Misty shook her head, dismissing the crazy thought. Something like that just wasn't possible.
It made more sense to say Pikachu had learned Aura Sphere from Ash. But she hadn't seen Pikachu practicing that move with him at all lately.
And even if Pikachu had learned Aura Sphere, why would Ash mimic Pikachu's pose? Just to look cool?
No way. Not possible.
But Misty wasn't actually wrong—Pikachu had learned Aura Sphere precisely because he and Ash had entered a state of complete unity.
One of the applications of Aura Power: the Aura is my heart—combining a Trainer's Aura with their Pokémon's.
Not only could this amplify a Pokémon's strength, it could also grant them a portion of Aura-related abilities. Like back when they dealt with Team Rocket—seeing through the smoke, sensing Aura—and now, in battle against Geodude… Aura Sphere!
On its own, Pikachu could never have pulled that off. Aura Sphere required deep mastery of Aura control. Pikachu couldn't even sense its own Aura, let alone manipulate it.
But with Ash involved, that was another story.
Ash had inherited all of Aura Guardian Ash's abilities. Even if he hadn't completely mastered them yet, he was already an expert at manipulating Aura. Once he and Pikachu merged—sharing mind and spirit—Ash could naturally guide Pikachu to unleash Aura Sphere.
Still, it wasn't easy. That's why in Viridian Forest, whenever they had a spare moment, Ash and Pikachu would enter "fusion" mode, meditating together and training in Aura control.
So the "nap sessions" Misty had seen—Ash and Pikachu sitting with eyes closed—were actually their special training.
The reason for this training? Aura Ash had suggested it in the chat.
Ash had told the group all about his Pokémon and the moves they knew.
Tactics Master Ash analyzed the situation. Even with Butterfree's Sleep Powder strategy, Ash would struggle against Brock. Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon naturally had sky-high defence.
The best approach was special attacks or moves with type advantage.
But Ash's special attacks were either resisted by Rock-types or ineffective against Ground-types. His Electric moves couldn't touch them.
It wasn't impossible for Ash to beat Brock with his current team, but the fight would drag on endlessly. He'd have to constantly swap out Pokémon, wearing down the opponent little by little.
And with his Pokémon's levels being too low, a prolonged battle meant one mistake—one solid hit from Brock's Pokémon—and it was over.
That's how type disadvantage worked. You might throw out a combo that looked fierce, but it barely scratched the enemy. Then they landed one blow, and the whole battle flipped on its head.
If you played with type disadvantage, you accepted the risk. Without overwhelming tier advantage, type disadvantage was crushingly unfavorable. That was a hard fact.
So Aura Guardian Ash proposed an idea: have Pikachu learn a Fighting-type move—Aura Sphere!
Fighting-types countered Rock-types. If Pikachu could use Aura Sphere, he'd have a move that could actually deal powerful damage.
Theoretically, though, Pikachu should never be able to learn Aura Sphere. Even for Fighting-type Pokémon, it was a notoriously difficult move to master. With Pikachu's aptitude and tier, it should've been impossible.
But an Aura Guardian existed to break the rules of theory.
As long as Ash and Pikachu's bond was strong enough—deep enough to fuse their Auras—Pikachu had a shot at using Aura Sphere.
And the result was now on full display. Pikachu had successfully fired off Aura Sphere, dealing a devastating blow to Geodude!
"What are you posing for?! Finish it off! Quick Attack!" Ash almost cracked up watching Pikachu strike a hero pose. Cool moves could wait until after the fight—if Geodude countered now, he'd have no one to blame but himself.
"Pika!" Pikachu snapped out of it, spun around, and dashed into the fading smoke. A dull thud echoed from inside, and Geodude tumbled out, rolling across the ground twice before collapsing, drained of strength.
Ash exhaled in relief as Geodude's Aura dimmed. Honestly, he'd underestimated it too, thinking Aura Sphere would be enough.
But the knowledge he'd crammed lately—and Geodude's unwavering Aura—had reminded him.
Brock's Geodude had the Sturdy ability. Any Pokémon with Sturdy, when at full HP, could survive even an attack that should've been fatal—hanging on with just a sliver of health.
With Aura fusion boosting it, Pikachu's Aura Sphere carried one-hit KO power. But thanks to Sturdy, Geodude endured.
Luckily, the heavy impact left it unable to recover, and Pikachu finished it cleanly with Quick Attack.
Brock quietly recalled Geodude. The fight was over before he'd even managed a single strike.
Compared to his match with that kid Gary, this battle was downright humiliating. Geodude had either been asleep or slowed down by status conditions. It hadn't been able to fight back at all. Disgusting.
"That move just now—what was it?" Brock didn't immediately send out his second Pokémon. Instead, he asked about Pikachu's technique.
As a Gym Leader, Brock might've been young and less experienced than older Trainers, but for a beginner like Ash to use a move he'd never even seen—that was beyond comprehension.
And the move had nearly shattered his iron-walled Geodude. If not for Sturdy, it might've been a straight-up instant KO.
So this had to be a move that countered Geodude specifically. Otherwise, it could never have done that much damage.
"Aura Sphere. A Fighting-type move." Ash didn't hide anything, openly stating what Pikachu had used.
But that only deepened Brock's doubts. "Aura Sphere… never heard of it. But if it's a Fighting-type move, there's no way Pikachu could learn it. Not at this level, anyway."
He might not have Ash's Eye of Insight, but as a Gym Leader, Brock's experience let him roughly gauge a Pokémon's level in battle.
Pikachu was Advanced-tier—already high for a beginner's Pokémon. But for an Advanced-tier Pikachu to learn a Fighting-type energy move? Impossible.
This kid and his Pikachu… what kind of freaks were they?