However, during the time traveling with Ash, the Pokémon he has have also improved quite rapidly. Among them, the most powerful Golem and Onix have now reached the Elite Peak.
To know, when these two Pokémon first started traveling with him, they were merely at the Advanced Level, but now in just over three months, they've almost reached the Professional Level.
Before, Brock wouldn't even dare to imagine such a thing.
Before arriving at the Viridian Gym, Brock had returned to the Pewter Gym along the way. Three months have passed, and the guardian Pokémon of the Gym is still at the Professional Middle Level, with no changes other than some increase in ability value.
This is the normal speed of Pokémon level improvement.
Within the Professional Level, improving by a small level every one or two weeks is already like improving at the speed of light!
Ash's Pokémon generally improve at this speed. For instance, Charizard and Gardevoir reached the professional peak in the two days prior to arriving at the Viridian Gym, and now they are pushing for the Gym Level.
Pikachu, although still at the professional peak level, seems much stronger now. Despite being the same at the professional peak, its strength is vastly different from before.
Ash's Pokémon level up quickly, and Brock and Misty's Pokémon levels are second only to Ash's. Ash's Pokémon improve like flying on a plane, while theirs improve like a train.
So, in just over three months, Brock and Misty have almost gone from starting with nothing to becoming fairly competent Gym Leaders.
Misty, starting with elite-level Pokémon, now has professional peak Pokémon in her hands. The next step is the peak level of an ordinary Gym Leader, the Gym Level.
However, even with such an astonishing speed of improvement, Brock's prospects of reaching the Elite are still seen as a distant and almost unattainable goal.
And facing someone like Lorelei in a battle is absolutely out of the question.
"Alright, alright, do you think everyone is as abnormal as you... Anyway, what's the deal with Lucario? Don't tell me this is another Victini, even Victini itself couldn't possibly achieve something like this!" Gary waved his hand, closing the previous topic and bringing up the question he was most concerned about.
How did Lucario become this strong!
Though Gary didn't know that Lucario had reached the Divine Domain Level, even a fool could see that its power surpasses an ordinary Champion by a lot!
Lucario just recently evolved, so it's unreasonable for it to possess that level of strength, right!
Right now, Gary felt as if he had a cat clawing at his heart, itching uncontrollably.
As childhood friends with Ash, revealing a little secret shouldn't be too much, right?
Hearing this, Ash was already prepared with a brand new excuse!
"Well, the truth is this method can't be taught. This time, although it wasn't with Victini's help, it was related to Lucario's origins."
"Origins?!" *3
Everyone said in unison, their faces full of confusion. How did a straightforward battle end up being related to origins?
"Ahem, it's like this, Misty, Brock, you both know that my Lucario was a Poke Egg that Professor Cerise obtained from Orodelon City, and the previous incarnation of this Poke Egg was the legendary guardian Lucario of Orodelon City."
"A thousand years ago, Orodelon City faced a near-catastrophic war. The hero Aaron and his Pokémon Lucario stood up at that time, using immense power to forcibly stop the war!"
"Legend has it that Aaron and his Pokémon Lucario had power that could rival the gods, reaching a level ordinary Pokémon cannot attain today, the Divine Domain Level."
"In the end, hero Aaron and his Lucario were revered by the people of Orodelon City for generations, and my Lucario is the reincarnation of that Lucario from back then."
Gary and others: !!!
For Lucario to be the reincarnation of that Lucario? Reincarnation and rebirth sound unscientific, but this world is full of unsolved mysteries. Reincarnation and rebirth aren't impossible concepts here.
As for the truth... well, it's clearly Ash's invention.
Rather than Ash, it's Aura Ash's invention. The power used this time far exceeded what a Champion can demonstrate, and Mewtwo was defeated with such ease.
This power isn't something that can be explained by the presence of Victini; a more outrageous but reasonable explanation is needed. Reincarnation and rebirth, though seemingly mysterious and high-sounding, are just the right reasons to use as an excuse.
Aura Ash is familiar with the legends of Orodelon City because he experienced that event and even faced that Lucario back then. That Lucario's power was unquestionable.
Back then, Ash was far from his peak period, with a relatively weak Aura, and that Lucario's Aura seemed as vast as the ocean to him, unfathomable.
It's certain that the legendary Lucario of Orodelon City had reached the strongest level in the Pokémon world, the Divine Domain Level.
Furthermore, after going to the World Tree, to protect them, it fiercely battled the Three Divine Pillars, proving its unmatched strength and character.
But that Lucario and Ash's Lucario, in fact, don't have any real reincarnation connection. If there were any link, perhaps Ash's Lucario inherited some talents and strengths from that Lucario.
For now, Ash's Lucario is the perfect excuse.
"...Due to reincarnation, Lucario harbors the legendary Lucario's power from its past life. I noticed this during the Riolu stage — an immensely powerful force, but before evolving, Riolu couldn't tap into that power."
"As for how strong the power is, honestly I'm not sure, but one thing is certain: it's much stronger than an ordinary Champion's internal strength, so I chose to gamble on it!"
"Originally, this gamble was intended to deal with Giovanni's main Pokémon, but who'd have thought things would unfold differently, with Mewtwo as the opponent, so I had no choice but to go all in. The outcome was unexpected: the past Lucario's power was overwhelming! However, after this use, the last glimmer of the past life has completely faded."
Ash's face showed a look of regret, feeling sorry for the dissipating former Lucario.
Gary and others exchanged glances, showing skeptical expressions.
You'd think Ash was making things up, yet it's so well-reasoned; but believe it, and it sounds like pure nonsense!
What reincarnation, rebirth, even possessing the strength of a past life — it's stranger than fiction!
But if not for Ash's reason, what other explanation could there be?
This reason, although absurd, seems to carry a bit more credibility than a blessing from Victini.
After all, let's not speculate whether Victini has such terrifying power. Even if Victini's level surpassed Mewtwo's, allowing it to grant this power to others, under Arceus's covenant, external power cannot impact the internal.
Thus, the Victini reason is no longer tenable, and although Ash's excuse seems hard to believe, it aligns with the covenant. If Lucario is utilizing a past life's power, then the strength isn't obstructed by the covenant.
Now Gary and the others aren't in a position to verify the truth over in Orodelon City, so they no longer pursue Lucario's mysterious situation. Whatever unexplainable power Ash demonstrates, as long as he's still Ash, that's enough for them.