"Director, this was my failure to think things through. I saw that the kid had a reputation as a super-genius, and I wanted to teach him a lesson. But at the time, I only told Drapion to… scare him a little."
At first, Celosia tried to justify her actions with a string of explanations. But the more she spoke, the less confidence she seemed to have in her own words.
It was true that she had initially intended only to give Ash a warning and put him in his place. However, Drapion was an Elite Four-level Pokémon, and it had launched a poisonous Pin Missile attack directly at the Trainer himself.
An ordinary young Trainer would have stood almost no chance of dodging such an attack. Even a highly trained elite combat operative like Celosia would have struggled to evade it. After all, Drapion was an Elite Four-level Pokémon—and she hadn't instructed it to hold back.
Although she had told herself, and everyone else, that she merely wanted to teach Ash a lesson, the truth was that she had ordered a potentially fatal attack.
If Ash and his friends hadn't managed to dodge in time, they might have died on the spot, their bodies left lying in that park. The more Celosia thought about what could have happened, the less convincing her excuses sounded.
Yet another thought troubled her.
Despite facing such a deadly attack from both her and Drapion, Ash had sensed the danger in advance. He had immediately pulled the people beside him back, allowing all of them to evade the attack.
Looking back on it now, Celosia couldn't help feeling astonished. She was only just beginning to realize how extraordinary Ash really was. He was clearly no ordinary Trainer.
"Mr. Ash is a famous Psychic. He possesses a mysterious psychic ability that has never before been recorded in the Pokémon world. If he were an ordinary person, he would probably already be dead after being attacked by your Drapion."
Lysandre had initially been interested only in Ash's Mega-Evolved Pidgeot. But upon learning that Ash had managed to evade an attack from an Elite Four-level Pokémon, his interest suddenly extended to Ash's mysterious psychic abilities as well.
However, Lysandre understood that this wasn't the right time to investigate that matter. The issue surrounding Mega Pidgeot hadn't even been properly settled yet.
"The Pokémon world may appear harmonious on the surface, but beneath that peaceful exterior lie all kinds of disturbing filth and darkness."
"Kalos has Team Flare. Other regions have their own underground organizations as well."
"Compared with Team Flare, which pursues the lofty and noble goal of purifying the world, the underground organizations in other regions are the truly evil ones."
"Some seek to conquer and rule the entire world, while others wish to destroy it altogether. In short, they are a collection of despicable, ruthless, fanatical, and twisted individuals."
"To secure their own expansion and development, these underground organizations in other regions frequently oppose the Pokémon League and eliminate promising talents on the League's side."
"The organization entrenched in Kanto and Johto is known as Team Rocket. Because of its existence, countless outstanding Trainers and promising talents have been ruthlessly suppressed and eliminated."
"For how many years have the Indigo League in Kanto and the Silver Conference League in Johto suffered from a lack of promising newcomers? Even now, neither region has a complete roster of Champions and Elite Four members."
"Yet, under such circumstances, Ash has managed to grow and rise to prominence without a hitch. At such a young age, before even officially setting out on his journey, he has already demonstrated strength approaching the Pseudo-Elite Four level."
"Not only does Ash possess exceptional talent as a Pokémon Trainer, but he is also a Psychic—a person with abilities so rare that perhaps not even one in a million people possesses them. What's more, his psychic abilities are a mysterious, completely unique power for which the Pokémon world has no existing records or documentation."
"Thanks to the extraordinary nature of his abilities, Ash established an online Skill Shop and an online Pokémon clinic. He has become a household name throughout Kanto, a genius Trainer admired by countless people."
"Now, tell me: do you really think Team Rocket, an organization that has spent years eliminating promising talents on the League's side, would simply stand by and allow someone like him to grow unchecked?"
"And yet, given the environment in which he has grown up, Ash has managed to develop safely. That can only prove two things."
"First, the Pokémon League has protected him extremely well. It genuinely considers him a top-priority talent, treating him as the Light of Kanto and nurturing him as a future Champion of the League."
"This would also explain why, when you challenged him today, he was able to bring out a Pokémon powerful enough to overwhelm your Drapion. It's entirely possible that, aside from that Charizard, the League has secretly arranged additional personnel to protect Ash during his visit to Kalos."
Lysandre paused briefly before continuing his analysis.
"Second, consider his actions today. He retaliated without hesitation, ordering his Pokémon to attack you after you had targeted him and his friends. Then, during the battle, he instructed Charizard to show absolutely no mercy to your Drapion. And when the battle was over, he threatened you, saying that if his friends hadn't been there to witness what happened, you would already be a corpse."
"An ordinary person would never speak with such murderous conviction. Nor would they possess such an uncompromising temperament, ruthless decisiveness, and iron-fisted resolve to repay an attack in kind."
"Growing up in Kanto, a region whose talent pool has been almost hollowed out by Team Rocket, Ash has managed to survive and develop without incident despite having already revealed his extraordinary abilities. Either the League has protected him so thoroughly that Team Rocket has never had an opportunity to strike, or Ash himself possesses exceptional intelligence and remarkable methods of handling danger."
"You and I both understand just how fanatical and unscrupulous those underground organizations can be. The League must certainly have arranged strict protection for Ash. But I believe an even greater reason for his survival is his own extraordinary maturity, intelligence, and ability to navigate complicated situations."
"Take the two businesses Ash established—his online Skill Shop and his online Pokémon clinic. We can learn a great deal by examining them."
"His Skill Shop might appear to be nothing more than a business intended to improve his family's financial circumstances and earn some money. But shortly after opening it, Ash introduced the [Magikarp + Tackle] Skill Service, creating an outright miracle in the professional Pokémon field."
"After that, the major influential forces throughout Kanto rushed to sign long-term contracts and place substantial orders with Ash's Skill Shop."
"Under such circumstances, how could Team Rocket still dare to target him recklessly?"
"After all, Team Rocket's ability to survive and expand in Kanto and Johto also depends on the protection of powerful families and its web of mutually beneficial relationships with the influential clans in both regions."
"With Ash having built himself a shield of public goodwill through his online clinic, even Team Rocket, an underground criminal organization, would have to think carefully about the consequences before making a move against him."
"The League's protection, the shelter provided by Kanto's influential forces and their shared interests, and the goodwill of the general public throughout the region…"
"All of these have contributed to Ash's ability to grow up safely in such a hostile environment."
"And yet, none of these arrangements could possibly have been planned entirely by the League, nor could they have been orchestrated by his family behind the scenes."
"That leaves only one possibility: Ash himself."
"At such a young age, he has already earned a widespread reputation as a genius, seemingly allowing his brilliance to shine for all to see. But beneath that dazzling reputation and apparent fearlessness, he possesses an extraordinarily deep understanding of the ways of survival."
"His mind is almost frighteningly perceptive. His judgment is sharp, his insight exceptional, and he understands the complicated web of intersecting interests far more thoroughly than most adults ever could."