After asking about Lucario, everyone naturally turned their attention to Venusaur.
When had Ash transferred Venusaur over?
And more importantly, when did he obtain Venusaur's Mega Evolution stone?
Misty and Brock were especially puzzled.
They could accept not knowing about some of Ash's morning training results, but a Mega Evolution stone was no small thing. Those stones were huge, rare, and impossible to miss. If Ash had found one, there was no way the two of them wouldn't have noticed.
As far as they knew, Ash should only possess two Mega Evolution stones:
One for Aerodactyl
One for Gardevoir
Ash had personally told them that much.
So where did Venusaur's Mega Stone come from? Did it fall from the sky?
"Professor Oak helped me collect it," Ash explained casually.
"Didn't I ask Professor Oak a while ago to help me look for Mega Evolution stones? He went to Steven's place and… borrowed a few. He managed to get five in total. One of them happens to be compatible with Venusaur."
The three of them froze.
They all knew Ash had asked Professor Oak to help collect Mega Stones.
But none of them had imagined that "collecting" meant snatching stones from the Champion of Hoenn.
Of course, Mega Evolution hadn't officially appeared in the world yet. If it had, Steven would never have given away so many Mega Stones so casually. Even if he couldn't use them himself, trading them would have been far more profitable.
Professor Oak, no, more accurately, Ash, had taken advantage of a massive information gap.
No wonder Ash had been so secretive about Mega Evolution.
This was all preparation for this moment.
That said, Ash had already revealed Mega Evolution in front of Giovanni and the Kanto Elite Four. It wouldn't be long before the truth spread completely. His window to quietly gather Mega Stones was rapidly closing.
"So you transferred Venusaur over because it can Mega Evolve?" Misty asked curiously.
"I thought you'd stick with Charizard, Pikachu, and Gardevoir."
That surprised her.
In high-level battles, Ash almost always relied on those three. Not only were they the highest-level Pokémon on his team, but each of them possessed unique advantages that allowed them to fight far above their level.
Outside of those three, even though Ash's other Pokémon were strong, it was almost impossible for them to take part in battles on the Elite level.
So Venusaur's appearance this time had caught both Misty and Brock off guard.
After all, Venusaur had evolved less than a month ago, a late bloomer. Yet the power it gained in the Mysterious Garden had clearly exceeded all expectations.
As for Gary, he didn't know Ash's team in detail. He only knew that Ash's so-called "Big Three" were absurdly powerful. He had no idea how strong Ash's other Pokémon were, or whether they could compare.
But after today…
Ash clearly had two more Pokémon capable of erupting with terrifying power.
Venusaur.
Lucario.
The "Big Three" had quietly become the "Big Five."
"I transferred Venusaur because Giovanni's most famous Pokémon are Ground-types," Ash explained matter-of-factly.
"To deal with Ground-types, I obviously need the right counters."
"Ground Pokémon often carry the Rock type as well, which puts Charizard at a huge disadvantage. Pikachu's Electric moves are ineffective against Ground-types. Grass and Water types hard-counter both Ground and Rock."
Ash wasn't afraid of fighting against type disadvantages, but doing so without reason would be stupid.
Ignoring four-times-effective matchups just to send out a Pokémon that's four-times weak, while also being lower level, would require some serious masochistic tendencies.
That was why, before challenging the Viridian Gym, Ash had stopped by a Pokémon Center and swapped Pidgeot out for Venusaur.
He had already suspected Venusaur would be needed, but even he hadn't expected Venusaur's growth to be this fast. Simply training at Oak's Laboratory had allowed it to advance at an astonishing rate, and it had also gained a surprisingly solid grasp of Xerneas's power.
Among the Kanto starters, both Venusaur and Charizard had already found their own paths and methods of advancement.
Only Wartortle was still lagging behind.
Ash had caught his three Kanto starters one after another, with Wartortle being the last. Unfortunately, it had now fallen far behind the other two.
At one point, Wartortle had barely managed to keep pace with Bulbasaur. But the moment Bulbasaur evolved into Venusaur, that gap widened instantly, leaving Wartortle far behind.
Ash knew this couldn't continue.
He had to find a path for Wartortle.
Yet for now, Ash was at a loss.
When he had asked within the group about Water-type Legendary Pokémon, the answers were limited. There were essentially only two true options:
Kyogre of Hoenn
Palkia of Sinnoh
As for Suicune… while it was classified as a Legendary Pokémon, it was still far inferior to beings like Kyogre or Ho-Oh.
If Kyogre and Ho-Oh were considered First-tier Legendaries, then Suicune could only be ranked as Second-tier.
The quality of power between those tiers was worlds apart.
Even if Wartortle were to obtain Suicune's power, it would still be unrealistic for it to catch up to Charizard and Venusaur. What Wartortle needed was Kyogre, a true First-tier Legendary.
Palkia, despite having the Water type, governed space, not water itself. Its authority was fundamentally incompatible.
As for Lugia, known as the Guardian of the Seas…
Ash had only recently discovered that Lugia wasn't even a Water-type Pokémon.
At the time, he had been utterly dumbfounded.
'What the hell? The Guardian of the Seas isn't Water-type? Is that even logical?!'
Whether he liked it or not, it was a fact.
Lugia was called the Guardian of the Seas not because it governed water as an element, but because it controlled ocean currents, and through them, the sea itself. In extreme cases, it could even cause the ocean to part.
People only saw the surface truth: Lugia controlling the sea. The deeper reality was that it controlled currents, not water.
In short, if Ash wanted to truly enhance Wartortle's future…
His only real option was Kyogre.
He would have to see whether there was a chance to obtain Kyogre's divine artifact.
Half an hour later, Lucario and the others had fully recovered.
Ash and Gary left Viridian City, released all their Pokémon outside the city limits, and began checking on them.
Ash's current lineup consisted of: Pikachu, Charizard, Gardevoir, Lucario, Wartortle, Venusaur, Togepi
Seven Pokémon in total, essentially his strongest available roster.
If Ash truly wanted to go all out, he could swap Lucario and Wartortle for Aerodactyl and Gengar. That would be his true full-power lineup, one that might even contend with an Elite in a full six-on-six battle.
However, Aerodactyl and Gengar were not Pokémon Ash had personally trained from the ground up. There would inevitably be coordination issues.
More importantly, Ash deliberately avoided using them.
It wasn't that they wouldn't obey.
Ash had defeated and captured them in fair, direct battles. They would unquestionably follow his commands.
Still, this was a personal hurdle, one Ash hadn't yet overcome.
That said, when the Indigo Plateau Conference arrived, Ash fully intended to let every one of his Pokémon take the stage.
How could he deny any of them the chance to stand beneath the spotlight?
Gary released six Pokémon of his own.
Compared to Ash's lineup, their auras were noticeably weaker.
Ash casually swept his gaze across Gary's team, immediately grasping their levels.
Gary's strongest Pokémon was Blastoise, already at Elite Peak.
They had started their journeys at the same time.
Although Gary's top Pokémon was still far behind Ash's, this level of growth was unquestionably genius-class among Trainers.
Given a few more years at this pace, Gary would almost certainly become a Champion-level Trainer.
Of course, by then, Ash might already be standing at the very pinnacle of the Champion rank.
When facing Gary at the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash knew he still had to be cautious. No matter how wide the gap seemed, a careless mistake could still lead to an unexpected defeat.
While Ash was evaluating Gary's Pokémon, Gary was doing the same.
His gaze swept across Ash's lineup, the powerful, broad-shouldered Charizard, the vigorous and imposing Venusaur, the elegant yet intimidating Gardevoir, and finally, the small, adorable Togepi.
These were Ash's current Pokémon.
Gary didn't possess Ash's Eye of Insight, so he couldn't see exact levels without battling. Still, based on aura and presence alone, he could make a rough judgment.
His conclusion was chilling.
This guy was a monster.
Training one Pokémon well could be explained by pouring all resources and effort into a single ace. But training an entire team to this degree?
That wasn't just about resources anymore.
'How does he even train them? Why can't I catch up, no matter how hard I try?!'
Gary sighed inwardly, a trace of frustration surfacing, but it vanished almost instantly.
Discouragement had never been his style.
So what if he was behind? If one year wasn't enough, he'd try ten. If ten weren't enough, then twenty.
One day, he would surpass Ash and trample him underfoot.
Just as Gary was enjoying this future fantasy;
"Hey, Gary, what are you smiling about?" Ash's voice suddenly rang out. "You look disgusting. You're even drooling."
Gary snapped back to reality and instinctively wiped the corner of his mouth, only to realize there was no drool at all.
"You a**h*! What nonsense are you spouting?!" Gary roared, his face darkening in embarrassment.
"Who told you to smile so creepily?" Ash shrugged. "Anyway, where are you heading next?"
Gary had been ready to keep arguing, but the question stopped him. After a brief pause, he replied,
"I'm heading back to Pallet Town. I haven't been back in a while. I'll report that I'm safe… and check whether any of the Mega Evolution stones Grandpa collected are ones I can use."
Clearly, Gary was still thinking about the Mega Evolution stones Ash mentioned, specifically, the ones Professor Oak had "collected" from Steven.
If there was even one suitable for him, his chances at the Indigo Plateau Conference would improve significantly.
Ash's expression suddenly turned a little strange.
"Actually… there was one among the stones Professor Oak collected that you could use," Ash said slowly.
"But I already took it."
"What?!" Gary exploded.
"You already have two Mega-Evolved Pokémon, and you're still stealing mine?!"
"Ahem." Ash coughed lightly. "There was only one of that stone, okay? And Mega Stones that actually match a Pokémon are incredibly rare."
Gary took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
After all, without Ash, he wouldn't even know Mega Evolution existed. And technically, Ash was the one who asked Professor Oak to collect them in the first place, so Ash having priority wasn't unreasonable.
Still, his curiosity won out.
"Then tell me," Gary said tightly. "Which Mega Stone are you talking about? The one I could've used."
Ash looked at him and answered simply:
"Blastoise."
Gary: !!!
...
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