Pokémon: The Strongest Trainer (Ash SI)

In the quiet night of Viridian Forest, Ash and Pikachu lay inside their tent. Pikachu had already drifted into a peaceful sleep, while their newly caught Onix rested quietly inside its Poké Ball after enjoying some Pokémon food.

Unknowingly, Ash had been in this world for fifteen years. Most of the original anime and game plotlines had long faded from memory—but whenever he came across a familiar event, some fragments would come back to him.

Not that it mattered much. Ash wasn't too concerned about sticking to the original storyline. He believed that even without knowing what lay ahead, he could still become the strongest Trainer. After all, he had more than enough battle experience… and a few "borrowed" tricks up his sleeve.

"According to Grandpa, if I want to enter the Indigo League Conference, I need to collect eight Gym Badges from the Kanto region. There are quite a few Gyms around here, but only eight are officially certified by the League," Ash recalled.

"Each of these Gyms is led by a powerful Trainer, often a former or current member of the Elite Four. These certified Gyms issue the rare 'Gem Badges.' If you gather eight Gem or Silver Badges and win the regional championship, you're qualified to challenge the Elite Four… and maybe even the Champion of Kanto."

"Pikachu may only be at the quasi-Elite level right now," Ash mused, "but with my skillset—even if some of it's pirated—I've got a shot. Sounds like a decent plan."

Ash had made up his mind: he would aim for the Gem Badges. Each certified Gym only issued ten of them. Once all ten were claimed by Trainers, that Gym would be downgraded to an ordinary League Gym.

As for Silver Badges, they represented a direct acknowledgment from an Elite-level Trainer. Below them were standard Badges, issued through the usual battles with general challengers.

People often said the Cerulean Gym was the weakest in Kanto, but if that were true, why hadn't the League shut it down? The truth was, behind the Cerulean Gym stood a Trainer at the level of an Elite Four member—someone who had once issued all ten Gem Badges.

"Help!!!"

Just as Ash was about to doze off, a cry for help rang out in the distance. Both he and Pikachu instantly snapped awake.

"Pikachu, let's go!"

Ash rushed out of the tent with Pikachu hot on his heels. They darted through the woods, following the direction of the scream, until—

There! A girl, around fifteen years old, came sprinting toward them. Behind her roared a massive, serpentine creature with blue scales and a terrifying glare: a Gyarados.

One of the most fearsome Pokémon in Kanto.

Once a Magikarp—the weakest and most ridiculed Pokémon—it had endured endless bullying and humiliation. But after evolving into a Gyarados, its temperament had become furious and unforgiving, lashing out at the world with unrelenting rage.

Pokémon: Gyarados

Level: Early Elite

Ability: Intimidate

Type: Water / Flying

Potential: 100% (32% awakened)

"Damn, that Gyarados has already reached Elite level?" Ash muttered, glancing at the system's scan. It wasn't easy for Pokémon to hit Elite rank, especially not those with low base stats.

"Hey! You need to run!" the girl cried, her voice filled with panic.

"No need," Ash replied calmly. "Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"

"Pika…CHUUUUU!!"

A crackling surge of yellow lightning burst from Pikachu's cheeks and struck the Gyarados head-on. Despite the massive size difference—Gyarados could easily swallow Pikachu whole—Pikachu stood firm, fearless in the face of danger.

"ROOOOAAAR!!!"

The Gyarados screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through its body. As a Water and Flying-type, it had a quadruple weakness to Electric attacks.

Still, Gyarados was nothing if not resilient. It hadn't gone down yet. It glared fiercely, mouth wide open, and began to charge a glowing orange beam.

"Crap, that's Hyper Beam!"

"Pikachu—Shadow Clone! Move fast!"

Ash ordered evasive maneuvers without hesitation. Hyper Beam was a devastating move, one Pikachu couldn't afford to take head-on.

In an instant, Pikachu's figure blurred, splitting into multiple afterimages. The Gyarados growled in confusion, unable to lock onto the real one.

"ROOOARRR!!!"

BOOM!!!

A searing orange blast of energy shot out like a laser, tearing through the forest and blowing apart one of the illusory Pikachus. The attack left a smoking crater in its wake.

"Nice! Now's our chance—use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu leapt into the air, his tail shimmering with metallic energy. With a swift spin, he slammed the Iron Tail straight into Gyarados's head.

BAM!!

The force of the blow echoed through the woods. When the smoke cleared, Gyarados's massive body collapsed with a thunderous thud—eyes swirling in defeat.

The beast was down.

Pikachu hadn't taken any damage at all. The battle barely fazed him—and that made perfect sense. After all, Pikachu was already at mid-tier quasi-Elite level. Given his advantageous typing, this battle had put almost no pressure on him.

"He's incredible… Even with just a Pikachu, he managed to defeat that raging Gyarados!" Misty exclaimed, still stunned by what she had just witnessed. In the eyes of most Trainers, Pikachu—an unevolved Electric-type—was only expected to reach the Elite level after evolving into Raichu. Yet this Pikachu had just overwhelmed a ferocious Gyarados.

Ash walked over calmly, Pikachu hopping back onto his shoulder with ease. He turned toward the girl and asked politely, "Hey, I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Was that Gyarados yours?"

The girl shook her head quickly. "I'm Misty, from Cerulean City. That Gyarados isn't mine—I was just fishing by the lake nearby when it suddenly jumped out and started attacking me. Thank you so much for saving me!"

Misty's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke. She'd been caught off guard—not just by Ash's strength in battle, but by his calm demeanor and unexpectedly handsome appearance. Her earlier rudeness had been purely from shock.

...

TN:

The move 'Shadow Clone' is probably something Ash came up with after getting inspired by Naruto. It's pretty similar to 'Double Team', a move from Pokémon Generation I. At first, I thought about just translating it as Double Team, but then I thought better of it.

It's already been mentioned before that he's been developing moves by taking inspiration from Naruto-style ninjutsu. Enjoy~😊

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