"Damn it! Even abandoning your Pokémon? Trainers like that ought to be arrested by Officer Jenny!" Brock said angrily upon hearing Ash's explanation. As a breeder, Brock cared deeply for every Pokémon and naturally had no tolerance for those who abandoned them.
Ash knelt beside the Charmander. "What do you say? Want to come with me? You've got potential—way more than that guy could ever train. And as I said, he abandoned you. Waiting around won't change anything."
He looked into the little Charmander's eyes. This wasn't just any Charmander—it had potential. Ash remembered this part of the original story and suspected this might be the same Charmander that eventually evolved into a powerhouse.
"Char..."
Charmander paused, hesitating. It eventually responded with a soft cry, as if refusing. Despite everything, it didn't want to give up on its trainer. Deep down, it believed its weakness was the reason it had been abandoned.
"I won't force you," Ash said calmly. "Every creature has the right to choose its own path. One day, you'll understand—strength is everything in this world."
"Sharingan: Illusion Technique."
Ash's eyes suddenly shifted, turning into the three-tomoe Sharingan. With one glance, he cast an illusion on Charmander, then returned his eyes to normal.
"The technique I embedded into your mind is specifically designed for you. As your strength grows, the knowledge will surface. When you're ready, come find me."
After transferring the skill into Charmander's mental fire seal, Ash left behind some food and turned away with Brock. Everyone had their own path—there was no need to force anything.
"Ash, is it really okay to leave Charmander like that?"
"It's fine. We left enough food for several days. I'm sure he'll come around," Ash replied with a small smile.
"Brock, isn't the Masaki Lighthouse nearby?" Ash suddenly recalled a key event—just after meeting Charmander in the original story, a massive Dragonite had appeared near that very lighthouse.
"Yes. If we don't take any long breaks, we should arrive by evening," Brock said, pulling out the map. Though puzzled by Ash's interest in the lighthouse, he still gave a clear answer.
"My journey is already way ahead of what happened in the original timeline," Ash murmured. "So I don't need to worry too much."
"Alright, let's go. I want to get there before the day after tomorrow. I need a bit of time to stabilize my Pokémon—after all, I've just hit the Champion level," Ash added after studying the map.
He wanted to capture that massive Dragonite, but he'd need a good excuse. As for the system and his transmigration? That secret was his alone. Even if he told someone, they either wouldn't believe him—or worse, they'd want to exploit him. No, this was his burden to bear.
Brock nodded. "True. At the pace we're going, barring anything unusual, you'll collect all eight gym badges months ahead of the League Conference."
"Huh? Why are my Poké Balls glowing?" Ash suddenly noticed the golden sheen coming from his Luxury Balls.
"Oh? So it finally happened," Brock said, not surprised at all.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused. This was his first time seeing anything like this.
"It means your strength has reached the Champion level. Check your Pokédex," Brock instructed, pointing to the device in Ash's jacket pocket.
Ding!
"Trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town—data transmission initiated. Current rank: Champion-level."
"What the...?" Ash stared in disbelief as the Pokédex flashed with updated information.
"Your Poké Balls are linked to your Pokédex. When your Pokémon reach a level equivalent to your own, it transmits the data back to your hometown. Most likely, it's already been sent to Professor Oak," Brock explained.
"No wonder my grandfather insisted on switching out my official League-issued Pokédex. He didn't want my data falling into the wrong hands," Ash muttered, remembering how Professor Oak had handed him a modified Pokédex before his journey.
At the Oak Research Lab...
"Delia! What's for dinner today?" Professor Oak called out from his desk, having just finished organizing his latest research notes.
"It's almost ready, Dad. Honestly, all you ever do is research Pokémon. You'd forget to eat if I didn't cook!" Delia replied with a sigh as she stirred the pot in the kitchen. She knew all too well how her father could get completely absorbed in his work.
Ding!
"New data received."
"Huh? Someone in the family just had a breakthrough?" Professor Oak glanced up in surprise at the computer's voice prompt.
"Computer, read the update aloud!" he ordered. This was a voice-activated system installed in the lab for precisely these moments.
Ding~! Data upload complete!
Trainer Name: Ash Ketchum
Rank: Champion
Age: 15
Registered Pokémon:
Pikachu – Champion Level
Arcanine – Champion Level
Pidgeot – Champion Level
Steelix – Champion Level
Scyther – Near-Champion Level
Venusaur – Champion Level
Snorlax – Champion Level
Suicune – Power Level Undetermined
"This… what!?" Professor Oak was completely stunned, his body frozen in place like stone.
"He's only been on his journey for a few months! How is it possible for Ash to reach Champion level already? And these Pokémon—each one of them is at least quasi-Champion level?! And—Suicune?! Are you serious?! Is this some kind of joke? If you're lying to me, I swear I'll tear out your processors!"
Snapping out of his daze, Professor Oak started yelling at the smart computer, his voice full of disbelief and rising panic. The data was simply too shocking—this kind of thing had never happened in the history of the Pokémon world. A new trainer becoming a Champion within months? It was unheard of.
Even more astonishing was the list of Pokémon under Ash's command. Champion-level partners across the board—and a Legendary Pokémon like Suicune added to the mix? No matter how Professor Oak looked at it, it defied logic and precedent. There was simply no such thing as a "rookie Champion"... until now.
...
TN:
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