"Pika!"
Pikachu casually lifted the unconscious Shiro's Pokémon from the field, then bounded back onto Ash's shoulder with a relaxed expression, rubbing his cheek happily.
"Not the most exciting fight, but you feel better now, right?" Ash asked, gently stroking Pikachu's head. Ever since their journey began, Pikachu hadn't battled much. The little guy had been holding back for too long.
Despite being a Champion-level Pokémon, Pikachu still needed a way to release pressure. Eating, wandering, and relaxing all day didn't erase that underlying urge to battle.
It was like being someone so wealthy you could gorge on fine cuisine every day—yet still craving the simplicity of a normal stir-fry from time to time. That desire came naturally.
"My Hitmonlee didn't even withstand a single move from Pikachu…" the palace guardian muttered, recalling his fainted Pokémon. He still hadn't recovered from the shock.
"It's terrifying… Whether it's that Pikachu or this boy, the strength is beyond extreme. That move Pikachu used easily carried S+-tier power, and look at him now—he isn't even tired."
Carlos stared at Ash and Pikachu perched on his shoulder, speechless. Only now did he truly understand the meaning of genius. No—perhaps even "genius" wasn't enough to describe Ash.
"Mr. Ash! Please… please take me as your apprentice!"
Clutching Hitmonlee's Poké Ball, the guardian finally made up his mind and knelt before Ash.
"You want me as your teacher?" Ash blinked. "Why? With your current strength, as long as you avoid major mistakes, you'll reach Champion level eventually."
He wasn't dismissing him—Ash's eyes glimmered with genuine interest.
Back in Kanto, Ash had already considered taking apprentices. After becoming a Champion, the normal Gym Challenge structure no longer excited him. Traveling remained his passion, but battling standard Gym trainers no longer sparked anything in him.
As a result, Ash's self-created moves—famous in Kanto—were barely known outside the region. Other regions had only heard rumors.
And apprentices came with perks. Tasks, challenges, and the endless administrative duties that came with being Island Master of Fantasy Island could be delegated. The workload on the island was enormous—enough to test anyone's patience.
At one point, Ash even considered using Shadow Clones, but quickly rejected the idea. Even if clones helped finish the tasks, the accumulated mental exhaustion would return to him afterward.
Ash didn't fear physical drain; it was the mental fatigue—like the time he accompanied Sabrina on a shopping trip—that threatened to break him.
But more than convenience, Ash had bigger dreams for his fighting style. He wanted his self-created techniques to become the unique heritage of Fantasy Island.
Of course, he wouldn't teach everything. Access would depend on a reward system—placing high at the League Conference, for example, might earn a self-made technique.
If he planned to pass them down to trainers of Fantasy Island eventually, teaching them to apprentices was harmless. And Ash wasn't worried about someone learning his moves just to turn against him. Even if someone tried, neither he nor his Pokémon feared anyone—not on Fantasy Island.
Besides, his original techniques were recorded on single-use scrolls. Once opened, the technique would transmit directly into the Pokémon's mind—just like when Charmander first learned self-created moves.
Whether a Pokémon could truly master the technique, however, depended solely on its own effort. These weren't skills someone could learn simply by watching.
And for that reason, Ash never worried about outsiders exploiting his creations.
Ash had long explained that even with self-created techniques, each Pokémon learned differently depending on its physiology. A move couldn't simply grant every attribute to any Pokémon—that was impossible.
Even Ash's own partners only learned the specific self-created skills he personally taught them. None could copy the abilities of his other Pokémon. That limitation still baffled modern science. But Ash had one advantage no researcher could replicate—
the power of his Chakra Eye.
"My current strength is still too low," Emiya Shirō said, voice trembling as a cold, murderous glint flashed in his eyes. "If I want revenge… I need far greater power. So please, Master Ash."
"Revenge, huh?" Ash narrowed his eyes—not dismissive, but intrigued. The chill in Shirō's gaze wasn't an act. There was real blood behind that story.
"Mr. Ash… I am the heir of the Emiya family in the Sinnoh region. We were a small house, nothing special. But four years ago, my father discovered a rich Evolution Stone vein. The problem was… the Ito family learned of it."
Shirō's hand tightened into a fist.
"Ito Ikeno—the Head of the Ito family—wanted the vein for himself. We resisted as much as we could, but their power was overwhelming. Our entire family… was wiped out."
Only I survived… because my parents held them off long enough for me to escape."
His voice shook.
Hatred, grief, and helplessness swirled inside him like poison.
"I wanted revenge, but the Ito family is too powerful. I am nothing compared to them. Then… I watched your battle at the Kanto League. And I knew—if I can become your apprentice, I will be strong enough to take revenge."
Shirō's tears didn't weaken his presence—they sharpened it.
Ash's gaze darkened, thoughtful and dangerous.
"So it's the Ito clan…" Ash exhaled slowly, taking a drag from his cigarette. "The Ito family used to be just an affiliated branch of the Blackstone family, if I remember correctly. Looks like they've started acting on their own."
In Sinnoh, the major families had always been carefully balanced.
For the Ito clan to move this boldly… something had shifted.
(End of Chapter)
📝 Limited-Time Offer (Ends Soon): $9 → 20 chapters ahead
⚡ Pa-treon-com/LordMerlin
😊 Thank you for your support!