Three days later, under the brilliant Galarian sun, the quarterfinals of the Masters Tournant officially began.
The first matchup: Sinnoh Champion Cynthia versus Drasna.
Unlike the preliminaries and earlier battles, the quarterfinals abandoned randomized formats. This ti, it was a best-of-three, one-on-one singles match, true high-level trainer warfare. Only the four winners would move on to the semifinals.
Back at the Tree House Ranch, Naoki sat on a wooden bench beneath a shady apricorn tree, surrounded by his Pokémon. Koraidon was coiled beside him, munching on a berry as they all watched the match live via Rotom projection.
Cynthia opened with Gastrodon.
Drasna countered with Noivern, the supersonic dragon that had terrorized entire brackets before.
"Smart," Naoki murmured. "Gastrodon's bulky, but Noivern's relentless."
As expected, Noivern unleashed a barrage of Air Slashes and Draco teors, but Cynthia played a brutal war of attrition. Muddy Water slowed Noivern's movents, and Recover let Gastrodon soak damage without faltering. The sticky sludge attacks gradually clipped Noivern's wings.
After a tense standoff, Noivern's wings finally buckled, Gastrodon had won round one, but barely.
Drasna responded by sending out Dragalge, the poisonous sea dragon. A single Sludge Bomb caught Gastrodon off guard and knocked it out.
Then Cynthia sent in Milotic.
A dazzling display of grace and raw strength followed. Milotic weaved through Dragalge's Toxic spikes with Aqua Rings and struck back with Hypnosis and Hydro Pump. The tide shifted.
Drasna's last hope, her ace, ga Altaria.
The sky shimred as Altaria ga Evolved mid-air, clouds swirling around its wings like cotton armor. But Milotic refused to yield. Ice Beam after Ice Beam chipped away at the dragon's defenses. The two clashed in a final explosion of Dragon Pulse and Blizzard.
When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon had fainted, but Cynthia still had one unused Pokémon.
"The victory goes to Cynthia!" the announcer declared. The crowd erupted.
Naoki nodded slightly. "As expected. Cynthia doesn't drop her opening match."
With the first quarterfinal decided, all eyes turned to tomorrow's highly anticipated matchup: Leon versus Raihan.
"A classic rivalry match," Naoki muttered, but he already knew how it would end.
Raihan was strong, no doubt. But Leon? Leon had never lost in an official competition. His win rate was still at a staggering 100%.
"But the finals..." Naoki narrowed his eyes. "The finals will be full 6v6."
It was ti to think about his team.
He wouldn't rely on Kyurem or Giratina again. No. From here on, he'd use his true team, the six Pokémon he had raised himself, each with their own bond, their own pride.
Go-Goat. Go-Goat. Go-Goat. Dragonite. Pawmot. Koraidon.
His most trusted partners.
"Even Leon... won't be invincible against them."
He scratched Koraidon's neck thoughtfully, lost in planning.
Still, his upcoming match against Lance lood first. Six days to prepare.
"ga Evolution and Dynamax are allowed," he thought aloud. "But Z-Moves and Terastallizing haven't been officially sanctioned yet. Not in this tournant."
His competitors had brought the best. Leon's Gigantamax Charizard. Cynthia's ga Garchomp. Steven's ga tagross. Diantha's ga Gardevoir. Raihan's Gigantamax Duraludon.
anwhile, Naoki's ace weapons, Z-Power and Tera Energy, were unusable.
"Doesn't matter," he muttered, eyes gleaming. "We'll fight. And we'll win anyway."
Just then, his Rotom phone buzzed.
[Incoming ssage: wtwo]
Naoki tapped it open.
[wtwo]: Soone else just arrived at the World Tree.
Naoki blinked. "What?"
Soone ca through the Mysterious Labyrinth?
His heart skipped a beat. Last ti, it had been Pryce. Could it be… soone even more dangerous this ti?
He sprang to his feet, grabbing Koraidon and the device linked to Arceus.
"I'm heading to the World Tree."
As he soared into the skies on Koraidon's back, the wind whipping past him, he tapped rapidly through Arceus's feed, trying to identify the person.
Arceus's phone, linked to the dinsional gate, recorded every step of every Pokémon's journey through the gate.
Naoki scrolled for minutes, fingers flicking past countless expedition logs, until he paused at a set of familiar nas.
[August 8] – owth and Pikachu expressed a desire to see the outside world.
[August 9] – owth and Pikachu ford the "owth Expedition Team." After handing over tavern duties to Sandslash, they entered the Gate of Ti and Space.
[August 12] – The owth Expedition Team beca lost in the labyrinth. At a four-way fork, Pikachu insisted on taking the left path.
[September 17] – They accidentally entered World 001.
[September 18] – From the locals, they heard of a strange human living atop the mountain and decided to investigate.
[September 19] – Atop Silver Mountain, they encountered a silent trainer in a red cap, Red, who was training alone. Red's Pikachu felt an uncanny bond with theirs. They quickly beca friends. Red was... stunned.
[September 20] – With the help of Espeon's psychic power, Red learned the truth about their origins. He and his Pikachu shared their training journey but admitted they had hit a limit.
[September 21] – owth and Pikachu told Red about the World Tree, Naoki, and the Legendary Pokémon, wtwo, Rayquaza, Ho-Oh... and extended an invitation.
[September 22] – Moved by the tale, and eager to explore the unknown, Red, who had already reached the pinnacle of strength, accepted.
[October 2] – owth's team returned safely to the World Tree... with Red.
Naoki's eyes widened as he stared at the final entry.
Red.
The na echoed in his mind. The silent prodigy atop Silver Mountain. The strongest trainer in Pokémon history.
In the gas, only after conquering every Gym and dethroning the regional Champion could one even hope to challenge him. And when they did, his six Pokémon, all maxed out, awaited without a single word of greeting.
The wind whistled past Naoki's ears as Koraidon descended toward the World Tree's courtyard.
He spotted them instantly.
Standing quietly in front of the Pokémon Guild's wooden archway was a young man in a red cap, flanked by two familiar figures, owth and Pikachu.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried with joy as they saw Naoki dismount.
Red slowly turned around.
Their eyes t.
Naoki: "…"
Red: "…"
The silence stretched for just a beat longer than expected.
Naoki resisted the urge to laugh. 'Yup. Just like the legends. Not a word.'
Still, as the host, he stepped forward and broke the silence first.
"Welco to the World Tree, Red," Naoki said, calmly and warmly.
Red blinked.
"...!"
Even without speaking, the look on his face scread, 'Wait, how do you know ?!'
Naoki smiled knowingly. "You're a legend where I co from. Of course I know you."
Red remained stunned, but owth and Pikachu hopped up enthusiastically beside him, helping bridge the awkwardness. Pikachu even rubbed cheeks with Naoki's own Pikachu, their electric sparks tingling in sync.
With the tension gone, Naoki walked forward with a smile and took the initiative to introduce the current situation to Red.
"As you can see, you've left your world. This is another dinsion, a place you could call a parallel ti and space."
Red said nothing, quietly absorbing the information.
"This place is known as the World Tree," Naoki continued.
Red's eyes suddenly widened in surprise as he looked up.
Naoki could easily guess what he was thinking.
Red's thoughts: 'A tree? That huge?!'
Naoki smiled. "At first, it was just a small sapling. I nurtured it personally, together with the Pokémon. Over ti, it beca what it is today. You could say it's a shared ho for both and the Pokémon here."
Hearing that this colossal tree was planted by the person in front of him, Red looked visibly stunned.
"As for how I know you..." Naoki paused deliberately.
As expected, Red imdiately turned his eyes toward him, curious.
Naoki waited in silence, wondering if Red would finally say sothing.
But Red, true to his nature, remained completely silent.
"..."
Naoki: "..."
Red: "..."
Naoki: "..."
Red: "..."
Naoki: "..."
"Alright, fine!" Naoki finally gave in, shaking his head. "Like I said, there's a passage on this tree that connects to other worlds. The Pokémon who live here sotis go through it and bring back information. I heard about you a long ti ago. I just didn't expect you to actually show up here."
Red was still silent, deep in thought.
"But still, welco to this world," Naoki said with a smile.
He extended his hand.
Red hesitated briefly, then reached out and shook it.
Naoki's smile grew a little warr.
"I know why you're here. You ca to train, didn't you?" Naoki asked casually.
Red's eyes widened again. Clearly, he was shocked by how much this man seed to know.
"The Pokémon here are all my companions."
Since owth and Pikachu had personally invited Red back, it would be too rude to send him away. With that in mind, Naoki looked directly at him.
"You're welco to stay and train, but on one condition. You must never force any Pokémon here to battle. You may only fight with those who are willing."
Red blinked in surprise.
His eyes drifted to the Pokémon nearby. As an experienced trainer, he could imdiately sense their strength.
He realized that fighting them wouldn't help his training. They weren't strong enough to push him.
Red looked a little uncertain at first but eventually nodded quietly in understanding.
Just then, Naoki received a ssage on his Rotom phone.
At this mont, he suddenly received a call from sister Indeedee, saying that Elara had started crying and was asking for her dad.
Naoki quickly explained the situation to Red and left with Koraidon to return to the ranch.
Red remained where he stood, silently watching the mysterious man's figure fade into the distance.
owth and Pikachu happily waved goodbye as Naoki walked away.
Once he had vanished from view, the two turned excitedly to Red's Pikachu and tugged on its paws.
"PIkapi" "Co on! Let's hit the Pokémon Tavern for a drink, then go get so sushi!"
Red's Pikachu blinked, surprised by their friendliness. But before it could question anything, it found itself being pulled along by the pair. It didn't resist, just smiled and looked back, motioning for its trainer to follow.
"Pikapi!"
Red snapped out of his thoughts.
Looking around, he finally noticed the lively Pokémon bustling around the area. There were all kinds, flying-types, water-types, even dragon-types, all peacefully coexisting.
It felt different here.
Back in his world, such harmony was rare outside of special sanctuaries. But here… Pokémon of all species lived side by side, with no battles, no borders, no fear.
Even more curious was the promise Naoki had made: that Red could train here.
His eyes swept over the nearby Pokémon again. None of them looked aggressive. None showed the usual signs of territorial instinct or wariness. They simply welcod him.
After a mont of thought, Red stepped forward, deciding to explore this strange, peaceful haven alongside his Pikachu.
Just then, a lodious cry echoed from above.
A beautiful, shimring light flowed down like golden rain. Red and his Pikachu instantly turned toward the sky, their instincts in perfect sync.
A magnificent bird Pokémon, glowing in a spectrum of rainbow colors, descended gracefully onto the high branches of the World Tree.
Red's eyes widened.
Ho-Oh.
But the surprises weren't over yet.
A deep, thunderous roar followed. The clouds above parted as a serpentine figure burst through the air, scales gleaming erald in the sun.
Rayquaza.
Red froze in place, speechless.
His Pikachu stared skyward, mouth agape.
Behind them, owth and Pikachu had paused too. Pikachu turned to Red's Pikachu with a proud gleam in its eyes.
"Pika-Pika!" (That's Ho-Oh and Rayquaza! They live here on the World Tree too!)
Red's Pikachu looked stunned, trying to process what it just heard. After a pause, it asked hesitantly, "Pika-Pika?" (You an… they're your friends?)
Pikachu grinned, nodding. "Pikachu~!" (Yup! They're all Naoki's Pokémon!)
Red's Pikachu: "...!!"
It blinked, jaw slightly open, as it tried to grasp the reality of those words.
Naoki… is their Trainer?
Pikachu pointed toward the sky again. "Pika~!" (And they're not the only ones! wtwo, Groudon, Kyogre, they're all here too! And they protect us!)
Red's Pikachu felt a chill run through its fur. Just the ntion of those legendary nas was enough to leave it awestruck.
Was this really the kind of place they'd stumbled into?
Pikachu gave a firm nod. "Pikachu! Pika Pika!" (Right? If you train here, you'll get so much stronger!)
Red's Pikachu slowly turned around.
Its eyes t Red's.
For a mont, the two just looked at each other, no words, no gestures, only the silent connection between Trainer and Pokémon.
And then, without needing to speak, Red understood.
Red's eyes burned with determination as he gazed up at the towering branches of the World Tree.
So it was true.
This place could really help him grow stronger.
The mysterious man's words echoed in his mind again, and this ti, Red finally understood their aning.
...
anwhile, back at the ranch, Naoki had returned in ti to catch the next rounds of the Masters Tournant, which had entered the quarterfinal stage.
October 6The second match of the quarterfinals was held.
Leon vs. Raihan
Just as Naoki expected, Leon erged victorious. His commanding tactics and unmatched synergy with his Gigantamax Charizard left no room for surprise.
October 7
The third quarterfinal match.
Steven vs. Diantha.
This was another clash between champions, but in the end, Steven's ga tagross proved too powerful. Naoki wasn't surprised in the slightest, Steven's precision and calm control always gave him the edge.
Then ca October 8.
The day of the fourth quarterfinal match.
Naoki vs. Lance.
The match was scheduled for 9 a.m., and Naoki arrived at the stadium well ahead of ti. Calm, focused, and ready.
At that very mont, on the World Tree, the Pokémon Tavern was unusually lively.
Inside the warm wooden hall, dozens of Pokémon had gathered together in front of a screen, Rotom's phone, perched proudly on a floating tray. Rotom had taken the role of broadcaster, projecting the live match for everyone to watch.
"Awoo!" a Lycanroc howled. "Naoki's match is about to start!"
The Pokémon scrambled around, bringing in wooden benches, round boulders, and large stumps to sit on. They packed the tavern, eyes gleaming with excitent like moviegoers waiting for a premiere.
Even Red, who had been quietly observing the daily rhythms of this strange world, noticed the unusual commotion.
Curious, he walked into the tavern with Pikachu by his side.
The first thing he saw was a crowd of Pokémon sitting together in rows, all facing a hovering device with a bright screen. They were whispering, tail-tapping, and occasionally bursting into excited chirps or growls.
On the screen… was him, the man he'd t just yesterday.
Naoki, standing calmly in a stadium, ready to begin his battle.
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