"Ash, you're definitely lying to me, right? How could anyone possibly kill you?!"
Clearly, Chloe didn't believe that anyone could be that powerful!
What level would that even be?!
No—maybe not even a human!
If we're talking about something capable of killing Ash, Chloe couldn't think of any possibility other than a god!
She grew deeply worried.
But the audience completely exploded!
Now they finally understood why so many gods had entrusted their divine tokens to Ash!
This was love!
This was affection!
[Steven Stone]: Ash actually died before? Who on earth would attack Ash? Ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance against him at all. Could it really have been a god?!
[Drake]: Hard to say! Ash's affinity so far lets him get along well with almost all gods—but definitely not all of them! Don't forget Groudon and Kyogre. Their destructive urges aren't something just anyone can stop!
[Lorelei]: But that doesn't add up! Ash said he was revived by Ho-Oh, meaning Ho-Oh was present in that situation. With Ho-Oh's power, one-on-one it should absolutely be able to protect Ash!
[Elesa]: Then it gets strange. Could it have been a massive clash of legendary Pokémon, where Ash sacrificed himself to calm them down?
[Professor Magnolia]: Probably not! Don't forget, Ash has already obtained many divine tokens. That alone proves that many gods are on his side. What kind of terrifying existence could face so many gods at once?!
[Cynthia]: As far as I know, aside from the Creator God, there shouldn't be any Pokémon capable of effortlessly killing other gods.
[Professor Kukui]: Not necessarily! In Alola's legends, the Radiant One is said to possess power rivaling the Creator God. But it's a bringer of light—it wouldn't do something like this.
[Lance]: Then how exactly did Ash die?
[Ash]: Has anyone considered the possibility that I'm still alive right now?! Can we stop with this terrifying topic?! Every time I see the word "death," I get chills!
[Gary]: Idiot, can't you tell everyone's worried about you? That's your future fate. If you want to avoid it, you need to understand the truth!
[Misty]: Yeah, Ash. You don't want everyone to lose you forever, do you?
[Ash]: Huh?
To be honest, Ash couldn't figure out how he could die either.
With his love for Pokémon, how could any Pokémon possibly attack him?
And ordinary Pokémon couldn't even get close to him!
Was there some hidden reason?
[Riley]: Did you all forget the incident with the World Tree? Ash died then and was revived by Mew!
[Lance]: I know—but that doesn't match the Ho-Oh revival. There must be another reason!
On Screen—
"Ash, you're lying, right? You're so strong—how could you possibly die?"
After hearing Ash say he had died before, Chloe couldn't recover for a long time.
She couldn't even imagine what she would do if Ash died.
That was a future she couldn't face.
But Ash just laughed it off casually.
"Hey, don't worry about it! It's not like I haven't died before. I just thought of it when we mentioned Suicune."
"Pika!"
Yeah—it's not like you can't be revived after dying.
Pikachu nodded seriously in agreement.
But hearing this only made Chloe more confused.
What did he mean, not like I haven't died before?
"Ash…"
"It's fine. I've already died five times—nothing surprising about that. And every time I die and come back, I get stronger!"
Ash casually flexed his arm muscles.
"Five times?!"
"Yeah! The first time was at the Dreambone Tower, the second time was at… and the last one was what I just mentioned. That time, I blocked all the attacks with everything I had. I thought I was done for—but then Ho-Oh appeared and revived me."
"After that, I felt like my body was enhanced. Like I couldn't die anymore."
As he spoke, Ash stopped counting on his fingers—his tone even carried a hint of regret.
Regret?!
Regret your head!
Chloe was on the verge of breaking down.
She never imagined Ash's journey was this dangerous—death was a real risk!
"Don't worry! I won't die again!"
Seeing Chloe in tears, Ash hurriedly tried to comfort her.
[Professor Oak]: I never imagined Ash's five-year journey was this intense. That averages out to dying once per year!
[Delia]: Professor Oak! How can you talk about Ash like that?!
[Professor Oak]: Hey, hey, I'm not cursing him! I'm just amazed—just amazed!
[Morty]: Now I understand why Ash's physical abilities are so terrifying. It must be a side effect of being revived by Ho-Oh!
[Pryce]: That reminds me—legends say that those revived by Ho-Oh are covered in Sacred Ash, purifying their bodies. The Legendary Beasts were revived this way!
[Blaine]: So that means Ash has a body on par with the Legendary Beasts?! That settles it—Ash is basically a Pokémon himself! A legendary one at that!
Damn.
Now everyone finally understood!
At first, they could already tell Ash's body was absurdly strong.
But it hadn't reached this level until five years later!
It was Ho-Oh's Sacred Ash that fully awakened this terrifying physical power!
Ho-Oh—you've committed countless sins!
You created Ash, the human-shaped Pokémon!
At this point, even if Ash suddenly used a Pokémon move, no one would be surprised!
Wait—he already uses Aura Sphere!
On Screen—
That conversation was just a brief interruption.
After calming Chloe down, Ash led her deeper into the forest.
Since they were looking for Suicune and the poachers, Ash fully activated his Aura.
In a forest, Aura was incredibly useful.
Once released, every Pokémon appeared to Ash as glowing points of energy.
After filtering through them, Ash quickly locked onto an enormous Aura signature.
That level of power was far beyond ordinary Pokémon.
In this forest, the only possibility Ash could think of was Suicune.
Not only that—
Around Suicune were many scattered Aura signals.
"Chloe, hurry! Suicune's already been found by the poachers—we have to help!"
Sensing something wrong, Ash immediately grabbed Chloe's hand and rushed toward the Aura's source.
The excitement on his face turned into tension.
So those supposedly incompetent poachers had actually found Suicune.
Judging by the Aura, both sides were already engaged.
Faster—faster!
"Chloe, contact Officer Jenny now!"
This time, Ash wasn't reckless at all—he even remembered to call for backup.
For speed, he summoned Dragonite!
Guided by Aura, Dragonite quickly flew toward Suicune and the poachers.
Only after Dragonite rose above the forest did Chloe end the call.
She looked at Ash, puzzled.
"How did you know where they were?"
Just a moment ago, Ash had still been chatting happily.
Then suddenly—his expression changed completely.
"It's Aura! I scanned the forest with Aura!"
Ash's tone was serious.
In his perception, Suicune's Aura was steadily weakening.
Clearly, the poachers had done something to restrain Suicune.
"Aura can do that too?!"
Chloe knew Ash had Aura—after all, he had used it to save her and others before.
But she never imagined it could function like radar!
"No time to explain—get ready, we're here!"
As soon as Ash finished speaking, he wrapped an arm around Chloe and jumped off Dragonite.
Dozens of meters in free fall—Ash didn't even blink.
He landed like a dragon, silently and steadily.
On the ground, Pikachu's ears shot upright.
It heard explosions nearby.
Clearly, that was Suicune fighting the poachers.
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu pointed in a direction.
Ash immediately followed without hesitation.
At this point, Ash no longer believed these poachers were amateurs.
Sure, catching Suicune with nets sounded ridiculous—
But they clearly had reliable equipment, capable of weakening and trapping Suicune!
When Ash and Chloe arrived, they were both stunned.
Dozens of men who clearly looked like villains were commanding their Pokémon to attack a distant figure.
That figure struggled to maintain a blue barrier.
The barrier couldn't withstand so many attacks—
It shattered instantly.
At that moment, the poachers rushed forward, throwing nets over Suicune and trapping it tightly.
Suicune struggled desperately but couldn't break free.
…Was this really Suicune?
Not some random water-dog cosplay?!
Chloe opened her mouth, speechless.
Her worldview had been completely shattered.
[Wallace]: I'm dying laughing. I thought the most humiliating thing was Kyogre being fished up by Lana. Turns out where there's a "Hidden Dragon," there's a "Young Phoenix"! Now Suicune's been caught with nets!
[Siebold]: No slander! I hereby declare these two expelled from the Water-type divine registry!
[Flint]: Hahaha! Doesn't that Suicune look like a dog?!
At this moment—
A certain god was forever nailed to the pillar of shame.
I won't say who.
But you know.
(Groudon: It definitely wasn't me!)
On Screen—
As Suicune was trapped, the poachers swarmed in, trying to pin it down.
This was Suicune!
If they caught it, they'd be set for life!
Ash snapped out of his shock and roared:
"Stop right now!"
The poachers had been focused entirely on Suicune and hadn't noticed Ash's arrival.
But at his shout, they all turned.
"Where'd this brat come from? Get lost if you don't want to die!"
Seeing it was just a teenager, they sneered.
Kids these days were bold—too bold.
'Run… You're not their match…'
A weak but resolute voice echoed.
Everyone froze.
"Was that you talking?"
'Leave… now…'
Even speaking was torture for Suicune.
"You bastards! What did you do to Suicune?! Don't you know it's the guardian of water sources?! You dare treat it like this?! I'll never forgive you!"
Ash's furious voice echoed through the forest.
He hadn't been this angry in a long time.
These poachers—people who treated Pokémon lives like trash—were human scum!
"Ash… don't be reckless."
Chloe tugged nervously at his clothes.
But how could she stop Ash when he was consumed by rage?
"Hahaha! You think a brat like you can stop us? What a joke!"
"Boys, teach him a lesson—let him learn who he can mess with!"
At the leader's command, all Pokémon except those restraining Suicune turned toward Ash.
"Unforgivable! Pikachu—Thunderbolt! Dragonite—Hurricane!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder, and Dragonite attacked from the sky!
Lightning and wind crashed down on the poachers!
Just looking at that spectacle screamed danger!
The poacher leader raised his hand calmly.
"Oh? You're pretty strong, kid. But you wouldn't want Suicune to get hurt, right? If not, come here quietly."
Money didn't matter—staying alive did.
The leader knew their limits.
Those attacks were beyond what they could handle.
So—use Suicune as leverage.
Without a trainer's command, Pokémon couldn't fight effectively!
"You're despicable!"
"Thanks for the compliment~"
Ash had no choice but to stop Pikachu and Dragonite.
'Run…'
Even now, Suicune urged him to leave.
But if Ash ran—he wouldn't be Ash.
Pikachu returned to Ash's side.
These guys were troublesome.
Then Ash placed his hat on Pikachu's head.
"Pikachu, hold onto this for me."
Under the poachers' smug gazes, Ash stepped forward.
"I've already called the police. You can't escape. Release Suicune now, and you might still live!"
"You little brat—you're asking for death!"
The poachers panicked.
Poachers feared police like mice feared cats!
They immediately ordered an attack.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu clutched the hat anxiously.
"Got it, Pikachu! Quick Attack, right?!"
Pikachu: ???
What?!
That's not what I said!
Don't slander me!
Fine then—
"Pika pika!"
'Ash—use Quick Attack!'
(To be continued…)
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