Chapter 344: The First Skyfall Treasure
Two shattering sounds echoed —
representing two contestants' energy wristbands being broken.
Hikaru turned and said,
"Senior sisters, I'll leave the remaining ones to you."
"Mm... got it..."
Even with her normally calm demeanor,
Hayashi Mei couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth
as she glanced at Latias floating majestically in the air like a divine being.
Seriously...
It had only been a few months since the High School League,
and yet—
How had this Latias' strength skyrocketed so absurdly?
Five Master-rank Pokémon, yet in front of it, they were like five helpless children.
Absolutely crazy.
Meanwhile, Lili was practically sparkling with stars in her eyes:
"Wow wow wow! So strong!
Latias is too cool!
I used to just think it was adorable,
but seeing it fight like this — it's fierce!"
"This kind of gap moe... I love it even more now!"
Hearing this, Hikaru was at a loss,
black lines forming on his forehead.
He quickly reminded them,
"Ahem... Seniors, maybe go and secure the knockouts first?"
Only then did Lili snap out of her starry-eyed daze.
She casually waved her hand,
"Oh, oh, right! Blaziken, go finish the job!"
Though her eyes still lingered longingly on Latias.
Blaziken: "...."
It felt completely abandoned.
With a sigh, it obediently moved to finish off the fallen contestants.
Sakura's Dragonite needed no prompting—
it immediately rushed forward to secure the "kills."
Hikaru then turned back, asking lightly,
"Ahem... Seniors, it's alright if we take the elimination points, right?"
"No problem! No problem!" (×2)
Lilith and Wutong shook their heads frantically.
After witnessing Latias' terrifying power,
their only fear was accidentally becoming the next targets!
Secretly, they were also wondering—
How exactly did Ash know this monster...?
Meanwhile, Ash's eyes were burning fiercely with excitement,
his fighting spirit reignited.
If it weren't inappropriate timing,
he would have already challenged Latias to a duel!
"So strong... Hikaru,
I must battle you someday!"
Hikaru smiled,
"Sure. Let's see if we meet during the Youth League main event."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted naturally to Ash's shoulder—
where Pikachu had just hopped up.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
[Pokémon: Pikachu]
[Ability: Lightning Rod]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: Tier 3 Divine]
[Level: 53]
[Skills: Tackle, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Electroweb, Volt Tackle...]
Incredible.
Since last meeting, Pikachu had jumped from level 33 to 53.
But more than that—
its potential had evolved to Tier 3 Divine.
Hikaru couldn't even sense any traces of an Arceus Plate or similar catalyst...
How had this happened?
This kid really might be the protagonist of destiny...
Even with his own cheat system,
Hikaru's Charizard was only at level 52!
Meanwhile, Pikachu shook itself off, giving a crisp "Pika~ Pika~" cry.
"So cute~"
Standing beside Hikaru, Sakura was immediately charmed,
"Can I pet him?"
"Uh..."
Ash glanced down at Pikachu, confused.
Girls seemed to call his Pikachu cute all the time, though he personally didn't quite get it.
"Of course, but Pikachu's a little shy with strangers.
It's fine if you don't hug him."
Carefully, Ash handed Pikachu toward Sakura.
Meanwhile, Hikaru stayed hyper-alert—
watching for any accidental electric shocks.
Fortunately, Pikachu behaved obediently this time,
nuzzling gently into Sakura's hand.
At the same time,
Hayashi Mei approached Lilith with a friendly smile,
"Hello, I'm Hayashi Mei."
"Uh... Oh, I'm Lilith..."
The girl, appearing about sixteen or seventeen years old,
responded timidly under Hayashi Mei's warm greeting.
"I just wanted to ask,"
Hayashi Mei said gently,
"Where did you find your Dragonite?"
After all—
in Huaguo (China), except for the Hayashi Family,
it was almost unheard of for others to possess Dragonite.
Finding another one now naturally stirred her curiosity.
Lilith's Dragonite blinked curiously at the newcomers—
it could feel a very familiar and intimate aura from them.
"In... In my hometown..."
Lilith answered cautiously.
"There's a forest near Changyun City in Xiang Province."
She worried they might try to take her Dragonite away.
Hayashi Mei chuckled,
"Don't worry, I'm just curious."
Hearing this, Lilith sighed in relief,
and Hayashi Mei tactfully stepped back beside Hikaru.
Meanwhile, Ash happily introduced,
"By the way, let me introduce you—these are my travel companions!"
"This is Lilith,
a future Dragon-type Pokémon master!"
"And this—"
he pointed to the green-haired boy,
"is Wutong!
Don't be fooled by his green hair—he's a top-tier Pokémon breeder!
All our energy cubes along the way were made by him!"
"Though," Ash added teasingly,
"he's always rambling about 'this flavor' and 'that aroma.'"
At this, Wutong raised his arms proudly,
"You ignorant child!
It's called the taste of culinary artistry!"
Lilith gave a shy wave,
"Hello."
One by one, Hikaru's group also made their introductions.
Just as they finished—
the League's flying-type Pokémon arrived,
to escort away the eliminated contestants.
At the same time—
All of their Rotoms lit up simultaneously.
> "Coordinates 254.322 island — in ten minutes, a skyfall treasure will descend.
All participants please take note."
Hikaru's eyes instantly gleamed.
Skyfall Treasure!
And not just any treasure—
Skyfall treasures were at least S-rank or higher.
Whether for use during the tournament
or to sell afterward,
their value was astronomical.
"Skyfall treasure... what an enticing aroma~"
Hikaru grinned and asked casually,
"Ash, are you guys going?"
Ash looked regretful,
"I'd love to,
but our Pokémon just finished a tough battle.
They need rest."
Wutong added,
"Exactly.
After hardship, proper fermentation brings out the best flavors."
"..."
Hikaru gave a wry smile at his strange metaphor.
"Alright, then.
We'll head out first!"
Still, he didn't rush off blindly—
he first turned to check with his teammates:
"Are you all in?"
"Up to you,"
Hayashi Mei replied serenely.
Meanwhile, Lili's eyes practically lit up—
of course she was in!
She was born to cause a little chaos!
Seeing everyone in agreement,
Hikaru gave a crisp command:
"Let's move!"
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