"No—why would the Champion come to challenge a Gym? Isn't this obviously deliberate?"
"Are you stupid? Haven't you read his profile? Sure, he's the Champion of Kanto, but judging by his age and the time he's been a Trainer, he's still basically a newcomer."
"And aside from that ridiculously strong Pikachu, the other two Pokémon he used earlier were only about as strong as the Gym Leader's. He probably came to Johto to train new Pokémon while participating in the League."
As the battle concluded, murmurs spread through the Gym. Apprentices gathered around the battlefield, whispering excitedly. Many recognized Ash Ketchum's name, while only a handful truly understood the weight behind it. Very few, however, had actually seen him in person.
After all, while Johto was close to Kanto, the two regions were still separated by the sea. News traveled slowly. Most people here knew only the legend—not the boy himself.
"Quick—send Pidgeot to the Pokémon Center," Ash said calmly as he gently patted Pikachu's head.
"I won't deny that you like Flying-type Pokémon. Everyone has the right to their preferences. But… your path as a Trainer has gone wrong."
"Wrong?" Falkner snapped. "How could it be wrong?"
"You don't just like Flying-type Pokémon," Ash replied, his tone steady. "You like the feeling of flying. The freedom of the sky. Rather than being a Flying-type Trainer, you're someone who simply wants to fly."
"The reason you keep catching Flying Pokémon is because they let you live that dream. I didn't notice it at first—but I understood the moment you sent out Doduo."
Falkner froze.
"Doduo has the Flying type," Ash continued, "but it can't actually fly. Still, it looks like a bird. To you, it represents the same desire—the illusion of soaring through the sky. Isn't that right?"
The words hit Falkner like a sledgehammer.
He wanted to deny it. To argue back. But his mouth wouldn't move.
Yes… maybe he understood Flying Pokémon better than most—but that understanding was rooted in envy.
There were people like that in the world. People who believed they should be special. That they were meant to fly, or wield power, or stand above others. But when reality didn't grant them that gift, they clung to excuses born from longing.
"…I'm sorry."
Unable to refute Ash any longer, Falkner recalled Pidgeot, then silently tossed the Zephyr Badge toward him before turning away.
If he truly figured things out this time, perhaps one day… he really could break through his limits.
The reason Ash had noticed Falkner's inner conflict was simple.
The Sharingan.
The eyes of the soul—eyes that could peer into the depths of one's heart.
When Falkner had sent out Doduo, Ash's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan sensed violent emotional fluctuations within him. That inner turmoil was the reason Falkner made repeated mistakes during Doduo's battle with Ralts.
Against someone with Ash's level of perception, Falkner's mental defenses were nonexistent.
"I hope you find your answer."
Catching the Zephyr Badge, Ash turned and walked back to Sabrina's side.
Earlier, he had asked Falkner whether he wanted to forfeit.
That question hadn't been casual—it was a test.
If Falkner had chosen to run away from a battle against someone stronger, Ash would never have warned him. A Trainer who couldn't face strength head-on would never be able to face their own heart.
Pikachu's overwhelming offense had also been intentional.
Ash wanted Falkner to understand something simple:
Some things can be changed.
Who would've believed that Pikachu could reach Champion-level strength? Who would've thought a Pokémon like Pikachu could leap dozens of meters in a single bound?
Ash didn't want to crush Falkner.
He wanted to give him a goal.
A goal achievable through effort.
If I can do it… why can't you?
That was the lesson Ash wanted Falkner to take away.
The Johto Alliance arranged its Gym system around typed specialties. At Falkner's Violet Gym, every battle revolved around Flying-type Pokémon. That didn't mean he couldn't train other types—only that his obsession blinded him.
Ash had noticed that from the very beginning.
Falkner's fixation on Flying-types was far too heavy. It reminded Ash of crazed researchers who only saw the results they imagined, never the reality in front of them—never realizing their dreams were fundamentally impossible.
"Trainers in this world really do go astray easily… No wonder so few ever reach Champion level," Ash thought as he lay in his bed at the Pokémon Center after returning with Sabrina. "There are plenty of Elite-level trainers, but they never advance. They're all trapped—bound by their own obsessions."
His thoughts drifted.
"Speaking of which… I wonder how Sam Blackstone is doing now. A pure data-flow battler. I'm curious how far he'll go."
During the Indigo League, Ash had encountered Sam Blackstone—younger brother of Lorelei, heir to the Glacienne family—a rising talent in technical, data-driven combat.
There were countless ways to train as a Pokémon Trainer, but at their core, they all boiled down to differing battle philosophies. And humans in this world were far too easily swayed by dreams, ideals, or personal fantasies.
That was the part Ash still found strange. In his previous life, watching the anime, he never felt anything unusual. But seeing these people in reality—their fixations, their delusions, their unchecked ideals—it felt entirely different.
After resting through the morning at the Pokémon Center, Ash went to the restaurant alone at noon. Sabrina didn't even bother coming out for lunch. She had been unusually sleepy lately, her mental waves fluctuating more intensely than usual.
Ash sensed it clearly.
It was the precursor to a breakthrough.
Sabrina was on the verge of reaching quasi-Champion level.
Psychic-type specialists progressed differently than most.
Those with extremely high innate mental power could focus more deeply than ordinary Trainers—and when they reached the threshold, their chances of breaking through were always the highest.
(End of Chapter)
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