After hanging up the phone with Professor Oak, Ash still hadn't fully processed everything. He'd met that young man, who was actually Professor Oak in his youth. He was still thinking about when he could see Sammy in this era. Even though Sammy would be over fifty years old now, Ash believed they'd still have plenty to talk about.
Because Ash felt that guy was exactly his type of person. This was the first time someone had given him that feeling on first meeting.
However, Sammy's whereabouts in this era could only be tracked down slowly. There were more important things to focus on now. Ash turned his gaze to the Poké Ball in his hand. Froakie. This was the Froakie that the seniors had said would belong to him in the future.
Champion Ash had even teamed up with his Froakie to save the world, fighting alongside Zygarde, the legendary guardian god of order. It was hard to imagine that was something Kalos's starter trio could achieve.
Although Ash's Charizard could potentially stand shoulder to shoulder with a god if he grew a little stronger, Charizard's rise was different. From being on the verge of death, to obtaining Ho-Oh's Sacred Ash, to reaching his current state, he'd gone through countless battles and extraordinary encounters.
Normally, if a Kalos starter had encountered Charizard on the level of that rainy night, it would likely have died right there. Charizard's greatest strength lay in his willpower.
What was so special about this Froakie?
Ash threw out the Poké Ball, a flash of light, and a frog-like Pokémon with an entirely blue body and white markings appeared on the field.
"Is this that rebellious Froakie? He looks quite cute and well-behaved." Serena commented, taking a closer look.
Serena and the others had heard the phone call earlier, and she, as the newest Trainer among them, was the one most familiar with Kalos's starter trio, because she was the only one who had actually chosen from them.
At the time, she'd chosen Fennekin because it was more elegant than the other two, more in line with a girl's aesthetic, and also because Fennekin was female.
"A Water-type Pokémon. That's great, Ash! You already have three Water-type Pokémon. If you continue like this, you'll become a Water-type specialist!" Misty's face showed an expression of envy. Along this journey, she'd only captured a few more Water-types than Ash. If things continued like this, she didn't know whether she or Ash would be more proficient in Water-types.
"This Froakie, whether it's his coloration or his temperament, looks excellent. He's a very good Pokémon. He doesn't look like the kind that would betray its Trainer, so why has he repeatedly left every Trainer's side?" Brock crouched down, carefully observing Froakie.
Froakie faced the many unfamiliar gazes without showing any fear. Moreover, under the watchful eyes of so many people, he didn't show any signs of disgust either. He looked incredibly well-behaved, completely unlike a Pokémon that would abandon its Trainer.
Ash pulled out his Pokédex.
Species: Froakie
Gender: Male
Type: Water
Level: Low Peak
Abilities: Torrent, Bond Transformation (Hidden)
Moves: Bubble, Water Gun, Lick, Flash, Water Pulse
Six-Dimensional Stats: Physical Attack A(S), Special Attack A(A), Defense B(A), Special Defense B(A), Stamina A(S), Speed A(S)
What an outrageous stat spread. Ash had forgotten the last time he'd seen a Pokémon with this kind of raw talent. Four S-class stats. This Froakie was probably the most talented Froakie in the world. Even among Ash's already-powerful team, Froakie's talent could rank in the top six. Furthermore, Froakie had another unique characteristic that set him apart from other Pokémon: his Abilities. He actually had two.
One was Torrent, a fairly standard Water-type Ability. But the second one, Bond Transformation, was something else entirely. Hidden. Which was strange, because by canonical understanding, Torrent should be Froakie's hidden Ability. The naming order was flipped on this individual.
Bond Transformation. He'd never seen or heard of it before. The seniors in the Chat Group had explained almost every known Ability to him, and his memory was exceptional. He could remember over seven hundred Pokémon species, let alone their Abilities.
So he was absolutely certain he'd never heard any of the seniors mention a "Bond Transformation" Ability. What did this Ability do? And what did the "transformation" after "bonding" actually look like?
There was also a "Hidden" tag on it. What did that mean? A hidden Ability's hidden Ability? That didn't make sense according to normal rules.
On their first meeting, this Froakie was already presenting Ash with more than a few puzzles.
After about a minute of the two of them silently studying each other, Ash stepped forward and crouched down in front of Froakie. "Hey there, Froakie. My name's Ash. From now on, I'll be your new Trainer. I hope we can get along."
Ash said this while pulling out a Water-type Poké Puff, a special energy cube.
This was one he'd personally crafted. Among energy cubes, its quality was absolutely top-tier. It not only matched a Water-type Pokémon's palate but also gave them a feeling of drifting in the ocean after eating it.
Upon this first meeting, he decided to use the best food to win Froakie over and improve his first impression. A captivating aroma wafted to Froakie's nose. He gently inhaled, and his large eyes became noticeably clearer. After a brief look at Ash, he took the cube from Ash's hand and tossed it into his mouth.
Instantly, Froakie's expression softened. His previously aloof demeanor melted, as if he were lying on an incredibly comfortable bed, enjoying the softness, his tense spirit completely soothed.
"Ke-ro!" Froakie called out to Ash, roughly meaning: Please, guide me from here.
"Yes! I got Froakie's approval!" Ash, hearing this, jumped up excitedly. No matter how confident he'd been on the inside, Froakie had, after all, walked away from several Pokémon Trainers before.
Nobody knew what his standards were for choosing a Trainer. Maybe it was the Trainer's skill level, maybe the Trainer's personality, maybe just first impressions.
In short, there could be many reasons.
Even with Ash's confidence, he couldn't be 100% sure he'd gain Froakie's acknowledgment right away. Moreover, he'd already prepared for a prolonged effort. Who could have guessed that just one energy cube would make Froakie accept him? This was an absolutely unimaginable surprise.
But in reality, it wasn't just the energy cube's effect. Froakie shared the same feeling as Ash, an inexplicable connection. Clearly, this was only their first meeting, and yet Froakie felt that Ash might be the person he'd been waiting for. This was a feeling none of the previous Trainers had ever given him. That was also why, under the circumstances of a first meeting, Froakie accepted Ash so quickly.
"From now on, I'll guide you, Froakie. I'll put you through extremely rigorous training, and in the future you'll definitely be the strongest Froakie in the world. No, it should be the strongest Greninja." Ash extended his fist toward Froakie, making a promise. Froakie, without hesitation, bumped his small fist against Ash's.
After getting Froakie's approval, Ash and the others continued their journey to Goldenrod City. They couldn't waste too much time along the way, otherwise the Pyramid King might leave Goldenrod City. Then they'd be left holding nothing.
Along the way, Ash also entered the Chat Group and asked about the "Bond Transformation" Ability and its significance, and what the "Hidden" tag meant in the observation data. Among them, many seniors were surprised that Ash had captured Froakie so early, but what shocked them even more was that Ash's Froakie possessed two Abilities.
Regarding the Bond Transformation effect, the seniors didn't elaborate, only saying that once Froakie evolved into Greninja, and with sufficient bond and closeness between the two of them, Ash would naturally understand the meaning of that Ability.
As for the "Hidden" tag, Trainer Ash provided an answer. It didn't mean the Ability was hidden. It meant it hadn't yet emerged, that it was tied to a later evolutionary stage. This Ability could only appear then.
In theory, Froakie currently only possessed Torrent as an active Ability. However, normally, the hidden Ability would override the standard one during the final evolution. But Ash's Froakie was a bit different. It could both override and not override at the same time.
That confusing explanation directly left Ash bewildered. In short, to summarize what the seniors said, everything would become clear once Froakie evolved into Greninja. This Froakie was different from other Pokémon. In the final stage of evolution, it would undergo a more dramatic qualitative transformation than others.
So Ash's main goal now was to train Froakie to evolve into Greninja. Training didn't require much explanation from the seniors. Ash would train Froakie hands-on. However, evolving him into Greninja would still take a considerable amount of time.
During this daily training, travel, and team battling, Ash and his companions finally reached their destination. Goldenrod City.
Seven days had passed. A week's journey from that small town to Goldenrod City was considered a considerable rush. This was because Ash feared the Pyramid King would leave early, so he pushed on without stopping, with very little time for rest.
Misty and Serena were exhausted, so Ash used the Tauros he'd traded onto his roster to transport them. Otherwise, their arrival in Goldenrod City would likely have been delayed by another day.
Upon arriving in Goldenrod City, the dazzling skyscrapers made them feel disoriented, lost in this forest of steel and metal. Just then, they encountered an acquaintance.
"Paul? You came to Goldenrod City too?" Ash, seeing the familiar face, called out without hesitation.
Hearing a familiar yet slightly unexpected shout, Paul turned his head. His face still wore that unchanging, cool expression, but upon seeing Ash, his expression showed a hint of surprise.
"You. Are also here to challenge the Pyramid King?" Paul thought for a second, and guessed the purpose of Ash and his group. Almost 80% of those who came to Goldenrod City at this time were heading toward the Battle Pyramid. Trainers of Ash's caliber, especially.
"Yeah, we heard Brandon was in Goldenrod City, so we came here. You're here for Brandon too, aren't you?" Ash nodded, then asked.
Paul nodded in acknowledgment. "You have a reservation?"
"A reservation? What reservation?" Ash was startled, not understanding.
Hearing this, Paul's face showed a strange expression. "You didn't make an online reservation for the Battle? Because of staffing shortages and queueing issues, offline queueing is no longer accepted. It's all online reservations now."
Ash and the others' faces dropped. Nobody had told them about this.
"Where do you make the reservation? How come I didn't get this notice?"
"The policy was released seven days ago. It's on the Battle Frontier app. You can pre-book a slot there." Paul took out his phone and pointed to the app in his app rankings. This app was newly developed and happened to coincide with the Battle Pyramid craze. Otherwise, the Pyramid entrance would still be packed with people.
"Let me see. What? I'm ranked 567th? It'll take at least a month before I can challenge it!" Ash almost passed out after seeing his pre-book ranking. Damn, a month from now, everything would be cold. It looked like they wouldn't be able to challenge the Battle Pyramid in Goldenrod City this trip. They'd only be able to hit Goldenrod Gym first.
"You can skip the queue," Paul suddenly said.
That one sentence instantly re-lit Ash. "Cut in line? How?"
Although cutting the line was bad behavior, this was still better than waiting for over a month. They'd rushed on this journey risking exhaustion, wasn't it all to challenge the Battle Pyramid? And now they were being told they couldn't? Those who had rushed earlier were paying the price for it.
"Upload your personal info here. As the Indigo Conference champion, you have priority challenge rights. However, this privilege can only be used once. If you challenge and fail, you can't use it again."