After returning to the tent, it was already very late. Ash looked at Pikachu curled up and sleeping peacefully, and couldn't help but smile as he lay down on the mattress.
"The Infinity Gem... I have to get it. And if I can return to Earth with it, all the better—there are still some personal scores to settle," Ash thought. He couldn't sleep. The mere thought of the Infinity Gem kept his mind racing—it was just too incredible.
To sit upon the throne of a god... who wouldn't want that? As long as there's a chance, people will fight tooth and nail for it.
"I should contact Grandpa first. Huh, why is it always nighttime whenever I call them?" Unable to sleep, Ash decided to call Professor Oak. He could already picture the shocked look on his face.
"WHAT?! A ruin over 500 million years old?! You brat, and you didn't tell your grandfather immediately?! I should give you a beating!" Professor Oak's voice roared through the phone, causing Ash to pull the device away from his ear in a hurry.
Ash hadn't contacted Skye Draconis (Yu Longtian) yet—not because the ruins weren't important, but because Professor Oak was better suited for handling ancient texts and research. Oak's expertise would be crucial.
"In any case, that's where we're at. I already explained things to the foreman. We should have confirmation by tomorrow. Just make sure the Alliance or the other families don't catch wind of it," Ash said.
"Even if the ruins don't have any immediate effect, the information recorded there is invaluable. I managed to read some of the later inscriptions, but I couldn't find the first half—it's still a mystery to me." Ash recounted everything he experienced today, though he intentionally left out the part about the Infinity Gem.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Professor Oak. Rather, the Infinity Gem only had significance to him—anyone else would just see it as a glowing rock. And considering its connection to the system, Ash had every reason to be cautious.
"You handled this smartly. If you'd tried to buy the land in your own name, you'd definitely have drawn attention. The Oak and Dragon Clans may be powerful, but not even we can afford to provoke the rest of the families united." Professor Oak nodded in approval.
With everything settled, Ash finally drifted off to sleep, dreams of Infinity Gems dancing in his mind. His ambitions had grown far beyond championship trophies.
The next morning, Ash received confirmation from the contractor as soon as he woke up. The townsfolk had agreed to sell the mountain. They weren't losing anything—on the contrary, they were making a good profit. With Ash covering the costs of building a reservoir elsewhere, everyone was happy.
Ash handed off the rest of the process to Professor Oak's assistant, then continued his journey toward the next Gym. Since the Fuchsia Gym was hidden deep in the forested mountains, finding it wasn't going to be easy.
He also noticed something else. The Infinity Gem, now that the excitement had faded, seemed... impractical. It drained mental energy, just like his Sharingan. If he used both at once, his mental stamina would plummet fast.
"Damn! Where the heck is this Fuchsia Gym? We've almost searched the entire mountain!" Ash grumbled as they arrived at yet another wooded hill. He was growing impatient.
"Don't you and Sabrina both have psychic powers? Can't you just sense it?" Cynthia asked from the side. The terrain had worn all of them down, especially Sabrina—her psychic power was at its limit.
"You're kidding, right? My psychic powers are for attack. Even using Aura, my perception only extends about 600 meters. Sabrina's exhausted—she's not going to be much help right now," Ash shook his head.
"Oh! Shauna, call out your Lucario. He's an Aura expert—his sensing ability should be better than mine!" Ash suddenly remembered.
"You're right! I've been traveling so little lately, I'm forgetting the basics," Cynthia admitted, slightly embarrassed. As a Champion, her experience should've surpassed Ash's.
Thanks to Cynthia's Lucario, they finally found a place with a house. Judging by the architecture, Ash estimated the building to be at least 300 to 400 years old.
"I didn't expect such a traditional home to be this well-preserved. From the overgrown courtyard, it looks like someone's still living here," Suzie said as they stepped into the massive wooden estate.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?" Ash called out, opening a sliding door and cautiously stepping inside. He had felt something watching them earlier.
Suddenly—
"Woah!"
Sabrina, who had been leaning against a wall, was suddenly flipped over—like the wooden panel itself was part of a trap. The interior looked like something out of an ancient ninja hideout!
"Sabrina!" Ash acted instantly. With no time to think, he activated Susanoo. In a flash, the red skeletal armor enveloped him. His left arm shot out and caught Sabrina mid-air.
Bang!
The wall that had flipped Sabrina was obliterated by the force of Susanoo. Ash gently lowered her to the ground.
"Be careful. I could feel something watching us the moment we got close to this house. It's not as simple as it looks," Ash warned.
Just then, a small, round Pokémon covered in purple fur floated into view. It had large net-like compound eyes and twitching antennae—surprisingly cute for something that popped out of nowhere.
Ding!
Name: Venonat
Level: Elite
Ability: Compound Eyes
Type: Bug / Poison
Potential: C
"This is Venonat—a Bug-type Pokémon. I heard Koga from the Fuchsia Gym uses these a lot. That might mean we're close to the Gym. But this one's unusually strong," Ash observed.
"This little guy is adorable," Suzie said softly, her eyes filled with affection. Ash found himself briefly distracted, staring at her expression.
Cough!
Sabrina stepped into his line of sight, clearly annoyed. Her jealousy flared as she blocked his view. Ash quickly turned away, refocusing on Venonat, realizing he might have pushed things a bit.
"Maaa~~~!"
The sudden cry came from the round, purple fuzzball Pokémon as it darted along the wooden boardwalk. Ash and the others immediately gave chase.
"Ah!!"
While sprinting after the Hairball, Ash was suddenly struck by a jolt of yellow lightning. His body tensed up from the shock, but thanks to his strong physique, it barely fazed him.
"ASH! Are you okay?" Cynthia shouted.
"Are you hurt?" Sabrina added, concerned.
"Look! The Hairball stopped!" Suzie pointed toward the Pokémon ahead.
"Pikachu, come on! Don't just shock me out of nowhere!" Ash groaned, rubbing his shoulder and scolding the Electric-type on his shoulder.
"Pika!" Pikachu shook his head defensively, insisting it wasn't him.
"What? It wasn't you?" Ash looked puzzled. "Then what the heck was that Thunderbolt?!"
He glanced down and noticed a red-and-white sphere embedded in the wooden floor—right where he'd stepped.
Ding!
Name: Electrode
Level: Advanced
Ability: Aftermath
Type: Electric
Potential: D
"Seriously?! Traps now?! Are they trying to get us killed?" Ash growled. "Cynthia, Suzie, Sabrina—stay close!"
Ash immediately summoned Susanoo, and a blazing red skeletal structure began forming around him. Chakra surged outward as the energy construct rapidly took shape—bone, sinew, and armor forming in a blazing shell of power. Soon, a massive armored warrior, with glowing, unblinking eyes, loomed over them.
The power emanating from Susanoo shattered the surrounding wooden walls in an instant.
BOOM!
"AHHH!"
Another thunderous blast tore through the air as Susanoo's twin arms formed ethereal blades of searing energy, cutting down anything in its path like paper.
"ROARRR!!!"
Ash roared in unison with Susanoo, and a shockwave burst outward from him, sweeping across the area like a blast of fire. The raw power was overwhelming.
"It's stronger than what I saw back in the Gym battle…" Sabrina whispered, staring into Ash's eyes with admiration.
"So this is your real psychic attack form… Incredible," Suzie said, awe-struck by the sheer spectacle of Susanoo's might.
Cynthia, though impressed, was still watching Ash closely. Despite the destructive power, he seemed unbothered by any side effects.
Then came a shrill voice.
"Hey! You three—why are you destroying my house? STOP RIGHT THERE!"
A young girl in a pink ninja uniform appeared before them, shouting furiously.
"You must be from the Fuchsia Gym! What kind of trainer sets up traps and tries to electrocute visitors?! You're lucky I didn't flatten the whole place!" Ash growled.
"Yasaka Magatama!"
As Ash shouted, Susanoo's left hand spun three glowing orbs—magatama—before hurling them at the nearest structure.
BOOOOM!
The wooden house exploded in a burst of splinters and smoke. Inside were tangled nets, malfunctioning Electrode, and several disabled mechanical traps.
Ash's face darkened. This wasn't just reckless—it was illegal.
The construction of this part of the Fuchsia Gym was clearly outside League regulations. If it weren't for Lucario's aura guidance, they never would've found it. The traps alone could have seriously injured an unprepared trainer—or worse.
"What were you thinking?!"
"AYA!! What the heck is going on here?!"
Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared, and a man in a blue ninja outfit landed before them.
It was Koga, the current Fuchsia City Gym Leader and a former Elite Four member.
"Brother!" Aya ran over. "It wasn't me! They're the ones who attacked the gym and destroyed everything!"
Koga's eyes narrowed. He was a seasoned warrior and knew Aya's strength was decent. She had been temporarily running the Gym while he was training in the mountains to push past his current limits.
Even so, Aya's skill with combination traps was formidable—certainly better than the Cerulean Gym's infamous 'vase sisters.'
But today, Aya had clearly bitten off more than she could chew.
"And who are you supposed to be?" Koga said, eyes fixed on Ash and the group, not recognizing them through the fading glow of Susanoo.
With the situation defused, Ash allowed Susanoo to dissolve. The glowing armor dissipated, revealing Ash's calm but irritated expression beneath it.
If this had been a prank, he wouldn't have reacted so harshly. But Electrode—especially at this level—could explode at any time. That was no joke. It could've killed someone.
He glanced at the others. "This isn't just a minor violation. Someone could've gotten seriously hurt."
Even for a Champion-tier trainer like Ash, this kind of recklessness wasn't something he'd ignore.
...
TN:
⚡ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin