Aside from heading to the Viridian Gym to train and discuss fixing a regular schedule with his "budget mentor" Giovanni, Ash still had plenty of things to take care of.
He needed to sit in at the Pokémon Center's clinic for his online shop, he had a long list of questions he wanted to ask Clarissa, and there was also the matter of asking the Joy family to help procure the six items needed for Fearow.
On top of that, he had matches to fight at the city battle arena in the evening, and whatever fragmented time remained would be spent reading e-books on his phone to keep learning.
In short, his afternoon was packed to the brim. His Pokémon could finally take a break, but Ash, as their trainer, had no such luxury.
"Ash!"
Just as he finished tidying up the house, Gary's voice came from the road outside.
"Coming!" Ash called back from the living room. After double-checking that everything in the house was in order, he locked the doors and windows, then headed out with all his Pokémon.
In addition to Pikachu, Greninja, Pidgeot, Fearow, Magikarp, and Feebas, Rotom also followed along. Ever since Ash bought a laptop, Rotom no longer needed to stay bound to the bulky old desktop at home. Now it could accompany Ash anywhere, making things far more convenient for both of them.
"Let's go."
At the entrance, Gary and Green were already waiting on their bicycles. Without wasting time, Ash hopped on his own bike with Pikachu and Greninja, and the three of them set off toward Viridian City.
Although Pallet Town was known as the "Town of Champions" and home to Professor Oak, it was still just a small rural town. It was perfect for a peaceful life, but its facilities couldn't compare to a major city like Viridian.
Fortunately, the distance between the two wasn't far. It only took about half an hour by bicycle. Otherwise, Ash might have already considered buying a house in the city.
On the way, the three of them chatted cheerfully, mostly about Gary's plan to follow Ash's suggestion and attempt a remote capture.
After hearing Ash's idea that morning, Gary had immediately contacted his friends in the Kalos region, Tierno and Trevor. They had spent the morning searching the forest outside Vaniville Town for a suitable Fletchling.
Fletchling, being the regional bird of Kalos, could be found almost everywhere—cities, towns, forests, and outskirts alike. It wasn't hard to locate one, but finding the right one took some effort.
By midday, Tierno and Trevor had successfully identified a suitable target.
Gary had already used Professor Oak's lab's Poké Ball transfer system to send his Umbreon over to Vaniville Town. Now, once he reached the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, he planned to follow Ash's advice—start a video call and remotely command Umbreon to battle and capture the Fletchling.
"I hope it works," Ash said with a smile. "If you succeed, I might ask Serena and Shauna to help me catch a blue Flabébé."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely succeed," Gary replied confidently.
With anticipation building, the three quickly arrived in Viridian City.
Upon arrival, they split up. Ash had too many things to handle in the afternoon, so he headed straight for the Viridian Gym to train under his mentor, while Gary and Green went to the Pokémon Center.
Fortunately, Gary was no longer the arrogant, reckless rich kid from the original timeline. Under Ash's influence, he had already set foot firmly on the path of a true trainer. His frequent battles at the city arena had honed his command skills to a high level.
Ash had full confidence in both his own strategy and Gary's ability to execute it. With no worries in his mind, he rode to the Viridian Gym.
After arriving, he recalled Magikarp and Feebas into their Poké Balls and let Pidgeot and Fearow fly off freely. Locking his bicycle, he entered the gym with Pikachu, Greninja, and Rotom, ready to begin his lesson.
"Sensei."
On the familiar training field, Giovanni was already there. The leader of Team Rocket, a man said to be unbeatable as long as he stood upon the earth, was casually stroking a Persian.
But this Persian was no ordinary pet.
Like Pikachu and Greninja by Ash's side, it was a true battle partner.
Anyone foolish enough to underestimate it because of its lazy demeanor would pay a heavy price. Its strength was unquestionably at the Champion level.
[Pokémon: Persian]
Level: LV.85
Type: Normal
Nature: Lazy, cunning, scheming
Ability: Technician
Potential: Blue
Moves:
Grandmaster: Power Gem, Fake Out, Pay Day, Assurance, Fury Swipes, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse
Mastered: Switcheroo, Scratch, Bite, Taunt, Screech, Slash, Nasty Plot
Proficient: Feint, Play Rough
Skilled: Growl
Novice: Attract
At first, Ash hadn't paid much attention to Giovanni's Persian. But once, out of curiosity, he had used the system to scan its data.
The result had shocked him.
Who would have thought that the cat Giovanni casually played with was actually a Champion-level Pokémon?
But after thinking about it, it made perfect sense. Unlike psychic trainers like Sabrina, most trainers, no matter how strong their Pokémon were, remained physically fragile themselves.
In this extraordinary world where Pokémon wielded supernatural power, humans were inherently vulnerable.
Even Ash understood the importance of protection, which was why he always kept Pikachu and Greninja by his side.
And for someone like Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket with countless enemies, not having a powerful bodyguard would be far more abnormal.
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T/N:
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