Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The video continued playing.

The main venue of the Pokémon World Championships—Wyndon Stadium.

Tier upon tier of circular spectator stands stretched upward around the stadium. The announcer stood at the center of the arena beside an enormous floating holographic sphere, which displayed the rankings, points, and home regions of this year’s Masters Eight.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the opening ceremony of this year’s Pokémon World Championships!"

Deafening cheers erupted from the stands.

"The lineup for this year’s Masters Eight has officially been confirmed! Allow me to introduce them one by one!"

Images of the Champions appeared across the holographic sphere in succession.

"First, ranked eighth—the immensely popular new Sinnoh Champion, Tiana!"

"Ranked seventh—a Trainer who aspires to become a Dragon Master and the current Champion of Unova, Iris!"

"Ranked sixth—the world-famous actress and Champion of the Kalos region, Diantha!"

"Ranked fifth—the investigator who never allows evil to go unpunished and the Champion of Kanto and Johto, Lance!"

"Ranked fourth—the distinguished scion of the Devon Corporation and Champion of Hoenn, Steven!"

"Ranked third—the Trainer who has repeatedly defended his title as the world’s strongest and the Champion of Galar, Leon!"

"Ranked second—Alola’s first Champion, Ash from Pallet Town in the Kanto region!"

"And now, ranked first..."

The holographic sphere abruptly went dark.

Only a golden question mark remained on the screen.

"This Trainer will receive a bye and advance directly to the finals! Their identity will officially be revealed on the day of the championship match!"

An even greater commotion swept through the stands as everyone began whispering among themselves.

Tiana turned toward Lance.

"Mr. Lance, who’s the eighth Trainer?"

Lance glanced at her, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.

"You’ll find out when the time comes."

Tiana turned toward Steven instead.

"Uncle Steven?"

Steven lowered his gaze toward the ground.

"What a fascinating stone~"

"...Isn’t that just the floor?"

Tiana then looked toward Diantha.

Diantha winked at her.

"All I can tell you is that you know him."

Tiana remained where she was, frowning as she mentally reviewed everyone she knew.

"...It couldn’t be."

[VIP Chat Group]

[Valerie]: The first-ranked Trainer advances directly to the finals without battling?! What kind of divine treatment is that?!

[Iris]: They didn’t even reveal the name! They only showed a golden question mark! That’s far too mysterious!

[Gary]: Receiving a direct bye to the finals means the organizers believe this person’s strength no longer needs to be proven through the earlier elimination rounds. Logically, they must either be the previous tournament’s defending Champion or possess a points lead so enormous that no one else comes close.

[Raihan]: Leon defended his title that many times, and even he never received a free pass to the finals.

[Wallace]: Hmm... This person certainly is mysterious.

[Dawn]: More importantly, Ash is ranked second! And he’s Alola’s first Champion!

[Brock]: Looking at it this way, the parallel-world Ash’s journey really is moving. He started in the Kanto region, traveled all the way to becoming Alola Champion, and then rose to second place in the World Championships.

[Gary]: Hmph. Not bad. At least he didn’t disgrace Pallet Town.

[Ash]: Gary, was that a compliment?

[Gary]: I was merely stating a fact.

[Ash]: Then say it again.

[Gary]: No.

[Ash]: Why not?

[Gary]: Because it’s already gone to your head.

[Paul]: ...Hmph. Whether it’s a Champion title or a World Championships ranking, they’re ultimately nothing more than labels. A true Trainer should focus on strength itself.

[Ash]: Paul, you’re watching too!

[Paul]: I merely happened to have some free time.

[Gary]: You just happened to have enough free time to watch the entire thing?

[Paul]: ...Hmph.

The video continued playing.

On the battlefield, the referee raised his flag.

"The first round of the Pokémon World Championships—Tiana versus Diantha! Battle, begin!"

Diantha sent out Gardevoir.

Tiana chose Tyranitar.

In the end, Tyranitar struck Gardevoir head-on with Stone Edge. Gardevoir collapsed and lost consciousness.

The referee raised his flag.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle! Tyranitar wins!"

Tiana’s second-round opponent was Steven.

Tiana sent out Salamence, while Steven chose Metagross.

The scene changed.

Metagross lay in the center of the battlefield, all four of its legs hanging limply against the ground.

Steven recalled Metagross, still wearing a smile, before walking to the center of the field and extending a hand toward Tiana.

"Very impressive, Tiana. You’ve already surpassed me."

Tiana shook his hand.

"Uncle Steven’s Metagross was extremely strong too."

"Once the tournament is over, could you deliver a message to your father for me?"

"What message?"

"Tell him, ’If you don’t send me the location of that mineral vein soon, I’ll expose every one of your secrets.’"

Tiana froze for a second before nodding solemnly.

"I’ll repeat your words exactly."

Tiana’s third match was against Ash.

Ash sent out Pikachu, while Tiana chose Garchomp.

Because Electric-type moves had no effect on Garchomp, Ash could do little more than watch as Garchomp repeatedly used Dragon Dance before ultimately defeating Pikachu.

Ash walked over, gathered Pikachu into his arms, and gently brushed the dust from its head.

"You fought really well," Ash said softly.

Pikachu released a weak cry.

"Pika..."

Carrying Pikachu, Ash walked to the center of the battlefield and extended his right hand toward Tiana.

"Congratulations on advancing."

Tiana took his hand.

"Thank you, Mister Ash."

"Thank me?"

"Thank you for showing me the purest form of the bond between a Trainer and their Pokémon."

Tiana looked at him earnestly.

"After battling you and Pikachu, I understand something Daddy once told me even more clearly."

"Pokémon aren’t tools. They’re family."

Pikachu poked its head out from Ash’s arms and called toward Tiana.

"Pika, pika!"

Ash smiled and waved to her.

"Make sure you win the finals too!"

[VIP Chat Group]

[Brock]: All right, all right. The finals are next. Tiana has already won three consecutive matches, so who is her final opponent?

[Ash]: I don’t know who it is, but they must be incredibly strong!

[Elesa]: Judging by Tiana’s expression earlier, I think she has already figured it out.

[Valerie]: But she didn’t say anything.

[Skyla]: We’ll simply have to keep watching. The finals are about to begin.

[Korrina]: No matter who her opponent is, Tiana will definitely win!

...

TL: Oh my god! I wonder who it could be!