Of the three Pokémon he had left, Greninja wasn't a suitable choice either.
Ash couldn't reveal the power of Bond Phenomenon in public just yet. Without Bond Phenomenon, Greninja couldn't use that power, and as a Water-type Pokémon, it also couldn't learn Fire-type moves. Even with its Protean Ability, it wouldn't have much of an advantage against Wikstrom, the Steel-type Elite Four member.
That left Pikachu and Pidgeot.
Strictly speaking, Pikachu was stronger. Its level had already broken through into the Pseudo-Elite Four Tier, while Pidgeot was only at the peak of the Gym-Class Tier.
However, Pidgeot possessed an advantage that Pikachu didn't.
Mega Evolution.
Once a Pokémon underwent Mega Evolution, its overall strength could increase severalfold—sometimes even approaching ten times its previous level.
Combined with Ash's Viridian Blessing: Will Empowerment, as well as Pidgeot's natural advantage in aerial combat, Pidgeot actually had slightly better odds of putting up a good fight against an Elite-level powerhouse like Wikstrom.
"Pidgeot? Got it Rotom"
Hearing Ash's choice, Rotom quickly finished filling out the application and clicked the submit button.
"Registration complete Rotom"
Ash's morning training session had just ended. As he returned to the hotel with his Pokémon, Tierno and Trevor—who considered themselves fairly diligent people and usually got up early without sleeping in—happened to open their room door and step into the common area.
"Eh?! Ash, did you just go out?"
Seeing Ash return with his Pokémon, Tierno and Trevor looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah."
Ash smiled and nodded.
"I took Pikachu and the others out to the small park nearby for some morning training."
"Tsk..."
Hearing this, Tierno couldn't help sucking in a breath of cold air, his face filled with astonishment.
"Ash, you're seriously too hardworking."
"I knew you had a habit of doing morning exercises, but I didn't expect you to keep it up even when you're traveling away from home."
Trevor gave a bitter smile.
"Now I understand why Gary complains about you all the time."
"Being friends with you, and growing up in the same town as you, must put an incredible amount of pressure on him."
Although Trevor and Tierno each had their own dreams of becoming a Pokémon Photographer and Pokémon Dancer, their primary profession was still that of Pokémon Trainers.
They were all friends who had grown up together and lived in the same town. Trevor and Tierno were both quite diligent when it came to training their Pokémon, but compared with Ash, there was simply no comparison.
After personally witnessing Ash's lifestyle, discipline, and terrifying work ethic from such close range, the two couldn't help feeling an invisible pressure building inside them.
It was difficult to imagine what kind of pressure Gary had endured while living in the same town as Ash and seeing him work this hard every single day.
Ash's strength was improving at an astonishing speed, while Gary's own progress seemed as slow as a crawling turtle.
Just imagining the psychological torment Gary must have experienced was enough to make Trevor and Tierno feel slightly short of breath.
No wonder Gary's career plans had gradually shifted.
At first, he had placed equal importance on becoming a Trainer and becoming a researcher. But now, both his available time and his personal interests were increasingly leaning toward the path of a researcher.
The profession of Pokémon Trainer was gradually becoming more of a secondary career for him.
Tierno and Trevor exchanged a knowing glance.
They didn't even need to say it aloud. Both of them were thinking the same thing.
"I can't help it."
"I'm not like the two of you. Besides being Trainers, you both have other career paths."
"My only goal is to reach the absolute pinnacle of the Pokémon Trainer profession."
"So if I want to achieve that goal, I have no choice but to work hard."
"And if I don't spend my time working toward that goal, I don't really have anything else to do."
Ash laughed and joked.
"I don't believe a word of that!"
Trevor rolled his eyes.
"But seeing how hard you work, I feel like I need to work even harder from now on."
"Otherwise, I'd be pretty pathetic."
"Exactly."
Ash nodded.
"Let's all work hard together."
"I believe that in the future, when people talk about the strongest Trainers in the world, all of us will have a place among them."
Tierno and Trevor were both extremely talented.
As their friend, Ash naturally encouraged them.
"Yeah! Let's go! ×2"
Tierno and Trevor immediately perked up, their fighting spirits reigniting.
While Ash was chatting with Tierno and Trevor, the girls in the neighboring suite—Clarissa, Misty, Shauna, and Serena—also quickly woke up, got dressed, and came out.
After washing up, the seven of them headed downstairs together and had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant.
By the time they finished eating, it was already the time everyone had agreed upon the previous day to meet Clemont and Bonnie and head together to Serena's home in Vaniville Town for her birthday.
When Ash, Trevor, and the others had just arrived at the bus station, Clemont and Bonnie arrived as well.
Clemont was carrying an enormous pastry box in his hands.
"Clemont, what's in that huge box?"
Tierno asked curiously.
"Oh, this?"
Clemont scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.
"It's a local specialty of Lumiose City called Lumiose Galette. They're really delicious."
"Today is Serena's birthday, and since Ash, Clarissa, and Misty are also visiting Lumiose City for the first time, I thought I'd buy some for everyone to try."
"Lumiose Galettes are really popular. Normally, you have to stand in line for quite a while to buy them."
Bonnie eagerly chimed in.
"Brother went there really early this morning, and even then he still had to wait in line for more than ten minutes before he could buy them!"
"I see. Thanks, Clemont."
Ash, Clarissa, Misty, and Serena quickly thanked him.
Clemont might have been somewhat introverted, but when it came to his friends, there was absolutely nothing to complain about.
He was someone people could genuinely rely on.
"Hehe, there's no need to thank me."
Clemont rubbed the back of his head.
"We're all good friends, after all."
"Anyway, let's stop standing around here. The bus is here."
"Let's get on."
"Okay!"
Vaniville Town was a small town under Lumiose City.
The relationship between the two was similar to that between Pallet Town and Viridian City.
However, during certain formal competitions, when a participant's place of origin was announced, the two were treated as separate geographical units.
If someone was a resident of Lumiose City, they would be introduced as "a Trainer from Lumiose City."
If they came from one of the towns or townships under its jurisdiction, they would instead be introduced as "a Trainer from Vaniville Town."
They weren't simply lumped together under the name of the larger city.
This was different from Ash's previous life, where residents of a city and residents of the smaller administrative areas under that city were often introduced under the same city name.
After spending some time in the Pokémon world, Ash had gradually developed a deep understanding of its customs, traditions, and social structure.
And this was one of the interesting characteristics of the Pokémon world—a distinctive sense of belonging and pride associated with one's own administrative and geographical community.
For Ash, Vaniville Town was more than just the destination for Serena's birthday.
It was also where the next stage of his journey in Kalos was about to begin.
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T/N:
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