Team Rocket's Underground Headquarters
A man with slick, short hair sat in a leather chair, watching the broadcast replay on the massive monitor before him.
His gloved hand lazily stroked the head of the Persian resting by his side, the big cat purring lowly in satisfaction.
After a long silence, the man reached out and pressed a button on the desk.
A moment later, a low, commanding voice echoed through the room.
"Athena. Investigate everything you can find about a Trainer named Ash from Pallet Town. And if you ever get the chance to meet him… capture him."
At that moment, across the world, every person who had witnessed the battle, whether through the live broadcast or highlights replayed endlessly online, had already carved a single name deep into memory:
Ash.
A rookie with barely two months of experience who had utterly crushed an Elite's ace Pokémon.
That record alone was enough to shake the entire Trainer world, proof of monstrous potential and unfathomable strength.
But among the truly perceptive, whispers spread. They realized what the average audience could not:
Ash's Bulbasaur wasn't naturally that powerful. Its strength had been amplified, somehow, through a special, unknown means.
And as for what that method was… only Ash himself knew.
Back at the Fuchsia Gym, Koga had already withdrawn his defeated Crobat.
The once-pristine battlefield was now a wasteland of splintered tiles and uprooted soil. The League would no doubt be sending a bill soon.
But "Champion Ash" hadn't recalled Bulbasaur yet.
Instead, his body still radiated that strange, tranquil Aura as he communicated directly with Bulbasaur through telepathic resonance.
'Through this battle, I believe you've already made your decision, haven't you? While it's true that you can still grow stronger without evolving, there are things you'll never reach unless you do.'
'Your growth will slow if you stay unevolved. You won't be able to wield power like the Frenzy Plant you just used, nor adapt to battles of this scale.'
'Unevolved, you fight through speed and agility. Once you evolve, your path changes, you rely on endurance, overwhelming force, and recovery.'
'Two entirely different fighting styles. You must choose one now. The longer you hesitate, the more your progress will stagnate.'
Champion Ash's voice echoed clearly in Bulbasaur's heart.
Bulbasaur, still feeling the surging strength pulsing through his body, thought about the battle's sensations, and his eyes gradually firmed with determination.
"Bulba!" I want to evolve!
Koga, who had been about to approach Ash to speak, froze at Bulbasaur's sudden cry.
"Ash, the match is already over," Koga said, puzzled. "Could you maybe tell Bulbasaur to stand down? There's no need for him to stay in that battle stance."
Ash chuckled lightly, waving his hand.
"Don't mind him. He's just had a breakthrough. Give him a little time to process it."
Koga blinked.
A breakthrough?
A breakthrough from instantly annihilating my Crobat? What kind of insight could possibly come from that?
Maybe savoring the taste of an effortless victory?
'Good. It's fine that you've chosen your path,' Champion Ash's voice resonated once more.
'But don't evolve yet. Your Trainer will take you to the proper place for that.'
Bulbasaur tilted his head in confusion.
'My Trainer? Aren't you… my Trainer?'
But before he could think more, the voice faded.
'The rest is up to you.'
And with that final whisper, Champion Ash's consciousness withdrew, returning through the group link to his own parallel world.
Ash's eyes, which had been slightly unfocused, regained their clarity.
The calm, almost divine presence that had surrounded him vanished.
At that moment, Koga approached, Fuchsia Badge in hand, then stopped short.
Something about Ash seemed different.
The aura he radiated now was the familiar one, youthful, determined, human.
When they'd battled, Koga had sensed something eerie, as if a completely different soul had been piloting that body. The fighting instinct, the composure, it had all felt foreign.
Now, it was gone.
Could it be… that Ash had a split personality?
Koga frowned slightly. That would explain much of what he'd seen.
Meanwhile, Ash was quietly thinking about the words left behind by his counterpart.
"Since Bulbasaur has chosen to evolve, then give him the best evolution possible. In the Kanto region, there's a place known as the Incredible Garden. Within it stands a mystical tree infused with the power of Xerneas, the God of Life. If Bulbasaur evolves under that power, he'll achieve a perfect evolution, and perhaps even gain strength comparable to your Charizard."
The "power of Charizard" he spoke of, of course, referred to Sacred Fire, a divine flame belonging to Ho-Oh itself.
Yet even now, Charizard wielded it as his own, a gift from the god of skies that had elevated him far beyond ordinary limits.
If Bulbasaur wished to catch up, to stand as one of Ash's pillars, he too needed power of that magnitude.
Though the worlds of the many Ashes differed in countless ways, they also shared a mysterious symmetry.
If the Incredible Garden existed in Champion Ash's world, then it must also exist somewhere within this one.
Champion Ash had already confirmed this before departing, which is why he left this message for Ash.
Ash was still lost in thought about what kind of place the Incredible Garden might be when a glimmer of pink suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
"This is proof that you've conquered the Fuchsia Gym, the Pink Badge. Congratulations, Ash."
Koga's tone carried a complex mixture of defeat and admiration.
Ash's face instantly lit up. He took the badge with both hands, his smile shining as brightly as the badge itself.
"I got the Pink Badge!"
"Pi... Pikachu..." Pikachu weakly squeaked from Misty's arms before collapsing again, too drained to even lift his head.
The battle had completely exhausted him. If Ash hadn't used the healing power of Viridian's Blessing, the Tokiwa Power, to stabilize him afterward, Pikachu probably wouldn't even have had the energy to speak.
"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur trotted up to Ash, his expression full of joy.
For him, this battle had been more than just a victory, it had been liberation.
All the frustration, pressure, and quiet pride he had buried deep within himself finally had an outlet.
From the day he joined Ash's team, Bulbasaur had been proud, confident, and determined. But his refusal to evolve had slowly caused him to fall behind.
Charmander and Squirtle, who had joined later, both evolved and surpassed him.
Even little Riolu had been closing the gap faster than he'd like to admit.
The pressure had been crushing.
But this battle… this one glorious battle had released all that pent-up emotion in a single explosion of power!
For the first time in ages, Bulbasaur had felt what it meant to fight freely, to dominate, to soar, to win against an opponent who had once been utterly out of reach.
Even if the overwhelming strength coursing through him wasn't entirely his own, he had tasted what it felt like to stand at that height.
As the adrenaline faded, though, that power began to ebb away.
He could feel it, the once-blazing energy gradually dispersing from his body. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but he understood why.
After all, it wasn't truly his.
Still, there was good news: not all of it disappeared. A portion of that immense strength had stayed behind.
Bulbasaur's level had skyrocketed, now Superior Mid-Grade, and his stats had improved across the board.
Pokémon Status:
Species: Bulbasaur
Gender: Male
Type: Grass / Poison
Level: Superior Mid-Grade
Ability: Overgrow
Moves:Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Ingrain, Growth, Grassy Glide, Sunny Day, Petal Dance, Solar Beam
Six Stats:
Physical Attack – A (A)
Special Attack – A (S)
Defense – A (A)
Special Defense – A (A)
HP – A (S)
Speed – A (A)
Ash studied the data that appeared on his Pokédex and couldn't help but smile in amazement.
Bulbasaur's power had increased by an entire tier, plus a sub-level, and several new moves had appeared on the list: Sunny Day, Petal Dance, and Solar Beam.
They were moves used by Champion Ash's Venusaur.
Because of the possession, Bulbasaur had temporarily inherited that power.
Unfortunately, Frenzy Plant was not among them.
That move, the one that had stunned the entire world during the battle, was still beyond Bulbasaur's reach.
Only the fully evolved Grass-type could wield it. Even with all the shortcuts and borrowed power in the world, Bulbasaur couldn't truly learn Frenzy Plant… not yet.
Still, even without that move, the improvement was staggering.
His stats had risen across the board, every single one of them had climbed by a full rank, and two had already hit S-Tier limits.
If Bulbasaur could push even one more stat to S, he'd officially step into the realm of God-Tier potential.
This possession had been a jackpot in every sense.
Just then, Koga approached again, his expression hesitant.
"Could I… have a word with you in private, Ash?"
Ash blinked. "Hmm? It's fine, Mr. Koga, you can say whatever you want here."
Koga hesitated, glancing at the still-active League cameras recording the aftermath. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then sighed and shook his head.
"Never mind. Maybe next time."
He looked back at Ash, his expression softening.
"You fought brilliantly today, Ash. I'm completely defeated, not just in battle, but in spirit. It seems I still need more time before I'm ready to serve as one of Johto's Elite.
Ash waved his hands quickly, shaking his head.
"Not at all! I only managed to defeat you, Mr. Koga, because I took advantage of an information gap. Honestly, Bulbasaur only won because he temporarily borrowed the power of another Pokémon. Otherwise, I was planning to just… take it easy in the third round."
Koga blinked, taken aback.
"The power of another Pokémon?"
Ash nodded, his tone earnest.
"Yes. While I was battling, I suddenly heard a voice in my mind. It said it could feel my desire to win, and if my and my Pokémon's determination met its standards, it would grant me its power."
Koga stood frozen, utterly baffled.
He'd actually been planning to ask Ash privately what had happened during that final match. Even knowing it might be confidential, he couldn't help himself, it simply didn't make sense.
Bulbasaur was an Advanced-grade Pokémon. How could it possibly one-shot his Champion-level, four-times-resistant Crobat?
If he didn't learn the reason, he doubted he'd be able to eat or sleep for a week.
But Ash just stated it so matter-of-factly… and Koga still didn't quite understand.
"Do you know the name of that Pokémon?" he finally asked.
Ash tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Hmm… I think it said its name was Victini."
Koga: !!!
Victini?!
The name slammed into Koga's mind like a thunderbolt.
Victini, the Mythical Pokémon, the God of Victory.
Even though the legends of Unova's Mythicals were rarely discussed in Kanto and Johto, Koga, as an Elite candidate, was well-versed in Pokémon lore.
According to ancient records, Trainers accompanied by Victini could never lose.
Victini was said to bestow limitless energy on those who fought for victory, its power endless, its aura eternal.
Whether those legends were true or not, no one could say. Few in history had ever seen Victini, and those who did rarely understood its gift before it vanished again.
Yet that name, that impossible name, had just come out of Ash's mouth.
When Koga pieced everything together, Bulbasaur's unbelievable burst of strength, the divine aura, the overwhelming Frenzy Plant, the conclusion was almost inescapable.
It had to be Victini.
Only Victini, the Infinite Pokémon, could have granted Bulbasaur such impossible power.
And as absurd as it sounded, Koga couldn't bring himself to doubt Ash's words.
How could a brand-new Trainer from Pallet Town even know about a Mythical Pokémon from Unova if he hadn't genuinely encountered it?
No, this made perfect sense now.
He hadn't lost to Ash.
He'd lost to Victini, the God of Victory itself.
Strangely, that thought actually made him feel a little better.
Losing to a Mythical Pokémon doesn't really count… right?
After accepting the badge, Ash politely bid farewell to Koga and turned to leave the Fuchsia Gym.
But the moment he stepped outside, he was met with chaos.
A wall of reporters, fans, and Trainers instantly surrounded him, microphones and cameras flashing from every direction.
"Ash! How did you train your Pokémon to such a level in only two months?!"
"What kind of special training method did you use to boost your Pokémon's strength so suddenly?!"
"Is Pikachu really your starter? How did you make him that strong?!"
Voices overlapped until the air itself seemed to vibrate with questions.
Misty and Brock tried to shield Ash, but the crowd pressed in tighter and tighter, cutting off all paths of escape.
Finally, Ash's patience snapped.
He took a deep breath, released a wave of Aura, and the surge of blue energy swept outward like a gust of wind, forcing the crowd to stumble back.
Before anyone could react, Ash called out calmly,
"Gardevoir, Teleport."
In a flash of silver light, Ash, Misty, and Brock vanished completely from sight.
...
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