After defeating the young man and pocketing the five thousand Poke dollars, Ash and his team decided to set up camp nearby since it was already noon and everyone was hungry.
Brock immediately began preparing ingredients, Misty directed the Pokémon to start a fire and boil water, while Ash sat cross-legged on the grass, happily counting their earnings.
"One hundred and seven thousand!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "Wild battling is too easy! If I worked for a whole year, I still wouldn't make this much!"
In just six days, Ash had made nearly one hundred and ten thousand, a ridiculous amount for a traveling Trainer. But that was the power of winning every single match.
In gambling, winning two out of three matches only nets you one win's worth of profit after losses. But winning all three? That's triple profit, and Ash was on a perfect streak.
No losses, no close calls, just pure domination.
The strongest opponent he had faced so far had been an Elite-level Trainer, already considered top-tier in the wild. Typically, a Trainer needed at least half a year of experience before their Pokémon could reach that level.
Ash, however, was breaking all the rules.
He trained his Pokémon to evolve and rise through ranks in a fraction of that time, days instead of months, weeks instead of years.
So with an Elite-level Pikachu carrying a Light Ball, Ash was practically invincible on the road.
Elite-level Trainers couldn't touch him, and Professionals wouldn't even bother with wild matches.
If they did, it would be a complete mismatch.
Then again, wasn't that exactly what Ash was doing?
His Pikachu could already overpower most Professional-level Pokémon without breaking a sweat. After all, Pikachu had reached Elite Peak, yes, it had leveled up again.
But Pikachu wasn't the only one improving.
Charmeleon had advanced to Advanced Peak, his firepower more intense than ever.
Kirlia had also reached Advanced Peak, refining her Psychic control.
Squirtle, standing strong at Advanced Mid-Level.
Bulbasaur, once the strongest of Ash's starters, was now at Advanced High-Level, and clearly anxious.
Watching his companions evolve and surge ahead made Bulbasaur question his long-held decision not to evolve.
"Did I really make the right choice staying like this?" he wondered quietly to himself.
Meanwhile, Pidgeotto had hit a bottleneck at Advanced Peak, but Ash could tell it wouldn't be long before it broke through to Elite.
And finally, Riolu.
After weeks of resting and slow healing, Riolu had officially recovered enough to reach Novice Mid-Level.
His internal injuries had nearly vanished, thanks to Ash's Tokiwa Power. Without it, Riolu would still be spending most of his time curled up in his Poké Ball, occasionally eating before going right back to lying down.
But with Tokiwa Power's healing, Riolu's recovery skyrocketed. Most of his ability values had returned to A-rank, and within a week, he'd be fully healed and ready to train again.
Once Ash finished tallying their progress and gains, he didn't bother helping Brock and Misty cook. Instead, he began giving his Pokémon massages.
Normally, a Beginner Breeder's massage only relaxed muscles a little, helping Pokémon feel comfortable but nothing more.
However, after training under Breeder Ash in the multiverse chat group and combining it with his Tokiwa Power, the effect of his massages was completely differen, —almost miraculous.
Ash started with Charmeleon, kneeling behind him and pressing his palms onto his shoulders. A warm green glow flowed through his hands as Tokiwa Power seeped into Charmeleon's body.
The Fire Pokémon immediately let out a low, satisfied growl, eyes half-closed in comfort.
"Charmeleon, you've been training hard lately," Ash said with a grin. "Your body's grown stronger again since the last time."
"Char~" Charmeleon rumbled happily.
Ash chuckled. "That's all thanks to your own effort. I just give you a little boost after training, the results are all you."
As he spoke, a familiar light flickered in his eyes, data overlay from the Insight Eye ability.
Species: Charmeleon
Gender: Male
Type: Fire
Level: Advanced Peak
Ability: Blaze
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Scary Face, Flamethrower, Belly Drum...
Stats:
Physical Attack: A (S)
Special Attack: A (S)
Defense: B (A)
Special Defense: B (A)
HP: A (S)
Speed: S (S)
Charmeleon's stats were nothing short of phenomenal. He had already reached the limit of his previous tier before leveling up, meaning he'd hit multiple S-rank caps that temporarily reset upon ascending.
And because of the weighted vest training, his speed had shot up faster than expected, already pushing S-rank again not long after hitting Advanced Peak.
If other Trainers saw how fast Ash's Pokémon leveled up, and how absurdly their ability values climbed, they'd probably tie him up in a basement and interrogate him.
Because this kind of growth was simply unbelievable.
For Ash, though, all this didn't feel that special.
Sure, he didn't have much money, but when it came to his Pokémon, he always gave them the best.
Their food might not have been the most expensive in the world, but each ingredient was selected with care and cooked using exclusive recipes crafted by him and Brock.
Every Pokémon had its own personalized recipe, one that was constantly tweaked and improved over time. The meals didn't just satisfy taste buds, they were designed to keep every Pokémon in peak physical condition.
With both body and mood maintained in top form, how could their growth not be fast?
And it wasn't just food. After every battle, Ash made sure to give them a massage. But a massage infused with Tokiwa Power was no ordinary recovery technique.
The method itself mattered, but what truly made it special was the power flowing through Ash's hands, something even the world's top Breeders could never possess.
This power not only healed hidden injuries inside their bodies but also helped them absorb the experience of each battle to the fullest, maximizing their physical gains.
Ash wasn't a world-class Breeder yet, but in some aspects, he could already do what even the best couldn't.
Still, compared to the legendary Breeder Ash from the group chat, he was far from that level.
The senior's dishes were said to have magical effects, food so refined it actually glowed when served.
In short, Ash still had a long, long way to go before reaching that level.
"Alright, massage finished. Next one!" Ash called out, patting Charmeleon's shoulder.
Charmeleon looked reluctant to move but obediently stepped aside, letting the next Pokémon take its place.
Kirlia quietly sat on a small stool in front of Ash, her expression soft as she enjoyed the soothing warmth flowing through her body.
"You've grown so much," Ash said, smiling as he worked. "Keep going like this and you'll evolve into Gardevoir soon."
At her current level, Advanced Peak, evolution wasn't far off.
Before reaching the Professional tier, as long as a Pokémon desired it, evolution was always within reach.
"Kirlia~" I'll do my best, Ash~
"You don't have to push yourself that hard," Ash said with a sigh. "You've been training too much lately. Even with my help, you should rest more. Out of over sixty battles, you fought almost twenty by yourself, and sometimes two or three opponents at once."
He spoke with genuine concern, remembering the fierce determination Kirlia had shown in every fight.
The most desperate fighter on this journey wasn't Pikachu or Charmeleon, it was Kirlia.
Back when she was still a Ralts, Ash had treated her like a little sister. She rarely battled, and even when she did, the fights were easy wins that Ash had picked carefully for her.
He knew her potential was immense, but he never wanted to force her. Ralts was someone he wanted to protect, not push.
But after evolving into Kirlia, everything changed.
Now, she was the first to step forward in battle, fighting with unmatched resolve.
Wild battles weren't always one-on-one, many were two-on-two or even three-on-three. That young man who had lost five thousand poke dollars earlier? That had been a three-on-three fight.
Generally, the more Pokémon that took part, the higher the stakes.
In these past days, Kirlia had faced countless two-on-one and three-on-one fights, often against opponents of the same level.
Trainers who joined wild battles weren't weak, and most had Advanced-level Pokémon. It was through these grueling matches that Kirlia had reached Advanced Peak.
In fact, she had done it even faster than Charmeleon.
And that was saying something, because Charmeleon carried a Rainbow feather within him, an artifact that enhanced every aspect of his being: power, vitality, flame purity, leveling speed, and even stat growth.
That was the divine might of a sacred item perfectly resonating with its bearer.
Ralts had exceptional aptitude and a mysterious origin, capable of learning skills no ordinary Pokémon could. Even so, with the Rainbow feather's divine blessing, Charmeleon still managed to outpace Kirlia's rapid improvement.
Kirlia's relentless determination eventually pushed her past Charmeleon in overall progress.
Now, the two of them were locked in a friendly rivalry, constantly sparring and comparing strength. Both were fighting for the second spot on the team, because everyone knew who held the first.
That position belonged to Pikachu. And honestly, no one was even close.
Pikachu's motto could be summed up as: "You can be strong, but I'll just keep getting stronger."
Although Pikachu only possessed six A-rank aptitudes, he was a strange anomaly. After every level-up, his stats didn't regress like other Pokémon, they stayed at their peak. His progress was steady, smooth, and terrifyingly consistent, without a single bottleneck.
That steady momentum allowed Pikachu to remain firmly seated as the team's unshakable "big brother."
As for Gastly… well, he was already Elite High-Level when he joined. Competing with the others for rankings was pointless. With his seniority, he was basically the team's grandpa. Competing for attention with juniors wasn't even on his radar.
After finishing Kirlia's massage, Ash went on to give the same full-body treatment to his other Pokémon, as well as Brock's and Misty's. At this point, he'd basically become the group's professional masseuse.
Not only the Pokémon but even Brock and Misty occasionally enjoyed Ash's massages. The gentle yet firm pressure, combined with the soothing warmth of Tokiwa Power, was truly irresistible.
That said, Brock's Rock-type Pokémon were a completely different story. For Graveler and Onix, Ash couldn't exactly "massage" them, he could only use brute force to knock their rocky plates loose, then channel a bit of Aura to relieve their internal strain.
After all, how do you give a massage to something made entirely of stone?
Just as Ash finished tending to everyone, Misty's voice rang out.
"Dinner's ready!" she called, setting down a plate of food on the small camp table.
Brock was already busy sorting meals for each Pokémon.
Seeing that everything was ready, Ash smiled, stretching his arms before walking over. But before he could take two steps, something darted toward him at lightning speed.
Instinct kicked in, Ash turned sharply, caught the attack mid-motion, and gripped a small, furry wrist in one smooth move.
He looked down.
The creature had beige fur, a round body, small limbs, a flat pink snout, and a long tail twitching restlessly behind it.
"Mankey?"
Indeed, the Pokémon trying to ambush him was a Mankey, one of Kanto's more common yet infamous troublemakers.
Mankey were notorious for their mischievous nature. Travelers often found themselves ambushed in the wild, beaten up, and then robbed of anything that looked remotely shiny or edible.
Veteran Trainers had long learned to keep watch for them, but Ash, who had never been ambushed before, hadn't been on guard at all.
Catching this one mid-sneak attack had been pure reflex, if he'd been even a second slower, that Mankey would have swiped something for sure.
...
Bonus @300 PS
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