Chapter 322: The Final Pep Rally
By Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The next day, 7:00 AM.
In the backyard of Professor Oak's Laboratory.
At this hour, Brock and the others were still sound asleep. Ash, however, was already standing on the backyard lawn, his head held high and chest out, wearing a rare, serious, and focused expression. The electric mouse on his shoulder mirrored his posture.
Before him stood dozens of assorted Pokémon; without exception, they were all his.
Without realizing it, he had already caught a considerable number of Pokémon.
It was just that right now, they were all standing askew. Some Pokémon were even dozing off with their eyes closed.
The most ridiculous one was Wartortle, who was just a shell sitting in place, its limbs and head fully retracted inside.
It was the most comfortable of all; wherever its shell was, its bed was.
Seeing this, Ash raised an eyebrow. He clapped his hands together as if using Fake Out, then shouted loudly:
"Everyone! Good morning!"
"Raaawr..."
The dozens of Pokémon replied lazily, their voices dragging on with a hint of impatience.
Normally they'd sleep until the sun was high, but today they were up at 7:00 AM. What was the emergency?
"Have you not eaten?! Louder!"
"RAAWR!"
This time, Ash even used the force of a Snarl, which finally woke the Pokémon up a bit. Even Wartortle stuck its head out of its shell. Ignoring the super-effective tickle of the grass blades on its rear, it sat down on the ground, rubbing its small eyes in confusion.
"Wartortle?"
This was a real headache for a turtle.
"Pika."
Pikachu tapped Ash's head, unable to resist reminding him.
*Right... we haven't eaten breakfast yet.*
"Pikachu, be serious! You get down there and lead by example!" Ash said with a solemn face.
"Pika!"
Hearing this, Pikachu had no choice but to leap from Ash's shoulder. He landed in front of all the other Pokémon, puffed out his round little belly, and sat up straight, his little face also extremely serious.
Joking around was fine normally, but now was the time to show the bearing of the team's main carry.
That's right. Ash and his Pokémon were holding a pre-competition pep rally, with the Indigo League Conference only a month and a half away.
If they didn't mobilize now, they'd keep waking up late every day, and at this rate, they might really get sent packing in the Top 16 of the Pokémon League Tournament. That was something Ash couldn't accept.
Therefore, he felt it was necessary to hold this pep rally to affirm everyone's determination and confidence.
By making a vow today and undergoing grueling special training for the next month, they could achieve glory at the Indigo League Conference!
"Everyone, attention!"
Sensing the seriousness and passion in Ash's voice, the Pokémon's lazy expressions gradually faded, and they too became serious.
Every Pokémon present had shared experiences with Ash. They had long since acknowledged him in their hearts and yearned to grow stronger alongside him. Naturally, they could now respond to his fervor.
For a moment, the air on the lawn grew heavy, filled with a palpable Pressure. Everyone's gaze grew resolute.
"Your spirits are high!"
Ash nodded, thinking to himself that he hadn't completely corrupted these Pokémon yet; they were still full of potential. He then bellowed:
"Now, sound off!"
Sounding off was an old tradition with great significance, but there was no need to elaborate. Those who understood, understood.
"Pika!"
Pikachu was first in line, the first to sound off.
"Saur!"
"Wartor!"
"Roar!"
"Pod!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Mimi!"
"Gengar!"
"Krabby!"
"Awoooo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
"Moo!"
Soon, the group of Pokémon had sounded off one by one, full of spirit.
Hearing this, Ash nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and said:
"Good. Next, let's have the consultant for this pep rally summarize three key points!"
Ash then closed his eyes and switched control of his body with Red, who had just been watching the show.
The latter opened his eyes, baffled, staring back at the Pokémon before him.
Red: "..."
This was not what he had expected. The problem was, they hadn't rehearsed this. What was he supposed to come out and say all of a sudden?
However, Ash simply switched control of the body back and immediately took the lead in applauding.
"Great! Great! Great! Brother Red's three points were excellent! Everyone, applaud!"
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Although the Pokémon didn't quite understand, they were sure Brother Red's words couldn't be wrong, so they all began to clap.
They already knew that the team's most unremarkable member, Metapod, had become their strongest fighter after just a little training from Brother Red.
Therefore, Brother Red's words were gospel!
The Pokémon's gazes instantly became fervent. ...Even though they had no idea what Brother Red had actually summarized.
Seeing this, Ash nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself that the plan was a success. It wasn't enough to just have the Pokémon respond to his passion; he had to add more fuel to the fire.
Putting Brother Red on a pedestal was, in effect, making a grand promise to every single one of them, implanting a psychological suggestion in their minds.
Follow his commands and strategies, and everyone could become as powerful as Metapod!
As for what Brother Red wanted to say, it didn't matter. That's why no rehearsal was necessary.
Red: "..."
This kid... is getting more and more absurd...
"Starting today, everyone must train hard and strive to reach its level as soon as possible!"
Ash placed Metapod on a high platform and tapped its hard shell.
The latter understood. Recalling the overwhelming rage in its mind, a silver energy instantly erupted from its body as it once again entered the highest state beyond the ultimate realm. That vast and mighty divine aura made everyone present stare in awe, their mouths nearly drooling.
"Pod..."
But soon, Metapod exited the state of Perfect Ultra Instinct. Briefly entering and then leaving it didn't cause much damage to its body.
"Alright, now run 20 laps around the backyard of Professor Oak's Laboratory, and then it's breakfast! After that, we begin a full day of training! Let's aim to seize the champion title at the Indigo League Conference in a month and a half!"
"RAAWR!"
With the grand promise hanging in their minds, the Pokémon were fired up. They moved their feet and began running laps around the backyard.
Meanwhile, Ash activated his hype aura on the sidelines, applying a mental buff.
"Pidgeot, are you deaf? This is running, running! Fold your wings!"
Pidgeot: "?"
"Krabby, can you at least run upright!"
Krabby: "?"
"Oh, and you Tauros, you all can run 40 laps!"
Tauros: "?"
"You again, Pikachu! Stop falling behind!"
Pikachu: "?"
*I'm a whole lap ahead of them!*
"Let's go! Let's go! The harder you work, the luckier you get!"
(end of chapter)