The group continued traveling toward Vermilion City.
Ash now had two Pikachu perched on his shoulders.
If another one stood on his head, they could probably play a full round of cards.
Seriously—
just who exactly is this Pikachu?
"Oh right—now's a good time to test this."
Suddenly remembering something, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Red's Pikachu from head to toe.
"Beep.Pikachu. Common Electric Mouse Pokémon. Bad temper."
Ash slapped the Pokédex angrily.
"Hey, hey, hey! That's not what I'm asking—give me the other info!"
Pokédex: "..."
After a brief mechanical pause, it responded again.
"Beep.Pikachu.
Nickname: Pika.
Affiliated Trainer Rank: UR.
Original Trainer: Red."
"Red?"
Ash, Brock, and Misty all leaned in at once, staring at the Pokédex in disbelief.
None of them had ever heard of a Trainer named Red.
But anyone capable of raising such a powerful Pikachu clearly wasn't an ordinary person.
So why was there zero reputation in the region?
"…Could it be an old master who already passed away?" Brock guessed.
"That's pretty likely," Misty nodded seriously.
Red: "..."
"So wait," Ash suddenly asked,
"what does UR mean?"
That part interested him far more.
Since when did Trainers have English rarity tiers?
"Beep.Exceptional Trainer.
Extremely rare Trainer classification.
The highest known tier."
Ash's eyes lit up immediately.
"Then what about me? What about me?!"
"Beep. Trainer: Ash.
Rank: SR."
The Pokédex answered coldly.
Brock and Misty both looked shocked.
Even if they didn't know who made this ranking, they'd played enough games to understand—
UR was the highest.
Below that was SSR.
And below that…
SR.
Super Rare.
Third place overall.
That was already absurdly high—
especially for a rookie Trainer like Ash.
"…Am I really that amazing?" Ash asked, scratching his head shyly for the first time.
"Well, I guess it makes sense," he said modestly.
"After all, I am a man with two Gym Badges. That rank sounds about right, hehe…"
The Pokédex interrupted him again, its voice sharp and merciless.
"Beep.SR: Street Rare.
Meaning: extremely common.
Current lowest rank."
Ash: "..."
Ah.
Then never mind.
Brock and Misty burst out laughing.
The road filled with cheerful air.
Not long after, the Red's Pikachu suddenly patted Ash's head, then turned into red light and returned to its Poké Ball.
After all, not every Pokémon liked staying outside all the time.
So high up on someone's shoulder—
what if it caught rheumatism from the wind?
Pikachu that liked staying outside was the real abnormal one.
High-level Pokémon really could come and go as they pleased.
Ash didn't think much of it and raised his fist confidently.
"The harder we work, the luckier we get! Let's keep moving toward Vermilion City!"
Before long, the trio reached a desolate rocky wasteland.
The surroundings were empty—
except for a massive tent-like fortress built right in the center.
A sign hung at the entrance.
PRIVATE GYM
Not convinced? Come fight.
Too scared? Pretend you didn't see this.
"Oho? Now this ticks me off!" Ash snapped instantly.
He was fully prepared to educate this arrogant private Gym Leader.
"Wait, Ash."
Brock grabbed him and pointed beneath the sign.
"99 Consecutive Wins."
The number was crossed out in red.
Next to it—another freshly written:
"99 Consecutive Wins."
Ash swallowed.
He hadn't even fought ten battles since starting his journey—
And this guy already had 99 straight wins?
That was terrifying.
A real madman.
Ash took a deep breath, his anger fading into caution.
"Brock… you're telling me not to underestimate him, right?"
Brock frowned and moved his finger lower.
"No. I'm telling you to read the line under that."
Ash followed his finger.
Below, written in crooked, heavy strokes filled with resentment:
"Trainers from Pallet Town—GET LOST."
Ash: "???"
Did Pallet Town steal your rice or something?!
"So… do we still go in?" Misty asked worriedly.
"This guy clearly hates Pallet Town Trainers."
If Ash walked in—
"Hi, I'm Ash, rookie Trainer from Pallet Town."
Forget battling Pokémon—
this would turn into a Trainer fistfight.
"…Actually," Misty muttered,
"Ash might have a higher win rate that way."
In the end—
Ash went in anyway.
Not for himself.
But to defend the honor of Pallet Town.
Top Ten Townships of Kanto.
Most Promising Development Zone.
Economic Pilot Area.
Its reputation could not be smeared by outsiders.
Soon, a black-haired, spiky-haired boy emerged from the tent.
He carried a long whip and looked fierce.
At his feet stood a well-built Sandshrew.
"Beep.Sandshrew.
Common Mouse Pokémon.
Earthy. Likes digging. Not tasty."
The boy: "..."
He eyed the three warily.
"Where are you from?"
"We're from Pewter City," Ash replied smoothly.
"City folk. Good people."
Brock: "..."
The boy relaxed slightly.
"Name's Ace Trainer. I run this private Gym.
I'm training for 100 consecutive wins."
Misty couldn't help asking:
"Then you're almost done, right? You're already at 99."
"That's right," Ace Trainersaid coldly.
"One more win and I'm done.
So—do you want to be my final prey?"
His gaze shifted to Misty.
She immediately backed away.
Brock cautiously probed:
"Then why the hostility toward Pallet Town Trainers? Pewter and Pallet are practically neighbors."
Ash added helpfully:
"Yeah, I'm just a passerby. Pallet folks are all nice, good-looking, and friendly. Why tell them to get lost?"
Ace Trainer: "..."
Seeing no immediate challengers, Ace Trainersighed and gestured for them to enter the tent.
"It's a long story. It started a week ago."
The trio instantly switched into spectator gossip mode.
"I swore with my Sandshrew that once I reached 100 wins, we'd officially set out to challenge Gyms and the League," Ace Trainerbegan.
"When I hit 30 wins… that man appeared."
His brow furrowed.
"He talked Pokémon training with me all night.
His theories were brilliant."
"He even proposed a revolutionary concept—Reverse-Type Training."
"Thanks to him, my Sandshrew could even resist Water-type attacks."
The trio stared in shock.
Reverse typing… and it actually worked?!
"He promised that once I reached 100 wins, we'd travel together and perfect this system."
"When I reached 99 wins, I found him again, excited to leave."
Ace Trainer's face darkened.
"That's when he revealed his true colors."
"He said he'd be my 100th opponent."
"I didn't mind. He always acted like a harmless theory guy.
All he ever carried was a decorative Eevee."
"I thought he was giving me a free win."
"But then—he sent out Wartortle."
"I panicked a little. Still, I trusted him."
"When his Wartortle used Hydro Pump…
my Sandshrew was one-shot."
Brock & Misty: "???"
Who waits a whole week in the middle of nowhere—
Just to snipe someone's promotion match?!
Ash: "..."
Why did this sound so familiar?
Ace Trainerhugged his Sandshrew tightly, eyes shimmering with tears.
He remembered that man's smug face as he laughed loudly while leaving.
"Reverse typing? You actually believed that?
I was just talking nonsense—couldn't help laughing!"
The trio fell silent.
That wasn't just evil—
That was ten generations of bad karma.
Ash patted his chest solemnly.
"So… did he leave a name?
That guy deserves to be sniped too. I'll help you."
Ace Trainersteadied himself and answered slowly:
"Yes. He left his name."
Pallet Town—Ash.
Brock & Misty: "..."
Ash: "?"
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