"Now do you believe me? I've really awakened new powers." Ash released Brock's hand and said with a smile.
The two of them exchanged glances and then nodded. There's no way they couldn't believe it, the feeling was right there; it was a power completely different from Aura Power, and it was indeed beneficial for both Pokemon and humans.
"This is unbelievable. Ash, how did you suddenly awaken powers again? Are you possibly the reincarnation of a Legendary Beast?"
"Don't joke around; being able to fight and having such weird powers, plus the ability to talk to Pokemon, you might indeed have been a Legendary Beast in a past life."
The two bantered back and forth, while Ash refuted with an expression of helplessness.
Reincarnation, my foot! All these powers are the result of 'my own' efforts!
The Ash from the parallel world is still me.
About these powers, Misty and Brock had no clue. Although Ash knew it was the Power of Viridian, he couldn't directly say it out loud. He had to wait to find some information about it first and then reveal it at the right moment.
The matter of Ash acquiring a new ability was quickly set aside. They had finished shopping and resting. With Ash using the Power of Viridian to restore them, they were now full of energy.
So the trio decided to head onward to the next Gym.
The Celadon Gym wasn't far from the Saffron Gym; they could reach it in less than a week if they didn't get lost...
The trio first arrived at the Pokemon Center. Ash reported his victory over the Saffron Gym to Professor Oak and transported Gengar back to Oak's Research Institute.
At this point, Gengar hadn't turned back into its Gastly form. Maybe it thought transforming back and forth was a hassle, so it chose to stay as Gengar.
After transferring Gengar and retrieving Pidgeotto, Ash told Professor Oak to heal Gengar a bit before hanging up the phone.
Professor Oak wanted to ask for battle details, but all he got was the blackness of a turned-off screen.
This made Professor Oak roll his eyes helplessly and release Gengar.
The main player left, but wasn't there another? Not the main player, but a main ghost would do too.
...
Ash was once again on the road to Celadon City. He first gave the Assault Vests he'd bought to Pikachu and Charmeleon.
The candidates for the Assault Vest were only three: Kirlia, Pikachu, Charmeleon.
Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Pidgeotto couldn't wear it, and even if they did, it'd look awkward. Riolu hadn't fully recovered and couldn't even do basic training, let alone use an Assault Vest.
Among the three Pokemon, Kirlia was passed on because it wasn't the type for close combat. Even if it wore the Assault Vest for training, the effect wouldn't be as good as for close-combat lovers like Charmeleon and Pikachu.
In reality, it was all due to Ash's lack of money. If he had more, he wouldn't care about suitability or priority and would outfit all his Pokemon!
Money isn't everything, but having none makes everything impossible!
So Ash started thinking of ways to earn money, which led to wild battle gambles, or 'wild combat' for short!
Wild combat was something frequently done in the wilderness. Previously, Ash had battled many wild Trainers but hadn't really gambled much.
Back then, Ash was just a Newbie Trainer at the bottom of the ranks. Running into a slightly skilled Trainer could mean losing badly.
Also, Ash didn't have a gambling habit. Delia had warned him since childhood not to get involved in gambling.
However, after traveling for a while, Ash realized that wild battle gambling wasn't actually gambling. Gambling depended on luck, whereas wild battles depend on skill and strength, so how could it be considered gambling?
The real reason was that he was broke...
Brock and Misty didn't object either; they even encouraged wild battles because such high-pressure matches pushed both the Trainers and their Pokemon to improve, making it beneficial for growth, so it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
This series of reasons resulted in the road between Saffron City and Celadon City featuring an undefeated warrior...
...
Midday, six days later—
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!!"
"Pidgeotto, dodge quickly!"
A guy in his twenties commanded his grounded Pidgeotto to dodge, but the burn marks all over Pidgeotto were evidence of how severe the attacks had been.
At this moment, Pidgeotto could barely flap its wings, let alone dodge.
The searing orange-red flames enveloped Pidgeotto, and shortly after, when the flames subsided, what lay on the ground was a charred Pidgeotto.
"The match is decided; Charmeleon wins," Brock declared the result with a wave of his hand.
The young man, eyes slightly vacant, collapsed to the ground looking incredulous. "How... How could I lose to someone who's just been out for a bit over a month? That's impossible..."
Ash walked over to the scorched Pidgeotto, which faintly gave off a roasted scent, placed a hand on it, and activated his internal Power of Viridian.
Within seconds, Pidgeotto's condition improved significantly, at least out of any life-threatening danger.
With the Power of Viridian, Ash no longer worried about holding back in battles. Before, he'd been afraid of injuring the opponent's Pokemon too severely, especially with no nearby Pokemon Center available.
Now he didn't have to worry about such things; he could do the healing himself, just like now.
"There's nothing impossible about it. I've had plenty of people lose to me along the way; now, as per our agreement, hand over the five thousand." Ash moved Pidgeotto to the young man and, at the same time, asked for his prize.
"Lost to you? Could you be the Wild Battle Killer everyone's talking about lately?!"
Ash: ...
What the heck, Wild Battle Killer now?
Who came up with that nickname?
"I don't know about Wild Battle Killer; I'm just a Newbie Trainer. Here, take your Pidgeotto. I've given it preliminary treatment, so it won't be in life-threatening danger. However, it's not right to not check on your Pokemon immediately after a battle. You should remember this."
Being lectured by someone much younger, the man's face broke into a wry smile as he accepted Pidgeotto. "I get it. Thanks for the reminder. Here, it's five thousand."
The young man pulled five thousand from his Space Backpack and handed it to Ash, who didn't even count it and stuffed it directly into his bag, smiling instinctively.
The profit from this battle gamble was quite substantial compared to others who usually only bet one or two thousand. Those daring to wager five thousand were few.
Only those very confident in their strength or those who thought they found an easy target would bet that much.
Ash's Newbie Trainer status was the perfect distraction for opponents.
Even seeing Ash's Pokedex, they realized he wasn't an ordinary newbie, but seeing he'd only traveled for a month and a half, they eagerly agreed to battle and wager with him.
The outcome was predictable—they'd be beaten and left disoriented!
In just six days, Ash managed to rack up nearly 100,000 through his Newbie Trainer status, battling over 60 opponents along the road from Saffron City to Celadon City!
If it weren't for Ash having the Power of Viridian, his Pokemon wouldn't have handled all these consecutive battles.
Because of this frenzied battling, Ash's reputation gradually spread along this road—a name truly befitting him: Wild Battle Killer!
It's estimated that staying on this road much longer, and Ash's name will become known far and wide, and even his Newbie Trainer status won't help much.