Pokémon: Simultaneous time travel, this Ash is too versatile!

Chapter 173 The Ultimate Pokémon Who Can Reach the Divine Realm by Following the Steps - Pikachu!

Pikachu's...limit?
Is the Pro level already Pikachu's limit? That doesn't make sense!

When Ash heard the words "train Ash," his first reaction was disbelief.

Most Pikachus would be laughing all the way to the bank if they reached the professional level, but his Pikachu is different—it's truly different in the literal sense.

Whether it's his partner form, his fluctuating stats, or his leisurely pace when breaking through levels, all of these are enough to prove Pikachu's extraordinary nature.

Before reaching the Pro level, Pikachu didn't even encounter any bottlenecks. Under such circumstances, the experts in the group actually said that Pikachu had reached its limit?

How is this possible!
[Newbie Ash: Is something wrong? Pikachu has been doing really well before, whether it's leveling up, learning moves, or anything else. It doesn't seem to be reaching its limit at all. In fact, I feel like Pikachu is far from reaching its limit yet.]

[Breeding Ash: Your feeling is indeed correct. Pikachu is far from reaching its ultimate limit, but its current level is definitely its ceiling. If it wants to go further, it will need to use some special methods.]

[Newbie Ash: Special method? What does that mean?]

[Raising Ash: Let me think... I'll start from the beginning. First of all, our Pikachu is quite special, as you should already know, right?]

[Newbie Ash: Mm-hmm.]

Since his debut, he has never seen a Pikachu as special as his own. He has never even heard of one, let alone seen one. In fact, his partner form is a skill that is unique to him in this parallel world.

So Ash never even considered the possibility that his Pikachu had reached its limit.

[Raising Ash: But have you considered that such a special Pikachu really comes at a price? What's the potential of your Pikachu's abilities? A 6A rank is indeed top-tier among Pikachu, but such a rapid improvement rate is something even a 6S-rank Gardevoir can't achieve. What makes this Pikachu so special? Is it due to bond?]

[Newbie Ash: ...]

Although what I said was a bit harsh, it was indeed true.

Even if a Pikachu has a 6A-level aptitude, how can its speed boost possibly compete with a 6S-level Gardevoir?

The maximum value of an ability is not entirely linked to the speed at which a level increases, but it is relatively linked.

While Pikachu doesn't have the problem of increasing its stats, no matter how fast it increases its stats, it shouldn't be this fast.

Now, half a month has passed, and Pikachu still hasn't broken through to the Gym Leader level. This would be perfectly normal for any Pokémon, but it's not normal for Pikachu.

This is enough to show just how fast Pikachu's level was previously. No matter what level it reached, it basically leveled up every seven days. If it continues to grow like this, Pikachu will reach the God Realm level in less than a year!

To reiterate, what makes a 6A-level Pikachu possess such talent? Is it due to Bond Points?

Ash and Pikachu may have a deeper bond, but Gardevoir and Charizard are not much less so. He treats almost all his Pokémon equally, with only his starter Pokémon Pikachu being slightly different.

If it were only this small difference, theoretically it shouldn't have caused such an exaggerated gap in improvement.

So why is Pikachu able to level up faster than Gardevoir?
[Breeder Ash: The reason Pikachu levels up so quickly is because it reaches its limit after reaching the professional level. The constant leveling speed and the absence of level bottlenecks actually indicate that Pikachu has a flaw that you haven't noticed.]

[Newbie Ash: Um... what exactly is this special method you mentioned, expert?]

Ash hadn't forgotten the special method he'd mentioned earlier for overcoming Pikachu's bottleneck.

Pikachu's true limit isn't actually professional level; it's just that the method hasn't been found yet. And that method is likely related to the one-time ability he obtained.

[Breeder Ash: The method is... to go to other regions to 'undergo tribulation']

[Newbie Ash: ? ? ? What the heck is "transcending tribulation"?]

[Ash the breeder: It's actually just a bit of an exaggeration. The actual method is to reach the end of a region and then go to another region. This will allow Pikachu to break through its current level cap.]

[Newbie Ash: Reach the finish line? Where exactly is that? Are the finish lines different in each region?]

[Ash the breeder: This endpoint isn't a specific location, but rather a representation of the end of your journey. For example, in the Kanto region, if you collect eight badges and participate in the League Tournament, then regardless of your ranking, it will be considered that you've completed the journey required for that region.]

[Ash the breeder: Besides collecting badges, there are other ways to reach the 'end,' such as defeating the Elite Four of a region, becoming famous in a region, or defeating the local champion.]

[Breeder Xiaozhi: Besides the methods mentioned above, there are no specific standards for other ways to reach the 'finish line'. To determine whether your local area has reached the so-called 'finish line', you just need to go to another area.]

[Ash the breeder: Speaking of going to other regions, we have to mention Pikachu's truly special characteristic. Pikachu's potential isn't low, it's extremely high! So high that it requires a special method to unlock its potential, and that method is what I just mentioned: after reaching the end of one region, it sets off for another.]

[Ash the breeder: For example, if you achieve the feat of collecting eight badges in Kanto and complete the League Conference, and then go to the Hoenn region, one of the restrictions on Pikachu will be lifted, its talent will increase by one level, and its maximum physical stats will also increase, but correspondingly, its level will decrease.]

[Newbie Ash: ???]

Ash only vaguely understood what was being said before, until the very end when Ash was told that Pikachu's level would drop, at which point Ash finally understood.

It's common for Pokémon to level up, but it's extremely rare for them to level up. Generally, a Pokémon only loses its level when it suffers damage to its core. How can a Pokémon lose its level when its potential and maximum potential have both increased?

[Ash the breeder: You read that right, Pikachu's level does indeed drop. This is the price to gain a higher-level talent. But don't worry, it's relatively easy for Pikachu to return to its original level after the drop. In fact, once it returns to its original level, it will have even better abilities than its peers at that level, so relax.]

[Newbie Ash: Is this the secret that's been hidden in Pikachu all along? How much will Pikachu's potential increase after reaching the next region? Is there a limit to this increase?]

[Ash the breeder: The extent of improvement depends on your Pikachu's situation. For example, my Pikachu could only grow to intermediate professional level when I was in Kanto, and then it couldn't progress any further. Now I've traveled to all regions and should have unlocked all of Pikachu's potential, but it's only at Champion level now.]

[Ash the breeder: But I feel that he should be able to reach the level of a god, it's just that my training is not good enough. However, even at the peak of the champion level, Pikachu now has the power to compete with the god level. It is no exaggeration to say that the difference between the god level and the champion is like heaven and earth. Pikachu's ability to compete with the god level at the peak of the champion level is inseparable from his constant breaking of his own limit and repeatedly lowering his level.]

A champion battling against a divine realm, and it's a Pikachu at that... If people said that, they'd probably think this person was crazy, but raising Ash wouldn't be bragging about it here.

After seeing this, Ash couldn't help but start to dream about his Pikachu's bright future. Could his Pikachu reach that level someday?

Most definitely!
[Newbie Ash: So if I take Pikachu to conquer the entire League, it will have the potential to advance to Legendary level? But the requirements for that seem much harder than for other Pokémon!]

Other Pokémon only need a 3S aptitude to meet the requirements for advancing to the Divine Realm, but his Pikachu has to travel all over the League region to meet the requirements for advancing to the Divine Realm.

According to Ash, Pikachu's aptitude improves with each new region it visits. This means that Pikachu could reach an S-rank aptitude in three or more regions after visiting the third or even the second.

Based on this calculation, isn't it much more difficult for other elves to advance to the God Realm level?
Of course, describing a three-star aptitude as "as long as" is a bit of an exaggeration, but considering the number of high-aptitude Pokémon Ash has, the use of "as long as" is actually not wrong.

[Breeder Ash: You don't actually think that just reaching 3S rank guarantees you'll advance to God Realm rank, do you? Are you dreaming?]

[Breeder Xiaozhi: As I've mentioned before, the most basic requirement for advancing to the God Realm level is a 3S-rank aptitude, but it doesn't mean that having a 3S-rank or higher aptitude guarantees advancement to the God Realm level.]

[Ash the breeder: Pikachu's ability to steadily increase its level through travel experience and eventually reach legendary status is something many Pokémon dream of, but you probably never even imagined it, right?]

[Ash the Breeder: If a Pokémon could reach legendary status given enough time, it would absolutely cause a global frenzy! In a sense, Team Rocket's foresight is truly unmatched; after all, they had their eyes on Pikachu long before it even emerged.]

The words of nurturing Ash made him realize that having potential is one thing, but being able to truly grow to the level of a god is another.

There are many exceptionally talented Pokémon in the world, but how many of them can reach the Champion level?
Therefore, according to Ash's teachings, Pikachu, a Pokémon capable of reaching the level of a god, is absolutely a rare gem in the world, unmatched by any so-called exceptionally talented Pokémon.

Another point about raising Ash is very true: Team Rocket... they really have good judgment!

They truly took a liking to Pikachu on the very first day and have been following Pikachu and his footsteps ever since. In terms of foresight, those three guys are indeed unmatched.

However, we can't rule out the possibility that it might just be a lucky coincidence.

[Newbie Ash: Now that you mention it, it makes sense. Reaching the Legendary level by following the proper steps is probably something most people dream of. Speaking of which, is that new S-rank ability I got related to Pikachu?]

[Breeding Ash: That's right, that ability means exactly what it says. It allows Pikachu to break through its limits even if it hasn't met the conditions for breaking through its limits. You can give it to Pikachu to use once you leave.]

[Champion Ash: I have to say, your luck is truly enviable. You got exactly what you needed. Just when you were about to face Giovanni and Mewtwo, you drew Megatron. It seems even the heavens are blessing you with a successful gym challenge this time.]

[Newbie Ash: Hehe, I'm usually pretty lucky, so I'll go first. Thanks for the explanations, everyone!]

After sending this message, Ash left the group chat and returned to the hot spring.

This group chat included both a lucky draw and some science information, so it took a while to join. Brock and Pikachu even curiously came over to check on Ash.

They called Ash several times but he didn't respond, and they almost thought he had fainted from soaking in the hot spring.

Fortunately, Ash regained consciousness later, otherwise they would have already been planning to carry him out of the hot spring.

"What's wrong, Ash? I called you a few times and you didn't respond," Brock asked curiously after looking Ash up and down.

"It's nothing, I just soaked for too long and felt a little dizzy, so I didn't hear it. I'm fine now." Xiao Zhi waved his hand, indicating that he was alright.

Seeing that Ash was indeed alright, Brock breathed a sigh of relief and stepped out of the hot spring.

He didn't know if Xiaozhi would get dizzy if he soaked in the water any longer, but he was definitely going to get dizzy.

Ash stretched and greeted his friends, "Let's go, everyone. If we don't go back soon, Misty will probably report us missing."

Although they brought their mobile phones, they left them in the changing room, meaning Xiaoxia still couldn't contact them.

This is something that Xiaozhi just remembered.

As expected, when the two returned, they were greeted by Xia, who had a fierce look on her face: "Where did you two run off to! You didn't even tell me!"

(End of this chapter)