"You're going to use your psychic powers… to heal Goh?" Gary's mind momentarily froze when he heard Ash's words.
He had no proof. No evidence.
But his gut told him the whole Gyarados attack had something to do with Ash.
He had just been about to ask Ash something, but Ash beat him to it—posing him the question first:
"Should I go heal Goh?"
Gary hesitated.
Emotionally, he didn't want Ash to do it.
But the reality was… Goh was seriously injured.
And Ash had the power to help.
Besides, Ash had mentioned they weren't some kind of supervillains.
So Gary found himself torn.
Ash, however, didn't wait for an answer.
He hoisted Froakie onto his shoulder and calmly began walking away.
But he wasn't walking toward the injured Goh, still surrounded by a crowd of campers.
Instead, Ash headed for the Dragonite that Professor Oak had released earlier.
"Hey, Dragonite, you're amazing. Can I give you a hug?"
"Wuu~"
As the Professor's ace Pokémon, Dragonite was well-acquainted with people—and its gentle nature, confirmed earlier by Ash's system scan, made it approachable.
Seeing Ash come with friendly intent, Dragonite nodded happily.
"Thanks, Dragonite!"
Beaming with joy, Ash stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Dragonite's soft, round belly—face pressed against its warm scales.
At the same time, silently and without fanfare, he activated the system's Move Copy function.
%023… 80…
This Dragonite was powerful.
It had so many advanced moves that the copy process took nearly a full minute to complete.
"Thanks again, Dragonite." Ash gave the Pokémon a final affectionate rub, nuzzling its belly once more.
While doing so, he secretly transferred a small amount of Viridian Power — Source Cleansing into Dragonite's body.
Wumm~
A warm emerald glow pulsed for a moment.
Ash had no hidden motive with this gesture—he simply offered his gratitude.
Surprisingly, doing so caused the Viridian Power within him to stir and strengthen once again.
With Dragonite's skills successfully copied, Ash finally turned and pushed his way toward the crowd surrounding Goh.
"Excuse me, coming through…"
He summoned a gentle Aura Wind around himself, forming a repelling current that allowed him to pass easily through the gathered onlookers.
At the back of the crowd, Ash spotted Goh—lying on the ground, blood at the corner of his mouth, pale and barely conscious.
Professor Oak was kneeling beside him, talking urgently on the phone—presumably with the camp's medical staff, demanding they rush over immediately.
Without hesitation, Ash stepped forward.
"Professor, I've awakened psychic healing powers. Would you like me to try stabilizing Goh's condition?"
He didn't bother hiding anything.
"You… you have psychic powers?!" Professor Oak gasped, torn between concern for Goh and shock at Ash's claim.
Ash didn't answer.
Instead, he raised his hand—and a glowing green light shimmered from his palm.
The light of Viridian Power.
The campers around them stared in disbelief.
A psychic healer—right here in the camp?
One of the rarest kinds of gifted individuals?
Professor Oak, to his credit, had excellent composure.
Though shocked, he understood the urgency of the moment and didn't waste time questioning Ash's origins or powers.
Goh was injured. Badly.
And Ash had a chance to help.
"Go ahead," Oak urged. "Stabilize him if you can."
Ash nodded and crouched beside Goh.
He extended his glowing hand—just a few inches above the boy's chest—and activated what looked like a healing move.
Viridian Power: Healing Grace.
But on the surface?
Ash made it look hard.
He feigned a strained expression, as though channeling energy was exhausting.
In truth, his hand was simply glowing.
That was it.
Because why would Ash actually try to heal Goh?
After all… it was he who had summoned that Gyarados with Aura in the first place.
And it was he who had deliberately aimed it at Goh.
Ash wasn't some bleeding-heart saint.
He only stood up now to gain something from it:
To use Professor Oak as a mouthpiece.
To leak news of his "psychic healing" to the League.
To make them take notice.
Goh's pain?
Collateral damage.
But after several long moments of "treatment," Goh's pained groans continued without improvement.
Oak began to frown.
"Ash, is something wrong…?"
"Professor… I only just awakened these powers after that river accident a few days ago. They're not that strong yet."
"My abilities work much better on Pokémon. They're not as effective on humans."
Ash kept up the act, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow as the green glow intensified.
"But even if I can't fully heal him, I can help stabilize him a little," he said, teeth clenched, pretending to strain.
"Understood. Do your best. I've already called for medical support—they'll be here soon," Oak said, giving him an encouraging nod.
"Got it, Professor."
Ash nodded, keeping up the act.
The light from his hand glowed even brighter.
His face twisted in "exhaustion."
But Goh's body remained limp.
His groans didn't stop.
Ash glanced down at the boy and muttered silently:
"Hang in there, Goh… or don't. Honestly, if you died right now, I might just throw a party."
Ash had lived a life before.
He had died once before.
That made him treasure life… but only his own—and the lives of those he cared about.
Other people?
Ash didn't care.
He had always been selfish.
Always a cold realist.
He loved Pokémon.
Every type, every species.
But people? That depended.
And someone like Goh?
A rival.
A potential threat to his protagonist aura.
Ash wouldn't shed a tear.
Vwoom—vwoom—
The forest camp wasn't far from the riverside.
Within five minutes, an ambulance rumbled down the dirt road.
Seeing it approach, Ash decided to sell the act fully.
He let his legs wobble and flopped dramatically onto the ground.
"Thanks, Ash. You did great."
Professor Oak quickly rushed over as the medics arrived and began loading Goh onto a stretcher.
He crouched to help Ash sit up, worry evident on his face.
To Oak, Ash was a hero.
A mysterious, powerful boy who had risked everything to help a fellow camper.
Ash looked up at him and smiled faintly.
But inside?
He thought only one thing.
"I'm sorry, Professor Oak… but Goh's fate? That was sealed the moment he became a threat."
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T/N:
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