"It's so thrilling and inspiring!"

"Yeah, who would've thought that this time, the champion would actually be that Tyson? His performance was truly amazing!"

"Exactly! I should be training my Pokémon more seriously too! When I get back, I need to dedicate myself to training them!"

At the scenic port of Slateport, the Hoenn League Tournament had just concluded. The audience started boarding ships to leave Slateport Harbor.

"Sis, it's such a shame that Ash didn't win. He worked so hard!" said a young boy around seven or eight years old, dressed in gold, speaking to a girl with brown hair and a red headscarf beside him. It was Max, and the girl next to him was his sister, May.

"There's nothing we can do; Tyson's Meowth was too strong. Pikachu gave it his all too. By the way, where's Ash?" May shook her head, noticing that Ash was nowhere in sight.

Next to them stood Brock, the "super babysitter."

"I guess he's feeling a bit down after missing the championship. But don't worry, this is Ash we're talking about. Nothing can bring him down for long," Brock reassured them, though he still felt a twinge of concern.

Just as the three of them were about to search for Ash, they heard his voice from behind them: "Don't worry! Even though I only made it to the top eight this time, it won't stop me from getting stronger. Let's get on the ship!"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu's cheerful cry echoed.

Ash looked revitalized, as if he'd been reborn, and he was the first to step onto the ship. Pikachu on his shoulder joyfully waved to the others.

Brock, May, and Max glanced at each other and followed him onto the ship.

"There's something a little different about Ash this time," May observed admiringly. She respected his resilience; if it had been her, she'd have struggled to recover so quickly after failing to win the tournament despite collecting eight badges.

The four of them soon boarded the ship, leaving Slateport Harbor behind.

Ash—though perhaps now it would be more fitting to call him the strong-willed Ash—was ready to move forward.

As Ash, or rather Enzo in Ash's form, stood on the deck, an excited gleam remained in his eyes.

"Who would've thought that in this parallel world of Pokémon, I would actually become Ash?"

Enzo, an orphan from Earth, never imagined he would be transported into the world of Pokémon. And a bit of an airhead, eternally ten years old, was somehow his parallel self!

"Now that I'm here, I won't let those things happen again!"

Enzo had already fully embraced his role as Ash. Actually, he was Ash—this was simply another version of himself from a parallel world. In this world, however, the journey didn't begin at ten years old; it started at sixteen, meaning Ash, or Enzo, was now eighteen and had been on his journey for two years.

Just then, a notification echoed in his mind: "Congratulations, Host! System successfully installed!"

As expected of a traveler from another world, he now had a system—a phenomenon that, although it might be delayed, never failed to appear.

"Notice: Pokémon Sign-In System has been activated. The host can view system details in the mind."

"Notice: Pokémon Sign-In System is active. Current location detected as Slateport City, within the Hoenn League Tournament area. First check-in available!"

"Notice: First check-in at Slateport City successful. System starter package unlocked. Rewards distributing..."

Enzo—or rather, the new Ash—was visibly excited. "A Pokémon Sign-In System? Let's see what you can do!"

"Pika?"

Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, sensed the excitement and looked at him curiously, not quite catching what he'd said.

"Oh, Pikachu, it's nothing. I was just thinking that although our Hoenn League journey has ended, our adventure is far from over!"

"Pika-pika!" (Of course!)

Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, gazing out at the sea ahead.

"Ash, when we reach the Battle Frontier, we..." Brock and Max came over to Ash's left side, while May stood to his right. The four of them looked out over the vast ocean together.

Enzo was Ash, and Ash was Enzo, just from different worlds. And because of that, he remembered every experience Ash had gone through on this journey with clarity.

Strangely, thinking about reaching the Battle Frontier and eventually parting ways left Max feeling a bit down, though he wasn't sure why.

She was thinking about how to bring up the topic, but Ash already knew what she wanted to say.

"May, today's farewell is so that we can meet again under even better circumstances. You can always come visit me in the Kanto region! For now, I'm planning to stay home and get some good rest for a while."

Ash knew that this was something May had already decided on in her heart.

As he chatted with May and the others, Ash began checking the rewards from his first sign-in and exploring what was included in the system starter package.

--------------

T/N:

Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals

(Replace '@' with 'a')