"Time to place the order."
After the matches ended, Ash walked along the corridor toward the main hall.
At the same time, he opened the City Arena Official Store on his phone and selected the item in his cart—
Light Ball.
The newcomer first-purchase 50% discount coupon was automatically applied.
As he watched the 500,000 Poké Dollars in his account drop instantly to zero, Ash didn't feel the slightest bit of regret.
His Skill Disc online shop had already been running for quite some time.
Even with just regular business, it had generated 7–8 million Poké Dollars, nearly reaching ten million.
And the "Magikarp + Tackle" training service alone had already brought in profits exceeding 50 million Poké Dollars.
Compared to that—
The 500,000 Poké Dollars from the City Arena account was hardly worth worrying about.
The only difference was that arena earnings required time-consuming battles to accumulate.
But being able to exchange that amount for a rare Pokémon item that was nearly impossible to buy on the open market—
That was absolutely worth it.
….
After completing the purchase on the app, Ash didn't need to wait for delivery.
He simply walked to the pickup counter, showed his order code, and collected the item immediately.
"Hello, I just purchased an item— Light Ball."
"Order number: 3645××××××××."
Ash handed over his phone to show the order.
"Alright, please wait a moment."
The staff member at the pickup counter—a young man—verified Ash's identity using both the order number and his Trainer Crystal ID Card, then quickly retrieved the item.
It was placed inside a small wooden box, which he handed over.
"Mr. Ash," the staff member added politely,
"I need to remind you that Pokémon item purchases have certain requirements."
"Currently, your ranked battle record in the City Arena is zero."
"You were able to purchase the Light Ball only because of the newcomer first-purchase discount coupon."
"For future purchases, not only will you need to pay the full price…"
"But your rank must reach at least three stars."
"Understood. Thank you for the reminder."
Ash accepted the box with a smile and thanked him politely.
…
Three more items for Fearow…
Focus Lens, Quick Claw, and Sharp Beak…
That means I need at least 3 million Poké Dollars, and my rank must reach Professional Three-Star.
Quite a big project…
But I still have four years before officially starting my journey.
That's more than enough time.
Ash calculated silently in his mind.
….
After spending over two months to finally obtain a Pokémon item, Ash, Gary, and Clarissa sat down in the lounge area.
Ash eagerly opened the wooden box.
Inside—
A golden orb shimmered softly.
"Wow…!"
"So this is the Light Ball? It looks really beautiful."
Clarissa's eyes sparkled as she admired it.
"The Light Ball," Ash explained,
"is a special item formed inside the cheek sacs of Pikachu-type Pokémon under certain conditions."
"It's an exclusive item for the Pikachu evolutionary line."
"For other Electric-type Pokémon, its effect is minimal."
"But for Pikachu…"
"It's practically a divine-tier item."
-----
Light Ball Effects
In Battle:
When held by a Pikachu-line Pokémon, both Physical Attack and Special Attack are doubled, and move power is significantly increased. Outside Battle:
If either parent holds this item during breeding, the hatched Pichu will learn Volt Tackle.
The breeding effect alone was already valuable.
But the Light Ball's true strength lay in its combat enhancement.
Unlike items like Charcoal, Miracle Seed, or Mystic Water, which only boosted specific types of moves—
The Light Ball directly enhanced core offensive stats.
A Pikachu holding an Light Ball would have all its attacks doubled in power, regardless of type.
And not just a small increase—
It was a full 100% boost.
That was why it was considered Pikachu's ultimate equipment.
Without it, Pikachu was just a cute little Pokémon.
With it—
Pikachu transformed into a terrifying lightning mage.
Take Pikachu's basic move Thunder Shock, for example.
Base Power: 40
With bonuses:
Same-Type Attack Bonus ×1.5
Light Ball Boost ×2
40 × 1.5 × 2 = 120 Power
A simple basic move—
Now had the same raw power as the Grass-type ultimate move Solar Beam.
And Solar Beam required a full turn to charge.
But Thunder Shock was instant.
Even better—
Neither the STAB bonus nor the Light Ball increased energy consumption or charge time.
In other words—
Pikachu could spam instant, low-cost, Solar Beam-level attacks.
…
If Pikachu had possessed the Light Ball during Ash's earlier test with Master Caldor—
Ash wouldn't have needed to carefully control the pace of the battle or rely on tactics.
With Pikachu's speed and overwhelming firepower, it likely could have defeated that LV.55 Heatmor in just a few turns.
No matter how one looked at it—
With the Light Ball now in its possession, Pikachu had undergone a complete transformation.
It firmly reclaimed its position as the strongest member of Ash's team.
"Pikachu."
After letting Gary and Clarissa admire the item for a moment, Ash wiped it clean with a tissue and handed it over.
"Merge this Light Ball into your body."
"Pika~! (=^▽^=) Got it!"
Pikachu happily took the Light Ball.
Then—
With a soft glow—
It absorbed the orb into its body.
--------------
T/N:
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