, does such a special Pikachu really not have any price to pay? What is your Pikachu's ability cap? Six A-rank. In the Pikachu species, it's indeed top-tier. But with such rapid growth, even a six S-rank Gardevoir can't match it. How can a Pikachu achieve this? Through bonds?]
[Newbie Ash: …]
Although those words were a bit harsh, they were indeed reasonable.
Even if a Pikachu's aptitude reached six A-rank, how could its growth speed compare to a six S-rank Gardevoir?
The ability cap isn't entirely linked to the level-up speed, but it is relatively linked.
Although Pikachu doesn't have the trouble of increasing its ability values, its growth speed shouldn't be this fast no matter what.
Now, half a month has passed, and Pikachu still hasn't broken through the Gym level. For a normal Pokémon, this would be absolutely normal, but for Pikachu, it's not.
This shows just how fast Pikachu's growth speed was before. No matter what level it reached, it basically leveled up consistently every seven days. If it continued to grow like this, Pikachu would reach the God Realm in less than a year!
Again, how could a six A-rank Pikachu have such talent? Through bonds?
Perhaps the bond between Ash and Pikachu is indeed deeper, but Gardevoir and Charizard are not much inferior. He treats almost all his Pokémon equally, with only his starter Pikachu being slightly special.
With only this slight difference, it theoretically shouldn't cause such an exaggerated difference in growth.
So why could Pikachu surpass Gardevoir in leveling speed?
[Breeder Ash: The reason Pikachu's growth speed is so fast is because it hits a wall once it reaches the professional level. The constant growth speed and the absence of level bottlenecks actually foreshadow a flaw in Pikachu that you haven't discovered.]
[Newbie Ash: Then… then what is the special method you mentioned, big shot?]
Ash hadn't forgotten the special method Breeder Ash mentioned for solving Pikachu's bottleneck.
Pikachu's true limit isn't the professional level; it just hasn't found the method yet. And that method is likely related to the one-time ability he drew.
[Breeder Ash: The method is… to 'transcend tribulation' in other regions.]
[Newbie Ash: ??? What the heck is 'transcending tribulation'?]
[Breeder Ash: It's actually just an exaggerated way of speaking. The specific method is that you have to reach the end in one region, and then go to another region. This way, Pikachu will be able to break through its current level cap.]
[Newbie Ash: Reach the end? What specific place is that? Is the end different for each region?]
[Breeder Ash: This 'end' is not a specific location, but rather the representation of your journey's conclusion. For example, if you are in the Kanto region, if you can collect eight badges and participate in the League Conference, then no matter what your ranking is, it will be considered that you have completed the path you should take in this region.]
[Breeder Ash: Besides collecting badges, there are other ways to reach the 'end,' such as defeating a region's Elite Four, becoming famous in a region, or defeating the local Champion, and so on.]
[Breeder Ash: Aside from the methods above, there are no specific standards for other ways to reach the 'end.' To determine if you have reached the so-called 'end' in your current region, you'll know as soon as you travel to another region.]
[Breeder Ash: Speaking of going to other regions, that brings us to Pikachu's true special quality. Pikachu doesn't have too low potential, but too high potential! So high that it requires a special method to unlock its potential, and that method is what I just mentioned: after reaching the end in one region, embark on a journey to another region.]
[Breeder Ash: For example, after you achieve the feat of collecting eight badges and challenging the League Conference in Kanto, if you then travel to the Hoenn region, a layer of restriction on Pikachu will be lifted. Its talent will increase by one level, and its physical ability cap will also increase, but correspondingly, its level will decrease.]
[Newbie Ash: ???]
Ash only half-understood the previous words, and it wasn't until the very end, when Breeder Ash said Pikachu's level would decrease, that Ash finally couldn't hold back.
Pokémon whose levels increase are common, but Pokémon whose levels decrease are extremely rare.
Generally speaking, only when a Pokémon suffers damage that affects its very essence will its level decrease. How can a Pokémon's level decrease when its potential and cap are increasing?
[Breeder Ash: You didn't misread; Pikachu's level will indeed decrease. This is the price for gaining a higher tier of talent. But you don't need to worry, it's relatively easy for Pikachu to return to its original level after its level decreases. In fact, after returning to its original level, it will possess even stronger abilities at that same level, so relax.]
[Newbie Ash: Is this the secret that has always been hidden within Pikachu? How much can Pikachu's potential increase after reaching the next region? Is there a limit to this increase?]
[Breeder Ash: The extent of the increase depends on your Pikachu's situation. For example, my Pikachu could only grow to professional mid-level in Kanto at most, and then it couldn't advance any further. Now I have traveled through all regions, and I should have unlocked all of Pikachu's potential, but it is currently only at the peak of Champion.]
[Breeder Ash: But I feel that it should be able to reach the God Realm. It's just that my training isn't up to par. However, even at the peak of Champion, my current Pikachu has the strength to contend with the God Realm. The difference between the God Realm and Champion can be said to be as vast as heaven and earth. The fact that Pikachu can contend with the God Realm at the peak of Champion is inseparable from its continuous breakthroughs of its own limits and repeated lowering of its level.]
A Champion contending with the God Realm, and it's a Pikachu… If word got out, people would probably think this person had gone mad, but Breeder Ash certainly wouldn't boast here.
Upon seeing this, Ash couldn't help but begin to envision his Pikachu's bright future. One day, would his Pikachu also be able to reach that level?
It definitely will!
[Newbie Ash: So, as long as I take Pikachu to conquer all the Leagues, it will have the potential to advance to the God Realm, right? But these conditions for advancement seem much harder compared to other Pokémon!]
Other Pokémon only need a triple S aptitude to meet the requirements for advancing to the God Realm, whereas his Pikachu has to travel through all the League regions to meet the conditions for advancing to the God Realm.
According to Breeder Ash, Pikachu's aptitude improves with each region it experiences. This means that after experiencing the third, or even the second region, Pikachu's aptitude could reach three or more S-ranks.
Calculated this way, wouldn't it be much harder than other Pokémon advancing to the God Realm?
Of course, describing a triple S aptitude as 'just' is indeed a bit excessive, but considering the number of high-aptitude Pokémon Ash has, using 'just' is actually not wrong.
[Breeder Ash: You don't actually think that just reaching triple S-rank means you're 100% guaranteed to advance to the God Realm, do you? Are you dreaming of grandeur?]
[Breeder Ash: I've already said before that the most basic condition for advancing to the God Realm is triple S-rank aptitude, and it doesn't mean that having triple S or higher aptitude guarantees a 100% advancement to the God Realm.]
[Breeder Ash: You haven't even considered how many Pokémon would dream of Pikachu's ability to steadily increase its level just by traveling, eventually reaching the God Realm, have you?]
[Breeder Ash: If a Pokémon could reach the God Realm given enough time, then that Pokémon would definitely be fought over by the entire world! In a sense, Team Rockets' trio truly has unparalleled foresight, after all, they had their eyes on Pikachu even before it made its debut.]
Breeder Ash's words made Ash suddenly realize that having potential is one thing, but actually growing to the God Realm is another.
There are plenty of exceptionally talented Pokémon in the world, but how many can reach the Elite Four or Champion level?
So, according to Breeder Ash, a Pokémon like Pikachu, capable of directly reaching the God Realm, is an absolute rarity in the world, unmatched by any so-called exceptionally talented Pokémon.
Furthermore, Breeder Ash was absolutely right about one thing: Team Rockets' trio… they truly have an eye for talent!
They genuinely set their sights on Pikachu from day one and have been consistently pursuing Pikachu and his footsteps. In terms of foresight, those three guys are indeed unparalleled.
However, it doesn't rule out the possibility of a blind squirrel finding a nut.
[Newbie Ash: Now that you mention it, it does seem so. Being able to reach the God Realm by just following the steps is probably something others dream of. Speaking of which, is the new S-rank ability I drew related to Pikachu?]
[Breeder Ash: Exactly. That ability is exactly what it sounds like: it allows Pikachu to break through even without meeting the conditions for overcoming a bottleneck. You can use it on Pikachu directly once you exit.]
[Champion Ash: I have to say, your luck is truly enviable. You get exactly what you need. Drawing a game-changer just as you're about to face Giovanni and Mewtwo. It seems even the heavens are blessing your Gym challenge this time.]
[Newbie Ash: Hehe, my luck has always been pretty good! Well, I'm logging off now. Thanks for all the explanations, big shots!]
After Ash sent this message, he directly exited the group chat and returned to the hot spring.
This group chat session involved both a lottery and a knowledge Popular Science, so it took a bit longer than usual. Brock and Pikachu even curiously came over to check on Ash.
They had called out to Ash several times earlier with no response, almost thinking he had passed out from soaking in the hot spring.
Fortunately, Ash came to his senses later; otherwise, they had already planned to carry him out of the hot spring.
"What's wrong, Ash? Why didn't you respond when we called you earlier?" Brock inspected Ash from head to toe, asking with some curiosity.
"Nothing, I just soaked for too long and felt a bit dizzy, so I didn't hear you. I'm fine now," Ash waved his hand, indicating that he was perfectly alright.
Seeing that Ash was indeed fine, Brock also let go of his worries and then stepped out of the hot spring.
If he soaked any longer, he didn't know if Ash would get dizzy, but he certainly would.
Ash also stretched, greeting his companions around him, "Let's go, everyone. If we don't head back soon, Misty will probably report us missing."
Although they had brought their mobile phones, they had left them in the changing room, meaning Misty still couldn't contact them.
This was something Ash had just remembered.
And sure enough, when the two returned, they were greeted by Misty, her pretty face stern: "Where did you two run off to?! You didn't even tell me!"