"System, can this Summon Card call Konan from the Naruto world?" Ash asked while looking at the card in his hand. If it really worked that way, then this draw would definitely be worth it.
[ Ding~! ]
[ As long as the host has previously traveled to that world, the host may freely summon one character from it. There will be no side effects, and the summoned character will not be suppressed by the consciousness of this world. ]
The system's answer made Ash feel quite satisfied. However, he decided that this matter should wait.
After all, bringing someone from another dimension into this world required a reasonable explanation. More importantly, he would also need to explain it to Cynthia and Sabrina.
Perhaps the first woman Ash had truly acknowledged was Cynthia, but the first woman he had ever been with was Konan. Thinking about the relationship between the two, Ash suddenly felt worried that his future harem might end up in chaos.
"Right now, I should focus on challenging the Gym first. And the marriage with Cynthia shouldn't be delayed either. It's better to settle it as soon as possible."
"I remember that the trainers in the Ecruteak Gym mainly use Ghost-type Pokémon, which are quite effective against Psychic-types. But Kirlia is already close to evolving again. Once it breaks through, I must seize that opportunity."
Thinking about his Pokémon, Ash smiled slightly.
Once his Pokémon evolved again, they would likely reach the Champion level, skipping the quasi-Champion stage entirely. This was the result of Ash's own training methods, which squeezed every bit of potential from his Pokémon.
The so-called quasi-Elite and quasi-Champion stages were essentially the result of Pokémon squeezing out the remaining potential that had not been fully developed before evolution.
This was also the secret behind why many of Ash's Pokémon could jump directly across those stages.
With the perception of his Sharingan, Ash could easily observe the cell activity within a Pokémon's body. Once the cells reached a state of complete saturation, it meant the Pokémon's potential had reached its limit.
An hour later, Sabrina also woke up.
After washing up, Ash and Sabrina left the hotel and walked toward the backyard, where Shirō was practicing.
After calling him over, the three of them headed together toward the Ecruteak Gym.
"Master, are you sure there won't be any problems with this Gym battle?" Shirō asked with some concern on the way.
"Didn't you say yesterday that the Gym Leader, Morty, is a quasi-Elite trainer? Among the Pokémon you're carrying, only Pikachu is at the Champion level, while the others are only around the Elite level. Shouldn't you use your main team instead?"
In Shirō's view, the difference in levels created a very obvious suppression.
"Relax," Ash replied calmly.
"You need to remember that while level suppression does exist, it isn't absolute. Sometimes, as long as the right techniques are used, it's possible to defeat opponents far stronger than yourself."
"For example, custom techniques."
"Your Hitmonlee and Hariyama have already learned Soru. Their strength has improved significantly, but their levels haven't changed. That's a perfect example."
"Sometimes, the outcome of a battle depends more on how techniques are used rather than pure level differences."
Ash was not worried about Shirō's concerns. He had absolute confidence in his Pokémon.
Moreover, Ash had never been afraid of battle.
"I see…" Shirō nodded after hearing Ash's explanation.
"So that's why Hitmonlee and Hariyama became stronger but didn't break through their level. Now it makes sense."
While they were talking, the group soon arrived at the Ecruteak Gym.
The Gym resembled a traditional dojo. In addition to the battle arena, there were many young apprentices training there. These children were all students under Morty.
"Ash, you're here."
Morty walked forward and greeted them.
"It's still early, which is perfect. I'd like these children to watch the Gym battle as well. Is that alright?"
Behind him, the apprentices politely bowed in greeting. It was obvious that Morty had taught them very well.
"I don't mind," Ash replied casually.
"A Gym battle isn't something that needs to be kept secret anyway."
Morty nodded and then announced the rules.
"Each side will use three Pokémon. The challenger may switch Pokémon once during the battle, but the Gym Leader cannot switch."
"The first side to lose all three Pokémon will be declared the loser."
"Both sides, please take your positions."
At the Gym battlefield, the referee stood on the central platform outside the arena and looked toward Ash and Morty, who were standing on opposite sides.
"Both trainers are ready," the referee announced. "The battle will begin now."
"Let me see how strong someone acknowledged by Ho-Oh really is," Morty said calmly.
"Go, Gastly!"
As his words fell, Morty threw a Poké Ball. A flash of white light appeared, and a Pokémon resembling a floating dark sphere with a mischievous face appeared before Ash.
"Gastly…"
Looking at the Ghost-type Pokémon drifting in front of him, Ash nodded slightly.
"A Ghost- and Poison-type Pokémon, huh? In that case… Treecko, you're up."
Ash tossed his own Poké Ball.
A burst of light flashed, and Treecko appeared on the battlefield.
Morty's Gastly was only at the Elite level. Although Morty himself had already stepped into the quasi-Champion tier, not all of his Pokémon had reached that level. Most likely, only his Gengar had achieved quasi-Champion strength.
Meanwhile, Ash's Treecko was currently at the Elite peak level.
There was still a clear difference in level between the two.
As for attributes, Ghost-type and Grass-type Pokémon didn't grant either side a direct advantage. However, Ghost-type attacks could still deal significant damage depending on the techniques used.
Gastly also possessed Poison typing, but Ash wasn't worried about that. Gastly's Poison typing mainly provided resistance to certain attacks rather than granting it particularly strong Poison-type techniques.
"It's Treecko…" Emiya Shirō muttered.
"Isn't Master being a bit careless? There's still a noticeable level gap, and there's no clear advantage in attributes either."
As he spoke, Shirō held up a small camera and began recording the battle.
This was an idea he had come up with earlier to improve his own combat experience. By recording Ash's battles, he could watch them later and analyze the techniques and strategies used.
"No," Sabrina said calmly from the side.
"Ash takes every battle seriously. Even if the opponent is weaker, he always fights with his full strength."
To her, Shirō's worries were completely unnecessary. Ash had never underestimated an opponent in battle.
(End of Chapter)
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