When Gary returned to the crowd, his expression immediately darkened.
Don't be fooled by his earlier nonchalant attitude, losing that match stung deeply. But there was no way he could show that in front of Ash. That would've been even more humiliating.
Even in defeat, Gary had to lose with style.
Soon, his cheerleading squad and a few of his girlfriends came over, showering him with comfort and encouragement. Under their doting care, his mood lifted slightly.
"Gary."
He turned toward the familiar voice and saw his grandfather, Professor Oak, standing beside Delia.
"Grandpa… I'm sorry for showing such an embarrassing side of myself." Gary pursed his lips, the words coming out reluctantly.
"What's there to apologize for?" Oak smiled faintly. "For a Trainer who's only been traveling a month, your performance is already quite good. To be honest, your grandpa wasn't much stronger than you back then."
He made a small gesture with his fingers, as if measuring something tiny.
Gary rolled his eyes. That was supposed to be comforting? Couldn't he at least say, "You're better than I was"?
Oak chuckled at his grandson's expression and continued, his tone softening. "Besides, losing to Ash isn't necessarily a bad thing. Failure can be a good teacher, it tempers pride and helps you reflect on your weaknesses. A setback like this will make you grow."
Then Oak's gaze drifted toward the battlefield, where Ash was already engaging in his next match.
"Actually," he said quietly, "I'm more concerned about Ash than you. His love for Pokémon runs deeper, but his personality… is a bit rougher than yours. He's the kind who gets overconfident after even a small success. I used to wonder how many times he'd need to stumble before learning restraint."
Oak's eyes softened as he watched Ash's focused expression on the field.
"But his growth this past month has truly surprised me."
He knew these two boys better than anyone, he'd watched them both grow up. Their strengths and flaws were like night and day.
Gary's progress had been steady, within expectations. His skill had improved, yes, but his mindset still needed work. His journey had gone smoothly, too smoothly. Success without hardship dulls humility.
Ash, on the other hand, had far exceeded expectations.
From his phone calls and today's battle alone, Oak could tell that Ash's mentality had changed completely. The impatient, hot-headed boy who used to get carried away by every small victory had matured more in a month than Oak could have imagined.
Perhaps it was traveling with two Gym Leaders that influenced him, or maybe the trials he'd faced along the way had forced him to grow faster. Whatever the reason, Oak was genuinely proud.
And with both Ash and Gary pushing each other as rivals, the outcome could only be positive.
It seemed that this year's Indigo Plateau Conference might just have two successful contenders from Pallet Town.
Gary followed his grandfather's gaze, watching Ash's battle silently. The frustration in his eyes hadn't faded, but behind it now burned something brighter, determination.
If Ash could do it, then so could he.
An hour later, a final Thunder Shock illuminated the field. Pikachu landed gracefully as his opponent's Pokémon fell with a thud.
With that, Ash had achieved ten consecutive victories.
The small official tournament came to its conclusion.
Aside from Gary, none of Ash's opponents had posed much of a challenge. Most of them were casual Trainers, Advanced-level at best. A few had Elite-level Pokémon, but not enough strength or experience to compete.
For Pikachu, fighting ten of them in a row was child's play.
Ash's ten consecutive wins were achieved easily.
After a brief award ceremony, the organizers presented Ash with his prize.
They explained that they didn't know exactly what the orb was, only that it contained powerful Electric energy, but seemed to have no effect even on Electric-type Pokémon.
Ash would have to figure out its use himself.
In other words, they had no clue what it did. It was just an unidentified item, repurposed as a flashy prize to attract attention.
Still, their gamble paid off handsomely.
They'd given away something "useless," and in return, their event's popularity skyrocketed. The resort's revenue doubled that day, and the post-tournament shopping rush promised to triple it again.
Compared to those profits, the little golden orb was nothing.
Ash didn't argue. He simply smiled, tucked the Light Ball safely away, and patted the pouch where Pikachu's Poké Ball usually rested.
They might see it as worthless, but for him, it was a treasure beyond price.
If ranked by the chat group's tier system, the Light Ball was an S-level item.
To Pikachu, it was more than a weapon; it was evolution in item form, a permanent doubling of offensive potential that would only scale with future training.
Feeling immensely satisfied, Ash regrouped with Misty and the others. Nearby, he spotted Oak, Delia, and a now much calmer Gary.
Everyone found a restaurant with air conditioning, ordered some snacks, and settled in for a well-deserved break.
As the tea arrived, Gary finally couldn't hold back his curiosity.
He leaned across the table, eyes narrowing. "Alright, spill it. What was that Electric move of yours? How did it make your Pikachu that fast? And, don't dodge the question, did you feed Pikachu something? We've both been traveling for the same month, so how on earth is your Pikachu already Elite level?"
"That's because my Pikachu is exceptionally gifted," Ash said proudly. "And with my powerful training methods, reaching Elite Level is just a matter of minutes, isn't it?"
He said it with that smug grin that always made Gary want to throw something at him.
"Heh, speak human," Gary muttered.
"I defeated a Professional Level Pokémon that was above my level, so I leveled up."
Gary blinked. "What?"
'I told you to speak human, not to brag!'
'Did this idiot just say he defeated a Professional Level Pokémon across two tiers of power? What kind of nonsense was that?'
If Pikachu had really taken down someone two entire levels higher, Gary would eat the table in front of him!
Before he could retort, Brock spoke up calmly from the side. "Ash just battled Surge, the Vermilion City Gym Leader, two days ago. He applied for the highest challenge difficulty and defeated his Professional Level Raichu. That's how Pikachu leveled up."
Gary froze.
Brock wasn't the type to lie, and since he'd personally fought Gary before as the Gym Leader, Gary knew he was telling the truth.
'So… it was true?'
Ash really had defeated a Professional Level Raichu, with that Pikachu?
Gary slumped back, his earlier irritation melting into disbelief. "Then… my loss doesn't sound so bad anymore."
Still, curiosity gnawed at him. "How did you do it? Professional and Advanced Levels aren't even on the same scale. No amount of tactics should work against that kind of power gap."
Ash smirked. "Because my Pikachu is well-trained. Surge's Raichu, on the other hand, was a little… sloppy. So that's how I won."
Gary stared blankly. "That's not an answer."
Could this guy be any more infuriating? The old Ash used to spill everything he knew at once. Now he was dodging questions like some secret agent.
"Alright, fine," Ash said with a grin, seeing Gary's exasperated face. "I'll tell you. When Pikachu wears my hat, his entire state changes. His strength increases by one level, and he can use moves other Pikachu can't, like Electric Acceleration. That's one of the reasons I beat Surge. He underestimated Pikachu way too much."
After teasing him long enough, Ash finally gave a half-truth. It wasn't really a secret anyway; once Pikachu used the move a few more times, everyone would find out.
Hatless Pikachu and hatted Pikachu were two completely different beings.
Even if Ash hadn't explained it, Misty and Brock had already noticed. As for Gary, he'd figure it out the next time they battled.
Besides, the hat itself was special, it couldn't be knocked off unless Pikachu wanted it to come off. The hat clung to him as if magnetized, completely immune to physical disruption.
So trying to weaken Pikachu by removing it was a hopeless plan.
Gary listened, his expression turning increasingly bizarre.
'Good heavens, is your Pikachu even legal?'
He silently glanced at his grandfather, as if to say, Y'ou gave him this thing, didn't you?'
But to Gary's surprise, Professor Oak's face looked just as stunned as his own.
"Wait, you're surprised too?" Gary blurted out. "Didn't you give him that Pikachu?"
Oak blinked. "Of course I did, but… I had no idea it was that special."
Ash rubbed his forehead. "Seriously? You're the one who gave me Pikachu, and you didn't even know what he could do?"
Oak coughed awkwardly. "Ahem… I, uh, caught him by chance about a year ago. There are plenty of Pikachu in Kanto, like stray dogs, really, but for some reason, when I saw this one, I felt he was different. So I caught him."
He looked at Pikachu, who was happily munching on a cookie, and sighed helplessly.
"This little guy never liked being inside a Poké Ball. But when I let him roam free, he caused chaos everywhere he went. So I had no choice but to keep him contained."
Pikachu stopped eating when he heard this. He looked up and gave Oak a slightly embarrassed smile. He really had been a bit mischievous back then.
But honestly, what kind of Pikachu isn't mischievous?
It was that very mischief that had kept Trainers from choosing him, and also what eventually led him to Ash.
At first, they'd butted heads endlessly. But unlike the others, Ash had shown something different, he could fight.
At the beginning, it was only that simple. Yet as time went on, Pikachu discovered more and more extraordinary things about his Trainer… including the mysterious power that awakened within him, the Partner Form.
Without Ash, he might still be just a stray, an ordinary Pikachu wandering the world.
Ash gently rubbed Pikachu's head, a small smile tugging at his lips. How lucky had he been? If he hadn't overslept that day, maybe he would've missed Pikachu altogether. Then again… considering how many "Ashes" across worlds had a Pikachu, maybe this meeting was destined no matter what.
They were born to be partners.
Oak's voice broke the moment of quiet. "You should know what that item is, right?"
"I do," Ash replied with a grin. "It's a Light Ball, Pikachu's exclusive item."
Oak blinked, then laughed softly. "You really surprised me, Ash. I didn't expect you to know something that obscure. Times sure have changed."
He remembered the days when Ash used to doze off during lectures. Now, the same boy was talking about specialized items and advanced training strategies. For a brief moment, Oak even wondered if his old teaching methods had been the problem all along.
"Hehe, of course I'd know! That's Pikachu's treasure, after all," Ash said proudly. "Pikachu, I'll let you carry it later."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu's ears perked up happily.
The group chatted a while longer, and before they knew it, evening had settled in. They headed down to the beach one last time, letting the sea breeze wash over them as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Eventually, everyone went their separate ways.
Oak and Delia returned to Pallet Town. Professor Cerise, Chloe, and Gary prepared to head back to Vermilion City.
Gary's next destination was clear, his fourth Gym Challenge.
Ash, Misty, and Brock, decided to stay one more night at the resort. Tomorrow, they would take the morning boat. Once they crossed it, Celadon City, their next destination, would be just ahead.
There was no need to circle back through Vermilion City.
Before parting, Chloe told Ash to visit Vermilion again when he had the chance. Ash grinned and agreed without hesitation.
And just like that, the once-lively group scattered, leaving behind the familiar trio.
After a full day of fun, Misty and Brock were exhausted. As soon as they returned to the Pokémon Center, they showered and fell asleep almost instantly.
Ash, however, stayed up a bit longer. Sitting by the window, he entered the group chat.
He'd grown to treasure every bit of knowledge the experts shared.
Now, he finally understood what Professor Oak had always told him: knowledge is power.
Only by learning could he make smarter battle decisions, train his Pokémon more effectively, and see the world more clearly.
So from that night onward, Ash resolved to never stop learning. Whatever he had neglected in the past, he would make up for tenfold now.