Ash slowly opened his eyes.
At that moment, an indescribable Aura surged from his body, rippling through the entire Gym.
Koga, who had been closely observing him, felt his pupils constrict as instinct drove him a step backward.
'What's going on… it's like he's become a completely different person!'
The Ash he'd seen before was powerful, yes, but his strength still carried the spark of youth, that trace of immaturity.
The Ash standing before him now felt entirely different. It was as if a boy had been replaced by a battle-hardened leader.
The Aura radiating from him made Koga feel an involuntary sense of inferiority, an instinctive awareness that the person before him was standing on an entirely higher plane.
The "Ash" who opened his eyes clenched his fists, feeling the torrent of energy surging through him. A faint smile crossed his face.
"This power… it's already on par with that Aura Ash. Two months, and he's already reached this height? If he keeps going at this rate, the me of this world might actually be able to take on Arceus one-on-one."
At this moment, the one in control was Champion Ash.
The original Ash still existed within this body, but Champion Ash was steering it for now. If the original Ash wished to take control again, all it would take was a thought, it was his body, after all.
Champion Ash marveled at the dense, refined Aura flowing through this younger body. In his own world, he possessed Aura too, it was a gift shared by nearly every Ash across the multiverse.
But this world's Ash… was on another level entirely.
Many Ashes had awakened Aura, but only one had ever honed it to its absolute peak, Aura Hero Ash.
And now, there was another who stood on the same level: this Ash.
Champion Ash was certain that even without the chat group's help, this world's Ash might have still reached that same pinnacle on his own.
This young body already contained strength far beyond what his twenty-something-year-old self had ever possessed.
After taking a moment to synchronize with the body, Champion Ash's gaze swept over his surroundings.
When his eyes landed on Misty and Brock, he froze for a heartbeat, then smiled softly, nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
"Misty and Brock… so young again. This really brings back memories."
His gaze shifted, settling on Koga.
The air seemed to grow heavier.
Koga unconsciously took another step back. His hand, gripping the Poké Ball, trembled slightly.
'What is this pressure…? It's even stronger than what I felt from Leon! What happened to Ash?!'
Though his expression remained composed, Koga's thoughts were in turmoil. He tightened his grip on the Poké Ball and exhaled sharply.
"I don't know what you mean by 'good luck,' Ash… but I have no intention of losing this match! My final Pokémon, go, Crobat!"
The Poké Ball burst open in a flash of white light, revealing a dark-purple bat with four wings that cut through the air like blades.
Crobat, Koga's first partner, his ace. Smaller and sleeker than its previous form, Golbat, yet infinitely faster and deadlier.
This Crobat had been with Koga since the beginning, turning countless battles around with its lightning-fast strikes and unmatched agility.
With Crobat on the field, Koga's confidence surged. Even against a Champion-level opponent, he felt unbeatable.
Champion Ash raised his eyes toward Crobat, and immediately, information began streaming into his mind.
"This Insight Eye ability is something else… So that breeder version of me really cataloged all this data just through sheer observation?"
The "guy" he referred to was, of course, Breeder Ash from the multiverse chat group.
Champion Ash had only heard of the "Insight Eye" before, but this was his first time experiencing its power firsthand.
Despite its name, the Insight Eye wasn't some mystical gift, it was the result of Breeder Ash's relentless effort. Through years of observing, researching, and caring for countless Pokémon, he'd learned to instantly assess a Pokémon's level, abilities, and stats at a glance.
It wasn't supernatural. It was expertise.
But it was also something that only a person like Breeder Ash, who'd devoted his entire life to Pokémon care, could ever achieve.
Using that ability now, Champion Ash instantly gauged Koga's Crobat:
Ability: Infiltrator.
Stats: All A-rank.
Move Set: Extremely versatile.
Level: Peak Champion.
Even by his own high standards, this Crobat was impressively trained.
"Ash, send out your final Pokémon," Koga said, folding his arms confidently. "Let's see whether the Pokémon that beat Sabrina is stronger, or if my Crobat reigns supreme."
The presence of Crobat restored Koga's confidence. With his ace on the field, he felt his Aura reassert itself, an unshakable conviction that he could not lose.
Champion Ash shook his head slightly.
"The Pokémon that battled Sabrina? Sorry… that's not who I'm using this time."
He raised his Poké Ball.
"You're up, Bulbasaur!"
A flash of light filled the field.
When the glow faded, the small, squat figure of Bulbasaur stood proudly in the center of the arena.
The buzzing excitement in the crowd vanished. Misty and Brock froze mid-cheer, staring blankly at the Pokémon before them.
Koga, mid-pose, stopped cold. His confident smirk crumbled into pure disbelief.
"Bu… Bulbasaur?!" Misty gasped, eyes wide.
It wasn't just her. The entire audience seemed stunned.
Why Bulbasaur? Out of all his Pokémon, why send him?
Bulbasaur had long fallen behind in Ash's lineup. Refusing to evolve had caused his growth to stagnate, and he'd gradually slipped toward the bottom of the team's rankings.
Not every Pokémon could stay like Pikachu, Ash's Pikachu was an exception to every rule, a one-in-a-billion phenomenon.
Bulbasaur, though determined, didn't have Pikachu's miracle-level potential.
His progress had been steady but slow, and among Ash's team, only Riolu, who'd just begun training, was weaker.
So when Ash sent Bulbasaur out against Koga's strongest Pokémon… even his friends could hardly believe what they were seeing.
Brock was completely speechless.
You could argue that Pikachu had been hiding his true strength. You could say Charizard had been hiding something too. Even Gardevoir having a secret trump card made sense.
But Bulbasaur?
Based on his usual performance in the wild, even if he had been hiding something, it couldn't possibly be that much!
Even with Ash's Aura, if Bulbasaur could hold his own against a Professional-level Pokémon, that would already be a miracle. But to face a Champion-level opponent?
That was suicide!
Was Ash planning to forfeit this last round on purpose?
Bulbasaur stood on the field with a determined look in his eyes.
He knew how important this battle was to Ash.
Before the match, Ash had told him clearly, he would be the finale, the ace of the team.
Finale. Ace.
Those were words Bulbasaur had never imagined would apply to him.
Pikachu had always been the big brother of the team.
Second and third place were constantly contested by Charizard and Gardevoir.
Pidgeot, fully evolved and powerful, usually held the fourth spot.
That left Bulbasaur competing with Squirtle for fifth…
But ever since Squirtle evolved, its power and growth rate had skyrocketed.
So really, Bulbasaur had long accepted his place, sixth.
If Ash hadn't recently caught that baby Riolu, Bulbasaur would have been sitting dead last.
And yet here he was, standing in the final slot, chosen as the ace.
He couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
But if Ash said so… then that was all that mattered.
Ever since joining Ash's team, Bulbasaur had placed absolute trust in his Trainer.
Every bit of progress he'd made, every new skill he'd learned, those were all things Ash had personally helped him achieve.
Even his indecision about evolving came from the freedom Ash had given him.
Ash never forced evolution, never made choices for his Pokémon.
He simply said, "It's your life. You decide."
That kind of respect had earned Bulbasaur's unwavering loyalty.
If Ash had told him to evolve, even against his own wishes, he would have obeyed without hesitation.
That was how much faith he had in Ash.
'Let's see who my opponent is,' Bulbasaur thought, turning his eyes toward the field.
An instant later, a crushing wave of pressure radiated from Koga's Crobat.
Bulbasaur's chest tightened. It felt hard even to breathe.
'What in the world… who does he expect me to fight?'
'This pressure alone is about to flatten me, and the battle hasn't even started!'
Then Ash's calm voice echoed directly in Bulbasaur's mind.
"Bulbasaur, you've been struggling with whether or not to evolve. Now, you'll get to experience the power of evolution for yourself, then decide."
Before Bulbasaur could respond, a tremendous energy burst from within him.
The suffocating pressure from Crobat vanished in an instant.
Bulbasaur's eyes widened.
That power, overflowing through his body, was unlike anything he had ever felt before.
It was as if his muscles, his vines, every cell of his being had been reforged. The power didn't feel foreign or overwhelming. It felt right.
Like it had always been his to begin with.
'Is this… the power of evolution?'
But no, that couldn't be right.
He had seen Charizard, Wartortle, and others evolve, but none of them had experienced such a ridiculous surge in strength!
To be honest, if Charizard and Wartortle were both standing here right now, he was pretty sure he could pin them down with a single Vine Whip.
Then Ash's voice came again, steady and warm:
"The strength you're feeling now, that's your future.
You've always wanted to prove that even without evolving, you could still grow strong.
This is your chance to prove it."
"Staying as you are doesn't mean you'll be weak. But it does mean you'll need patience, and the will to walk a lonely path.
Don't compete with Charizard or the others.
Keep building your strength quietly, and one day, this power will truly be yours."
"But if you do choose to evolve, that future power will come to you much sooner. The choice, as always, is yours."
Bulbasaur froze.
He could tell, the voice was Ash's, but at the same time, it wasn't.
It carried the same tone, but it felt like someone older, wiser, an outsider gently telling his story back to him.
This was something the old Ash would never have done.
"Get ready to battle. You can think about it properly, after you win."
Before Bulbasaur could even finish processing his thoughts, Champion Ash's voice echoed in his mind again.
Only then did Bulbasaur realize, they were still in the middle of a battle.
First things first: defeat the opponent. Reflection could come later!
Snapping back to focus, Bulbasaur's eyes sharpened. He locked onto Crobat circling high in the sky, vines twitching, muscles tensed, ready for combat.
Koga watched from across the field, frowning. Something felt… off.
Why did this Bulbasaur feel different all of a sudden?
At the start, his ninja instincts had told him the gap between Crobat and Bulbasaur was like heaven and earth, so wide that the battle shouldn't even be possible.
But now… that sense of superiority was gone.
This Bulbasaur, its presence had become unreadable. Its Aura had deepened, almost like it was hiding something enormous.
Koga shook his head. "It must be an illusion," he muttered under his breath. "No matter what trick Ash is using, a Bulbasaur is still just a Bulbasaur."
Out loud, he snapped, "Crobat! Let's end this, use Air Slash!"
If Bulbasaur really wanted to face his ace, then he'd show him what true power meant.
Crobat's wings flashed with blinding light as it sliced through the air, releasing a storm of razor-sharp white blades.
Koga wasn't even holding back. He'd chosen a super-effective move right from the start.
If he was going to win, he'd win cleanly, no cheap tricks, no excuses. He'd win with the dignity of an Elite Four candidate, and wipe away the humiliation of his earlier defeats.
But as the wave of Air Slashes came roaring down, Ash didn't flinch.He didn't even tell Bulbasaur to dodge.
Instead, he said calmly, almost casually:
"Use Vine Whip to crush Air Slash."
Koga blinked.
"Use… Vine Whip to crush Air Slash?"
For a moment, his mind went blank.
Was this some kind of joke?
Bulbasaur's level was nowhere near Crobat's.
Type-wise, Grass was weak to Flying, this was suicide!
Vine Whip against Air Slash was as ridiculous as trying to stop a hurricane with a stick!
Was Ash out of his mind?
But the next moment silenced every doubt.
Two vines snapped out from Bulbasaur's sides, gleaming faintly green under the arena lights.
They cracked through the air like whips, moving faster than the eye could follow.
The storm of Air Slash blades collided head-on with the spinning vines;
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each shimmering blade of wind shattered on contact, scattering into fragments of energy that dissolved like rain in the air.
...
Bonus @600 PS
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