When Ash commanded Tyranitar to use Earthquake,
Lt. Surge instantly knew—
his gym was finished.
As expected, things played out exactly as Surge feared.
His Electivire didn't even have time to unleash its strength…
before collapsing under Tyranitar's devastating Earthquake.
But that wasn't all.
The entire Vermilion Gym split apart at the seams.
The ceiling itself cracked and tore in two.
Witnessing this,
Surge felt his chest seize in agony.
That was all money, crumbling before his eyes!
"Ash, that was a truly exhilarating battle," Ash said, smiling.
"As long as you're happy…"
Surge clutched his chest, struggling to breathe.
What else could he do now?
The Rotom referee promptly declared the victor:
Ash had won again, raising his rank yet further.
But when Ash saw his placement had only risen by ten slots,
he couldn't help but mutter:
"Feels like Lt. Surge has gotten weaker. I remember him being much stronger before…"
Surge's expression froze.
Lt. Surge: ??
Ash, that was straight to the heart!
After returning Tyranitar to its ball,
Ash bid farewell to Surge and left Vermilion Gym with [RECURRING] Chloe.
Watching their backs disappear down the street,
Surge wracked his brain.
What on earth had Ash experienced in just five years?
Five years ago, Ash was just a greenhorn boy.
When he challenged the gym back then, it was only through a last burst of sheer willpower that he scraped a victory.
But now…
his commands were sharp, decisive, merciless.
The entire battle ran like clockwork, without a trace of hesitation.
Even when his Pokémon disobeyed him,
Ash could personally physically discipline them back into line.
Had he really grown old?
Could just five years change someone this much?
Surge sank into deep self-doubt.
Leaving Vermilion Gym,
Ash felt utterly satisfied.
This battle had not only shown him Tyranitar's true power,
but also boosted his rank once again.
[Lance: That Tyranitar's Earthquake is terrifying—already at the level of an Elite Four Pokémon.]
[Cynthia: Indeed. If I get the chance, I'd like to face it myself one day.]
Ever since watching Special Recap No. 08,
Cynthia had wanted a full battle against Ash.
But what would Ash's true ultimate team even look like?
She was deeply curious.
After all, in Professor Oak's backyard, even without moving a muscle,
those Pokémon had radiated an Aura no weaker than Tyranitar fresh from Mt. Silver.
[Leon: What I'm wondering is… how long will it take Ash to climb into the Ultra Ball class, maybe even the Top 10? Could he leap straight into the Masters Eight?]
[Caitlin: That's up to Ash.]
[Leon: I've got a feeling… the day I battle Ash isn't far away.]
[Ash: If you want to battle right now, Mr. Leon, I'm in Pallet Town!]
[Misty: Don't be reckless! You're not your future self yet, and Pikachu doesn't have its five-years-later strength either!]
[Cynthia: Actually, I'd like to see Leon fight Ash now, just to compare his current and future selves later.]
[Aaron: Should we bet on it? I think Leon wins this one.]
[Elesa: For once, I'll agree with you.]
[Lillie: Aren't you afraid of being embarrassed? What if Ash surprises you in ways you can't imagine?]
Hissss—
Everyone paused.
She had a point.
If Ash pulled off an upset now,
wouldn't that be humiliating?
[Leon: Hahaha, don't worry, little lady. I never lose.]
Standing atop the tower, Leon simply smiled.
Behind him was Galar.
For Galar's sake—he would not lose.
On-screen—
After leaving Vermilion Gym,
Ash parted ways with [RECURRING] Chloe and returned to Pallet Town.
A new partner had to meet his old ones, after all.
Though in truth, Tyranitar wasn't really "new."
They already had a history together.
Pushing open the backyard gate—
Bulbasaur, the long-time steward of Oak's ranch,
was still maintaining balance among the residents.
Life was hard. Saur sighed.
Hearing the gate, Bulbasaur turned, expecting Professor Oak.
But it was Ash.
The moment it saw him, Bulbasaur bounded over in three huge leaps,
throwing itself into Ash's arms.
Ash caught it gently.
"Bulbasaur, can you gather everyone? I want to introduce some new partners."
"Bulbasaur!"
As the boss of the backyard,
Bulbasaur's word carried weight.
Even heavy-hitters like Charizard and Infernape respected its calls.
With one order, all the Pokémon assembled,
sitting politely before Ash.
"Everyone, I'd like to introduce some new companions."
The group erupted in chatter.
Who could it be this time?
Ash tossed several Poké Balls skyward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dragonite, Golurk, and Sirfetch'd appeared.
From Ash's shadow, Gengar floated out on its own,
raising a pudgy little hand to its chest and bowing elegantly.
"Gengar～"
"This is Gengar, this is Dragonite, and this is Sirfetch'd.
And this—" Ash jogged over to the giant beside him, "—is Golurk.
Golurk will be staying here with everyone."
Bulbasaur led the applause, welcoming the new members warmly.
Golurk had been returned to Ash after Professor Cerise's studies concluded—after all, it belonged to him.
Dragonite and Sirfetch'd were still fresh evolutions, their power unrefined.
Ash intended to bring them with him, training them through World Coronation battles until they could hold their own.
Gengar, of course, just wanted to stay by Ash's side.
Everyone thought the welcome ceremony was over…
Until Ash pulled out one more Poké Ball.
"There's one more thing.
An old partner of ours has returned."
"Bulba?"
"Bulbasaur, you know this one too."
That made Bulbasaur curious.
Who could it be?
The Poké Ball burst open—
red light flashing—
and Tyranitar emerged.
The instant it appeared,
a savage Aura swept across the yard.
Charizard, who had been dozing,
and Infernape, mid-training,
both froze and turned to stare.
"Charizard!"
"Roooaaar!!"
Both judged the same:
this one was no ordinary opponent.
Only Bulbasaur recognized it immediately.
This was that little Larvitar from years ago!
Before things could escalate,
Ash ran forward and punched Tyranitar in the leg.
"Everyone here is family. No releasing that kind of Aura."
"Infernape!"
Hit by Ash's fist, Tyranitar instantly softened,
its ferocity replaced with meekness.
It had thought it was being released for battle!
Feeling a bit wronged, it noticed the strong Pokémon around.
Its eyes sparkled.
So many powerful partners!
All Ash's?!
Its fighting spirit blazed—
this backyard was its new hunting ground!
It would become the boss here!
Thus, Tyranitar requested to stay in Oak's backyard.
"You sure?" Ash asked.
"Infernape!!"
"Alright then. Everyone, don't bully Tyranitar, okay?"
The rest of the Pokémon: ???
Don't bully it?
We'll be lucky if it doesn't bully us!
Tyranitar, meanwhile, scoffed.
It wasn't here to be bullied—it was here to challenge, to dominate!
What it failed to realize was…
it had just entered the most dangerous yard in Kanto.
After Ash left with Dragonite and the others,
Tyranitar immediately unleashed its Aura again.
"Tyranitar!"
From today—I'm the boss here!
And then…
It got beaten up.
Really, really badly.
Charizard, Infernape, and Bulbasaur joined forces and flattened it.
That night, Oak's backyard descended into chaos—
a storm of blood and fire.
When Professor Oak arrived the next morning to feed them,
he nearly fainted.
"What the hell did you all do last night?!
Are you trying to destroy my backyard?!"
Faced with his wrath,
every Pokémon shut up.
After all, this was the man who brought food—
not someone to offend.
[Aaron: That Infernape is insanely strong—at least as strong as mine.]
[Aaron: And that Charizard is no joke either. Both are top-tier!]
[Ruiya: I feel like all of Ash's Grass-types are a bit… off. That Bulbasaur's power is way too high. Why hasn't it evolved?]
[Alder: Same with Snivy. It could already use Leaf Storm as a basic form—imagine it as a Serperior!]
[Gardenia: Don't forget Rowlet—it literally went toe-to-toe with a Braviary.]
Adding it up…
everyone realized Ash's Pokémon were terrifying.
Even just within this backyard,
there were multiple Pokémon at Elite Four level.
And then there were those with ridiculous potential—
Bulbasaur, Snivy, even that little Gible that could already use Draco Meteor.
Truly, an army of geniuses.
Ordinary trainers watching felt nothing but envy.
So this was the difference.
They were NPCs.
Ash was the protagonist.
On-screen—
After challenging nearly every trainer in Vermilion,
Ash found himself with little to do.
Without regular ranking battles,
his rank even dropped dozens of places.
Originally, he'd planned to travel to Galar.
But with the World Coronation Series ongoing,
that plan was shelved.
Instead, Ash spent his free time helping [RECURRING] Chloe train.
Naturally, Pikachu played tutor—
after all, it had the most "babysitting experience."
Ash wasn't too worried about his WCS rank.
There was still plenty of time before the season ended.
As long as he broke into Ultra Ball Class and challenged a Master,
he'd be fine.
One day, Professor Cerise gave him a task.
A film crew had lost an actor—
their Ditto had run away.
Apparently, the director had scolded Ditto after a mistake.
Though talented, Ditto always got nervous during transformations,
betraying itself with those telltale beady eyes.
This role was critical for the new film.
The crew and its agent believed in Ditto.
But after another blunder, Ditto fled.
Hearing this, Ash and [RECURRING] Chloe searched the town for Ditto.
Meanwhile, Ditto wandered the streets…
and stumbled into Team Rocket's hideout.
(Which, suspiciously, looked like the Ninja Turtles' sewer base.)
There, it overheard Jessie, James, and Meowth scheming.
Through Meowth's translation,
they learned Ditto's story.
Of course, Ditto lied a little—
claiming it was kicked out rather than admitting it ran away.
Moved, Team Rocket… plotted again.
The audience assumed the worst—
that they'd use Ditto in some criminal plot.
But the result was surprising.
They decided to teach Ditto real transformation skills,
helping it return to the set and reclaim its dream.
Say what you would—Team Rocket had talent.
Under their coaching, Ditto quickly mastered perfect transformations.
Of course, they didn't forget their day job.
Spotting Ash on the street,
they swapped Pikachu with Ditto like stage magicians—
successfully capturing Pikachu.
But before they could celebrate,
Ash instantly saw through the ruse.
As if he wouldn't recognize his own electric mouse!
He exposed Ditto and, with sharp wit, called out Team Rocket's identity.
When Gengar ambushed them,
Pikachu was freed.
At that moment, the director and agent arrived.
Through their words, Jessie and James realized the truth:
Ditto hadn't been kicked out at all—it had left on its own.
Exchanging a glance,
they quietly took Ditto away.
Back at their hideout, Jessie made a decision.
They'd help Ditto return to the crew.
Because Ditto had a dream—
something that set it apart from Team Rocket.
Jessie remembered her own past.
No matter what, she couldn't rob Ditto of its chance to be an actor.
Thus began another plan doomed to fail.
Team Rocket's New Scheme!
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