"Umm… how should I explain this to you…"
Ash scratched his head, then spoke slowly.
"When Pidgeotto was still an egg, it was picked up by Spearow's mother—Fearow—and hatched together with Spearow. So Pidgeotto and Spearow are basically brothers."
"Normally, Pidgeotto and Spearow are natural enemies, but these two share a genuine sibling bond. And because something tragic happened in Pidgeotto's family, Spearow has now joined my team as well."
Ash explained it simply, deliberately glossing over the details surrounding Fearow.
"I see…"
Gary nodded. Though it sounded unbelievable, he still accepted the strange relationship.
"Alright, let's drop that topic for now. Gary, hurry up and take Wartortle, Eevee, and Magikarp to train." Ash waved him off. "Yesterday in Viridian City I found a really interesting place—I'll take you there sometime."
"An interesting place?" Gary raised an eyebrow.
"For now, it's a secret. Just know it's exciting, thrilling—gets your blood pumping."
"Hiss—!! Ash, we're still kids! Going to that kind of place isn't appropriate, okay? And you already have a girlfriend! Even if you and Serena are long-distance—"
"Go die!" Ash snapped back instantly. "The place I'm talking about is the City Battle Arena. What are you even thinking about?! Gary, I never realized your thoughts were this filthy!"
"Tch—!" Gary retorted indignantly. "Don't slander me! I'm not interested in girls—girls only slow down my Poké Ball throwing speed!"
…
[Ding! Skill Iron Tail trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Toxic Spikes trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Spikes trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Tackle trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Water Gun trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Double Team trained once, proficiency +1]
[Ding! Skill Focus Energy trained once, proficiency +1]
Joking around with Gary while chatting and training together, Ash pushed through the session.
Running, frog jumps, sit-ups, push-ups…
The training was exhausting, but with the system notifications chiming nonstop—proof that every Pokémon was training diligently—Ash couldn't bring himself to slack off.
A Trainer's job had never been to stand aside and watch Pokémon train alone.
The relationship between a Trainer and their Pokémon was always one of companionship and shared growth, never command from above.
An hour passed quickly.
Sweat-soaked, Ash finally stopped when Rotom pinged him with a reminder.
Ever since his Aura Power and Viridian Power awakened a month and a half ago, Ash had kept up daily physical training.
At his age, right in the middle of growth spurts, combined with excellent nutrition at home and consistent exercise, his height had noticeably increased and his body had grown much sturdier.
His arms and thighs were thicker, muscle lines on his forearms and calves now clearly defined. Especially now, right after training, with sweat reflecting the morning sunlight, those muscles looked strikingly sculpted.
Though he still only had two faint abs, his core strength had clearly improved. During training, Ash could distinctly feel that powerful "pump" sensation when his core drove the movement of his limbs.
While physical conditioning didn't have a visible level like his powers, there was no doubt—it was steadily improving.
"Alright, everyone, take a break."
As Ash drank water, he had Rotom gather the rest of the Pokémon.
Pikachu, Frogadier, Pidgeotto, Spearow, Shiny Magikarp, and Shiny Feebas.
When they trained separately, it wasn't obvious—but once all of them stood together, compared to Gary's mere three Pokémon, Ash's lineup felt… excessive.
Even Ash himself hadn't expected this.
Just over a month ago, he'd still been worrying about how to legally obtain Pokémon at all.
Yet in a short span of time, not only had the League approved him to own Pokémon, but counting Rotom, he now had seven Pokémon of his own.
And this wasn't from recklessly capturing Pokémon in the wild—it had simply happened naturally.
More importantly, the quality of his Pokémon was astonishing:
Pikachu LV.35 — Gold Potential
Frogadier LV.33 — Purple Potential
Magikarp LV.5 — Blue Potential
Feebas LV.5 — Blue Potential
Pidgeotto LV.34 — Blue Potential
Spearow LV.20 — Red Potential
Pokémon like Pikachu and Frogadier—clearly favored by destiny itself—were unimaginably rare.
Shiny Magikarp and Shiny Feebas, with talent rivaling pseudo-legendary offspring, were already near the absolute ceiling ordinary Pokémon could reach short of legendaries.
Pidgeotto wasn't shiny and wasn't blessed by fate, yet its natural talent alone placed it among the one-in-ten-thousands.
Even Spearow, with Red Potential, was extraordinarily rare among wild Pokémon—on par with those carefully cultivated by the League and gifted to elite families.
Excluding Rotom, which wasn't battle-oriented, calling Ash's Pokémon "elite" was honestly an understatement.
Any single one of them could spark fierce competition among Trainers—and even some Elite Four or Champion-level figures would feel tempted.
…
Stone Bridge (11 Pokémon)
Dashiwan Valley (9 Pokémon)
Viridian Power: LV.36 → LV.36
After morning training, Ash headed to Dashiwan Valley and Stone Bridge to treat the wild Pokémon who had come seeking help.
A total of twenty Pokémon received treatment.
Though his Viridian Power stirred slightly, it didn't level up.
"Even with these two 'clinics' seeing patients daily, the numbers still aren't enough," Ash thought. "The experience gain is too slow."
"My situation is safe now—no immediate threats—but if I truly want to reach the pinnacle of the Trainer path, to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master…"
"Then I can't afford to be complacent."
"In growth, I need to stay slightly hungry—only then can a goal this grand ever be reached."
"Looks like opening a third free clinic channel through the online shop needs to happen soon."
With that resolve, Ash steadied his gaze toward the future.
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T/N:
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