Pokémon: The Strongest Trainer (Ash SI)

"Without realizing it, the pace of the battle had already been taken over by that kid... Truly young and full of promise!" Watching the battered and bruised Rhyperior, Garan's eyes narrowed as he quickly assessed the unfolding situation.

"Rhyperior, use Earthquake!"

As Growlithe dashed forward, Garan responded immediately with a sharp command.

"Rooooar!!!"

Burned and seething with rage, Rhyperior roared as he slammed his massive feet into the ground. The force shook the entire battlefield—cracks spiderwebbed outward as chunks of rock lifted from the quaking earth.

"Arf!!"

"Hold on, Growlithe! Earthquake won't last forever!" Ash shouted. His Growlithe was struggling to stay balanced as tremors and falling debris battered its body. Earthquake was the kind of move only fast or flying Pokémon could dodge perfectly—but Growlithe had neither speed nor wings.

Growlithe didn't currently have any acceleration-type skills, and the "Cell Activation" technique wasn't suitable for Fire-types. So at this point, Ash and Growlithe had only one option: grit their teeth and endure until the shaking stopped.

"Damn... Rhyperior definitely has greater stamina than Growlithe. But when it comes to endurance under pressure, Growlithe might actually have the advantage." Ash clenched his fists as he watched. "As expected from a high-level trainer… this isn't a battle I can win by sheer numbers. Timing is everything."

"Rhyperior has the higher level, so direct attacks aren't in our favor. We'll need to hit back in that split second when he's vulnerable—during his own attacks!"

Suddenly, Growlithe's body glowed with a silver-white light, illuminating the field with a warm radiance. It was the unmistakable glow of evolution.

"Growlithe! Hold on—just endure it! You're only one step away from a breakthrough. Evolving now would waste your true potential!" Ash's voice rang out with urgency and resolve.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. But for the sake of long-term strength, Ash had trained his team to resist premature evolution. Only Onix and Pikachu were exceptions—they couldn't evolve unless given special items.

"Arf!!!"

Growlithe let out a powerful bark and forcibly suppressed the glow of evolution, returning to his base form. Ash finally exhaled in relief.

Growlithe's current potential value had reached 44%. Just a bit more, and he'd hit 45%—the mid-stage of the Quasi-Elite tier.

Once in mid-stage, his potential could be pushed to 47%, right up to the bottleneck. The difference between 46% and 47% might seem small, but it was a major divide—a line many Pokémon couldn't cross or would take forever to reach.

The potential growth stages—early, mid, late, and peak—were only separated by a few points numerically. But every single point was hard-earned. That's why Pokémon of the same species could end up with drastically different power levels even after evolving. Beyond move variety, it all came down to how much of their potential had been realized.

And potential—true potential—couldn't be quantified by anyone... except Ash, who had the cheat-like advantage of a system.

"Dad, why didn't Ash let Growlithe evolve? Isn't evolution helpful, especially in a situation like this?" asked Shiro, puzzled, watching the battle from the Dragon Clan's monitoring room.

Skye Draconis miled faintly. "It looks like we've all underestimated Ash. Didn't you hear what he said to Growlithe? That he's 'just one step away'? That's not something you say by guesswork."

"Wait… are you saying...?"

"Yes. I'm saying Ash can likely see or sense a Pokémon's potential and somehow quantify it numerically." Skye's tone turned serious. "You know as well as I do—one percentage point in potential might not sound like much, but it could be the difference between a top-tier powerhouse and a Pokémon that plateaus."

"If Ash can help our Dragon Clan Pokémon develop with that precision, our family's power will grow at a terrifying rate."

"There are only three known ways to increase a Pokémon's potential: training the body, learning new moves, and nurturing the mind. And Ash is doing all three!" Skye said with a wry smile.

More than that, Ash had the mental strength and knowledge to create custom moves for his Pokémon, based on their meridians and physical structure.

Most Pokémon learned their moves through inheritance—passing down from previous generations or unlocking them as they leveled up. Even top-tier trainers like Elite Four members and Champions just mixed and matched these inherited moves into combos.

Few could create entirely new skills from scratch.

After all, move creation required deep understanding of Pokémon biology, internal energy pathways, and spiritual resonance—a field of study so complex that it often took researchers decades to master.

But Ash… Ash was rewriting that rulebook.

The current Growlithe, thanks to Ash's training, had developed a unique set of custom moves. And in the future, when it produced offspring, those moves could be inherited—passed down genetically through the Pokémon's lineage. How many skills would actually transfer depended on the strength and training aptitude of the next generation's trainer.

"Why would that kid stop evolution on purpose?" Garan frowned, unable to understand why Ash had made Growlithe hold back.

"This Ash… he's far stronger than I initially thought. Definitely way above my level." Brock, who was officiating the match as referee, stood on the sidelines in shock. He had assumed Ash was just a talented rookie, but seeing him match wits with Garan, his own grandfather, left him stunned.

"Rhyperior, use Hyper Beam!"

Rhyperior was clearly starting to fatigue—his HP had dropped to about half. But Growlithe was also in rough shape, its body scraped and bruised from the earlier Earthquake.

At Garan's command, Rhyperior opened his mouth, gathering a pulsing golden orb of energy. A moment later, he fired a straight-line blast—Hyper Beam, a devastating move that could end the battle if it landed. With the current level gap, Growlithe wouldn't last more than two hits, if even that.

"No way I'm letting you hit! Growlithe, counter with Flame Vortex! Ash shouted, eyes sharp.

"Boom!! B-b-b-b-bam!!"

The two moves collided midair. Hyper Beam met Flame Vortex, and for a moment, the attacks clashed in a violent, blazing struggle. But as the standoff continued, it became obvious—Hyper Beam was overpowering the vortex of flames.

"Ash, this match is as good as over. Once Growlithe's Flame Vortex collapses, Rhyperior's Hyper Beam will hit directly!" Garan warned. His tone wasn't mocking—he was curious. Would Ash accept the outcome, or did he still have a trick up his sleeve?

Ash smirked. "Heh... you're underestimating my Growlithe."

Just as his words landed, Garan's eyes widened.

Growlithe was changing. Something unusual was happening. Even Garan, with all his years of battle experience, had never seen anything like it. And neither had the people watching in the Dragon Clan's monitoring room.

...

TN:

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