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Ash in the group chat stood at the pinnacle of various fields, and everyone in their respective worlds was an extraordinary individual.
But this also meant they were already set in their ways, standing at the peak of various fields, and could only stand at the peak of one such field.
If they wanted to transition or learn knowledge and skills from other areas, it would only happen if there was commonality between them, like Tactician Ash and Champion Ash. Otherwise, they wouldn't learn knowledge from other fields, and even if they did, they wouldn't be able to stand at the pinnacle of that field like the other Ashs.
However, the new Ash was different; he knew nothing but was also at a stage where he could learn anything.
The Ashs in the group chat represented the possibilities of parallel world Ashs developing in other directions. In other words, theoretically, Newbie Ash possessed the potential of all parallel world Ashs.
He had the potential to become a Breeder, a tactical master, a top Trainer, a top fisherman, a mechanic, a chef, and so on.
Therefore, the various Ashs in the group discussed and unanimously agreed on one thing: they would cultivate the new Ash into an unprecedented all-rounder Ash!
If this could truly be achieved, the impact of the new Ash on his world would be incredibly terrifying. Perhaps... he could accomplish what all other Ashs had failed to do: defeat the creator god of the Pokémon World — Arceus!
However, these were all just speculations. Whether it could be achieved would depend on how much of his potential Newbie Ash could unleash, and if he was willing to learn from the people in the group.
Fortunately, even though there was a lot to learn in the group, Newbie Ash had no intention of giving up. To become a Pokémon Master, he was indeed willing to give everything.
The people in the group also didn't tell him their expectations or the goals they wanted Newbie Ash to achieve. To do so would put too much pressure on Newbie Ash.
Now, Newbie Ash was steadily making progress, and everything was moving in a good direction... After Ash prepared food for Metapod and Pikachu, he also asked Misty to release her Pokémon.
Among the Pokémon Misty carried, besides a Goldeen, the other two were Pokémon that could survive on land, though not for long periods, or they would dehydrate. But letting them out to eat was no problem.
"Come out, my darlings~~" Misty sweetly called out, releasing her two Pokémon: a brown Staryu with a small gem in its center, and a sky-blue Starmie with a dazzling red gem in its center.
Starmie is the evolved form of Staryu. This was new knowledge Ash had just learned from the group, so Ash was a bit puzzled: how did Misty catch two Pokémon of the same species?
But these were unimportant matters. This was the first time Misty had released her Pokémon in three days. Pokémon in Poké Balls maintain minimal energy consumption, so not eating for a week is fine.
Ash also saw the level of Misty's Pokémon for the first time — Elite Level!
Starmie, Elite Peak.
Staryu, Elite High.
One was just a step away from Professional Level, and the other was also Elite High. No wonder Misty said what she did back then.
If Pikachu's strength at that time were to battle Misty's two Pokémon, the chances of winning would be virtually zero.
As for now... who knows?
Misty had special Pokémon food for her Starmie and Staryu, but she didn't bring much, and the brand was one Ash had never seen.
"Misty, where did you buy this? This food's logo... why is it a droplet-like symbol?" Ash asked, curiously looking at the water droplet logo on the Starmie-specific food packaging.
Pokémon food in shopping malls and supermarkets all have manufacturer logos, but Ash knew the logos of those big brands. He had never seen Misty's.
"Uh... ha, this is produced by a small Water-type Pokémon food supplier. It's not well-known, so it's normal you wouldn't know it."
"Is that so? Misty, are you hiding something from me?"
"What could I be hiding from you? Are you being too sensitive?"
"Really?" Ash's face gradually moved closer to Misty, making her break out in a cold sweat. Just as Ash's face was less than five centimeters from hers, he suddenly pulled away.
"Never mind. After all, we've only been together for a few days, so it's normal that some things can't be said. But I believe that the longer we're together, the more you'll trust me," Ash said with a smile, hands on his hips.
"Togeth... together? You mean traveling together!!"
"Hmm? Isn't that the same?"
"No, it's not!!"
...After a small interlude, the two and all the Pokémon had a pleasant lunch.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two tidied up, preparing to rest a bit before continuing their journey. Just then, a flash of light streaked past, aiming directly at the Metapod beside Ash.
Ash, quick as a flash, grabbed the figure that wanted to attack Metapod, gripping the scruff of its neck, seizing its fate.
"What the heck? Pidgeotto?" After Ash caught the opponent, he finally saw its appearance clearly. It was Pidgeotto, the evolved form of Kanto's common Pokémon Pidgey.
Pidgey is a common Flying-type Pokémon found everywhere in the Kanto region. Like Spearow, it's called a 'house Pokémon,' but Pidgey is gentle and more suitable for Rookie Trainers.
However, once Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto, it's different. Pidgeotto's temperament is no less fierce than Spearow's, making it a difficult Pokémon for Rookies to control.
But no matter how fierce its temperament, when it's caught by a human's hand by the scruff of its neck during a high-speed dive, and has no power to resist, its temperament will become docile.
Is this even human?
"I'm talking to you, what did you intend to do to my Metapod?" Ash brought Pidgeotto closer to his eyes, a mischievous glint in them.
This guy clearly looked like it wanted to eat his Metapod!
"Pid... Pijiao..." Pidgeotto's forehead dripped with a few beads of sweat. It mumbled that it hadn't done anything, just felt a kinship with Metapod and came over to say hello.
"Is that so?"
"Pidgeotto!!"
"Then I'll take you at your word. Let's have a battle. If you win, I'll let you go. If you lose, you'll become my Pokémon."
"Pidge?"
"What?" Not just Pidgeotto, even Misty was dumbfounded. Why was he suddenly going into a capture battle?
Over the past few days, Ash had encountered many Pokémon, but besides Caterpie, Ash hadn't made a move again. He had also met Spearow and Pidgey, but hadn't caught them either.
Why, upon encountering this Pidgeotto, would Ash want to capture it? Didn't he want to train one from a Pidgey?
The answer, of course, couldn't be what Misty guessed.
The reason Ash wanted to capture this Pidgeotto was because... of the advice from the big shots in the group and this Pidgeotto's sufficiently strong aptitude.
This text makes some magical modifications to Misty's Pokémon, not referencing the TV show. If ranked according to Misty's strength in the TV show, it would at most be around level twenty in the games. In this text, the strongest Pokémon of Misty upon her first appearance can be considered level forty-nine, making her a genuine Gym Leader.
However, the true strength of other Gym Leaders in this text is at least Professional Level, so even if Misty is a genuine Gym Leader, she is still in the weakest tier...