Chapter 45: Cynthia?
Black-grade items: Skill Discs.
These are incredibly useful tools. With them, you can copy custom-made moves onto a disc and instantly transfer that knowledge to a Pokémon, allowing them to master the move on the spot!
With this method, a Pokémon can reach advanced levels in a very short time. If Ash selects Pokémon with high potential—those with outstanding talent—they could reach the Champion tier in just half a year through conventional training.
But with skill discs? That time could be compressed into a single day. Just imagine it: a Champion-level Pokémon in 24 hours. Afterward, all that's left is to improve move proficiency and battle experience!
Red-grade items: Storage Rings.
Not much needs to be said here. Most people already understand the concept—it's a space-expanding item used to store objects. Sadly, it can't store living beings. However, Pokémon equipped with Poké Balls can be placed inside!
Gold-grade items: Rank Classification Tool.
This one's a bit niche, but it's designed to clearly distinguish a Pokémon's strength level. While some fans liked my earlier numerical ranking system for potential value, it got confusing quickly. So now, I'm using letter grades—it's cleaner and easier to follow. No more early-stage, mid-stage, or peak. Just clear ranks:
E: Novice
D: Advanced
C: Elite
B: Quasi-Elite
B+: Top Elite
A: Quasi-Champion
A+: Champion
S: Level 3 Legendary Pokémon
S+: Level 2 Legendary Pokémon
SS: Level 1 Legendary Pokémon
SS+: Super Legendary Pokémon
(AN: For earlier chapters using the numeric scale, I won't go back and revise them, but readers can keep this classification in mind moving forward!)
Ash headed into the nearby forest after sorting through all the items he'd acquired. Once there, he called out some of his closest partners.
"Come on out, my friends!"
With a smile on his face, he released his Pokémon one by one.
"I've got something amazing today. It'll allow you to instantly learn the techniques I've prepared for you! Of course, you'll still need to build up proficiency—if not, your strength could drop when it matters most."
His Pokémon—Pikachu among them—responded with excitement. After all, each of them wanted to grow stronger.
Ding~!
[Skill transfer in progress. Please wait.]
Ding~!
[Skill transfer complete. Host, please confirm.]
In less than thirty minutes, the system had completed the entire process. Ash looked at his team and grinned with satisfaction.
Pokémon Status:
Name: Pikachu
Level: Champion
Abilities: Lightning Rod, Static
Type: Electric
Potential: A+
Name: Steelix
Level: Champion
Abilities: Rock Head, Weak Armor
Type: Rock/Ground
Potential: A
Name: Pidgeot
Level: Champion
Ability: Speed Boost
Type: Flying
Potential: A
Name: Arcanine
Level: Champion
Abilities: Flash Fire, Intimidate
Type: Fire
Potential: A
Name: Suicune
Level: Tier-2 Legendary Pokémon
Abilities: Purify, Water Absorb
Type: Water
Potential: S+
Water Affinity Mastery: B+
Name: Tyranitar
Level: Champion
Abilities: Sand Stream, Anger Point
Type: Rock/Dark
Potential: A+
Looking at his lineup, Ash could barely contain his excitement. With Pidgeot's evolution complete, his team had reached an entirely new tier. His strength now was enough to sweep through any opponent. All that remained was to achieve his ultimate goal—becoming the strongest trainer across every region!
"Take today to rest and attune yourselves to the new power within. Get used to it quickly!" Ash instructed, noting the curiosity in his Pokémon's eyes as they noticed their sudden increase in strength.
With that, Ash returned to his room. Tonight's rewards were the greatest he'd seen in over a decade.
Back with the Pokémon…
"The boss is amazing! I've actually reached Champion level!" Pikachu exclaimed, his eyes shining with admiration.
"I've leveled up too!" Arcanine barked proudly. "I finally made it to Champion rank!"
In the world of Pokémon, Champion level was often seen as the pinnacle. As for Legendary status? That required mastery of a type's Law—something extremely rare and difficult to achieve.
"You've been with the trainer the longest, and honestly, your progress is the most impressive. I think you're definitely the first Pikachu to reach the Champion level!" Suicune said, looking at Pikachu with admiration. "Breaking through the natural species limit... I bet Ash is the first to achieve that!"
"Yeah, our strength has been growing at an incredible rate. Master really is the strongest Trainer," Tyranitar added. Though it had only recently joined Ash's team, it could already feel the overwhelming force of those new, custom-learned skills pulsing in its mind.
"But we can't get complacent," Pikachu said, looking at his teammates seriously. "To remain one of Master's core battlers, you need more than just strength. The techniques we've learned today can also be mastered by any future Pokémon he captures. So we have to keep improving, or we'll fall behind."
"Don't worry! We know how important this is. We won't let the Trainer down!" Pidgeot replied confidently, flapping its wings as it began digesting the information from its newly acquired moves.
"Today's been such a lucky day," Ash murmured later that night, glancing at his status screen. "Even my own level increased to Champion… I never expected skill discs to have this kind of effect." He smiled to himself and soon drifted off to sleep.
While Ash enjoyed a peaceful night's rest, things weren't going as smoothly for the refined and proud Giselle Yoto. Her mission was to find Ash—but her search had yielded nothing so far. With no other option, she had to set up camp in the forest, unable to reach the next city before nightfall. It would take at least another full day of travel.
Meanwhile, across regions...
To reach Kanto, Champion Cynthia would need to make special preparations. Inter-regional travel for Champions wasn't easy. Under normal league regulations, a Champion-level Trainer could only bring three Pokémon with them when traveling to another region—unless granted special permission. This restriction existed to protect the balance of power between regions.
Of course, exceptions did exist. Champions who weren't formally part of a regional league—those recognized by their strength alone—weren't bound by these rules. They operated outside the League's control, and thus, outside its limitations.
Because of this, every Champion-tier Trainer was a hot target for recruitment by major factions. Ash, now with strength equivalent to a regional Champion, had earned the right to be taken seriously. It wouldn't be long before his name was etched into history. At the upcoming Indigo Plateau Conference, the world would finally see him shine.
The next morning.
Ash woke up early, surrounded by Poké Balls neatly placed beside him. He smiled quietly. Now that he had reached the Champion level himself, he could feel a deeper bond forming between him and his Pokémon—a kind of mutual understanding that couldn't be described with words.
After getting dressed, he walked toward the nearby stream to freshen up. Being in a forest meant there was no electricity or plumbing—but that didn't bother Ash one bit.
After all, he wasn't like Gary, pampered and a brat. Ash was a Trainer who belonged on the road.
...
TN:
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