After making their promise, Ash and the ancient Dragonite agreed that he would return within half a year, help her regain a normal body size, and then battle her, without personally joining the fight.
Once the terms were settled, Ash descended on Pidgeot and landed beside Bill, who was still frozen in shock. He wasn't stunned by Ash speaking to Dragonite, but by the fact that Ash had calmly thrown out a blue Aura Sphere and shattered a Hyper Beam that could have destroyed the entire lighthouse.
If that Hyper Beam had hit, neither he nor the lighthouse would still exist. Yet Ash stood in front of everyone and blocked it as if it were nothing. That was what truly terrified him.
"A-Ash, are you a human or a Pokémon!?" Bill finally burst out.
Misty and Brock immediately doubled over laughing, while Ash rubbed his forehead and explained his Aura abilities. Even after the explanation, Bill struggled to accept it, what kind of "special ability user" can block a mountain-breaking Hyper Beam bare-handed?
Eventually, after about ten minutes of mentally adjusting, he accepted reality and learned that Ash had successfully calmed the ancient Dragonite.
Dragonite would stay at the lighthouse and wait for Ash to come back.
Ash then warned him very seriously:
"Don't ever use that device to mimic her companion's voice again. She's desperate for company, if she loses control next time, I won't be here to protect you."
Bill promised he wouldn't. In return, he asked if he could collect a scale or hair from Dragonite for research.
Ash relayed the request, and Dragonite agreed immediately. Moments later, a massive scale, almost the size of an adult, crashed onto the ground in front of them.
Bill stared at it helplessly.
Ash sighed, lifted the enormous scale from the ground with one arm as if it weighed nothing, placed it on his shoulder, and waved:
"Come on. Let's head back to the lab."
By then the sky had fully darkened, so they stayed the night. The next morning, Ash and the others prepared to leave.
"If you have time, come again! I'll treat you well!" Bill yelled excitedly.
After talking with Ash the night before, he felt filled with new ideas and inspiration for his research. Ash had helped him identify the mysterious Pokémon, saved his life, and even provided him with an ancient Dragonite's scale. In his eyes, Ash was a walking blessing.
Despite Ash's unbelievable strength, he still thought and behaved like a normal, if slightly more mature, teenager. He wasn't arrogant or full of himself, which impressed Bill greatly. Compared to trainers who get cocky after the smallest achievement, Ash's confidence was tiny in comparison.
Bill even gave him a bold prediction: Ash would become Champion within three years.
Currently, Cynthia held the world record, she became Champion at eighteen. Even Lance hadn't matched that. Bill believed Ash had the potential not only to reach Champion level but possibly to break Cynthia's record entirely.
"We'll visit again if we can!" Ash waved back, then set off toward his final Gym.
Between catching a talented Krabby and making a future pact with an ancient Dragonite, the trip to Bill's Lighthouse was more than worthwhile. Once he helped Dragonite shrink and then defeated her, he would gain a rare ancient pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
And by then, Ash himself might already be far above his current level, Peak would no longer be a distant goal.
Three days later, Ash and his friends finally arrived in Cerulean City, Misty's hometown.
When Ash and his friends returned to Cerulean City, almost nothing had changed, except for the Gym. The once-crowded venue was nearly empty, completely unlike the lively atmosphere from their previous visit.
"Strange, why isn't anyone here for the synchronized swimming show?" Ash muttered, staring at the announcement board near the entrance.
The Gym doors were open, but the spectator seats were practically deserted. That definitely wasn't normal for the devoted fans who used to flock here.
"I'm not sure either," Misty said with a frown. "When I talked to Sister Lily yesterday, she sounded a little down. Anyway, let's just head inside."
Following Misty, the three entered the Cerulean Gym. On stage, the triplet sisters were performing their usual routine. The choreography had changed slightly since months ago, but the overall style remained the same.
The moment Brock saw the three swimsuit-clad sisters, his eyes transformed into glowing hearts.
"Ahh… long time no see, ladies! Still as beautiful and elegant as ever!"
Misty groaned. "Honestly… you've changed more in a few months than my sisters have. Back then, you at least pretended to be polite. Now you're straight-up a creep."
"Hey, hey! Don't call me a creep. This is refined appreciation of beauty, thank you," Brock huffed, returning to his lovestruck staring.
Ash, meanwhile, approached one of the few audience members and gently tapped his shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir. Why is the attendance so low today? Did something else come up in the city?"
The man seemed slightly annoyed at being interrupted but still answered:
"It's simple. People got bored. The sisters are famous beauties in Cerulean City, so they originally drew crowds purely because of their looks. Lots of admirers tried to win them over, and failed. Eventually, those people gave up. Plus, their routine hasn't changed much. Once you've seen it a few times, you've seen it all. These days, only the diehard fans show up."
He shrugged.
"In short: the fans who came for the eye candy moved on, and synchronized swimming alone doesn't pull a crowd. Unless they show more skin or reinvent the whole show, which they won't, since they're Gym Leaders, it'll keep declining."
"I see… thanks for explaining."
Ash was turning to leave when the man suddenly squinted at him.
"Hold on, haven't I seen you somewhere? Wait, aren't you Ash, the guy trending online? The one people are calling a fake?"
Ash: ???
'Bro, I take a few days off the internet and suddenly I'm a fraud?'
Not long ago, everyone praised him as Kanto's rising star after his victory over Koga, a live broadcasted victory! Now he disappears for a month and people call it staged? What kind of logic was this?!
"What do you mean fake? Ash really beat Koga!" Misty snapped, storming over. "It was a LIVE fight! How could he fake that?!"
The passerby shrank back a little, clearly intimidated by Misty's sharp tone.
"It… it's just what everyone online is saying! I didn't make it up!"
"And what exactly are they saying?" Brock stepped forward, his expression turning serious. Since this involved his friend, he pushed aside even the triplets' performance.
The passerby cleared his throat.
"Uh… people are saying Ash only beat Koga because his Pokémon were artificially enhanced. That in reality, he couldn't beat an Elite at all, and that those methods severely damaged his Pokémon. Supposedly most of his team is already ruined."
Just because Ash hadn't appeared publicly for a while, they came up with this? Ridiculous.
"Didn't the Kanto League release a clarification?" Brock asked coldly.
"They did," the man replied with a shrug, "but everyone says the League is covering for him. They claim Ash was created as a promotional tool, Kanto's 'genius rookie', to attract Trainers. Now that his reputation has collapsed, they can't admit the truth or the League loses credibility."
He didn't care about the politics, he wasn't a Trainer. He just enjoyed watching drama unfold, and meeting the rumored "faker" in person only made him more curious.
Was Ash really a fraud? Or was all of this just malicious slander?
Before any of them could speak, a smooth, cool voice flowed in from behind:
"Your situation doesn't look great. How about proving yourselves in a battle?"
The three turned around, and froze.
A tall, striking woman stood there. She wore a fitted black sleeveless top and a purple slit mini-skirt. Her burgundy hair cascaded naturally, and a pair of half-rimmed glasses rested on her refined features, giving her a composed, intellectual charm that was impossible to ignore.
The moment Ash saw her, a strange familiarity tugged at his mind.
He was sure he had seen this woman somewhere before…