"Hm? Professor Oak?"
Bruno picked up a bundle of firewood and spoke calmly.
"There isn't really anything special I can teach you."
"What matters most is the bond between you and your Pokémon. Try to understand them better—sometimes you might discover something unexpected."
So it really was just like the original story… though Bruno was more considerate. At least he didn't make Ash and the others do chores.
"You've been training here for a long time, right?" Brock asked eagerly.
"Not exactly," Bruno replied as he sat down on a rock.
"I'm training here because I want to capture that giant Onix."
"You're here for the giant Onix too?!" Brock frowned and glanced at Ash.
If both of them wanted the same Pokémon, Ash's opponent would be Elite Four Bruno. That wasn't exactly a fair matchup.
Forcefully snatching a Pokémon another trainer intended to catch was a major taboo among trainers.
Anyone would be upset after spending so long searching for a Pokémon, only to have someone else steal it.
And the other person here was an Elite Four member—far beyond Ash in status, reputation, and strength.
Brock was already considering persuading Ash to give up the idea.
"So… that means we're competitors," Bruno said with a calm smile.
Surprisingly, he didn't object to Ash and his friends trying to catch the giant Onix as well.
"You don't mind?" Brock asked in shock.
"Not at all."
Ash and the others looked at Bruno with complicated expressions.
The Elite Four member was willing to compete fairly with them for the giant Onix.
"Haha, don't overthink it," Bruno laughed.
"I've encountered that giant Onix several times already, but it always escaped. It seems it doesn't want to follow me."
"Although I'd love to capture it, I don't want to force it. Competing with you guys is fine too—it's part of my training."
He scratched the back of his head casually.
"Thank you," Ash said sincerely.
Ash had almost decided to give up on capturing the giant Onix, but Bruno's attitude impressed him. The man looked imposing and serious, yet he turned out to be surprisingly open and easygoing.
Ash even took out two portions of snacks he had bought from an old lady's tea stall at the foot of the mountain and shared them with Bruno.
They rested for a while at Bruno's campsite as Ash chatted with him.
Meanwhile, Ash was thinking about another idea.
If Pokémon battles weren't enough to determine who got the giant Onix…
Maybe they could decide it trainer vs. trainer.
System Notification
Mission: Gather information about the giant Onix.
Reward:Fighting-type battle sense or martial arts techniques
Ash had already learned about the giant Onix from the old woman at the tea stall. The environment here allowed Onix to grow unusually large.
By asking around, he had completed the mission.
To thank the old woman, he had bought more than ten servings of food from her shop, since they planned to stay on the mountain for a few days.
Now Ash possessed:
Psychic powers
Martial arts
And potentially Aura abilities in the future
At this rate, he was basically becoming a Fighting/Psychic-type human Pokémon.
With his super Pallet Town physique, martial arts skills, and psychic powers, he felt like he could probably fight low-level Pokémon himself.
Most importantly…
It meant he could keep Misty in line when necessary.
"You don't need to tell us where the giant Onix appears," Ash said.
He declined Bruno's offer to share the information he had gathered.
If they were competing to catch the Pokémon, then Ash wanted to rely on his own methods.
"Good luck," Bruno said.
"But let me give you a friendly warning—that giant Onix isn't ordinary."
Bruno had developed a good impression of the group. Brock, the breeder with a similar skin tone to his, was even a fan of his.
"Thank you, Master Bruno," Ash replied.
Ash stretched his body, digesting the martial arts techniques and combat experience that had suddenly appeared in his mind.
His body subtly changed.
It felt as if he had spent years practicing martial arts—every movement now flowed naturally, like muscle memory.
"Ash, how are we supposed to find Onix?" Misty asked.
They had been walking for quite a while without seeing a single one. She was starting to suspect all the Onix in the area had already been captured.
"We'll need Brock's Onix to help," Ash said.
Using his psychic power, Ash had already detected the giant Onix's general location. But it kept moving, so the exact position kept changing.
Brock's Onix could help gather more information.
"Onix, please help us out," Brock said, releasing it.
He asked his Onix to check on the local Onix population and see if any knew about the giant Onix.
About ten minutes later, Onix returned.
Thanks to his psychic powers , Ash could now understand Pokémon speech.
From Brock's Onix, combined with his psychic sensing, Ash was able to pinpoint the approximate location of the giant Onix.
Since Ash had previously demonstrated psychic powers, Brock and Misty weren't too surprised he could understand Onix.
Though Brock couldn't help feeling a little jealous.
They soon arrived at the giant Onix's territory.
The surrounding environment clearly showed signs of its presence—deep trenches crisscrossed the ground.
"Looks like this is its activity area," Brock said in awe.
Before them stretched a massive trench, similar to the tracks left by his own Onix—but many times larger.
"That's huge…" Misty gasped.
The trenches looked like miniature ridges and hills, and numerous massive tunnels had been drilled through the surrounding rock.
Compared to Brock's Onix, the size difference was at least four or five times.
At this point, Brock's Onix might as well be called "Small Onix."
To be fair, Brock had raised his Onix quite well—it was already above average among its species.
Then they heard a deep, rumbling roar.
Ash and the others rushed toward the source.
The giant Onix was violently smashing its body against a cliff wall, creating thunderous booms.
Chunks of rock cracked and shattered, leaving deep fractures across the stone surface.
"This thing is enormous!" Brock's eyes widened.
"So big… and so long…" Misty said in stunned disbelief.
The largest Pokémon she had seen before was Ash's Gyarados, but this giant Onix was more than twice its size.
Ash forced himself to focus and looked down into the giant pit where the Onix stood.
Its body was covered with crisscrossing scars, and no other Pokémon dared to enter its territory.
Clearly, it was the boss of this area.
Pokémon: Onix (Alpha Pokémon)
Level: 52
A Gym-level giant Onix.
"Ash, you're faster than I am," Bruno's voice suddenly came from beside him.
He had arrived as well and looked down at the raging Onix.
"You got here first," Bruno said.
"So let me see what you're capable of."
"Let's see if you have the strength to subdue this Onix."
"Alright… I'll do my best," Ash replied.
He pulled out two Poké Balls.
"Gyarados! Wartortle!"
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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