Chapter 9: The Samurai and the Ronin of Viridian Forest
"Ash!!"
From the other side of the video call, Professor Oak's face was so close to the camera that his nose almost pressed against the screen.
"Yo~ Professor Oak… you look, uh, quite spirited today," Ash replied awkwardly, his laugh just a little guilty.
"Haha—spirited? I'm going insane!" Oak exclaimed, rubbing his temples in frustration. "That photo you sent me—was it really what I think it was?"
"Ah? Oh, that one~" Ash scratched his chin with a sheepish smile. "Wasn't it just a rainbow-colored Fearow?"
"What nonsense!" Professor Oak slammed his desk so hard that the webcam shook. "That's not Fearow—that's the legendary Ho-Oh!"
He grabbed a thick research file and flipped it open. On the screen appeared a faded picture of an ancient mural—one depicting the majestic, flame-winged creature.
Ash leaned in, studying it carefully, and nodded without hesitation. "Yep, that's the one I saw."
"Ahhhh! Why didn't you take a clearer photo! This could have been groundbreaking research material, and you send me a blurry mess! What did you even use to take that picture?"
Ash coughed twice, lowering his head. "Uh… the Pokédex you gave me…"
Oak froze mid-rant. "Ahem—ah, well, that… explains it."
The professor quickly composed himself. "Anyway, Ash! Gary's already made it to Cerulean City. Why are you still hanging around in Viridian? You've got to speed up your pace! And remember—catch more Pokémon! I'm counting on you to bring back good news."
He hesitated for a moment, then changed the topic almost casually: "Oh, by the way—there's a new smartphone model just released in Unova. Work hard, and I'll send you one as a reward. But next time you take a photo, please, for Arceus's sake, make sure it's not blurry—especially something that rare!"
"No problem!" Ash gave a confident OK sign and cheerfully ended the call.
Truth be told, this was still the "old phone" era, when smartphones with touchscreens were ridiculously expensive.
If Professor Oak was willing to sponsor him with one… that was definitely something to smile about.
After all, one—Professor Oak was loaded. How loaded? Even he didn't know the full extent of his wealth.
And two—if Ho-Oh could be called Ash's photography model, then Ash himself was a legendary Pokémon photographer.
Ho-Oh, Lugia, Groudon, Kyogre, the Space-Time dragons of Sinnoh, the black and white dragons of Unova—whichever legendary creature you could name, Ash always somehow ran into them.
With that kind of "legendary pokemon magnetism," who else but him could get such photos? He deserved that phone—no guilt needed.
Yawning, Ash leaned back on his chair. He'd purposely called Professor Oak in the middle of the quiet night so the old man wouldn't have a heart attack from shock.
And judging by that reaction, it had been the right choice.
"Alright, time to get some proper sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll head out, and by afternoon we should reach Pewter City."
Cradling Pikachu in his arms, Ash returned to his room, crawled under the soft blanket, and quickly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep…
As for whether Professor Oak could sleep soundly after seeing that Ho-Oh picture—that was another story.
---
KRA-KOOM!
A sudden clap of thunder shook the room, and with a loud thud, Ash tumbled straight off the bed, his hair standing on end and smoke rising faintly from his clothes.
"Waaah—Pikachu… whyyy…" he groaned, his face half-burnt and expressionless.
"Pika~" Pikachu pointed to the wall clock, then to its own little mouth.
"You were hungry, so you zapped me awake? You could've just said so! You didn't need to be that violent," Ash grumbled, rubbing his cheeks before jumping up with renewed energy.
He clenched his fists and nodded in satisfaction. That burst of power from Pikachu's "morning lightning therapy" sure was invigorating.
If this continues, sooner or later he could catch up to the physical abilties of Red and his generation.
Unlimited battles, body resistant to lightning—back in those days, this was considered just basic abilites.
"All right, wash up and brush your teeth. After eating, we'll need to buy some supplies. Not sure if we'll spend the night in Viridian Forest, so better to be prepared."
Standing at the sink together, Ash and Pikachu brushed their teeth in perfect unison—their movements synchronized like mirror images.
Ash chuckled at the sight. "People say Pokémon start to resemble their trainers, huh? Looks like they're right. Even your brushing technique's the same as mine."
Gurgle~ splat! (ˉeˉ乀)…
After washing up and getting dressed, Ash tugged on his gloves. "Alright—let's go!"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu cried, leaping onto Ash's shoulder, raising one tiny paw like a salute.
They stopped by the Poké Mart first, picking up some potions, bandages, canned food, and lightweight rations. Then, with his backpack full and his spirits high, Ash and Pikachu once again left the city limits, stepping into the thick, emerald wilderness of Viridian Forest.
The grass outside the city was tall and wild, brushing against Ash's knees as he walked. The path ahead was half-hidden under leaves and roots; he had to feel his way forward.
But once they reached the main forest trail, travel would get much easier.
"Pikachu," Ash said as he trudged on, "keep an eye on the surroundings. If anything shady so much as looks at us the wrong way—don't hesitate. Hit it with Thunderbolt immediately."
"Pika~" Pikachu crouched atop his head, scanning the woods with sharp eyes.
The wilderness wasn't like the city—it was full of hidden dangers. Wild Pokémon could appear at any time, and there were always the random roadside trainers who popped out of nowhere for a battle.
Between the two, Ash actually preferred running into trainers. After all, if he kept winning, he'd keep earning prize money. A never-ending source of pocket change!
In the past, young Ash had been kind-hearted—even when battling Bug Catchers or Youngsters, he'd often go easy on them. After all, they were just kids chasing dreams like he once had.
But not anymore.
Now, with a new chance at life, he had no reason to hold back. Every battle is experience. Every opponent is opportunity. Why waste it?
He thought bitterly of his first Pokémon League attempt—when his Pidgeotto, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur hadn't even evolved. What a regret that was!
Every time he remembered, he wanted to slap his past self across the face. How many experience points did I throw away just because I was soft?
The only one that evolved—Charizard—had done so because Ash used it constantly back then. But that overreliance came at a price: the rest of his team lagged behind.
And so, despite being strong enough to reach the finals, he ended up watching weaker rivals surpass him, all because his team was uneven.
However, that's all in the past. Ash secretly made up his mind to start over and make sure everyone received better training.
He used to be passionate and stubborn, only knowing how to let the Pokémon around him roam freely.
This also meant that the beloved companions from the first generation were basically worln out by the later stages…
Why did the Masters Tournament lineup take shape in just one year? Ash couldn't help but sigh.
That's because in the Master League, his partners faced the Ash who had participated in countless Pokémon League's:
Top 16 of the Indigo League, honorary Trainer of the Orange League, top 8 of the Silver Conference, top 8 of the Ever Grande Conference, top 4 of the The Lily of the Valley Conference, top 8 of the Vertress Conference, runner-up of the Lumiose Conference…
Champion of Alola League (Manalo Conference)!!
In short, they encountered a fully experienced Ash.
One who understands breeding, tactics, special training, type advantages, and even the expanded Three Systems, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, and Dynamax abilities.
It's not that his old partners lacked ability, it's that his former self didn't know how to nurture them!
This time, it wouldn't be like that. Ash made up his mind: he would lead everyone to the very top!
Rattle… just as he was imagining the future, a sudden sound interrupted his thoughts!
That resolve burned in his chest as he and Pikachu continued deeper into the forest—until suddenly,
SWOOSH!
A sharp rustle split the air.
Out of nowhere, a young man dressed like a ronin sprang from the bushes, long black hair tied back, wooden sword raised high as he lunged at Ash!
Without hesitation, Ash reacted—his instincts kicking in. He raised his hand and caught the blade barehanded!
PAK! The wood smacked against his palm, stopping cold.
The ronin froze, eyes wide for a second, then slowly broke into a grin of admiration. "Good reflexes."
Ash stared down at the weapon in his hand and twitched his mouth. "That's… a pretty cheap wooden sword, huh?"
A flush crept over the young man's cheeks. He snatched the sword back and, trying to look composed, struck a formal pose. "My name is—"
"YAAAH!"
Before he could finish, a short, chubby kid in fake armor burst out from the bushes, swinging a plastic toy sword straight down onto the ninja's head!
"OW—! That hurts!" the ronin yelped, clutching his head and crouching down.
"Hmph! Too many openings! That just proves your training's still lacking!" the armored kid declared smugly, twirling his toy weapon like a master swordsman.
Ash blinked in disbelief. Wait—you just ambushed him, and you're lecturing him about training?
The next instant, the ronin sprang up and kicked the armored kid square in the chest. "I'll teach you about training! How dare you ambush me!"
Ash watched the chaos unfold, both amused and entertained. He reached into his pockets, instinctively searching for popcorn, only to realize he didn't have that.
"Brother!" the ronin shouted mid-kick, noticing Ash still standing idle. "Don't just watch! Join in! A bit of exercise gets the blood flowing!"
Ash smiled awkwardly. "Eh, I probably shouldn't…"
But his feet moved before his brain could argue.
Moments later, Ash was gleefully joining in, kicking the poor armored kid's backside. "That's what you get for bad manners!"
"Alright, alright! I surrender!" the kid cried, waving a makeshift white flag—literally a pair of underpants tied to the end of his toy sword.
Only then did Ash and the ronin stop.
The kid, bruised and sulking, pulled up his pants and glared at them. "You guys are bullies! Two against one!"
Ash and the ninja exchanged looks, then both chuckled and gave each other a respectful bow.
"I am Otoshi," the young man said formally, "a wandering Trainer on a journey to one day enter the Pokémon League."
Ash grinned and responded in kind. "Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. Same goal—aiming for the League."
The chubby boy weakly raised his hand. "Uh… me too…"
The two exchanged glances again, then both sighed and glared at him. "Say another word, and we'll kick you again."
The kid hugged himself defensively, pouting. "You two are so mean…"
To be continued…