Pokémon: Rewriting Ash’s Legend

Lyra nearly jumped out of her skin.

She hadn't expected this—Ash was that Ash.

"W-Wait! You're Ash? The one who created all those songs? I always wondered what kind of person you were… I never thought you'd just show up in front of me like this! It's seriously too much… That 'Together' song earlier—what was that about?!"

Like a switch had flipped, Lyra became a rapid-fire question machine, bombarding Ash with nonstop curiosity.

"Oh, that was a new release—another song about Pokémon. But Elesa hasn't officially released it yet; I just sent it to her recently."

Ash chuckled warmly. Since Lyra wanted to work at the Pokémon TV Station, maybe having Elesa help her out wouldn't be a bad idea.

The group chatted as they strolled through the Johto Festival grounds, eventually arriving at a Pokémon Center in the village, one of the event's host locations.

Ash and his group dropped off their Pokémon for rest and recovery.

Suddenly, two young Trainers burst into the Pokémon Center.

They looked like they'd only recently begun their journey, still full of that fresh energy.

"Nurse Joy! Please, heal my Raticate!"

"And my Sandshrew too! It got knocked out again… by that insanely strong Gible!"

Both Trainers returned their Pokémon to Poké Balls and handed them over anxiously.

"It's that Gible again! I have to catch it, no matter what!"

At the mention of Gible, Khoury immediately perked up.

"Gible?" Dawn turned, curious. "Isn't that the first evolution of Cynthia's Garchomp?"

"Exactly," Ash explained. "Gible evolves into Gabite, and then Garchomp. It's a Dragon and Ground-type, and its final form is considered a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon—one of the strongest lines out there with huge growth potential."

Garchomp was definitely one of Ash's favorites.

But the Gible causing trouble around here wasn't his Gible

Ash was after a Gible so talented that it could learn Draco Meteor while still in its base form.

Then a mischievous thought crossed his mind.

He'd already caught a shiny Metagross—Steven Stone's ace.

He planned to catch a Garchomp like Cynthia's.

So what about catching a Dragonite like Lance's?

Wouldn't it be fun to collect all the top Champions' strongest Pokémon?

"Wow, Ash! You know so much—without even using a Pokédex!" Lyra looked at him, eyes sparkling. "How many badges do you have now? I mean… total?"

Even Dawn, Anabel, and Khoury perked up at that question. They'd never asked before—but now they were curious.

"Hm, let me think…" Ash rubbed his chin.

"Kanto League—8. Orange Islands—4. Johto League—8. Hoenn League—8. Battle Frontier—7. Sinnoh League—7…"

"That's… 42 in total, right?"

The number startled even Ash himself.

He hadn't realized it before—but he had accumulated that many badges?

"Whoa! You're incredible! On top of writing Pokémon songs, you already have forty-two badges! Aahhh!"

Lyra looked like she might faint. How could one boy be this talented—artistic, skilled, and so knowledgeable…

And he even had that calm, magnetic presence.

Compared to him… Khoury really didn't stand a chance.

But you couldn't blame her—most girls admired this kind of guy.

The group continued toward the back mountain area—the rumored spot where that powerful Gible had been sighted.

This area had a large cave, flanked by tall grasses both inside and out.

It was the perfect place for a wild Gible to hide.

"Alright, let's go! Come out, Totodile—I'll need your help to catch Gible!"

"Wagya wagya!"

Seeing Totodile again made Ash nostalgic for his own Feraligatr.

Once he returned from Sinnoh, Ash had already made up his mind: he'd spend a serious amount of time helping all his older Pokémon evolve—those who wanted to, anyway.

The group made their way into the cave.

But Lyra's Marill, true to its habit, dashed off on its own again!

Worried, Lyra ran after it without telling anyone—and got separated in the process.

Ash activated his Aura powers right away. In no time, he pinpointed Lyra's location and told Dawn, Anabel, and Khoury to stay put—he'd go find her.

Meanwhile, little Marill had wandered out of the cave entirely… and ran straight into Team Rocket, who were secretly following Ash's group.

One look at the adorable Marill, and Jessie was instantly smitten!

Back inside the cave, Lyra had been searching for a long time with no success. There was no signal in the cave either, so her Pokétch was useless.

Nervous and scared, she released her Chikorita to keep her company.

Suddenly—rumbling noises echoed from deep within.

A massive swarm of Dugtrio was heading her way!

She'd stumbled right into their territory.

Just as Lyra was preparing to flee, Ash arrived using his Aura to guide the way.

One glance and Ash understood what was going on. He activated Aura again, communicating with the Dugtrio—assuring them they meant no harm.

The Dugtrio nodded in acknowledgment, retreating back into the tunnels peacefully.

"Lyra, it's okay now. Let's go regroup with the others."

Still shaken, Lyra nodded quickly. No way was she walking through creepy caves alone again—but thankfully, Ash had come to find her. So dependable…

"Oh right—Lyra, didn't you say you wanted to work at the Pokémon TV station? Elesa just told me not long ago that they were short-staffed. Why not give it a shot?"

The last time he spoke with Elesa, she'd mentioned this. And Lyra was such a cute and cheerful girl—Ash had a feeling Elesa would be thrilled to bring her on board.

When they returned to the others, they found Khoury was missing!

Turns out—he had spotted the Gible and, without hesitation, dashed after it with Totodile, determined to catch it.

Ash nodded, choosing not to activate Aura this time. Instead, he called out Lucario.

"Lucario, can you sense Gible's Aura and guide us to them?"

"Ruka!"

Seeing Lucario, Lyra squealed again with excitement.

They quickly followed Lucario out of the cave—and sure enough, found Khoury battling the wild Gible with Totodile.

Just like in the original storyline, Khoury successfully caught it.

Ash used his Insight to check its potential—Red tier.

(White < Green < Red < Blue < Purple < Gold < Black)

Ash had originally considered capturing this Gible too, but since it was only Red-tier, he decided to pass.

He had his sights set on a different one—one that could learn Draco Meteor while still being a Gible.

With that thought, Ash dialed Elesa's number again for a video call.

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T/N:

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