[Lance: Ash's reward is real, so Cynthia's reward must be real too, right?]
[Steven: Cynthia's reward is the Dragon Dance TM, right? It doesn't seem that useful!]
[Wallace: For ordinary Trainers, it's a great reward. But for us, it feels like a white elephant.]
[Professor Oak: A white elephant? Are you serious? Didn't you notice the supplementary content in parentheses?]
[Lance: Supplementary content? It says it can be used on all Pokémon... Ah—wait!!! Don't tell me!!!]
[Cynthia: Hahahaha, you guessed correctly! My Garchomp has learned Dragon Dance!]
[Bruno: But Garchomp's a Dragon-type Pokémon. Isn't it normal for it to learn Dragon Dance?]
[Lance: Idiot! Since the Pokémon League began keeping records of Garchomp, not a single one has ever learned Dragon Dance!]
[Cynthia: Hehehe, well—now one has.]
[Steven: …That's really bad news.]
Cynthia's Garchomp was already dominant in the Champion League without Dragon Dance. Now that it had mastered the move, even Steven couldn't begin to comprehend just how powerful it had become.
And Steven wasn't exaggerating—Dragon Dance's boost to Dragon-type Pokémon is nothing short of terrifying.
Among all 18 types, Dragon-types consistently rank near the top. Besides their incredible stats, having Dragon Dance as a core move is one of the biggest reasons why.
[Cynthia: Hmph hmph, little Leon, how laughable. The next World Champion will surely be me—Cynthia!]
[Diantha: Not necessarily. If you want that title, you'll have to get past me first!]
Cynthia wasn't the only one who'd powered up. After obtaining Gardevoir's Mega Stone and Key Stone, Diantha's strength had also skyrocketed.
With the Mega Evolution system in hand, she now stood tall as one of the most formidable Trainers alive.
As soon as Diantha spoke, the ones who felt the most pressure weren't Cynthia or Leon—but Lance, Steven, and Wallace. They were once on equal footing with Cynthia and Diantha, but now the gap was widening fast.
[Lance: Steven, Wallace… we can't afford to miss the next quiz reward.]
[Steven: Absolutely. It's our duty to restore the glory of male Trainers!]
[Wallace: That's right! We male Trainers must stand tall!]
[Drayden: Alder, as Unova's Champion, don't you have anything to say?]
[Alder: Huh? Say? Say what? I'm basically retired! Rewards like that have nothing to do with me.]
[Agatha: The system seems omnipotent. Maybe it could even revive your deceased partner.]
[Alder: No one's getting the next round's reward from me!!!]
The black screen faded away, replaced by a glowing white light.
On the day Ash signed up for summer camp, a small Pichu in the forest began its own adventure.
Unlike Ash, who had his mother's love and a warm home, little Pichu had been alone from the very start.
It nearly got eaten by an Ekans, then was knocked out cold by Koffing's gas, and even fell off a cliff. Talk about bad luck!
Fortunately, after two near-death experiences, Pichu's luck finally turned around—it met the first kind soul of its life.
A Kangaskhan caring for her baby caught the falling Pichu. After realizing Pichu had no mother, the kind-hearted Kangaskhan adopted it as her own.
From that day forward, the once-lonely Pichu lived happily with the Kangaskhan mother and child.
[Brock: Mother Kangaskhan is truly too kind. Little Pichu's luck has finally changed for the better!]
[Misty: Yeah, good thing it met the Kangaskhan family! If it had run into a mother Ursaring and her cub—or a Nidoqueen and her child—that would've been disastrous!]
If Pichu had met a short-tempered Ursaring or Nidoqueen, adoption wouldn't even be a question—survival would be the real miracle.
[Ash: I don't know why… but this Pichu looks kind of familiar.]
[Brock, Misty: You're overthinking it. That story happened five years ago. This Pichu's probably long gone from Pallet Town by now.]
[Pikachu: …]
On the day of the camp, since Ash hadn't arrived, Professor Oak had to leave with the other children first.
He led them through the forest, cheerfully introducing Pokémon along the way.
Most of the kids listened eagerly—except one: Goh.
Using his shallow understanding of Pokémon basics, he kept interrupting Professor Oak's explanations, leaving the poor professor completely exasperated.
Goh's endless interruptions soon drew the quiet disapproval of Chloe, who was walking beside him.
Being tactful, Chloe didn't scold him in public. Instead, she waited until they were alone and gently advised him to stop.
[Erika: This kid's attitude explains why he has no friends.]
[Goh: I don't need friends. One day, I'll catch a powerful Pokémon that no one's ever seen before.]
[Erika: Heh, ambitious. But I've seen countless Trainers like that—most of them end up forgotten.]
In Erika's opinion, this boy named Goh would likely meet the same fate.
[Lorelei: Hmph. Empty barrels make the loudest noise.]
Interrupting Professor Oak like that—who did Goh think he was?
If Lorelei had been there, she would've personally taught that loudmouth a hard lesson.
Indeed, Goh's ability to attract hate was max level. Within minutes of his appearance, he had already earned the collective disgust of the viewers.