"You should be careful. It's best to use it immediately—if someone with the wrong intentions notices it, things could get messy. I've given you a skill scroll, and inside is a complete set of self-created Water-type techniques."
Ash added, "Everything from Thousand Shark Torrent to Grand Aqua Burst is included. But fully inputting those self-created moves into your Blastoise's mind will take time. Looks like you're going to be busy for a while."
"It's fine. I can't catch up with the Johto League anyway, and the Orange Islands Winners Cup is too small in scale. Since that's the case, I'll focus on training Blastoise properly. I'll aim for next year's Conference."
Gary wasn't troubled by Ash's words at all. Remembering the techniques Ash's Suicune used at the previous Conference, Gary felt an urge to call a helicopter right now and fly straight back to start training.
Ash nodded.
"As you like. I'll get going for now—if I move quickly, I can reach Ecruteak City before nightfall. Whether your Blastoise can prove its place as a true royal-class Pokémon depends on the two of you."
Gary grinned.
"Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. It looks like my strongest Pokémon might end up being my Blastoise after all. Not a bad thing, considering it was my official starter. As for Umbreon, it still needs more time before it reaches its peak."
After chatting for a while, Ash and his group said their goodbyes. The moment they were out of sight, Gary impatiently pulled out his phone and dialed Professor Oak.
As for his earlier insistence that he would "definitely be home soon," Gary pretended he never said such a thing.
"Gary! You've been gone for days with zero contact. Do you have any idea your father was about to send people from the family to track you down?!"
The instant the call connected, Professor Oak's furious shout nearly burst out of the speaker.
"Grandpa—calm down! My ears are going deaf!"
Gary jerked the phone away, wincing at the volume.
Lately, Professor Oak's life had been overwhelming. Every Pokémon living in Fantasy Island's Dream Forest was a goldmine for research. Even those that appeared ordinary were far beyond their counterparts in the outside world in both power and speed. The ones that evolved within the Forest were outright absurd—its environment had become a paradise for Pokémon, and the residents cherished every moment of peace.
Ash's elite Pokémon were responsible for guarding the different regions of the Dream Forest. Of course, the most troublesome one was still Charizard. But soon enough, even the other Pokémon enjoying their carefree days would meet the end of their leisure.
Gary quickly told Professor Oak about the skill scroll and Ash's newly developed self-created moves. The moment Oak heard that Ash had even taken on an apprentice, he nearly dropped the phone.
Recently, trainers and researchers from other regions had been flocking to Kanto because of Ash's self-created move system. Plenty of techniques in the world were artificially created by humans, perfected over generations and spread slowly across regions. But Ash was the origin of modern self-created skills. Whether those techniques spread or not depended entirely on him—and that alone fueled endless speculation.
Fantasy Island hadn't been established long, but Ash's fame and influence had already grown immense. If anything went wrong regarding his self-created move research, it could spiral out of control.
That was why Ash decided to formally accept students—to systematize and teach his self-created techniques under controlled conditions.
His safeguards were already in place: even the descendants of Pokémon that learned his techniques would lose most of their inherited power through dilution.
While rare cases of "ancestral reversion" could occur, the chances were so tiny that Ash didn't care. And even if such a miracle happened, he wouldn't lose sleep over one or two cases.
More importantly, Ash's own Pokémon—especially the elites who absorbed skills through skill CDs—had completely integrated self-created moves into their bodies. Their mastery was on an entirely different level from those who learned through practice alone.
Even the Pokémon Ash carried with him now couldn't compare to his Dream Forest main forces. Full integration and active learning were fundamentally different, and this was the core of Ash's confidence in his system of self-created techniques.
"Gary, tell me where you are right now. I'll send someone to pick you up immediately. Ash must be protected—especially when it comes to his self-created techniques. They're far too important, and other regions will definitely try to interfere."
Professor Oak's tone had turned grave. He understood better than anyone how valuable—and dangerous—Ash's innovations truly were.
Even if self-created techniques spread to other regions, the only ones able to inherit them would be the descendants of Pokémon who originally learned those moves.
This is already common knowledge across every region. For example, moves like Scald may appear among certain Pokémon lines, but the strength varies wildly—not just because of differences in mastery, but because innate talent plays a decisive, often unbridgeable role.
While Gary and Professor Oak were discussing the implications of Ash's self-created techniques, Ash continued traveling with Sabrina and Shirō, heading toward Ecruteak City. Partway along the route, the group passed by a sprawling apple orchard.
"This place is huge," Shirō remarked, eyes widening. "It's practically the size of a ranch. And those apples—they're bright red and look delicious."
Ash nodded but frowned slightly.
"It is strange. An orchard this large should have staff everywhere, but I don't see a single person. Something doesn't feel right, even if the apples look amazing."
"Pika…"
Sitting on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu stared longingly at the apples, drooling openly as the sweet scent drifted across the air.
Ash smiled helplessly. "Hold on, buddy. At least let me meet the owner first—then I'll buy you some. You've been craving fruit a lot lately, haven't you?"
Pikachu's ears twitched in an enthusiastic nod, and Ash couldn't help but laugh as he continued forward, eyes alert despite the peaceful scenery surrounding them.
(End of Chapter)
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