"Sorry, Pikachu… I just got this power and couldn't control it properly. How are you feeling now?" Ash asked, his voice heavy with regret as Pikachu stirred.
He truly hadn't expected it. That Aura Sphere had been less than ten percent of his strength, yet it had knocked Pikachu out in a single blow.
Ash had imagined all sorts of strategies, a back-and-forth clash filled with tactics. But the "battle" ended before it even began.
He didn't know if Pikachu was just too weak… or if he had suddenly become too strong.
"Pika pika…" 'Are you really even human?'
"What kind of question is that?!" Ash shot back immediately, puffing his cheeks. "Of course I'm human! A hundred percent genuine human! I just happened to get a little special ability, that's all."
"Pikachu pi!" 'A little? That's way too outrageous to call 'a little'!'
Ash scratched his head with a grin. "Hehe~"
Pikachu gave him a long, unamused look, then sighed. "Pika." 'Fine. I'll honor my bet.'
Though unruly by nature, Pikachu was honest. Since Ash had beaten him fair and square, he had nothing left to say.
And so, Ash had finally, truly gained his very first Pokémon.
Other Trainers could use their starters as soon as they got them. But only Ash had to literally battle his own Pokémon into submission before earning its approval.
"Since you're my partner now, back into your Poké Ball you go. Everyone else's Pokémon goes inside, so you should too." Ash held out the Poké Ball with a smile.
"Pika pika!!" Pikachu shook his head violently, refusing with all his might. Even without Aura, Ash could feel the stubbornness in that protest. With Aura, he understood perfectly: Pikachu just didn't want to go inside.
Normally, Trainers didn't allow that. Sure, Pokémon could stay out sometimes, but keeping one outside all the time was considered impractical.
But Ash was different. He paused, then nodded decisively. "Alright then, if you don't want to stay in the Poké Ball, you don't have to. I'll just patch you up first. Good thing Mom gave me some Potions."
At those words, Pikachu's tense expression eased. His sharp eyes softened, carrying a touch of surprise.
Not many Trainers would do this. Not many would let their Pokémon walk free, let alone respect their wishes from the start. And somehow, Ash was that kind of Trainer.
For the first time, Pikachu didn't feel quite so resistant to the idea of following Ash.
Ash carefully sprayed the Potion across Pikachu's small body.
The Potion Delia had given him was specially formulated for Pokémon. Though it stung a little at first, its effect was remarkable, Pikachu's condition recovered quickly.
Once Pikachu was back on his feet, Ash finally set off down the road toward the next city.
As he walked, he reopened the mysterious group chat. He had already set his ultimate goal, defeating Leon, the unbeatable Champion, but he had no idea where to even begin.
[Champion Ash: If I remember correctly, the first stop after Pallet Town should be Viridian City. You'll need to register there for the Pokémon League. If you want to measure up at all, you should aim to win the Indigo League. Only then will you have what I'd call "basic battle power."]
[Newbie Ash: Huh?! I need to win a whole League Championship just to count as "basic"?! Isn't that way too strict?!]
By now, Ash had figured out how to change his name in the chat group. Surrounded by so many powerhouse versions of himself, he decided to pick a new title he'd overheard from them, Newbie Ash.
It meant pitiful, weak, and clueless. Which, honestly, felt about right. Even though he'd pulled Aura Ash's power, he was still green as grass when it came to being a Trainer. He had far too much to learn.
[Champion Ash: Well… in my experience, the Indigo League is one of the weaker Leagues. It only accepts Trainers who've been traveling for less than two years, so it's basically a beginner-exclusive League.]
[Champion Ash: But that's how it worked in my world. The exact rules in your world might vary. Still, the League is real, and if you want a short-term goal, aim for Champion of the Indigo League. Once you've done that, then you can think about the next step.]
[Breeder Ash: If you've got downtime, you should also study breeding techniques! Don't understand something? Ask me, I'll teach you!]
[Grand Festival Ash: You're really desperate to recruit newcomers, huh.]
[Aura Ash: Heh. Let him be. Hardly anyone here talks breeding with him, and those who could rarely log in. Finally a completely clueless newbie shows up, of course he's going to reel him in.]
[Tactician Ash: But to be fair, he isn't wrong. If you really want to stand at the top, breeding is essential. Unless you've got a dedicated Breeder partner, you'll need to learn at least the basics yourself.]
[Newbie Ash: Got it! Then I'll head straight to Viridian City first! See you guys later!]
[Champion Ash: Hold it! One last thing. On the way, you'll run into wild Pokémon. Whether you plan to catch them or not, don't just ignore them, battle them. Besides daily care, a Pokémon's growth mainly comes from accumulated battle experience. The more fights they have, the faster they'll grow stronger.]
[Champion Ash: But remember, battles aren't everything. They're only part of a Trainer's duty. Feeding, care, companionship, and guidance are just as important. You can pick up a lot about those things just by checking in on the group regularly.]
[Newbie Ash: Got it!]
Ash burned those words into his heart, then closed the chat.
At first, he'd planned to use Pikachu to catch two more Pokémon before reaching Viridian City. But after hearing his other selves, he realized something: his bond with Pikachu was still shaky, and Pikachu's level wasn't particularly high.
It would be smarter to train Pikachu first, earn his trust, sharpen his strength, before adding more partners to the team.
"Let's go, Pikachu! Time to grind some levels!" Ash announced with fire in his eyes.
"Pika…?" Pikachu tilted his head, ears twitching.
From his perspective, Ash had just closed his eyes for a minute, opened them again, and suddenly started shouting about "leveling up" like a completely different person.
'Maybe this human had two personalities?'
Still… since Ash could understand him, Pikachu decided to just file it under incomprehensible human behavior.
"Level up! Challenge Gyms! Stand at the peak of the world! Charge!!"
Ash said, rushing out ahead. Pikachu showed a bewildered expression behind him, then followed closely