Chapter 12: Super Mystic Water
[VIP Chat Group]
Everyone held their breath, and no one sent another message.
The screen flickered—
[Correct answer!]
[Congratulations! Ash has received a reward—a Super Mystic Water!]
[Super Mystic Water: When held by a Pokémon, the power of its Water-type moves is increased by 200%.]
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Huh? I got it right?!
[Gary]: ...You actually guessed correctly.
[Ash]: What do you mean, guessed?! I seriously analyzed the question!
[Gary]: What exactly did you analyze?
[Ash]: I... analyzed what Professor Oak said!
[Professor Oak]: ...I merely stated the standard data. I did not specifically identify which option was correct.
[Ash]: Then it was my own judgment!
[Misty]: All right, all right. Either way, he answered correctly. But that reward... A Super Mystic Water? It increases the power of Water-type moves by 200%?
[Lorelei]: I’m familiar with Mystic Water, but this is the first time I’ve heard of a Super Mystic Water. And a 200% increase to the power of Water-type moves... Isn’t that far too powerful?
[Lance]: As expected, the rewards granted by the livestream are no ordinary items.
[Cynthia]: It seems the benefits of answering correctly are indeed substantial. However... the punishments are equally severe.
[Ash]: Hehehe! I got a reward! Pikachu, did you see that?!
[Ash]: Oh, right. Who should I give this Super Mystic Water to?
[Brock]: Ash, don’t you have any Water-type Pokémon?
[Ash]: Of course I do! I have Squirtle! And Kingler, Totodile, Corphish...
[Gary]: Fools really are blessed with good fortune.
[Ash]: Gary, are you jealous because I got a reward?!
[Gary]: Jealous of you? I merely think giving such an item to you is a waste.
[Ash]: You—!
[Misty]: Stop arguing, both of you! The video is about to continue!
The screen darkened before gradually lighting up once again.
This time, a new message appeared.
[Ding! Parallel-World Celebrity Series—Episode One: Water-Type Pokémon Master Raina—Intermission]
[The next stage of the broadcast will begin in twenty-four hours.]
[A new round of random questions will begin at that time.]
[All viewers, please prepare yourselves.]
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: An intermission? Does that mean today’s broadcast is over?
[Gary]: It appears so. It will resume in twenty-four hours.
[Brock]: That may be for the best. We’ve been watching all day, and my eyes are starting to ache.
[Diantha]: Wait. It seems the chat function is still available.
[Cynthia]: Apparently so. The screen will remain, but the video itself has been paused.
[Steven]: That works out nicely. There are several things I would like to investigate.
[Ash]: Then I’m going to train too!
...
In an unknown forest...
Jessie sat on a tree stump with Meowth cradled in her arms.
Meowth had fallen asleep, occasionally letting out a quiet "Meowth" before rolling over and continuing to sleep.
Nearby, James had built a small fire and was roasting several Berries.
"Jessie, how much longer will it take for Meowth to recover?"
"Twenty hours," Jessie replied expressionlessly. "Only four hours have passed."
"...So we have to wait another twenty hours?"
"What else can we do? Do you have a solution?"
James remained silent for a moment.
"What if we begged the livestream to change him back?"
"Do you really think it would listen to you?"
"...No."
"Then be quiet and wait."
...
Pallet Town, Kanto Region.
Professor Oak sat inside his laboratory with a bowl of instant noodles in front of him.
He looked at the noodles, then at the screen. After hesitating briefly, he picked up his chopsticks.
"They shouldn’t become soggy this time... right?"
The moment he finished speaking, Ash’s voice came from outside the door.
"Professor Oak! I’m here!"
Professor Oak’s hand jerked, nearly knocking over the bowl.
"Ash! Could you knock before coming in?"
"Oh, okay!"
Knock, knock, knock!
A loud knocking immediately came from outside.
"Professor Oak! I’m here!"
Professor Oak sighed, put down his chopsticks, and rose to open the door.
...
Somewhere in the Unova region...
Iris sat on a tree branch, her legs swinging idly as she looked at the screen floating before her.
"Axew, do you think that girl named Raina will really catch Suicune someday?"
Axew poked its head out from her hair and tilted it curiously.
"Axew?"
"I think she will."
Iris smiled.
"She has the same look in her eyes as all those powerful Trainers."
"Axew!"
Axew cried out again in agreement.
"Then we’ll have to work hard too!"
Iris leaped down from the tree.
"If we want to become Dragon Masters, we need to do some special training of our own!"
...
Lumiose City, Kalos Region.
Clemont stood inside his laboratory, surrounded by instruments and glowing screens.
"Incredible... The source of the livestream’s signal is completely untraceable..."
He pushed up his glasses.
"Bonnie, how do you think it accomplishes this?"
Bonnie sat in a chair, swinging her legs.
"I don’t know, but I think it’s really interesting."
"Interesting? This is nothing short of a scientific miracle!"
Clemont waved his arms excitedly.
"If we could decipher this technology, communication throughout the entire Pokémon world would—"
"Clemont, you should fix your own inventions first. That automatic cooking machine you built last time nearly destroyed our home."
"...That was an accident."
"You say that every time."
Clemont fell silent.
...
Celestic Town, Sinnoh Region.
Cynthia sat beside a window in the historical research center, holding an ancient book in her hands. However, her eyes remained fixed on the screen.
"Asher..."
She quietly repeated the name.
"Who exactly are you?"
Outside the window, the setting sun gradually sank beneath the horizon, painting the distant clouds in shades of gold and crimson.
She opened the ancient book to a page depicting the silhouette of an enormous Pokémon.
It was Lugia.
"If your daughter truly caught Lugia..."
Cynthia murmured to herself.
"Then what about you? What kind of connection do you have with Lugia?"
...
Petalburg City, Hoenn Region.
May sat on the steps outside her house with a rice ball in her hand, while Max repeatedly flipped through the notes beside her.
"May, do you think Raina will travel through the Hoenn region?"
"I don’t know."
May took a bite of her rice ball.
"But if she does come here, I wonder whether she’ll participate in Pokémon Contests."
"May, she becomes a Water-type Elite Four member."
"So what?"
May’s eyes lit up.
"Wallace is both a Champion and a Top Coordinator! I would love to see Raina perform in a Pokémon Contest... If she entered with Suicune or Lugia, it would be absolutely beautiful."
...
Saffron City, Kanto Region.
Sabrina sat inside the meditation chamber of Saffron Gym, with a cup of tea floating before her.
She stared at the screen without the slightest expression on her face.
"...Interesting."
The teacup slowly descended and settled steadily on the table.
Sabrina closed her eyes and extended her psychic power toward the screen.
The next instant, her power was forcefully repelled.
Sabrina opened her eyes, her pupils contracting slightly.
"Even my psychic power cannot penetrate it..."
...
Ecruteak City, Johto Region.
Morty stood before the Bell Tower.
"...Suicune."
He quietly spoke the name while looking at the cover image of the young woman displayed on the screen.
"Someone chosen by Suicune... Will such a person appear in this world as well?"
...
Cinnabar Island, Kanto Region.
Blaine sat in a hot spring with a wet towel resting on his head. The screen floated amid the steam before him.
"Hehehe... Interesting. Most interesting."
He picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip.
"A young girl capable of catching Suicune and Lugia... and a mysterious livestream that appeared from nowhere."
Blaine put down his cup and narrowed his eyes.
"It appears quite a few things are about to happen."
...
Veilstone City, Sinnoh Region.
Maylene stood at the center of a training field, with Lucario beside her also watching the screen.
"Lucario, how strong do you think that man named Asher really is?"
Lucario closed its eyes, seemingly attempting to sense something. A moment later, it opened them and shook its head.
"You mean... you can’t determine it?"
Lucario nodded.
Maylene remained silent for a moment before smiling.
"That makes sense. We can’t learn everything from a video... But even through the screen, I could feel the pressure coming from that Dragonite."
She clenched her fist.
"I would really like to battle him."
...
Shalour City, Kalos Region.
Korrina stood outside her Gym with Lucario beside her.
"Hey, Lucario. What do you think of Raina’s Wartortle?"
Lucario tilted its head.
"I don’t mean its strength. I mean the way it feels."
Korrina gestured toward the screen.
"The way Wartortle looks at Raina is a little like the way you look at me."
Lucario froze before quickly turning its head away.
"Hey! Why are you suddenly acting embarrassed?"
...
The Galar region.
Raihan stood at the highest point of a stadium, overlooking the city below.
"Leon, I bet you’re thinking about the same thing right now."
He opened the chat group and glanced at Leon’s profile icon.
It was gray, indicating that he was offline.
"Tch. He isn’t even here."
Raihan closed the screen, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Whatever. You’ll definitely be here when the video continues tomorrow."
...
In the unknown forest...
Jessie had fallen asleep while leaning against the tree stump, still holding Meowth in her arms.
James remained awake, staring absentmindedly into the fire.
"...Twenty-four hours."
He sighed and placed another branch onto the flames.
"Meowth, hurry up and come back to us. Without you, Team Rocket can’t even plan its next operation properly."
The fire crackled, sending several sparks drifting into the air.
Meowth rolled over in Jessie’s arms, let out a sleepy cry, and returned to sleep.
James looked at him and suddenly smiled.
"All right. I suppose it’s rare for you to get such a peaceful night’s sleep."
He leaned back against the tree stump and closed his eyes.
"...Good night, Meowth. Good night, Jessie."