Ash's fame is known even in Hoenn, a place far away; it's no exaggeration to say it's legendary.
After all, almost everything Ash did was historic. For ordinary trainers, Ash didn't have a high status, so after his fame exploded for a while, no one paid much attention to him anymore.
No matter how outrageous Ash's actions are, he is essentially just a trainer without any title. If he is not a Champion, even if he manages to defeat a Champion, he will eventually be forgotten.
Those who can truly see Ash's strength and remember his various actions are actually those who, in the eyes of ordinary people...
A high-ranking and powerful trainer.
Because they are capable, they understand better what Ash's actions mean. To Norman, Ash is already considered to be a trainer on the same level as him.
After arriving in Johto, Norman had been wanting to find time to see Ash. The distance between Johto and Kanto wasn't far, and even crossing the two regions wouldn't take much time.
Unfortunately, Ash seemed to be traveling all the time and didn't have a fixed place to stay. In addition, he was very busy because the Silver Conference had just started.
Therefore, the plan to visit Ash was ultimately abandoned. Unexpectedly, Ash took the initiative to come to her door, which surprised Norman, yet also made sense.
All trainers who want to participate in the Silver Tournament must register in New Leaf Town. Only after registration are they qualified to participate in the Silver Tournament and collect badges.
Violet City is the closest city to Newbark Town. If you want to collect badges nearby, you would definitely choose to come to Violet City. So Ash's arrival is reasonable, unless he takes a detour.
What surprised Norman the most was that her son and daughter ended up with Ash. What a wonderful coincidence!
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Norman. I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Would it be convenient for you to have a gym battle now?" Even though May had already introduced him, Ash still introduced himself to Norman again, as it was basic courtesy.
After introducing himself, Ash went straight to his request: a gym battle!
It seems that Norman is still giving a lecture. If he doesn't have time right now, Ash plans to go to Bellsprout Tower to take a look. The meaning of travel, besides improving oneself and battling with all kinds of people, is also the scenery along the way.
As a landmark building in Bellflower City, the Bellflower Tower is naturally worth visiting.
Unexpectedly, after looking around, Norman solemnly said to Ash, "Of course, no problem. I can start a gym battle right now. However, I have a request. I want these students to watch. Practical battles are the best way for students to learn. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"If I'm not mistaken, Ash, you should have a power that can defend the area around you, right? Could you please use that power during a battle?" Norman asked.
Although he was a temporary teacher at the school and didn't teach many classes, only once or twice a week, he was absolutely dedicated to his duties as a teacher.
Ash possesses a device or some kind of power that can prevent the aftershocks of battle explosions from spreading outside the arena. This would prevent even Champion-level opponents from being affected.
The battle will not affect those watching from the outside.
Norman would certainly not miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Being able to let the students see a showdown between two superstars up close would definitely be of great benefit to their future.
Ash nodded without hesitation: "No problem, Mr. Norman, I guarantee that the aftermath of the battle will not affect the students in the slightest."
"Yes! Great! We can watch the Pokémon battles up close!"
"Long live Teacher Norman!!"
"That's great! We can finally watch Norman-sensei's match! I've heard that Norman-sensei is incredibly strong!"
"Yes, yes, Teacher Norman teaches us much better than other teachers! A teacher who's so good at teaching people must be very good at teaching spirits too!"
"Does anyone know that older brother?"
"I don't know~"
"I don't know~"
The students were thrilled to be able to watch Pokémon battles up close. Back when Norman joined the school, the principal and their original teacher, Sayuri, had said that Norman was an extremely powerful trainer, one of the top trainers in the world.
The teaching that Norman gave after joining the team made the students clearly feel that Norman was different from other teachers. His knowledge and his way of speaking were things that trainers who only talked about theory could not express.
So, not long after Norman joined the company, many elementary school students were already captivated by him, becoming his little fans.
However, they had never witnessed a thousand-mile attack before.
Despite many students expressing a desire to watch Norman engage in a gym battle, Norman refused, citing the danger of gym battles.
Once, when Norman battled a trainer who came to challenge him, he made them watch from a distance. The whole battle ended in less than a minute.
Forget about enjoying it; it was over before we even took our pants off.
So when they heard that they could watch the game up close this time, many students were extremely excited. At the same time, it was the first time they had heard Teacher Norman give such high praise to someone.
Ash Ketchum is hardly a name among the students. Let alone Ash, even if the Elite Four and the Champion appeared in front of them, they might not recognize him.
Children are just kids; how could they possibly know so many different kinds of celebrities? Recognizing even a few elves is already quite an achievement.
So talented.
So after hearing Norman's high praise for Ash, many students were filled with anticipation but also some doubt: was this older brother, who didn't look much older than them, really that amazing?
Whether they're that good or not, you'll know once you watch a match.
Led by their teacher, Sayuri, the group arrived at the school's combat training grounds. Although it wasn't a large school, it still had two or three training grounds used for combat. What kind of school would it be if it didn't even have combat training grounds?
The training ground was quite large, at least equivalent to the standard of a normal dojo. A group of students stood at the edge of the ground, looking with great curiosity at the two people standing opposite each other in the center of the ground.
For them, this was the first time watching a Pokémon battle at such close range, and it wasn't even the kind of...
It's not a roadside competition, but a duel between the world's top trainers. For kids who aspire to become trainers, watching such a competition up close is incredibly beneficial.
"Dad! We have to win!!" Max shouted to his father, this match was of utmost importance.
This is not just a gym battle, but also a duel between top trainers from two regions. Saying it concerns the honor of both regions would be an exaggeration, but it's not entirely unrelated. The academy principal has already started recording the video, which means that this match will be circulated online after the battle.
For Kakashi, this match was a battle to defend his father's honor. If his father lost to Ash, it would be a huge loss of face!
Even the Hoenn region would be embarrassed, after all, the top trainers of the Hoenn region were defeated by a novice trainer from Kanto.
It was extraordinary, but that's no excuse for Norman's failure.
So no matter what, I think my father has to win this game!
"Then let's follow the gym rules for the battles, three against three."
"no problem!"
"According to the gym rules, the gym leader must bring out their Pokémon first, and they are not allowed to change their Pokémon during the battle. My first Pokémon is this one!" Since there was no referee, Norman had to act as the referee and explain the rules of the match.
Ash has extensive experience in gym challenges, so normally it wouldn't matter whether he explained the rules or not. However, in keeping with his duty as a gym leader, Norman explained the rules again.
As Norman threw the Poké Ball, a flash of light appeared on the field, followed by the emergence of a huge Pokémon.
Now on the field, it was an elf that looked like a kangaroo but also had a bit of a dragon's appearance.
The elf was grayish-brown all over, with grayish-yellow ears and belly. There were several protrusions on its shoulders and legs. Inside a pouch on its belly was a smaller version of the elf, but a different color, which was quietly lying on it, looking around curiously.
Kangaskhan, this is the first Pokémon in the Norman, and also a rather rare one.
This Pokémon is quite special.
Although it's called one Pokémon, it's actually two. Inside the large pouch in front of Kangaskhan is a smaller Kangaskhan.
Although the smaller Kangaskhan can't battle, if it's injured during a battle, Kangaskhan will unleash boundless power, capable of defeating the Pokémon or player who injured the smaller Kangaskhan!
It's worth mentioning that Kangaskhan can undergo Mega Evolution, but it's not Kangaskhan itself that evolves into the smaller Kangaskhan in front of it.
After evolving, the little Kangaskhan grows up and has the same fighting power as Kangaskhan. Whatever move Kangaskhan uses, the little Kangaskhan will also use.
However, Kangaskhan only uses a quarter of the moves of Kangaskhan, but some fixed-damage moves are not weakened. In addition, moves with boosting or weakening effects will cause two weakening and two boosting effects. Overall, it is a very powerful MEGA evolution.
However, this kind of MEGA evolution has not yet been discovered, and Ash only learned about it in a chat group.
The Kangaskhan in the game did not carry a Mega Stone, but instead carried a Life Orb. The Life Orb can increase the damage of all skills by 30%, but the side effect is that each attack consumes more stamina. If it is dragged into a prolonged battle, it will be doomed.
However, this item is quite suitable for a Pokémon with explosive power, especially considering that this Kangaskhan's ability is Courage and its A-rank attack power.
"If we're facing Kangaskhan, then let's use him! I choose you, Lucario!!" Ash also took out his first Pokémon. As he threw the Poké Ball, a cool figure flashed onto the field—the Aura Guide—Lucario!
The moment the cool dog appeared, it immediately drew gasps of amazement from the surrounding elementary school students. This kind of cool Pokémon is simply the kind of thing children dream of—just kidding, even non-children want one.
"Lucario, it's a very rare Pokémon. It usually inhabits the Sinnoh region, and a few of it also appear in the Hoenn region. It rarely appears in the Kanto region. Ash, you've got a really good chance!" Norman said with a sigh.
Knowing Ash as he does, how could he not know that Ash has Lucario? What he said was actually meant to educate children; this kind of explanation is more likely to penetrate their minds and leave no lasting impression.
The traces remained in their minds.
"Mr. Norman, your Kangaskhan is just as rare. It's a Pokémon that's extremely rare even in the Kanto region. I never imagined it could become one of the mainstays of the Gym Leaders in the Hoenn region." Ash said, comparing the two Pokémon's strengths.
Lucario, a Fighting-type Pokémon, is super effective against Kangaskhan, and also has higher stats. However, Lucario is significantly lower in level.
Lucario is now at the top of the gym, and all its stats have been trained to the limit. It's just a little bit away from becoming a Champion, but that little bit of distance is something Lucario can't seem to cross.
The opponent's Kangaskhan was already an Elite Four level Pokémon, and it wasn't just a beginner Elite Four Pokémon; it had already reached the advanced Elite Four level.
The difference in their levels is enormous, but this difference can be mitigated by using waveguides.
If it's about integration, then crossing that threshold can be done with ease.
However, that would make sending Lucario into this battle pointless.
He, Ash, never plays when he's ahead!
Throughout his journey, he has either been fighting opponents of higher levels or on his way to fighting opponents of higher levels. Even when he used waveguide fusion, he was rarely able to keep up with his opponents. In most cases, he was a level below his opponents, or even several levels below them.
It is precisely because of these constant challenges against higher-level opponents that his Pokémon and he himself have grown so quickly. While it's fun to have an easy time in a winning situation, it's in a losing situation that you can truly test your skills and improve yourself!
Therefore, Ash didn't plan to use Aura Fusion in this battle. Instead, he wanted Lucario to win on its own. However, its current strength was definitely not enough to win, so... it had to break through its limits and become a Champion!
This battle is also a high-stakes gamble for Ash and Lucario!