"…What?! You said the Dragonite you captured was a super ancient one?! It can freely change its size?!"
"Even stronger than modern Dragonite in every single way?! Ash, are you serious right now? Don't lie to me!!"
On the other end of the video call, Professor Oak's face filled the entire screen, his nose practically pressed against the camera.
It looked like he wanted to climb straight out of the phone, grab Ash by the shoulders, and demand the full story face to face!
Ash blinked at the sight of the Professor's overexcited expression and instinctively leaned back.
He sighed helplessly and repeated his explanation once again.
"That's right, Professor Oak. I'm not exaggerating. Everything I said is true."
"This Dragonite is indeed a super ancient species. She had been living near Professor Bill's lighthouse for who knows how long."
"She'd always wanted to find a companion, but because of her enormous size, modern Dragonites never accepted her."
"But after being captured by my Poké Ball, she somehow learned how to minimize herself. Once she realized how, she could now change her size freely."
"When she's small, she looks and acts just like a regular Dragonite. When she's big, she returns to her true ancient form."
"Professor Oak, could I ask you for a favor? Please have your Dragonite spend some time with mine. She's been alone for ages, and I'd like her to make friends—and maybe learn how to interact with others again. She also needs someone to help her train and teach her modern Dragonite common sense."
Professor Oak was silent for a moment, but then his eyes softened and he nodded quickly.
"Alright, Ash. Leave her to me. I'll make sure she gets the best guidance possible."
Ash smiled gratefully and ended the call.
After officially taming the super ancient Dragonite, Ash had taken some time to talk with her in detail.
Through the waveguide, he had learned several important things about her condition.
The first problem was her lack of social experience—after centuries without meeting her own kind, her communication abilities had regressed, and she barely remembered how to speak the Pokémon language properly.
The second issue was her complete ignorance of modern life.
She didn't even understand the concept of "training" or what being tamed meant until Ash explained it to her himself.
And the last problem—perhaps the biggest—was her lack of real combat experience.
Because she had rarely fought, she only knew how to attack crudely using her overwhelming power.
That worked fine when she outclassed her opponent in strength, but if she faced someone on the same level—say, another Elite Pokémon—she could easily fall into a disadvantage.
Even with Ash's battle instincts and commands, Dragonite's lack of combat technique would show.
That was why Ash asked Professor Oak for help.
His Dragonite was not just strong—it was a Champion-level Dragonite, and one that had reached the very peak of that level.
After all, Professor Oak had once been the first Champion of the Kanto League before retiring to focus on research.
Even though he had stepped down long ago, both his title as a Champion and the strength of his Pokémon remained unshaken.
In fact, almost no one knew about this part of Oak's past anymore.
Only a few members of the older generation were aware of it.
Even Gary himself had no idea that his grandfather had once stood at the top of the Pokémon world.
...
After ending the call, Ash and the group rested for the night in the half-ruined Bill Lighthouse.
The following morning, they set out again on their journey under a bright blue sky.
Professor Bill had wanted to personally study the ancient Dragonite, but Ash had simply told him, "You can contact Professor Oak directly."
Those two were both research geniuses—if they worked together, they might uncover even more secrets about ancient Pokémon.
Once their travels resumed, Ash noticed something new.
Misty and Serena's relationship had clearly changed overnight.
The two seemed much closer than before—almost suspiciously close.
They were warmer with each other, often whispering and laughing softly together, and… strangely enough, both seemed a little more attached to him too.
They didn't hesitate to hold his hand while walking, cling to his arm, or sneak up behind him for a playful hug.
Sometimes, one of them would lean her face close enough for their cheeks to almost touch, only to pull away at the last second with a flushed expression.
It left Ash scratching his head in confusion.
What on earth had those two talked about that night?
Still, he couldn't deny that their new closeness sometimes made him a little embarrassed.
But aside from that, both Misty and Serena had also become much more motivated in their Pokémon training.
Serena's Fennekin had already evolved into Braixen, and her battle power had increased dramatically.
Now, she was officially at an advanced level—strong enough to handle the Pokémon used by rookie trainers in gym qualification matches.
As for Misty, her water-type Pokémon had also grown steadily stronger.
Each of them showed clear improvement, and her team had developed better coordination under Ash's guidance.
But of course, the fastest progress of all belonged to Ash's Pokémon.
Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur had all reached advanced beginner level, just one step away from evolution.
Bulbasaur, however, still refused to evolve, preferring to remain in his current form for now.
Ash didn't mind. He respected his Pokémon's will.
Charmander and Squirtle, on the other hand, would soon evolve during the upcoming Vermilion Gym challenge.
It was almost certain.
Charmander, who had originally lagged behind Bulbasaur and Squirtle, had now surpassed them both.
Part of this was because of his rigorous training, where his "self-improvement" entry was pushed to its absolute limit.
But more importantly, the Rainbow Wing embedded within his body continued to influence him.
Each time Charmander reached his physical limit, that sacred feather would release a faint yet powerful light, revitalizing his life force and helping him endure just a little longer.
Through this cycle of exhaustion and recovery, his strength had grown at an astonishing rate.
Combined with his unyielding willpower and the burning desire to repay Ash's kindness, his progress was unstoppable.
Meanwhile, Pikachu's strength had reached a temporary bottleneck.
The leap from quasi-Elite to full Elite was not something that could be rushed.
But once Pikachu broke through, he would reach an entirely new level—one that would allow him to fight across tiers.
A second-stage Pikachu might even rival a Gym Leader's main Pokémon right from the start.
It was terrifying just thinking about it.
As for Frogadier, he was now at the peak of the advanced level, only one step away from becoming an Elite-class Pokémon.
Ash estimated that once Frogadier evolved into Greninja, he would immediately ascend to professional level—a rank considered elite even in the entire world of trainers.
And that thought alone filled Ash with excitement for what lay ahead.
(End of Chapter 44)