Ash tried to make sense of the term "First Rebirth," but the more he thought about it, the less he understood. Pikachu's condition wasn't good, and since they had snuck out before dawn, Ash needed to heal him quickly before anyone noticed.
This kind of internal injury would take much longer to treat at a Pokémon Center than with Viridian Power, so Ash chose to handle it himself.
Ten minutes later, Pikachu's physical injuries completely recovered, though the level drop was something Pikachu would need to overcome through training.
As for how far Pikachu could climb now, that would depend on where his new bottleneck appeared.
Once Pikachu caught his breath, Ash opened the group chat.
Newbie Ash: Guys, I already used the one-time exclusive ability. Pikachu suffered a lot at first, then dropped two small levels, but his stats jumped massively and his potential increased. But what does this "First Rebirth" mean?
Champion Ash: It's simple. Every time Pikachu enters a new region, his level drops and his potential increases. It's like a phoenix shedding its old body and being reborn.
So we call this process Rebirth. Since Pikachu can experience it multiple times, this is his first- First Rebirth.
Breeder Ash: We coined that term in the group long ago. Before that, my Eye of Insight just said "leveled up multiple times."But "Rebirth" sounds way cooler, so the system displays it that way.
In other words, the term itself wasn't mystical, it was just the group's terminology. If Ash wanted to rename it "First Awakening," "First Renewal," or even "Super Evolution Stage 1," thinking it silently would instantly change the label.
All that mattered was understanding Pikachu's current state.
Newbie Ash: So guys, after your Pikachu's First Rebirth, what tier did it reach?
Champion Ash: Mine reached Mid-peak.
Breeder Ash: Mine landed at Mid-peak.
Aura Hero Ash: Same, Mid-peak.
Other Ashes (lurking): Mid tier
That confirmed it, First Rebirth Pikachu caps out at the Mid-peak tier.
But that was more than enough.
A First Rebirth Pikachu at that level could absolutely clash with an low level Elite opponents using raw burst alone.
By then, Ash would likely already be in Johto.
Speaking of Johto… he remembered something the group mentioned before.
Newbie Ash: Wait, didn't you say Pikachu won't Rebirth in the Johto region? Why? Isn't Johto a second region?
If moving to another region could trigger Rebirth, shouldn't Johto qualify?
Breeder Ash: Johto is a special case. It's essentially connected to the Kanto League. Half of Kanto's Elite Four are from Johto, and Kanto doesn't even have a Champion. So Kanto + Johto count as one combined region.
Breeder Ash: But Johto isn't completely useless for Pikachu. It still provides a boost, just a tiny one. Usually only increasing the cap by 1–2 minor stages, nothing like a full Rebirth.
Champion Ash: But if you become Champion in Kanto League, you'll basically revive the entire region. The mission of restoring Kanto rests on your shoulders!
Newbie Ash: When you say it like that, I suddenly feel a lot of pressure.
After chatting for a while, Ash left the group chat and returned to the hotel with the now fully recovered Pikachu.
Misty and Brock were still fast asleep, unlike Ash, they were normal human beings. After going to bed near midnight, waking before eight would be a miracle.
Ash headed downstairs and dialed Professor Oak using the hotel's video phone.
The Professor appeared, greeting habitually, then blinked when he saw Ash's face.
"Hmm? Ash? Why are you calling this early?" He glanced at a clock. "It's barely past eight!"
"Good morning, Professor. How's the gem-collecting coming along?"
Professor Oak sighed theatrically.
"Ah, so you weren't calling out of concern for your aging mentor. Nooo, it's always the gems you care about. My heart… shattered."
"Alright, alright, cut the drama. How many did you get?" Ash said bluntly.
Really, wake up early just to ask how Oak was doing? No chance.
"Tsk, you brat, fine. Take a look."
Professor Oak walked off-screen, then returned lugging a huge wooden box.
When he opened it, the dazzling colors from inside almost blinded Ash.
Inside lay five large Mega Stones, each with a distinct inner pattern, each different from the ones Ash already had.
Real Mega Evolution stones.
All new types.
Ash immediately memorized every pattern.
Then he grinned widely.
"Professor Oak… you're incredible. You collected so many Meg...cough…so many gems in such a short time. I'm honestly impressed!"
Professor Oak rolled his eyes at Ash's exaggerated praise. He set the Mega Stones aside with a casual flick of the wrist.
Then, with genuine curiosity leaking into his tone, he asked:
"So? What do you need these stones for? I examined every one of them. There is an unusual energy inside, but ordinary methods can't activate it at all. And even if you do force activation, the energy itself isn't particularly strong. You can't use it as a power amplifier. Even extracting it would be pointless."
Oak had been unable to resist poking and prodding at the stones out of pure researcher's curiosity. But no matter how he tested them, heat, pressure, resonance, even psychic probing, they wouldn't react. The energy inside felt specific, almost selective, refusing to move for anything that wasn't its intended user.
And even then, whatever reaction it might trigger didn't seem impressive.
Which was exactly why Oak couldn't understand Ash's obsession.
"You don't have to worry," Ash said, grinning. "These stones are incredibly useful to me. I promise you, at the Indigo Plateau Conference, you'll be shocked!"
"Oh? Shock me?" Oak chuckled. "My boy, it's been a long time since anything surprised me."
"Trust me. You'll be surprised this time. Er...anyway, Professor, where did you get so many gems? These shouldn't be easy to find."
Ash came close to slipping up again, but Professor Oak didn't catch it, or maybe he noticed but simply didn't care.
At his age, as a scholar and former Champion, Oak had weathered storms far bigger than some mysterious rocks hidden by an impulsive teenager. He already knew Ash was hiding something. Oak didn't mind. If Ash truly had something shocking enough to make him curse out loud, well… he'd be thrilled.
So Oak answered straightforwardly:
"Where did they come from? I 'borrowed' them from Steven."
Ash stiffened.
"Oho? And Steven just… let you?"
"For you, I went all the way to Hoenn to find him. Steven collects stones like other people collect stamps. He had about ten of these odd gems sitting in his home.
So I took almost half."
Oak said this with the tone of someone explaining how he borrowed sugar from a neighbor.
If anyone in the world had the largest stockpile of mysterious stones, it was Hoenn's Champion, Steven Stone. Even Oak knew that. Why waste time searching the world when you could walk straight to the source?
Steven didn't refuse, of course he didn't. Their positions were equal, and Steven treated it like a casual exchange between colleagues. Besides, they often helped each other out. Today Oak took a favor; tomorrow he'd return one.
And truthfully, Steven didn't value these particular stones. To him, they were just collector's pieces with unusual patterns, nothing more.
If only he knew.
If Steven ever learned what these stones were actually capable of, and that half of his stash walked away in Oak's hands, he would probably beg Arceus to send him back in time to stop himself.
Especially if one of those stones belonged to a Pokémon he could Mega Evolve. He would absolutely go green with regret.
Ash could only twitch the corner of his mouth.
Half of Steven's Mega Stones. Professor Oak had basically robbed him blind, and Steven happily watched it happen.
Ash coughed lightly.
"Anyway… we'll stay on Cinnabar Island for a few days, then head back. After challenging Viridian Gym, I'll come to your lab to pick up those stones."
"Oh? Already preparing for your final badge, I see."
Ash nodded, then leaned closer to the screen.
"Oh, right! Professor Oak, have you collected the other type of gem?"
The Key Stone.
Compared to Mega Stones, Key Stones were practically mythical. In other worlds, Mega Stones were rare but obtainable. But Key Stones? Not even a hundred Trainers worldwide possessed one. Among billions.
A one-in-ten-million item.
Even Ash didn't expect Oak to find any. Mega Stones were everywhere compared to this. But Oak suddenly stepped out of frame.
A minute later, he walked back into view.
Holding two iridescent, multicolored stones that shimmered with a faint internal glow.
Ash's pupils shrank the moment he saw what Professor Oak held.Two shimmering, prismatic stones glowed softly in the professor's palm.
His hands trembled.
Key Stones.Two of them.
'Good heavens, Professor… is there anything you can't get your hands on?'
"These are the other gems you asked for," Oak said casually, as if he weren't holding items rarer than a Mew sighting. "Steven only had five of these. I took two. They're beautiful, aren't they? And the energy inside them, far stronger than the previous gems."
"According to Steven, there's a powerful life force sealed within them. He once extracted it through special methods, yet strangely, the stones restored themselves afterward. If only the extraction efficiency was higher, this thing would be priceless."
Oak sighed with genuine regret.
The life force inside a Key Stone wasn't like normal energy. Only a fraction, barely a tenth, could be preserved when extracted. And the process itself required obscure, highly specialized methods.Because of that, even though the stones regenerated their power endlessly, their actual usability was very low.
Which was also why Steven had parted with two without hesitation.To him, these were rare curiosities with disappointing practicality, worth less than the favor Professor Oak now owed him.
Ash, however, just stared.
Life-force-producing gem? Extraction inefficiency? No practical use?
The corner of his mouth twitched.
'So in your eyes, this thing is just an endlessly regenerating battery with low efficiency? You aren't curious why it regenerates? You aren't curious why the energy is so pure? You aren't curious what kind of stone can house something like that?'
Of course they were curious, years ago.
But if even Steven Stone, Hoenn's rock expert himself, had made zero progress after countless experiments, he had likely shrugged, put them in a drawer, and labeled them "Interesting but useless."
And that was exactly why Ash now stood here, heart pounding like a drum, staring at two priceless treasures sitting innocently in Professor Oak's hand.
Sorry, Mr. Steven. Please don't beat me up if you ever learn what these stones actually do...