When Ash returned to his room, he found all his Pokémon crowded around the laptop where Rotom was staying, completely absorbed in a game of five-in-a-row.
His Pokémon were all exceptionally intelligent—Pikachu, Greninja, Pidgeot, Fearow… all of them showed remarkable awareness and learning ability.
Even Valor the Magikarp and Lumina the Feebas, who had once seemed dull and slow, had undergone a visible transformation. After overcoming their fear and inferiority, their eyes had become lively, their reactions sharper—there was now a clear spark of intelligence in them.
At that moment, Greninja was locked in a match with Rotom, while inside the glass tank on the desk, Valor and Lumina floated excitedly, watching the game unfold with bubbling enthusiasm.
The scene felt oddly familiar—like a group of old men gathered around a street-side chessboard, with a crowd of amateurs eagerly spectating.
It made Ash want to laugh.
And yet… it was also warm.
So warm that he didn't want to disturb it.
—
Now both Valor and Lumina had reached Level 15. Lumina could evolve into Milotic as soon as her Beauty stat peaked, while Valor still needed to reach Level 20.
Even so, both were getting closer and closer to evolution.
"Can't wait…" Ash murmured softly, watching the two shiny Pokémon happily blowing bubbles in their tank.
His heart filled with anticipation.
—
Beyond them, the rest of his core team was already taking shape.
Pikachu, as a special Pokémon blessed by the world's fortune, had already reached its evolutionary peak. It couldn't evolve into Raichu—but that didn't matter.
Because of its unique nature, Pikachu's base stats had already broken past conventional limits, rivaling mythical Pokémon like Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi.
It had long surpassed Raichu.
Its level was currently the highest among Ash's team, and with the item Light Ball, its attack power was doubled.
Combined with a fully developed move set—
Parabolic Charge, Eerie Impulse, Volt Switch, Electric Terrain, Electroweb…
—Pikachu had become a complete, polished powerhouse.
Cute on the outside, yes.
But in reality?
It was undeniably Ash's strongest ace.
If he were to face Master Caldor's Level 55 Hearmor again, Ash was confident Pikachu could defeat it head-on.
At this stage, Pikachu had essentially reached its mature combat form.
All that remained was steady training and gradual level progression.
—
However, the same couldn't be said for the rest of his first-tier team.
Greninja, despite reaching its final evolution, still had untapped potential—Bond Evolution.
If his original self could achieve it…
There was no reason he couldn't.
Ash knew this sounded a bit self-assured—but it was the truth.
His passion for Pokémon was no less than before.
And in terms of training knowledge, discipline, and planning—he was even better now.
If Bond Evolution was possible once, it would be possible again.
Beyond that, Greninja still needed to expand its move pool to fully utilize its Protean ability.
—
Pidgeot was in a similar situation.
It had already reached its final form but still had room to grow—Mega Evolution.
Unlike Greninja, however, Pidgeot had a clear path forward.
The required Mega Stone and Key Stone had already been given to Ash by Giovanni as both an apology and payment for helping stabilize Mewtwo.
He had even had them crafted into wearable accessories.
That meant—
Pidgeot could attempt Mega Evolution at any time.
Compared to Greninja, it was already ahead.
—
Then there was Fearow.
The most chaotic, energetic, and troublesome member of the team.
Unlike Pidgeot, Fearow came from a notoriously underappreciated evolutionary line. Bird Pokémon were typically fragile, with wings as a critical weakness.
Most trainers developed them as special attackers—using speed and aerial mobility to kite opponents and strike from a distance.
But Fearow?
It went in the exact opposite direction.
Despite its frailty, it chose a close-range physical attack style.
To outsiders, it looked like a mistake—like choosing the wrong path from the very beginning.
But Ash saw something different.
His Fearow didn't just have Keen Eye—it also had the Sniper ability, allowing it to exploit weaknesses and deal devastating critical hits.
If trained properly—focusing on physical attack, speed, and evasion—then combined with items like:
Quick Claw
Sharp Beak
Scope Lens
Razor Claw
Razor Fang
Wide Lens
…Fearow could become a terrifying glass cannon.
A single decisive strike.
One hit—one kill.
Yes, it would always feel like dancing on the edge of a blade.
Risky.
Dangerous.
But incredibly lethal.
The kind of Pokémon that made opponents feel genuine fear.
—
"The only problem…" Ash sighed.
"It's way too expensive."
For most trainers, acquiring even one of these items would be a treasured achievement.
But Fearow?
It needed an entire set.
And that meant one thing—
Money.
A lot of it.
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