"Finish it!" Ash's eyes narrowed sharply as he gave his command to Arbok.
Ash never went easy in battle. No matter how battered the opponent appeared, he always fought with full force.
Boom!
"Jolt!"
At Ash's order, Arbok coiled and then struck like a whip, slamming straight into Jolteon's exposed abdomen. Jolteon let out a pained cry before collapsing, unable to continue battling.
Ash frowned slightly. He had noticed that Arbok hesitated before moving in. Too slow… Its battle instincts are nowhere near the level of my own Pokémon.
"It's just as expected from Master Ash—he can handle unfamiliar Pokémon so skillfully."
"Yeah, Jolteon didn't even land a single attack! That's incredible!"
"Of course. Master Ash is already a Champion-level trainer!"
The crowd roared with excitement, their cheers echoing through the arena. Cynthia, Suzie, and Sabrina exchanged glances, each silently acknowledging how well-deserved Ash's reputation had become.
The rest of the exam battles went just as smoothly. Ash maintained his momentum and won decisive victories, eventually earning the Alliance Certification Badge. With this badge alone, he was officially qualified to enter the Pokémon League.
But this wasn't just any ordinary badge. Because the Dark Gym had vanished, Ash only needed to collect seven badges of this type to challenge the Elite Four and Champion. In Kanto, Lance was serving as the temporary Champion, but as Ash saw it, his true task was clear—defeat the Elite Four and become the first new Champion of Kanto in over a decade.
Meanwhile, in Celadon City, inside the Rocket hideout…
In a dimly lit office, a man in a beige suit sat behind a desk, his Persian lounging at his feet.
"Boss, this trainer named Ash… what do you think he's planning?" asked two Rocket captains, Koshiro and Rindo, appearing on a communication screen. Ash's exploits had already spread across the regions; Team Rocket was paying close attention.
"Send Athena to make contact with the boy," Giovanni said coldly. "See if she can uncover the secret behind his special training methods."
But the thought of obtaining Ash's techniques was laughable. Even if Ash were foolish enough to hand them over, they couldn't be replicated. After all, Ash's unique abilities—his mastery over Aura and his bond with his Pokémon—were his alone. No one else in the world could copy them.
"Boss, should we consider recruiting him into Team Rocket? Reports suggest he's already a Champion-tier trainer. Athena won't be able to take much from him by herself. It might be smarter to absorb him into our organization."
Giovanni shook his head. "Impossible. That boy belongs to the Oak family. The Rockets and the Oaks are sworn enemies. Just his background makes him untouchable. Athena's mission is subtle contact. If we send someone stronger, the Oaks or even the Draconis family will notice immediately."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "And right now, my experiment with Mewtwo has reached a critical stage. We cannot risk unwanted attention."
Athena herself was unimpressed when she received the order. She scanned Ash's profile with a dismissive smile.
"Hmph. Ash Ketchum, is it? At best, he's on par with an Elite Four member right now."
She remembered the League's broadcast of Ash's battle against Garan. Fierce, yes, but not enough to convince her that he had reached Champion level. In her mind, the gap between the Elite Four and a true Champion was far too great for someone like Ash to close so quickly.
Later, Ash and his group set off for their next destination—Cinnabar Island. To get there, they boarded a cruise ship bound for the resort island.
Over an hour later, around four in the afternoon, they finally arrived. The island bustled with tourists, its popularity as a resort overshadowing the existence of the Cinnabar Gym.
By the time Ash and the others disembarked, the sun was already dipping low. "We'll need to find a place to stay first," he said.
They searched for over half an hour, but every hotel they visited was completely booked.
"It's no use," Sabrina sighed, her usual composure strained. "This is a tourist hotspot—of course all the hotels are full." Her psychic powers were already exhausted from earlier, and relying on physical strength now was wearing her down.
Ash frowned. "Then we'll have to think of another plan…"
"Be patient. If we can't find a hotel, we may have to sleep on the streets tonight." Suzie wiped sweat from her forehead as she glanced at Sabrina, who looked exhausted.
"Ash, something feels off about this place," Cynthia added, her tone serious.
"It's strange enough that there isn't a single vacancy, but no one even seems to know about the Cinnabar Gym. Has it… disappeared?"
The group was tired, and they sat down together on a public bench along the road. The summer heat was stifling, and on an island famous for its hot springs, the temperature was even higher than usual. Beads of sweat clung to Cynthia's face as she fanned herself lightly.
"Impossible," Ash replied firmly, his brows furrowing.
"Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, isn't just a powerful trainer—he's Champion-level. He's also backed by the Glacienne family. With that kind of influence, there's no way his gym would simply vanish."
He clenched his fists slightly.
"If even someone with backing like that can't keep a gym running, then the reputation of the great families would be ruined."
...
TN:
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