Miyacha Mountain is not far from Pallet Town; it's just a slight detour before Viridian City. Ash and the two quickly arrived.
"Is this the habitat for Rock and Ground-type Pokémon?" Walking on the rugged mountain path, Gary looked at the Geodude, Sandshrew, and other Pokémon occasionally appearing around, and his desire to capture began to stir again.
Unfortunately, he no longer had any Poké Balls and was too embarrassed to borrow from Ash again.
"Lee, Lee!" During this time, Charmander also kept observing the various Pokémon around, looking eager for battle.
Having watched Squirtle dominate the entire way, Charmander had long been unable to contain its excitement, but Ash had continuously forbidden it from battling.
Possessing Viridian Power, Ash couldn't do something like grind experience off wild Pokémon... unless he truly intended to capture them, or if they actively challenged him.
Therefore, no matter how full of fighting spirit Charmander was, it absolutely could not attack without Ash's permission!
Pokémon and Trainers can be close companions, but a strict hierarchical relationship must be established. If allowed to run wild, Charmander might become disobedient like Charizard in its early stages, leading to many detours.
However, this constantly high fighting spirit must still be encouraged.
"It's good to have such ambition, but what you need to do now isn't battle." Ash gently patted Charmander's forehead, using Viridian Power to help it calm down, "If you're really full of energy, you can try playing a game. I call it... 'Lift-Up'~"
"Lee... Lee?!"
Charmander was still puzzled, but the next second, it saw Pikachu leap off Ash's shoulder, and at the same time, Kangaskhan suddenly leaped into the air, incredibly supporting itself with one hand on Pikachu's body, head down and feet up!
"Pika... Pikachu!" A flash of lightning passed through Pikachu's electric sac, then it suddenly straightened up, not only standing upright but also supporting Kangaskhan with one hand!
This scene not only shocked Charmander but also left Blue and Gary completely speechless.
Even if Kangaskhan's weight wasn't as much as an adult Kangaskhan, it definitely exceeded the combined weight of three first-stage starter pokémon... This meant Pikachu could easily stack and lift Charmander and the other two!
And with just one hand!
Seeing Pikachu toss Kangaskhan into the air and then casually complete a hand-off, the expressions of the two became even more astonished.
Lift-Up?
This is basically throwing a shot put?!
"Do you understand? Take that rock and go practice. Start by carrying it on your back." Ash casually pointed to a suitable rock for Charmander. "When you can effortlessly support Kangaskhan like Pikachu, your strength training will barely be considered an introduction."
"Lee..." Charmander unconsciously swallowed, but its gaze quickly firmed up, and it directly put the rock Ash pointed to on its back.
It was immediately bent over, but it gritted its teeth and persevered!
"A unique demonstration." Gary couldn't help but exclaim. "I didn't expect Pikachu to have such strong power."
"Yes... I've always believed it has infinite potential. Meeting it was my good fortune." Ash smiled as he recalled Pikachu, carefully helping it relax its limbs after the exercise.
How strong Pikachu is goes without saying, with those famous scenes of thunder rolling and confronting legendary Pokémon. But Ash also noticed the immense power hidden by Pikachu's small body.
Whether it was the mutual destruction tactic of Iron Tail plus Volt Tackle against the legendary Pokémon Trainer, or the tail technique that descended from the sky to strike down Metagross during the Lumiose Conference against his'son' Fujida Lan, all were direct manifestations of this power.
What impressed Ash the most was the battle against Adam's Milotic in Hoenn. Pikachu, while in the water, was able to grab Milotic's fins and swing it around to smash it onto the water surface. That scene was incredibly cool!
You know, Milotic weighs a full 160kg, which shows how strong Pikachu's break out power was at that time!
What Ash needs to do now is to gradually bring out the power within Pikachu while enhancing its electric abilities, and to hone it to be even stronger!
His ambition is great: to create a Pikachu with absolutely no blind spots, a Pokémon that can be called all-powerful!
He will help Pikachu overcome its weaknesses as much as possible. From now on, no matter the environment, no matter the opponent... even against legendary Pokémon, it will have the power to fight, and even win!
Such a Pikachu will definitely become his most powerful asset, accompanying him to the peak until he achieves that... perfect human dream bestowed by the management spirit!
...On Miyacha Mountain, Ash and the others searched while training, and soon discovered a huge trench on the mountain.
"Strange, is this a main road?" Blue looked curiously at the indentation in front of them. This place was wide enough for the three of them to walk side-by-side, and the shoulders of the road on both sides were even taller than their heads!
"No... this isn't a road, but traces dug out by a rock Pokémon!" Gary quickly guessed. "Ash, could this be the big guy you're looking for?"
"That's right... and it's already here!"
Boom!!
Along with Ash's words, a violent roar came from far to near, and the ground beneath their feet... no, the entire Miyacha Mountain seemed to tremble violently!
"What is that?!" Gary looked in astonishment towards the end of the indentation.
"It's... Onix! A super big Onix!!" Upon seeing the true face of the giant, Blue couldn't help but shriek.
It was an incredibly huge Onix, impossible to say if it was three or five times larger than its usual counterparts. It had a distinct cross-shaped scar on its head and was now charging rapidly along the indentation with a ferocious expression!
"You two, hide to the side first. Pikachu, Kangaskhan, attack together with a double Fake Out!"
Before the giant Onix arrived, Ash had Gary, Blue, and Charmander climb onto the roadside shoulder. Pikachu and Kangaskhan then took their stance in the middle of the road, directly giving the giant Onix a combined surprise attack!
"Woo!"
After being hit by two sudden attacks, although the damage caused to the giant Onix might have been minimal, the accompanying flinching effect still reduced its forward momentum. However, the cost was that both Pikachu and Kangaskhan were simultaneously sent flying.
"Kangaskhan, use continuous Rock Slide to stop its movement! Pikachu, go around from behind and use Iron Tail to attract its attention!" Ash then gave another command, and he himself chased after the Onix, running quickly, then leaped onto the Onix's body!
"Onix, calm down! I can help you!!" Ash shouted to the Onix, simultaneously releasing Viridian Power at full strength.
After their recent contact, he had already discovered something wrong with the Onix... just like the problem in the original story!