"Strategy team?"
Hearing Hiro's invitation, Ash's expression twisted in confusion.
"What's that?"
Hiro responded in a low, serious voice:
"The Strategy Team is a large organization led by the Four Heavenly Kings of the Kanto region."
"Its primary mission is to rapidly strengthen players by combining intelligence and power—ultimately working towards the grand goal of saving the Pokémon world!"
He paused for a moment before continuing:
"Currently, the Strategy Team has expanded to include players from eight cities across Kanto, including Cerulean City. You could even say it's an unofficial branch of the Pokémon League's career center."
"Right now, we're gathering the strongest trainers in the Kanto region to take on this mission together!"
Hiro then turned to Ash with an expectant look.
"That's why I want you, Ash, to join us!"
Hiro's words hung in the air.
But instead of reacting with shock or hesitation, Ash's response was...
exactly what Hiro expected.
"Saving the Pokémon world?! That's incredible!"
Ash's eyes sparkled with excitement, but then he smirked.
"I didn't think someone had already started forming an organization like this…"
He turned to his two partners—Misty and Brock. The moment they nodded in approval, he grinned and extended his hand.
"Well, looks like there's no reason to refuse, huh?"
Hiro's face lit up with joy. Without hesitation, he clasped Ash's hand firmly.
"I knew you'd say yes!"
At this stage, the Strategy Team was still in its infancy, and they desperately needed trainers like Ash to strengthen their ranks.
And soon enough, word of Ash joining the Strategy Team spread like wildfire—not just within Cerulean City, but across all other Strategy Teams in Kanto.
For the players, it was a huge morale boost.
After all...
To the average player, Ash, Brock, and Misty looked like invincible warriors, effortlessly dominating dungeons.
But what many failed to realize was that the three of them had already possessed significant strength in the Pokémon world before arriving in this new reality.
And with that strength, their in-game systems naturally provided them with greater advantages.
Yet, not everyone was so fortunate.
Not every player who switched to the [Reaper] class could immediately obtain a Zanpakutō.
Not every player who learned magic could wield it as naturally as Brock.
In the past week, countless players had fallen in dungeons, losing their attribute panels and becoming ordinary people.
Although they retained their professions and powers, the truth was obvious—without their system's direct support, becoming stronger was a long and grueling process.
For many, it was nothing more than a false hope.
That was exactly why the Strategy Team existed—to minimize casualties and help players grow stronger together.
Cerulean City—Strategy Team Branch Center
After officially joining the team, Ash, Misty, and Brock were quickly brought to the Strategy Team's base in Cerulean City.
Inside the office, a group of intelligence analysts gathered, reviewing the trio's skills and battle records.
"These three are strong... stronger than we expected."
They quickly got to work, analyzing their abilities to determine the best dungeons for them to grind and level up.
During their discussions, Ash and his team learned something crucial—
There were already several Level 10 players within the Strategy Team.
However, aside from the Four Heavenly Kings, no one had successfully completed a dungeon boss first kill.
As it turned out, there was a deadly rule about dungeon bosses that Ash and his team had been unaware of.
When a player is killed by a dungeon boss...
That boss can temporarily absorb the player's powers and abilities.
This made traditional crowd tactics completely useless.
If a boss could continuously grow stronger by killing players, then overwhelming it with sheer numbers was no longer an option.
Even worse—dungeons had strict level caps, preventing high-level trainers from carrying lower-level players through easier battles.
For many, this was a devastating realization.
But for Ash, Misty, and Brock...
It only proved one thing—
They had completed a first kill before even knowing this rule.
Which meant their strength was even greater than they had initially thought.
As Hiro continued his explanations, Ash and the others slowly gained a deeper understanding of this new world.
A world where power, strategy, and survival were everything.
Shortly after, an analyst entered the office, holding a worn-out laptop.
In this world, all valuable items had vanished overnight.
Now, players had no choice but to rely on second-hand and outdated equipment.
The staff member placed the laptop on the table and connected it to the office projector.
Stepping forward, the analyst announced:
"Captain Hiro, we've analyzed Master Ash and his team. Based on our findings, the next dungeon they should prioritize is this one!"
With a soft click, the projector flickered to life.
A distorted, monstrous image appeared on the screen.
The analyst continued, pointing to the display:
"This is a dungeon known as [Kobold Tribe], located in Nibi City."
He adjusted his glasses before proceeding:
"The skill synergy between Master Ash, Misty, and Brock is nearly perfect. They hardly require outside assistance in battle..."
"Because of that, we focused on selecting dungeons where enemies are densely packed and easy to eliminate."
He tapped a key, switching slides.
"Based on our current intelligence, the [Kobold Tribe] dungeon meets these conditions exactly."
As he spoke, he began scrolling through detailed enemy data and hazards, explaining them one by one.
Despite being the first team to achieve a dungeon boss first kill, Ash and his friends weren't necessarily the highest-level players in the Strategy Team.
In fact, some players had already reached Level 10 before them.
However, thanks to the Strategy Team's intelligence network, those players had deliberately skipped the boss fights in favor of more challenging dungeons to maximize their growth.
This [Kobold Tribe] dungeon was designed for players between Levels 10 and 20.
Unlike the [Goblin Forest], which Ash's team had previously conquered—where all goblins belonged to a single tribe—
This dungeon spanned a massive wasteland filled with multiple kobold clans scattered across different regions.
Some were small groups with only a dozen kobolds, while others were larger settlements housing hundreds.
Due to the world's system restrictions, no player had yet encountered a kobold above Level 15 in this dungeon.
It seemed that stronger enemies would only be revealed as players leveled up and progressed further into the dungeon.
The reason this dungeon was chosen for Ash's team was simple—
The monsters here were densely concentrated.
With Ash's Dragon Star Cluster ability, he could wipe out an entire tribe in a single attack.
This meant their leveling speed would skyrocket.
As the analyst continued his explanation, Ash and his friends' excitement grew.
After memorizing the dungeon's key traits, Ash suddenly slammed his hands on the table and stood up.
"It's decided!"
"For our next dungeon, we're heading to the Kobold Tribe!"
He turned to his companions.
"What do you guys think?"
Misty and Brock exchanged glances before nodding without hesitation.
There was no reason to refuse.
Without wasting any time, the group began packing their gear, preparing for their journey to Nibi City.
Thanks to the collective efforts of the Strategy Team, Cerulean City had managed to restore several vehicles for transportation.
While these vehicles weren't faster than Ash and his team running at full speed, they weren't much slower either.
Most importantly—
The ride gave them a chance to rest and recover before the battle ahead.
Just before they set off, Hiro leaned against the car window, pulling out a brand-new mobile phone.
With a small smile, he handed it to Ash.
"Take this, Ash."
Ash took the phone, blinking in surprise.
Hiro explained:
"With this, you'll still be able to communicate with the outside world—even inside the dungeon."
"If you run into a problem you can't handle, use this to contact me or the Strategy Team in Nibi City."
"They're already preparing to welcome you."
Ash's eyes widened in shock.
"A phone that works inside dungeon spaces?!"
That was unbelievable.
No one even knew whether the dungeon realm and the real world were part of the same space.
Yet somehow—
This phone could bypass those restrictions.
Holding it up, Ash examined it from every angle.
It looked just like a regular phone…
Hiro smiled from the side and said,
"Stop staring at it. This isn't an ordinary mobile phone."
"The Strategy Team purchased it from a special store."
"Huh? A special store?"
Ash's expression shifted to one of surprise.
The so-called special store was actually part of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce's mall system.
After reaching Level 10, players could configure their attribute interface settings, choosing whether to convert earned experience points into level progression.
If they opted not to level up, the accumulated experience points would be stored and could be used as currency for transactions within special shops.
For example—
Pokémon like Pikachu could only be obtained through these special stores, using experience points as currency.
However…
The experience cost for redeeming Pokémon like Pikachu was astronomical—far beyond what Ash and his team could afford at Level 10.
Thus, they had prioritized leveling up first.
Once they became stronger and could farm experience points at a faster rate, they would revisit the idea of redeeming Pokémon.
As Hiro finished explaining, the vehicle carrying Ash and his team rumbled to life, gradually disappearing into the distance as they departed from Cerulean City.
Watching the fading silhouette of the vehicle, Hiro stood in place for a moment before softly murmuring:
"I'll surpass you in every way, Ash."
When the Pokémon world collapsed, they had been transported to this unfamiliar realm.
Everything was changing.
And deep inside, everyone was anxious.
They just hid it well.
Because in this new world—
Some had more important responsibilities to shoulder.
Some had no choice but to set aside their fears and move forward.
Hiro exhaled, shaking off his thoughts.
"The past few days, I've been bogged down with Strategy Team tasks… It's time for me to start leveling up as well."
Once Ash and the others completely vanished from sight, Hiro glanced at his Level 10 status, smirked slightly, then turned and headed toward the Dungeon Hall.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Within the [Kobold Tribe] dungeon in Nibi City…
"Brock, watch out! The big one's coming!!!"
"I know!!!"
Amidst the ruins of a shattered kobold tribe, Brock tensed, pressing his hands together before suddenly thrusting them forward.
"Rock Dragon Shield!!!"
A mystical magic circle formed beneath him, pulsing with tremendous magical energy.
Rumble… Rumble…
The earth quaked.
A moment later—
A colossal rock barrier erupted from the ground, enveloping Brock, Ash, and Misty in its protective embrace.
Just as the shield materialized—
A scorching meteorite, pulsating with heat, came crashing down.
BOOM!
Crack… Crack…
Fissures spread across the rock barrier, allowing blistering heat to seep through.
The temperature inside skyrocketed.
Sweat trickled down Ash and Misty's faces as they urged Brock to hold on.
"Hang in there, Brock!"
"If we survive this wave, we'll have a chance to finish it off!!!"
"Don't worry! Leave everything to me!!!"
Brock, now a fully-fledged Rock Mage, stood tall, his muscular upper body exposed, beads of sweat rolling down his temples.
Determination burned in his eyes.
Now at Level 19, with the power of [Rock Dragon Slayer Magic], he had honed his abilities into something formidable.
But even so—
The monster before them was an entirely different beast.
It was one level above him—
And more importantly—
It was the dungeon's Boss.
A few seconds later—
As the heat waves gradually subsided, Brock manipulated the rock barrier, causing it to collapse from the rear.
Ash and Misty exchanged a glance before swiftly slipping out through the opening.
The next moment—
Brock compressed the surrounding rocks and earth, reinforcing his body with a thick layer of stone armor.
But the meteorite above seemed almost… sentient.
The instant it locked onto Brock's figure, it descended with renewed force—
Straight at him.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield.
Brock was slammed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater.
Not far away—
A towering, ferocious kobold, nearly ten meters tall, bared its razor-sharp fangs—
Its glowing eyes locked onto Brock's battered form.
At that moment—
Ash and Misty, having used the previous chaos to escape from the Kobold's sight, suddenly emerged from the piles of rubble on either side of the battlefield.
They appeared simultaneously—flanking the giant, vicious beast.
This monster, known as [Red Dog], was the final boss of the Kobold Tribe Dungeon.
Originally, it had the form of a kobold over three meters tall, but through the power of Zoan Devil and Logia Magma Fruit, it had transformed into something far more terrifying.
With the ability to wield two different fruit powers and elementalize its body, it was an undeniably formidable opponent.
Though only Level 20, its unique dual-fruit abilities had given Ash and his team a nightmarish struggle—
Especially when they first encountered it without understanding its elementalization mechanics.
At the time, their attacks had been largely ineffective, and they suffered greatly at its hands.
Fortunately—
Elementalization drained an immense amount of stamina.
After careful observation, they discovered that Red Dog couldn't maintain its elemental form indefinitely. Once exhausted, it would need time to recover before using it again.
That moment of vulnerability—was now.
This was their best chance to end the fight!!!
"Dragon Star Cluster!!!"
A surge of boiling nen energy erupted around Ash.
Behind him, the ethereal light and shadow of a divine dragon coiled into existence—
Then, with a roar, it ascended into the sky.
At an altitude far beyond the naked eye's reach, the spectral dragon detonated, fragmenting into thousands of energy projectiles—
All raining down toward Red Dog's massive frame.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side—
Misty wasn't about to be outdone.
With Ash diverting the enemy's attention, she seized the opportunity.
The spiritual power within her surged, and she chanted loudly:
"Waves of filth, boat of madness—
Boil! Numb! Flash! Sleepless!..."
"Hado #90—Black Coffin!!!"
Swish!
Red Dog, still reeling from the devastating Nen bombardment, barely had time to react—
When suddenly—
Everything went pitch black.
In an instant—
A massive void of incomprehensible energy manifested, sealing Red Dog within an inescapable prison.
From the depths of the darkness—
Blades. Spears. Countless spectral weapons.
All materialized—
And mercilessly tore into its flesh.
"Oooooouuuuuuuuuu!!"
A heart-wrenching howl of agony escaped the beast's throat—
Only for the Black Coffin's void to smother the sound entirely.
"Misty, take this!"
Ash, noticing the immense strain on Misty's spiritual power, wasted no time.
Rushing to her side, he pressed a recovery potion against her lips.
She had already exhausted her personal supply of potions earlier in the battle.
Taking down a Level 20 Dungeon Boss…
Was nowhere near as easy as they had imagined.
And yet—
Victory was within reach!