On the screen—
A battle! The purest way to stir up the deepest primal desire in humans!
Once Huang and Ash reached the designated battlefield, the system-dispatched referee arrived at the same time.
The referee wasn't human, but a special Rotom.
Whenever someone initiated a ranked challenge through the system, the Rotom referee would instantly appear.
Since both of their rankings were too low, the rules were simple:
A 1v1 battle—each side could send out only one Pokémon.
Whichever Pokémon endured until the end would earn its trainer victory.
Huang moved first, sending out his Pokémon.
After abandoning his Gengar, he had captured a new partner.
To Ash's surprise, it turned out to be a Noctowl.
Was this… because he was afraid of ghosts?
After all, Noctowl wielded psychic abilities, and Psychic-type moves countered Ghost-types very effectively.
In a sense, it could even serve as an exorcist.
As soon as his Noctowl appeared, Huang shot Ash a provocative look.
But Ash didn't reach for a Poké Ball.
Instead—
He simply pointed forward.
From his feet, his shadow stretched outward across the battlefield.
And out from that shadow… Rose Gengar.
The moment Huang saw Gengar, he flinched instinctively.
He still hadn't forgotten the Shadow Ball from earlier that morning.
Had that attack landed on him directly, he'd probably be lying in a hospital bed right now.
"Hmph, didn't think you had it in you. Taming Gengar in such a short time…"
"That's none of your concern."
"Heh."
Seeing that Ash wouldn't take the bait, Huang shifted his words toward Gengar instead.
It was his usual tactic—taunt the opponent before the battle to make them lose their cool.
Once anger took over, the rhythm of the fight was his to control.
It was this cheap strategy that had carried him up to rank 10,001.
Not entirely brainless.
But not smart either.
"Gengar, you traitor! Didn't you say you'd wait for me? And now you've become someone else's Pokémon?"
"Don't you dare insult Gengar!" Before Ash could speak, [RECURRING] Chloe stepped in furiously.
Ever since learning the truth, she had grown to despise this Huang even more.
Huang opened his mouth again, but this time the referee's sharp glare silenced him.
"Trainers, take your positions. The match begins now!"
"Gengaaaar!"
At the signal, Gengar struck immediately.
It opened with Shadow Ball—how could it lose with that?
Secret technique: Shadow Ball Barrage!
One after another, dark spheres condensed in Gengar's hands, hurling rapidly toward Noctowl.
Noctowl's advantage in the skies made dodging easier.
And besides—Ghost-type moves don't affect Normal-types!
Huang exhaled in relief.
"Still as stupid as ever, Gengar! Noctowl, Extrasensory!"
Noctowl's eyes glowed blue as psychic waves rippled through the air.
"With this trash Gengar, you'll never beat me!" Huang jeered, thinking victory was his.
But his words only fueled Gengar's fury.
"Psychic!" Ash commanded, his tone calm, unshaken by Huang's provocation.
This Noctowl was clearly inferior to his own shiny Noctowl.
Its speed, its reaction time—both were lacking.
Huang simply had no talent as a trainer.
And without speed or reflexes, a flying Pokémon was worthless.
Gengar's eyes gleamed with blue light.
Noctowl had no time to dodge.
Bang!
In an instant, the psychic blast sent Noctowl plummeting to the ground.
"Hypnosis!"
"Gengaaaar~"
Strangely, when facing Huang again, Gengar no longer felt the same burning need for revenge.
This opponent was simply too weak.
Defeating him wasn't triumph—it was humiliation.
As soon as Noctowl hit the ground, Gengar's Hypnosis took hold.
The crowd gasped.
"Dream Eater!"
Gengar's shadow stretched, swallowing Noctowl whole.
The battle was over.
"Congratulations, your rank has risen to 9,999. Keep up the good work."
"Let's go, Gengar." Ash didn't spare Huang a glance as he motioned for [RECURRING] Chloe and Gengar to leave.
Talking to trash like him even one more sentence would be a waste of feelings.
Gengar, however, glanced back once.
It pulled down its lower eyelid and stuck out its tongue at Huang.
That was it—their bond severed for good.
Then, with a graceful dive like a world-class swimmer, Gengar plunged into Ash's shadow.
The battle ended.
Outside the arena, Ash's phone buzzed.
He picked it up and saw a message from Professor Oak:
"Ash, a Tyranitar, has left Mt. Silver and is heading toward Vermilion City. It seems to be looking for you."
Ash froze for a moment.
Mt. Silver? Tyranitar?
Then it clicked.
His mind flashed with an image—
That Larvitar he had once hatched with his own hands.
"Ash, why are you smiling so happily?" [RECURRING] Chloe asked curiously, noticing the corners of his mouth lifting.
"Ah, just… remembered something good."
[Lillie: Gengar is so cute! I really want one, too! Please, Mother, can I have a Gengar?]
[Lusamine: Lillie, you can't touch Pokémon, remember?]
[Lillie: That's okay! Gengar can just hide in my shadow, then I can still be close to it!]
The audience watching the scrolling comments felt a pang of sympathy.
Who was this girl named Lillie?
Was she like [RECURRING] Chloe—unable to bond with Pokémon?
Poor child…
[Ash: Don't give up, Lillie. Just like [RECURRING] Chloe, maybe it's only in your heart that you're afraid. Be brave!]
[Serena: Ash, you're as kind as ever.]
[Cynthia: Truly. Even in battle, Ash thought of Gengar's feelings—helping it sever ties with that man.]
[Lance: Exactly. A new trainer must also help their Pokémon heal old wounds.]
[Lillie: If becoming Ash's Pokémon means he'll help me with my problems, can I become Ash's Pokémon too?]
[Diantha: ???]
[Diantha: What kind of outrageous thing is that?! You're human—how can you be a Pokémon?]
[Lusamine: My apologies, my daughter is only five or six… please don't take her words seriously.]
[Leon: Haha, it's fine—children say the funniest things.]
Lusamine stared at the comment in shock.
Ever since her husband's disappearance, she had thrown herself into running the Aether Foundation—
and in the process, she had neglected her daughter.
That must be why Lillie spoke such heartbreaking words.
No—her daughter was human.
She could never "become someone's Pokémon" just to solve her problems!
[Lillie: But I really just want to play with Pokémon…]
[Ash: Don't worry, Lillie. Even if you're not my Pokémon, I'll find a way for you to meet them.]
For some reason, just seeing her words made Ash's heart ache.
This child must be so lonely…
—
Back to the screen—
Ash's mind whirred with possibilities.
He couldn't be 100% sure the Tyranitar was his old Larvitar.
Five years had passed, after all.
But for a pseudo-legendary, five years was nothing.
Still, he had a strong hunch.
That Tyranitar, heading for Vermilion City, was the very same Larvitar.
Checking the coordinates Oak had sent, Ash saw it would take a week before Tyranitar arrived.
"[RECURRING] Chloe, in a week, let's climb the mountain together."
"Huh? A date already? But I'm not ready yet…"
Ash: ???
When did he ever mention a date?
After explaining his real reason, [RECURRING] Chloe sighed.
"I thought you wanted to take me on a date…" she muttered softly, a trace of disappointment in her tone.
But then she smiled brightly.
"Alright, Ash. One week from now, we'll go meet your old partner together."
"Of course! Keeping promises is my rule! Tyranitar… to think the little guy has grown into such a giant!"
Ash's eyes blazed with excitement.
"Pika!"
Pikachu chimed in at the perfect moment—
making Ash instantly embarrassed.
He grabbed Pikachu off his shoulder and rubbed its cheeks furiously.
The result was obvious.
"PikaCHUUU!"
A flash of golden electricity lit up the air, shocking Ash flat.
The interlude passed.
In the meantime, Ash threw himself fully into the World Coronation Series.
All of Vermilion City's competitors trembled in fear.
Gengar, Dragonite, Sirfetch'd, Pikachu—
every one of them haunted their nightmares.
Especially Pikachu.
It was even scarier than Lt. Surge's Raichu.
Its speed, its impact—
as if someone whispered in your ear: "Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
One blink, and their Pokémon were down.
Rumor even gave Pikachu a nickname:
"The Yellow Flash—Pikachu!"
In just a few days, Ash bulldozed his way to the top 2,500.
The ranking system wasn't as simple as defeating someone to take their spot.
Performance mattered.
Which was why beating Huang had only raised him from 10,001 to 9,999.
But in less than a week, he had surged to thousands of places.
A terrifying record.
A terrifying pace.
A relentless schedule of battles.
No wonder Vermilion City had no rival to match him.
Of course, that was only for Poké Ball Tier.
In Great Ball and Ultra Ball tiers, battles shifted to 3v3 ranking challenges.
But for now—this system played perfectly into Ash's style.
Blitz battles.
Fast strikes.
His specialty.
And today, Ash faced two great events.
First, he finally matched against a worthy opponent:
Beatrix, the vice-captain of Lt. Surge's gym.
Second—
"[RECURRING] Chloe, the big one's here!"
BOOM!
From Mt. Silver Tyranitar had finally arrived at Vermilion's back mountain!
[Brock: It hasn't even been that long, but the little guy's already grown up… so moving!]
[Ash: Yeah! It feels like yesterday he was a Larvitar, and now he's a full Tyranitar!]
[Misty: Oh, give me a break! It's been five years! FIVE years, not five days! Of course Larvitar would evolve!]
[Red: So that little one came from you guys, huh? No wonder—it already had a chosen trainer, that's why it refused me.]
At that name—Red—
the entire chat froze.
The rumored Champion of Kanto.
Said to have retired.
But Lance never took the title.
So people dismissed it as a myth.
The most mysterious, perhaps strongest trainer alive.
And he had wanted to catch that Larvitar?
Did that mean… it was Champion-tier?
No—maybe even greater!
If Ash was the legend of tomorrow,
Red was the legend of today.
Mt. Silver was forbidden land precisely because he lived there.
Its Pokémon were beyond imagination.
Unfortunately, this legend no longer battled.
He had become a myth himself.
[Cynthia: For even Red to notice Larvitar… it must be Champion caliber at least.]
[Steven: What luck, Ash. A Tyranitar trained under Red himself—don't let it down.]
[Ash: I won't! I swear it!]
[Gary: Bro Green! I want a powerful Pokémon too!]
[Green: Catch one yourself.]
[Gary: But we're brothers! Closest of kin!]
[Green: Don't know you.]
Gary: ???
Was he not family anymore?!
—
Back to the screen—
In the back mountain,
a dark green figure charged toward Ash.
With every step, the earth shook.
Tyranitar, the Rock/Dark Pokémon!
Its entire body was sheathed in armor-like green plates.
Spikes jutted from its head, neck, shoulders, and tail.
Ferocity embodied.
Even the ground behind it crumbled into drifting sands.
"Tyranitar!"
"Tyranitar! Over here!"
Ash waved both arms, calling out with all his heart.
The moment he saw it, he knew—
This towering beast was his Larvitar.
Ordinary Tyranitar stood around two meters.
This one from Mt. Silver reached nearly three.
Not as tall as his Golurk, perhaps,
but still towering above most.
Tyranitar's size was shaped by its appetite as a Larvitar.
And Larvitar could eat mountains.
One could only imagine the presence this Tyranitar held atop Mt. Silver.
Hearing Ash's voice, Tyranitar quickened its pace.
In moments, it loomed before him.
"So big…"
[RECURRING] Chloe clapped both hands over her mouth in shock.
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