"Aura Power? Never heard of that before. I've only ever heard of psychic powers."
Once Misty confirmed that Ash was a normal human—just one with a strange ability inside him—she finally let go of her fear and started talking to him normally.
Aura was such a rare power that even Pokémon who could wield it were few and far between, not to mention humans—it was practically unheard of.
Psychics, on the other hand, weren't all that uncommon. In Kanto alone, the Leader of the Saffron Gym was a psychic, and other regions had them too.
Even though aura power and psychic abilities were different in nature, they were both considered special powers. Since Misty had at least heard of psychics, it wasn't hard for her to accept that Ash possessed something similar.
"But still… even if you do have some special ability, fighting off a whole flock of Spearow by yourself is way too crazy."
"Heh heh, pretty awesome, right?"
"I wasn't actually complimenting you… Well, I guess it sort of counts as one."
Seeing Ash look so smug, Misty stopped herself halfway, then just gave in and admitted it.
Talking with him, Misty realized something—Ash's strength was terrifying, but his personality was still completely that of a kid. He got cocky, he boasted, he was friendly and easy to talk to.
What made Misty even more exasperated was that the only reason Ash had called her out from behind that tree was because she hadn't stepped out after seeing his heroic performance to praise him or even just introduce herself.
Wasn't that just childish showing-off? Then again, it fit perfectly for a fifteen-year-old.
"Are you a Beginner Level Trainer?"
"Yeah, I just got my first Pokémon and a Pokédex today. I set out from Pallet Town this morning. This is my partner, Pikachu."
"Pika Pika~" Pikachu waved from Ash's shoulder, greeting Misty.
"Your starter's a Pikachu, huh… You said you got a Pokédex too? Who's the League representative in your town?" Misty asked curiously.
Usually, every city had a League representative who handed out starter Pokémon to kids of age. But there were different levels of representatives. Only the higher-ranked ones could give out a Pokédex along with the starter.
And normally, those representatives would hand out Pokémon with strong potential—like Charmander, which had three evolutions and started out relatively tame.
A Pikachu as a starter was rare. They were considered hard for Beginner Level Trainers to handle. No way someone like that would also give out a Pokédex.
"The representative in Pallet Town is Professor Oak. He seems to be pretty famous."
"Professor Oak?!"
"You know him too, Misty?"
"Of course I do! Do you know how many people in Kanto don't know Professor Oak? He's not just one of the most renowned Pokémon Professors in the world—he was also the very first Champion of the Kanto League! After his retirement, Kanto hasn't had another Champion to this day." (Fan Theory right?)
Ash & Pikachu: !!!
That kindly, scatterbrained Professor Oak was actually the first Champion of the Kanto League?!
The news hit Ash and Pikachu like a thunderbolt. Both gulped, and Ash asked hesitantly, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? I mean, Professor Oak being a famous researcher makes sense, but the first Kanto Champion? That's… that's impossible, isn't it?"
Misty rolled her eyes. "How could I possibly be wrong about something this important? I—uh, anyway, I'm not wrong. Sure, not many people still remember Professor Oak's heroic feats, but if you asked the Gym Leaders, you'd know. Back then, Professor Oak was legendary."
"Can you tell me about what he did back then?"
"Emm… fine, but where are you headed next?"
"Viridian City."
"Then let's walk and talk."
The two of them set off for Viridian City, chatting as they went.
Misty actually had a bike stashed behind the tree, and normally she could've reached Viridian City in half a day. But thinking about Ash, she decided to just walk alongside him, pushing her bike.
On the way, Misty told Ash bits of Professor Oak's past.
Decades ago, Kanto had never produced a Champion-level Trainer. Among the seven regions, it was considered the weakest.
That was when Professor Oak burst onto the scene. He not only won the Indigo Plateau Conference, but also soared higher and higher along the Trainer's path, ultimately becoming the strongest in Kanto—the Champion of the Kanto League.
Every famous Trainer of the time got beaten by him. His strength was said to rival Leon's today.
But back then, without developed communication networks or easy transportation, Oak's fame mostly stayed within Kanto. And as time passed, with his retirement and his rising status in the academic world, his days as the Champion who dominated the world slowly faded from memory.
"…And to this day, Kanto still hasn't produced another Champion. Not even Lance, the so-called unbeatable Dragon Master, could overcome the rest of the Elite Four to claim the title."
Misty sighed as she pushed her bike, sounding genuinely regretful that she hadn't been able to see Professor Oak in his prime.
"So Kanto's really that weak now? Not even a Champion?" Ash asked curiously.
"Weak? Hah. You could say the Kanto League Conference is a beginner's playground, sure. But if you're talking about top-tier power, go ask around—see if anyone in the other regions dares call Kanto weak." Misty let out a sarcastic laugh. Kanto's middle and lower levels might not impress anyone, but if someone questioned Kanto's top strength… well, that'd just be ignorance talking.
"Then why doesn't Kanto have a Champion?"
"Do you know how Champions are chosen in each region?"
Ash shook his head.
"To become Champion, you have to defeat the entire Elite Four in a row, within four days! Fun fact: if you placed Kanto's Elite Four in any other region, each one of them would be considered a Champion. Now do you get why Kanto doesn't have one?"
Ash & Pikachu: !!!
Good grief—so it wasn't that Kanto was too weak. It was that Kanto was too strong!
The Elite Four were basically four Champions?! No wonder hardly anyone could reach the top.
Just then—patter, patter… The bright blue sky that had been so clear moments ago suddenly darkened under heavy clouds, and raindrops began to fall.
In an instant, the sunny day turned gray and stormy. Ash and Misty hurried to find shelter from the rain.