So what if he was lying? This wasn't the time to lose momentum!
Besides, he hadn't actually explained how he knew, just said he picked up the skill after starting his journey. Nothing wrong with that.
The facts spoke for themselves. Ash really was a Trainer who had only debuted a month ago, Elite Student had already confirmed it before their battle, even noting that his traveling companions were Gym Leaders.
A newcomer with just a month of experience, yet capable of using a strategy to defeat an Elite Four–level AI, seeing through an opponent's strength at a glance, raising such an unusual Ralts, and somehow traveling alongside Gym Leaders… what kind of freak was this kid, and where on earth had he come from?
Pallet Town? Just some unheard-of little backwater, wasn't it? What could possibly be special about that place?
"Anyway, after this battle you understand, right? Textbooks aren't absolute. Only by traveling and battling can you learn what the outside world really teaches. There are countless things you'll never find written in a book, waiting for you out there." Ash said, holding Ralts and speaking with the confidence of a seasoned Trainer.
Of course, what he didn't say was that the chat group in his mind could never appear in any textbook. Talking with another version of himself from a parallel world? Who would ever believe that?
"Hmph. Fine, take this win. Your goal must be the Indigo Plateau Conference, isn't it?"
"That's right."
"Then I'll see you there, and I'll defeat you with my own Pokémon." Tossing her hair, Elite Student turned on her heel and left.
Watching her graceful retreat, Ash suddenly remembered the most important thing. "Hey, wait! Which way is Vermilion City?"
Elite Student nearly tripped on the spot.
Really? After all that intensity, this was what he asked? Couldn't he just grab directions from any random student?
"Follow that path to Route 107. Stay on it and you'll get there." She jabbed a finger and walked away quickly, clearly flustered.
The crowd of students, who had wanted to keep pressing Ash about tactics, scattered soon after. Without their leader, hanging around would only make it seem like they were admiring someone outside their academy.
At the gate, Joe personally saw Ash and the others off, waving goodbye. But his eyes burned with determination, he too would leave the academy soon. Instead of bleeding tuition money and waiting endlessly for graduation, why not travel like Ash? Out in the real world, he might learn far more.
That same thought began echoing in the minds of other students as well, something the teachers of the academy had never anticipated.
Once they were back on the main road, Misty finally burst out with the questions she'd been holding in:
"When did Ralts learn Thunder Punch? How can someone who barely knows the Kanto Pokédex suddenly pick a team with Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh? And what's with that gimmick strategy? Did you actually come up with that yourself?"
The torrent of doubts left Ash scratching his head. "Uh… that's a lot all at once. Where should I even start?"
"From the beginning!" Misty snapped, word by word.
Brock stayed quiet but leaned in, equally curious. Ash's growth since their first meeting was unreal. Every battle revealed something new, something un-Rookie-like. What kind of beginner pulled this off?
Ash shrugged. "Ralts picked up Thunder Punch a few days ago. Not just that, she somehow knows Disable, Confuse Ray, Mean Look… stuff she says she's always had, but couldn't use until she got stronger."
Misty and Brock exchanged baffled glances. Pokémon unlocking moves like that wasn't normal at all.
"As for that Elite-beating strategy… well, I didn't invent it. I saw Professor Oak use something similar once, battling online. I thought it was cool, so I memorized the team."
When in doubt, blame Oak. No way he could reveal the chat group.
Neither Misty nor Brock could exactly call up Oak right now to verify, and by the time they reached a phone, the details would have blurred. Ash figured he was safe.
Still, both quietly made a mental note: this Ralts was no ordinary Pokémon. A mysterious egg, shiny at birth, unnatural growth, a wide move pool… her origins had to be unusual.
So they cautioned Ash: don't flaunt Ralts's strength too openly.
Ash only laughed. "Exaggerated? Nah. That's just because she shares my Aura. By herself, Ralts is still delicate. Don't underestimate her cuteness."
Hearing this, both Brock and Misty gave Ash odd looks.
Turns out, the one who really shouldn't go around talking about his "special qualities" was Ash himself!
After their incident at the Pokémon Academy, three more days passed. Ash and his friends followed the path the top student had pointed out, restocked camping supplies in a small town, and pressed onward.
But less than a day later… they were lost again.
"All these trees look the same! Where even are we right now?" Ash complained, squinting at his map with frustration.
The forest stretched endlessly around them, and after circling for what felt like hours, they somehow ended up back where they started. Even with the map, nothing made sense.
"The road to Vermilion City is brutal. How do other people even get there?!" Ash groaned.
"Relax, Ash. This forest isn't that big. We'll find our way out soon enough. More importantly, it's lunchtime. Let's cook!" Brock replied cheerfully, already pulling out pots, pans, and spices from his backpack.
Cooking had always been Brock's passion, and with Ash as a willing helper, his enthusiasm only grew. Their traveling trio had settled into a rhythm: Ash helped with prep and cooking, Misty set up and cleaned, and Brock did the rest.
Compared to half a month ago, Ash was like a completely different person. Back then, he could barely chop vegetables. Now, he could put together a variety of dishes. The taste wasn't quite at Brock's level yet, but for a beginner, his progress was shocking.
Ash suspected this had something to do with Aura. Ever since his Aura had awakened, his memory and coordination had become sharper, as if his whole body had been enhanced. According to Aura Ash, Aura was the very source of life, and a sudden surge might explain his unusually fast improvement.
Because of this, Ash was learning at a frightening pace. Cooking, Pokémon care, battle theory, he not only absorbed lessons quickly, but could adapt and apply them in new situations.
According to Breeder Ash in the chat group, by now he was already at the level of an Intermediate Breeder.
And his Pokémon were advancing just as rapidly.
Butterfree and Pidgeotto had both reached the Advanced tier. Pidgeotto even advanced a bit faster thanks to its natural species advantage.
Pikachu was the most shocking: already at Advanced Peak, nearly touching Elite tier. In just a month, he'd gone from Normal High to the brink of Elite. For a Pikachu, whose species normally developed at a modest pace, this growth was unbelievable. No wonder Team Rocket was so fixated on him.
Ralts, meanwhile, remained at the same level she'd been during the battle three days earlier. By rights, with her growth rate, she should have already reached Normal Peak. Her speed of growth was so abnormal even Pikachu couldn't keep up.
But Ash had deliberately slowed her progress.
Experts in the chat group had advised him to let Ralts fully maximize her current ability values before allowing her to level up. Each Pokémon had caps in six core stats. Ralts's caps were all S-rank, but so far, she had only trained her stats up to B at best before leveling. That meant every time she advanced, she was leaving potential behind.
Breeder Ash explained that pushing a Pokémon to its current limits first would make future breakthroughs smoother, while also ensuring none of its innate potential went to waste.
And so, for now, Ralts's level remained unchanged, because Ash was training her to polish every last ounce of strength before she advanced further.
The higher a Pokémon's level, the harder it was to grow stronger. Not only did leveling up become more difficult, but raising ability values did as well.
For example, raising an Advanced-level Pokémon's stat from B to A was already tough, but raising an Elite-level Pokémon's stat from C to B was far harder.
And yet, whenever a Pokémon leveled up, their ability values naturally shifted, dropping by half a grade to a full grade. This was why Breeder Ash in the chat group emphasized a different method: before leveling up, max out a Pokémon's current stats to their limit. That way, when they advanced, their growth would be smoother, with no wasted potential.
Ash had taken this advice to heart. He was no longer focused on rushing his partners to higher levels. Instead, he concentrated on polishing their foundation, making sure every step forward was solid. It would make their future growth far more stable, and far more powerful.
As for his friends:
Misty's team: Staryu had climbed all the way to Elite Peak, nearly equal to Starmie, both resting at the threshold of Professional tier.
Brock's team: Geodude had evolved into Graveler, gaining a level boost from evolution, and successfully caught up to Onix. Both now stood at Advanced High. His Zubat, however, was progressing slowly, still only Normal Mid, though that was an improvement from the Normal Low level it had when he first caught it.
This was the state of their teams after more than half a month since leaving Cerulean City. One week with the Beast Tamer AJ, one week at the Pokémon Academy, and now three more days, seventeen days in total.
Half an hour later, Brock and Ash had laid out a full spread of dishes, with plenty of Pokémon food included. Just as the three were about to dig in, a small Oddish shuffled into view.
The little Grass-type looked at them with wide, teary eyes, softly mumbling.
Brock and Misty both glanced at Ash immediately. By now, they knew, only Ash could understand her.
"She says she's hungry and asks if we'll share some food," Ash translated gently. "Of course we can. Here you go."
He quickly filled a bowl, set it down, and nudged it toward her.
Oddish instinctively hopped back a step, then edged forward and began to eat with desperate energy.
"This little one must have gone hungry for a long time," Misty murmured, crouching beside Ash with a sympathetic look.
"Yeah…" Ash nodded slowly, watching her eat. Then his expression hardened with resolve. "I'm thinking of catching her. I don't have a Grass-type yet."
Vileplume, Oddish's final evolution, was one of the Grass-types recommended by the experts in the chat group. Though a Leaf Stone was rare, the payoff was more than worth it.
...
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