Even if what he said is fake, so what? At times like this, you can't lose your momentum, right!
Besides, he didn't say how he did it, he just mentioned gaining skills from traveling, and there's nothing wrong with saying that!
The facts are right in front of us. It's impossible to fake the fact that Ash started a month ago. Before the battle, Joe had already verified this, and also confirmed that the two companions by his side are Gym Trainers.
It's just that a Trainer who debuted for only a month already possesses a strategy capable of defeating Elite Level AI, the ability to see through Pokemon at a glance, and has trained his Ralts to be so peculiar, attracting two Gym Trainers to follow him on travels... where on earth did this guy come from?
Pallet Town? That's just some unheard of, obscure little town, right? What's special about that place?
"Anyway, after the battle, you understand now, right? What's in the textbooks isn't absolute. Only by traveling can you learn more about the world. There are countless things on the journey that aren't in textbooks, waiting for you to discover." Ash said eloquently, holding Ralts.
Not to mention, the chat group in his mind could never appear in textbooks. Communicating with another version of himself from a Parallel World is simply too bizarre to comprehend.
"Ha, so this time, let's say you won. Your target is the Quartz Conference, right?"
"That's right."
"Then I'll see you at the Quartz Conference. By then, I'll defeat you with my own Pokemon." The prestigious Joe said, flipping her hair as she elegantly walked away.
Watching Joe's retreating figure, Ash couldn't help but shout loudly, "Wait up, could you first point us in the direction of Vermilion City?"
Joe, who was initially leaving in style, almost stumbled and fell.
In this kind of atmosphere, you ask that question? Can't you just ask a student about this kind of thing?
"Just keep walking that way, and you'll see Route 107. Just follow that road straight." Joe pointed in a direction, then walked away with slightly disordered steps.
Although the remaining students wanted to stay and ask Ash about the strategy to defeat the Elite, with Joe leaving, they had no reason to stay either, as that would just be boosting others' morale and undercutting their own.
So, in not so long, except for Joe, everyone else had left the academy's training ground.
Joe saw Ash and his companions to the school's entrance and waved goodbye, with a look of determination on his face.
He too would prepare to leave the academy and, like Ash, travel all over Kanto to challenge Gyms.
This place not only burdens his family with high tuition fees, but it's also unclear how long it would take to graduate. He might as well spend that money on traveling instead; perhaps he could learn even more on the journey.
Besides Joe, many students at the academy had similar thoughts. The teachers at the Pokemon Advanced Academy never expected that after taking the intermediate and advanced students out for training, they would come back to find their "home" stolen...
...
After leaving the Advanced Academy, Ash and his companions followed the direction Joe pointed out and indeed found themselves on a proper road. As long as they followed this road, it wouldn't take long to reach the next town or city.
They could also restock the camping supplies they had used up.
Once on the road, Misty finally couldn't hold back her questions any longer and asked Ash.
"When did Ralts learn Thunder Punch? You can't even recognize all the Kanto Pokemon, so how do you so skillfully choose a lineup of Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokemon? And what's up with that Endeavor tactic? Did you come up with that yourself?" Misty bombarded him with questions.
She had too many questions. She had been traveling with Ash since his first day, yet Ash's changes were becoming harder for her to comprehend.
How did he manage to create so many things she didn't know about, right under her nose every day?
"Uh... that's quite a lot of questions. Where should I start answering?"
"From the beginning!!" Misty said, word by word.
Brock also looked at Ash with curiosity. Just because he wasn't speaking didn't mean he didn't have questions. Ash's actions today kept refreshing his perception of Ash.
They had been together for over ten days, and the growth speed of Ash's Pokemon had far exceeded Brock's expectations. Whenever he watched Ash's battles, Ash would show something new, making Brock wonder, is Ash really a Newbie Trainer?
What Newbie Trainer could perform like Ash does?
"Alright, Ralts learned Thunder Punch just a few days ago. Not only Thunder Punch, Ralts knows a lot of skills—Disable, Confuse Ray, Mean Look... all these skills mysteriously appeared as Ralts reached higher levels. According to Ralts, she seems to have been born with them, and couldn't use them earlier simply because her level wasn't high enough."
Upon hearing this, Misty and Brock exchanged glances, both able to clearly see the look of confusion on the other's face.