"Aura Power? Never heard of that. The only special ability I know is Psychic."
Once Misty was convinced Ash wasn't some secret cyborg, she finally calmed down and started talking normally.
Aura Power, Aura, wasn't just rare in Kanto. It was rare everywhere. A handful of Pokémon could use it, sure, but humans? Almost unheard of.
Psychics, on the other hand, were a different story. Plenty of people with Psychic ability existed. In Kanto alone, the Saffron City Gym Leader was famous for it, and Misty had even heard of gifted individuals in other regions.
Different from Aura or not, in her mind the two powers fell into the same category: weird, special, and dangerous.
"That said, even if you've got some special ability, one guy fighting off a flock of Spearow is still outrageous!" Misty crossed her arms, half lecturing.
Ash puffed out his chest proudly. "Hehe, pretty cool, right?"
"I wasn't exactly complimenting you." Misty sighed, then glanced away. "But, fine, maybe it was kind of impressive."
Ash's smug grin grew wider, which only made Misty groan inwardly. Despite how terrifying his strength was, the boy's mentality was pure child, easily pleased, quick to brag, and impossible not to read like a book.
And the kicker? The only reason he called her out from behind that tree was because she hadn't come out to praise him after his "heroic performance." What kind of person was so desperate for applause?
Answer: a ten-year-old boy who still had the brain of a kid.
"Are you a rookie Trainer?" she asked, finally softening her tone.
"Yep! Just got my first Pokémon and Pokédex today. I only left Pallet Town this morning. This is my partner, Pikachu!"
"Pika Pika~!" Pikachu waved from Ash's shoulder, cheerful as ever.
"Your starter Pokémon is Pikachu… and you have a Pokédex?" Misty frowned in surprise. "Who's the League envoy in your town?"
Normally, every city had League envoys who handed out starters to kids their age. But Pokédexes? Those were rare. Only top-level envoys could provide them, and they usually paired them with strong, reliable starters like Charmander. Giving out something like Pikachu, cute, yes, but difficult for rookies to control, wasn't the kind of choice she'd expect from a high-ranking envoy.
"The envoy in Pallet Town is Professor Oak," Ash said casually. "He's pretty famous."
"Professor Oak!!!" Misty practically jumped, emerald eyes wide.
"You know Professor Oak too?" Ash blinked.
"Of course! How many people in Kanto don't know Professor Oak?" Misty huffed, as if Ash had just asked whether water was liquid.
"Besides being a world-renowned Pokémon Professor, he was also the Kanto League's Champion."
Ash and Pikachu: "!!!"
The boy and the Pikachu froze in unison. That kind, scatterbrained old man who forgot where he left his own slippers… was the Kanto League's very first Champion?
Ash swallowed hard. "You, you're sure you're not mistaken? It's one thing for Professor Oak to be famous as a Professor, but the Champion of Kanto… that's impossible, right?"
Misty rolled her eyes so hard Ash thought they might get stuck. "How could I mistake something that important? I may not look like it, but I know what I'm talking about. Ask any Gym Leader, every single one of them respects Oak's record."
"Then… tell me about his past," Ash pressed, eyes gleaming.
Misty hesitated, then smirked. "Fine, but let's talk as we walk. You're heading for Viridian City, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then let's go."
She wheeled her bike alongside Ash, slowing her pace so she wouldn't outstrip him. Along the way, she told him about the part of Professor Oak's life that most rookies had never heard.
Decades ago, back when the idea of a Champion in Kanto was still new and uncertain, Oak appeared, young, fiery, and unstoppable
He not only won the Indigo League, but kept climbing higher, defeating every famed Trainer in Kanto. His power, Misty said, was so overwhelming it was comparable to Leon, the current unbeatable Champion of Galar.
Back then, Oak had been the shining pillar of Kanto, the Trainer everyone else measured themselves against.
But those days were different. There was no internet, no televised battles, not even fast airships. Outside Kanto, Oak's name didn't travel far. And after he retired from battling to focus on research, his legend slowly faded, buried under the shadow of his academic fame.
Today, most people only knew him as the kindly Professor of Pallet Town. Only Gym Leaders and those who cared about history remembered he had once been Kanto's strongest Champion.
"To this day, the Kanto Region hasn't produced another Champion like him.
Even Lance, the so-called invincible Dragon Master, couldn't seize the title. He holds his place among the Elite Four, but not the Champion's throne," Misty said with a sigh, pushing her bicycle along. Her tone carried a faint regret, as though she wished she'd been alive to see Oak's glory days firsthand.
Ash blinked, stunned. "Wait… are you saying Kanto's that weak? No Champion at all?"
Misty let out a sharp laugh. "Weak? Hah! Maybe rookies here start slow, but if you're talking top-tier strength, go ask the other regions if they think Kanto's weak. You'll get laughed out of the room."
She smirked, emerald eyes glinting. "If someone says Kanto's lower ranks are shaky, sure, no one will argue. But if someone doubts our top Trainers? That's just ignorance."
"Then why doesn't Kanto even have a Champion right now?" Ash asked, scratching his head.
"Do you even know how Champions are chosen?"
Ash shook his head, Pikachu tilting its ears beside him.
"People think becoming Champion is simple, but it's not. You'd have to face the entire Elite Four, and hardly anyone even makes it past the first. Those four are legends. Around here, they're the peak of strength. That's why nobody ever talks about a Champion in Kanto… no one's ever gotten far enough to claim the title."
Ash and Pikachu froze. "!!!"
Their jaws practically hit the dirt road.
"So… Kanto doesn't lack a Champion because it's weak… it's because it's too strong?"
Misty chuckled. "Exactly. Our Elite Four aren't gatekeepers, they're four Champions standing side by side. That's why the Champion's seat stays empty more often than not."
Ash gulped. Pikachu's ears twitched. Both boy and Pokémon shivered at the thought. Four Champions in a row? That sounded less like a challenge and more like a cruel joke.
Before Ash could ask more, the clear blue sky above suddenly darkened.
"Drizzle ~ ~"
A light rain began to fall, pattering against the leaves. The bright day soured into a gloomy downpour in an instant.
Misty tugged her bike toward a tall tree for shelter. Ash and Pikachu hurried after her, both dripping wet.