After his initial shock faded, Professor Oak quickly brought up the computer logs and thoroughly reviewed the data.
"I can't believe it… It's all real. Ash actually reached Champion level this fast?"
Just then, Delia walked into the lab and noticed Professor Oak sitting stiffly in front of the monitor. Her brow furrowed in concern.
"Dad? What's wrong? Is something going on with Ash?"
Professor Oak turned and saw the worried look on Delia's face. He knew very well how much Ash meant to her—he was her pride and joy.
"Don't worry," Oak said gently. "It's about Ash, yes—but it's good news."
He printed out the data and immediately faxed the file to his son, Masaki Oak.
"Ash has reached Champion-level as a Trainer. That's already the peak threshold of what most professional Trainers can ever hope to achieve."
Delia's concern gave way to a gentle smile. She had always supported Ash with quiet warmth, never interfering in his path. And perhaps because Ash was a transmigrator, he'd remained unusually grounded compared to most kids. Not spoiled, but focused.
Masaki Oak – Somewhere in a luxury villa
Masaki Oak glanced over a report on recent pharmaceutical profits and nodded in satisfaction.
"The Oak family's fortune really has turned around in recent years… Who'd have thought Ash would have a knack for pharmacology, too?"
Bzzt!
His fax machine beeped suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Huh? A fax from Dad?"
He quickly retrieved the printout and began scanning the pages. As he took in the full contents of Ash's data, his hands froze.
"No way... How is this even possible?!"
Like Professor Oak, Masaki's first instinct was that there had to be a mistake—either a malfunction in the system or some elaborate joke from his eccentric father.
Without hesitation, Masaki picked up his phone and dialed.
"Dad, that data you just sent—is it real? Ash actually made it to Champion rank?!"
On the other end, Professor Oak responded coolly, a stark contrast to how he'd reacted just moments ago.
"Calm down. You're the head of the household—you need to hold yourself together. Yes, the data is accurate. I've verified it myself. The computer systems are working just fine."
But even as he spoke those words, a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "Heh... You were acting just like this five minutes ago," he muttered to himself.
Now convinced the data was legitimate, Masaki shifted gears.
"Should we go public with this? Or keep Ash's breakthrough under wraps for now?"
"We keep it quiet," Oak replied without hesitation. "When the League Conference ends, Ash can decide whether or not to reveal his full strength. It's his choice."
Masaki nodded in agreement, but added thoughtfully, "Even if Ash's own level is explainable, his team is a whole other story. Six Champion-level Pokémon, one near-Champion, and... Suicune? That's just outrageous."
"I know what you mean," Oak said. "I'll give Ash a call. You handle notifying the Dragon Clan—Ash is Serion Draconis's grandson, after all."
Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Reaching Champion-level wasn't just about raw power—it required potential, rigorous training, strategy, and mental fortitude. Even with an optimized path, reaching that point in just a few months was still borderline impossible.
Still, he picked up the phone and dialed Ash's number.
Somewhere en route to Masaki Lighthouse
Ash, walking beside Brock, answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Ash, I just received your data report," Professor Oak said, his tone now serious. "Explain your Pokémon's sudden leap in strength. You didn't... use any banned substances, did you?"
Ash chuckled, already anticipating the question.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I did use some items—but definitely not anything prohibited."
He then explained everything to Professor Oak: the mysterious Rare Candy, its strange properties, and how it had helped power up his Pokémon. He also mentioned the Skill Transfer Discs, which had proven incredibly useful, though unfortunately limited to ten uses.
"I've already used eight of them," Ash admitted, groaning. "Only two left. I was hoping they'd last longer, but at least they helped get me to Champion level. There's no way I could hide my strength now."
As for the eight Champion-level Pokémon on his team, Ash had obtained ten Rare Candies through a system lottery. He gave one to Garan and used the other nine on his own team.
He continued explaining, "I made a high-grade supplement called Rare Candy. It's not just any item—it significantly boosts a Pokémon's growth, but the ingredients are incredibly rare and hard to synthesize. I only managed to make around twenty. I gave one to Garan and used eight myself. Still got five left."
Professor Oak sighed, equal parts impressed and baffled.
"I see… As long as they're not illegal and don't harm the Pokémon, I won't lecture you. But be careful, Ash. The more powerful you become, the more eyes you'll attract."
Ash nodded with a grin. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
In truth, Ash still had nine Rare Candies left. The reason he told Professor Oak there were only five was because he planned to keep a few in reserve. After all, the Skill Discs—which allowed Pokémon to instantly learn techniques—were only usable twice each. With such limited resources, every remaining item was incredibly precious.
After hearing Ash's explanation, Professor Oak finally understood the situation—and at the same time, he became deeply intrigued.
As a researcher, anything new or mysterious piqued his curiosity, and this Rare Candy variant Ash created was no exception.
"If the effect of this unique candy ever becomes known to the elite families, they'll go mad trying to get their hands on it," Professor Oak muttered with a mix of awe and caution. "Even the Full Restore Capsules we developed before already elevated the Oak family's reputation to an unshakable level."
Compared to those, this was something far beyond.
Just hearing about the candy's effects, Oak was already imagining the possibilities. It was no exaggeration—this kind of item represented the pinnacle of pharmacological alchemy in the Pokémon world. And the fact that Ash, at his age, had mastered such a thing...
It was terrifyingly impressive.
With this kind of talent, Ash could easily establish his own clan in the future—and it would develop at lightning speed.
Unfortunately, the number of Rare Candies Ash had was far too limited. To make matters worse, he still hadn't found all the rare ingredients needed to recreate them.
If he could, Professor Oak had no doubt: these candies would shake the foundation of the Pokémon League's power structure.
...
TN:
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