Ash didn't really feel… all there, for what happened next.
The podium, taking the trophy… in a lot of ways, it was the fulfilment of one of his childhood dreams.
And, in another way, it felt like he was dreaming. Like there was something unreal about it.
Maybe it was that Pikachu wasn't there with him for the podium. The Electric-type was completely exhausted, and had gone off to the Pokémon Centre.
Or maybe it was something else.
"What happened?" Ash asked, once he got a moment alone with his friends – once the chaos of the celebration had died down into a time when he'd be battling Sidney in two days. "Unown – do you know what that was?"
He sent the Psychic-type out, and Unown pulsed.
"Details?" they requested. "I do not know what you refer to, specifically."
"During the final," Ash explained. "There was a flash of light… Pikachu seemed to be out of it, then they got a second wind."
"A flash?" Max asked. "I didn't see anything."
"You sound worried," Brock pointed out, unnecessarily. "Do you think something went wrong?"
"I'm worried I did something wrong," Ash said. "Without realizing it. If I got involved by mistake, that would be… really embarrassing, and bad, and… it'd make me feel like I hadn't won properly."
He sighed. "I know that I still had Latias left, I didn't want to switch her in while Mega Sceptile was using Pursuit but it's an option I had, but… it wouldn't feel right."
"Do you refer to the fact that Pikachu is your first Noble Pokémon?" Unown asked.
"A what?" Ash replied.
"Ash, remember, we're only understanding the side of the conversation that you say," Brock hinted.
"Right, uh… Unown said that Pikachu was my first… Noble Pokémon?" Ash said, wanting to make sure he'd got it right. "I don't know what a Noble Pokémon is."
"A Noble Pokémon is a Pokémon granted a fraction of your power, which they may call upon to bolster their strength," Unown stated. "This function was not locked off, and executed subconsciously."
They shivered in the air. "Is that a problem?"
"That would mean I interfered in the battle!" Ash said, doing his best to avoid getting angry or upset about this. "That's exactly what I was hoping didn't happen…"
Unown pulsed again. "I am still not good at catching nuance. I should clarify: the event where Pikachu became a Noble Pokémon took place two days before the Preliminary battle in which Absol participated."
"Two days before…" Ash said, frowning. "You mean it happened before the League? I thought…"
"Two days before Absol's battle…" Latias repeated, then gasped. "Wait! I remember that!"
She turned to Ash. "That was when you were teaching Pikachu Extremespeed, wasn't it? You got really tired after when he finally managed to copy you successfully."
"I remember being tired," Ash admitted. "I just thought it was because I'd been using Extremespeed a lot."
"It'd be really nice to be able to understand all of this conversation," May said.
"Yeah, it's really interesting," Max agreed.
Ralts giggled.
"...is Ralts translating for you?" May asked.
"Maybe?" Max defended himself.
Ash tried not to snigger, but failed.
"So… how does this work, then?" Brock said. "Unless Unown has explained it already, that is."
"Yeah, that is a good question," Ash nodded. "I… guess that just because Pikachu has that now doesn't mean he knows how to use it… which is kind of like Koraidon and Miraidon, really. And that flash was the first time he actually used it?"
"Substantially correct, but there are additional details if you would like them," Unown confirmed.
Because this seemed like the kind of thing that would be really important for someone to know, like Professor Oak, Max volunteered to act as what he called a stenographer.
Then he explained that it meant writing down what was being said.
Once that bit of confusion was cleared out of the way, Unown began to explain those additional details they'd talked about.
"Designating Pokémon as Noble is a less drastic step than creating a new Pokémon to do the task," they started. "It involves the creation of an energy reservoir that is specifically connected to that Pokémon specimen, and which is a hereditary mantle."
"What's a mantle?" Ash asked. "And… hereditary means that you can get it from a parent, right?"
"Correct," Unown confirmed. "What this means is that the energy reservoir is created, and the Pokémon is connected to it. Only one Pokémon can be connected to it, and they maintain that connection for their whole life, and it is then passed on to their biological heir."
They pulsed. "In the case of Pikachu, the connection was assigned to a Pikachu with the Gigantamax Factor. This means that-"
"The what?" Ash interrupted, then shook his head. "No, uh, that might take too long, we can ask later… keep saying what you were saying, please?"
"The connection was assigned to a Pikachu with the Gigantamax Factor," Unown resumed. "This means that only Pokémon who are Pikachu can make that connection. Not Pichu, and not Raichu."
A buzzing noise. "I do not know if there has been a case of a Pokémon evolving from a Noble Form before. It may be that evolution is disallowed, especially in this case, since Pikachu himself could not evolve anyway."
"Gigantamax… I've heard of that or something like that," Brock frowned. "It's something to do with… Galar, I think?"
"What does a Noble Pokémon mean, then?" Ash asked.
"There are two types of Noble Pokémon," Unown explained. "Both types are connected to you as the one who has created the energy reservoir. They are the Noble Pokémon themselves, who use their greater strength for battle, and there are also Ride Pokémon who use their greater strength to perform feats of endurance. The energy reservoir can be used for either purpose, it does not need to be specifically designated."
Ash was silent for a long moment, thinking about that.
"How does it get used?" he asked. "Or is it just… it's extra strength there, if you know how to use it?"
"I do not know," Unown replied. "I would recommend asking Pikachu."
"And… is it dangerous to him?" Ash pressed. "I… don't want to have hurt him."
"The only known way in which an Ennoblement could result in negative consequences has been locked off," Unown assured him. "Query: do you want Ennoblement to be locked behind request?"
Ash thought about that.
"...no," he said. "If – if I did it by accident, because of how much I want Pikachu to succeed, then… I might change my mind if he doesn't like it. But if it's something that happens without me even noticing, then – as long as it's not during a battle, I think it's okay."
He straightened. "And I should go and talk to Mr. Goodshow."
"What?" May said. "Why?"
"I want to tell him what happened," Ash explained. "It's all… weird and awkward, but I want to tell him what happened, so he knows. He's been so nice…"
Mr. Goodshow was available, and quite happy to talk to the new Hoenn League Champion ahead of his first Elite Four battle.
When Ash began to explain, the words sort of poured out of him in a torrent, and the Pokémon League organizer just listened and nodded and occasionally asked a question to make sure he was following.
When he was done, Mr. Goodshow nodded to himself.
"I see," he said. "So… in sum, you are saying that your deep connection with your Pokémon let him access a new level of power."
"Right," Ash said. "And-"
"A new level of power, that most Pokémon of his species cannot do?" Goodshow checked, holding up a hand with a pleasant smile.
"Yeah," Ash agreed.
"And you're worried that it might have been cheating," Goodshow resumed. "To use it to defeat… a Mega Sceptile."
"That's what-" Ash agreed, then stopped.
And suddenly felt embarrassed.
"...right," he said.
Goodshow chuckled, but in a kind sort of way.
"Dear me, my boy," he said. "The fact you came to me with this shows your heart is in the right place. And, for your information, I have been considering proposing a rule for future Pokémon Leagues to follow, which would restrict the number of things like Dynamax, or Mega Evolution – or Noble Pokémon, by the sounds of it – that a trainer could use in a single match. There is no such rule yet, but there might be one in future."
He patted Ash on the ring. "And if you do happen to enter another Pokémon League, I hope to see another truly marvellous performance! Now, there's someone who wanted me to put you in touch with him, but he's willing to wait until you've done your Elite Four battles… speaking of which, how is your Pikachu doing?"
"He's in the Pokémon Centre," Ash replied. "But I think they said he should be able to come out and accompany me later today…"
AN:
Ash was right to be worried, but only in the sense that it could have been a problem.