A few days later.
They were fast approaching Cerulean City.
A thin mist still permeated the clearing in the early morning woods.
Golden sunlight struggled to penetrate the foliage, casting dappled spots of light upon the ground.
Meowth stood facing a thick tree trunk not far away, teeth clenched, beads of fine sweat seeping from his forehead.
Time and again, he swung his claws, attempting to condense the energy he so desired—swift and brilliant as a golden meteor—Swift.
Ash Ketchum had been training him for the past few days... consider it laying the groundwork.
Yet with every attempt, only a faint white light would barely flicker at the tips of his claws before extinguishing quickly like a candle in the wind, failing to leave even a single scratch on the trunk.
"Meowth! Dammit! Failed again!" Meowth scratched at his ears irritably, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"I told you it's no good, meow!"
"This kind of move isn't something I can learn!"
He sat down on the ground in dejection, his tail listlessly sweeping the fallen leaves.
Meowth's personality was stubborn and diligent; this was evident from the fact that he could walk upright and speak human language.
But...
Unlike when he strove to learn human speech and walking... this time there was absolutely no positive feedback.
He had been practicing for days, yet was still stuck at the entry stage.
Beside the embers of the campfire not far away.
Misty couldn't help but whisper, "Say, Ash... isn't that about enough?"
"This Meowth's body structure really isn't suited for moves that require such high-level energy condensation and projection techniques."
"Isn't this just asking the impossible of a Meowth?"
She looked at Meowth's despondent appearance.
Although she didn't like Team Rocket, she felt a little sorry for him.
The gap between individual Pokémon was indeed a reality that could not be changed.
Brock crossed his arms, analyzing the situation rationally: "Misty has a point."
"Swift requires precise control over Normal-type energy."
"For this Meowth's current physical condition, the burden is too heavy, and the success rate is very low."
His gaze swept over Meowth's claws, which were trembling slightly from repeated failures.
As a Breeder, he was more inclined towards gradual, foundational training.
Tied up under a tree with a cloth gag in her mouth, Jessie, though unable to speak, used her eyes—which practically spat fire—and "mmph-mmph" nasal sounds to fully express her mockery: "If this cat can learn that, I'll eat Arbok raw!"
Well, Jessie actually hoped Meowth could learn Swift.
But because her mouth was simply too foul, Ash had gagged her.
This caused the tsundere Jessie to want to be contrary... simply put, she was acting out of spite.
Jessie: Mmph mmph mmph! Mmph mmph!
Only James, who was also tied up, looked with complex eyes at Meowth's back as he failed and got up time and again. His lips moved soundlessly, as if saying, "Hang in there, Meowth..."
Ash took in everyone's reactions, including James's subtle encouragement.
He walked over to the dejected Meowth, crouched down, his voice calm yet possessing an undeniable power:
"Look me in the eyes, Meowth."
Ash felt it was time.
Meowth subconsciously raised his head and met Ash's gaze.
Those eyes, shaded by the brim of his hat, were so deep they seemed capable of absorbing all light.
"How many times have you failed?" Ash asked.
"153 times, meow..." Meowth's voice was low; he felt this was all he would ever amount to in this life.
This brat in front of him must have been lying to him before.
Meowth... I really am a piece of trash.
"Does 153 failures make you waver?" Ash's voice held no ripple of emotion, as if stating the most ordinary of facts.
"But... they all said... I can't do it, meow..." Meowth lowered his head.
"They?" Ash's voice carried the redemptive quality of a church priest.
"Why must you care about the definitions set by others?"
His voice suddenly dropped low, carrying a strange, mesmerizing magnetism, as if ringing directly within the depths of Meowth's soul:
"So-called limits exist from the very beginning only to be broken."
"Trust has boundaries, Meowth."
"You trust too much in common sense, you trust in the judgment of others, you even trust in your own past experiences of failure..."
"But why have you never thought to trust in my assertion that 'you can do it'?"
"Since you are willing to believe in common sense, why not attempt to believe in the truth I describe?"
"Do you truly understand the meaning of the words 'cannot do it'?"
"When you say 'I can't do it,' are you basing that on a judgment of fact..."
"Or is it merely to comfort the... weak little self that fears change and is afraid of getting hurt again?"
Ash extended a finger, tapping it lightly against his own chest, then slowly pointing it at Meowth's heart.
"Admiration is the furthest thing from understanding."
"You admire strength, yet you have never understood the essence of strength."
"A believing heart is the necessary condition for a Pokémon to step beyond its limits."
"This is not deception, Meowth."
"This is the reality I describe."
"And you, should believe in me!"
"Now!"
"Use Swift one more time!"
The instant his voice fell—
[Confirming target Pokémon: Meowth. Using TM: Swift]
[Use Successful]
Ash's will completed the operation within the System.
Just as the final syllable dropped from Ash's lips!
Hearing Ash's words, Meowth began to move subconsciously.
His eyes suddenly widened.
A surge of Normal-type energy, turbulent and pure, which he had never experienced before, rushed out from deep within his body without warning.
That energy was so natural, as if it had long been dissolved in his blood, only to be quietly awakened at this moment.
Almost instinctively, with a sudden flash of insight, he swung his claws once more.
"Meowth—!"
This time, it was no longer a faint white light!
Several dazzling, sharp-edged star-shaped energy bodies trailing golden tails erupted instantly from the tips of his claws.
They whistled and spun, carrying heart-palpitating speed and power, bombarding the thick tree trunk ahead with incomparable precision!
"Bang bang bang bang bang—!"
A series of dense explosions rang out like beating drums.
Wood chips flew through the air.
When the starlight dissipated, a deep, pitted indentation was clearly left on that solid trunk.
Swift!
A perfect hit!
Dead silence filled the area.
The Berry in Misty's hand fell to the ground with a plop.
The rock-like expression on Brock's face completely crumbled, his mouth slightly agape.
Jessie's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets, even her "mmph" sounds choked off.
James's eyes erupted with a light of unbelievable pleasant surprise.
Even Pikachu covered his little mouth in astonishment: "Pika...?!"
Meowth stared blankly at his own claws, then looked at the devastated tree trunk, as if unable to comprehend everything that had just happened.
He... he did it?
He actually used Swift?!
Just then, Ash's low voice, filled with a demonic, mesmerizing allure, once again reached his ears like a whisper, echoing in the silent woods:
"See."
"Was what you just achieved something that others could easily decide?"
"From this moment on, strive to make the world follow your rules, Meowth."
"The world is finite, but the heart is infinite."
"Because I said so."
Meowth jerked his head up to look at the youth bathed in the fragmented sunlight.
Ash's silhouette seemed to become incomparably tall amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
The curve at the corner of his mouth, seemingly there and yet not, was like a god taking pity on all living beings.
He...
So brilliant...
So blinding...
...Meow.
____
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