[Lance: Sceptile vs. Darkrai… I honestly can't imagine how Ash wins this one…]
[Lance: Even Ash can't have every Pokémon fight gods like Pikachu and Charizard do, right?!
And this is DARKRAI— the one who could trade blows with the Space-Time Duo at full power!]
[Cynthia: Indeed… The hope looks slim.
Even though the Darkrai we just saw was boosted beyond its limits,
it proved something important—
With a strong enough bond, Tobias's Darkrai can't possibly be weak.
Its floor should be close to a Champion's ace Pokémon.]
A Champion's ace is typically at the level of Lesser Deity–tier Legendaries.
So Cynthia was saying that even at minimum, Darkrai = Champion Ace level.
[Leon: From what we've seen… yeah, it won't be easy.
And most importantly—
Ash's Sceptile is a complete unknown!]
[Leon: Pikachu and Charizard? We know their track records.
But Sceptile? It has zero feats shown!]
All the top Champions reached the same conclusion:
None of them believed Ash could win this round.
Not even Leon—who usually always supports Ash—was confident.
Because Sceptile simply didn't inspire trust.
If Ash used Pikachu or Charizard, people might still hope for a miracle.
But Sceptile?
What battle record?
What achievements?
Nothing.
How were people supposed to believe?
Public Betting — Completely One-Sided
"Bro… no way Ash wins. I'm betting on Tobias."
"Same. Think about it! In their original battle, Ash only had two Pokémon left, and Tobias sent out Latios!"
"And judging from that, Latios was fresh!"
"That means Darkrai probably knocked out FOUR of Ash's Pokémon by itself!"
"So why would Sceptile win this time?!"
"At best, since the title says 'Mortal Spirits Who Rival Gods', maybe Sceptile will injure it a bit…
But win? Impossible."
"Yeah, put everything on Tobias!"
Around the world, voices echoed the same conclusion:
Ash will lose.
People had already forgotten how many times they said that…
And how many times were they proven completely wrong?
Champions' Betting Room – Steven's Villa
"Lance, who are you betting on?"
"Ash."
Everyone: "???"
"Ash? Didn't you JUST say he has no chance?"
Lance let out a snort.
"Hmph. I don't think Ash will win…
But who said I can't bet on Ash anyway?"
"Alder, Leon, Cynthia—none of you thought Ash could win the last few matches either, right?"
"But guess what?
Ash ALWAYS ends up defying expectations!"
"So I figured it out—
On paper, Ash is ALWAYS the weaker fighter."
"But even if I don't think he'll win,
I believe in the possibility of Ash."
"And this way…
I support both sides."
"So no one can accuse me of jinxing him again! HAH!"
Lance had revealed his final form.
His entire reason for betting on Ash
was to escape the "Lance The Jinx" curse.
Cynthia stared at him with a strange expression.
"…Wait. You actually take the jinx seriously?
No way, right? You can't possibly believe in that ridiculous superstition?!"
Lance: ???!!!
The symbols conveyed everything:
Cynthia was the one who first called him a jinx.
Now she claimed the jinx wasn't real.
This woman…!!
If they ever fought in the Masters Eight,
Lance swore he would make her pay!
"Alright then, who are you betting on, Diantha?"
"Ash."
Her tone was confident.
"Let's be honest—
The entire world is piling bets on Tobias.
Even if Darkrai wins, the payout will be trash."
"But betting on Ash?
If he loses, I barely lose anything.
If he wins…
I PROFIT MASSIVELY."
"And besides—
Lance's jinx is still active.
He doesn't actually believe Ash can win, so his curse still favors Ash losing."
"So betting on Ash is the true winning strategy."
Leon, Alder, Steven, Cynthia—all nodded.
And Steven…
after getting a taste of his future millionaire villa…
was ready to gamble big.
All Champions present chose to bet on Ash.
But the world didn't agree.
Darkrai had just gained millions of fans.
And most people were convinced Sceptile had no chance.
So the global betting ratio came out:
95% Tobias — 5% Ash
But…
The odds were weirdly low.
Only 5x payout.
It should've been 20x or 30x!
The crowd wondered why—
Until the screen displayed a line:
[Odds are not based on vote percentage,
But on total points placed.
The more points bet on a side, the lower the payout.]
So…
Who was putting massive amounts of points on Ash?
Who had that kind of money?!
In Kalos — An Aspertia Town Mansion
"After setting aside twenty million for shopping…
I guess that's enough.
Ash, I believe in you!"
Said the young lady who casually bet…
TWO.
HUNDRED.
MILLION.
Serena was no longer a supporter.
She was a full-fledged whale.
And she wasn't the only one—
Many who profited from previous Ash wins
threw massive wagers to support him.
Even Ash himself tossed in three million.
The Battle Begins
Tension rose.
The camera focused on the match.
Tobias threw out his Poké Ball first—
A black figure with drifting white "hair,"
emerald-blue eyes,
and a red collar of jagged spikes.
Darkrai.
The same being who clashed with the gods.
The audience tensed…
Ash raised his Poké Ball.
"Let's go—
Heracross!!"
"HERAAAAA!!"
A deep-blue horned beetle burst onto the field.
Everyone: "...…EH?!"
This wasn't Sceptile.
This wasn't even a type advantage.
Why Heracross?!
The Fight Begins
"Ash: Heracross, use Bug Buzz!"
Heracross focused.
His horn vibrated violently—
A green soundwave blasted outward!
"Tobias: Darkrai, Dark Pulse."
Black spirals collided with green soundwaves—
BOOM!I
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