"May, how long before we reach Oldale Town?" Ash asked his new traveling companion, glancing at the orange hue spreading across the sky.
It had been nearly two days since Ash, Ashly, and May left Littleroot Town. So far, the journey had been lively, with Ash getting challenged by five different trainers along the way. Thanks to Pikachu, Squirtle, and Cyndaquil, he made short work of each battle, earning him 500 points in total. However, it also made him realize that the reason he had earned such a high reward for defeating Brendan back in Littleroot Town was probably because Brendan was one of the protagonists of this world.
"It shouldn't be too much longer now, but let me check the map just to make sure," May replied, pulling out her Pokédex. After a few taps on the screen, she looked up. "Yeah, Oldale Town isn't too far off. But at this pace, we'll probably get there around midnight."
"You know, you could get there faster if you just used your bike," Ashly teased, glancing back from where she rode her bicycle a few feet ahead of them.
"Yeah, but I'm not about to ditch you guys like that," May shook her head with a smile. "I agreed to travel with you both, so it'd be rude to race ahead."
"In that case," Ash said, glancing around at the forest thickening around them, "why don't we find a good place to camp for the night? No point in trekking through the woods in the dark, right?"
"I don't mind stopping, but... I didn't bring any camping supplies," May said, scratching her cheek with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't worry about that," Ash assured her. "Ashly and I brought enough supplies for everyone." He smiled warmly, then, before May could protest or feel guilty about it, he began scanning the area. His eyes quickly settled on a small clearing just off the main path. "That looks like a good spot! I'll set up camp."
Without wasting any time, Ash moved towards the clearing and started preparing the campsite. As he hammered tent stakes into the ground, he called back to the others. "Ashly, May, can you gather some firewood while I set up the tents?"
"Sure thing!" Ashly replied cheerfully, hopping off her bike. "Come on, May. Let's go get some wood."
"Oh, and by the way," Ash added, looking over his shoulder, "May, you'll have to share a tent with Ashly."
May shrugged, already expecting that. "That's fine with me," she said with a casual wave. Sharing a tent with Ashly was the obvious choice after all. There was no way she'd be sharing a tent with Ash himself, not after only knowing him for a few days.
The girls quickly gathered enough firewood, and by the time they returned, Ash had finished setting up two tents. Then, once the campfire was lit up, Ash and Ashly worked together to prepare dinner. The smell of the stew wafted through the air as they set the pot above the flames to cook.
"Ashly, keep an eye on the food. I'm going to train with my Pokémon for a bit," Ash said, rising from the campfire as he made his way to the open field adjacent to their campsite. Once there, he released all the Pokémon he currently had with him: Charizard, Squirtle, Cyndaquil, Larvitar, Ralts, and of course, Pikachu, who was either perched on his shoulder or napping in his bag most of the time.
As soon as Ralts appeared, she scanned her unfamiliar surroundings and quickly ran to Ash, clinging to his leg. The small Psychic-type shivered slightly, clearly anxious. Ash smiled softly and sighed. He knew it would take some time for her to regain the confidence she'd lost. He was at least glad that he had already had her meet the rest of his team back at Professor Oak's ranch. They had accepted her with open arms, which made her feel more at ease around them, though the unfamiliar environment was still unsettling for her.
"Alright, everyone, we've got some time before dinner, so before we eat, we're going to get some training in," Ash called out, his expression turning serious. His Pokémon immediately perked up, sensing his seriousness. Even Ralts seemed to muster some resolve, eager to grow stronger despite her shy nature.
Then Ash divided his Pokémon into three groups: the first was the group composed of Pikachu, Larvitar, and Ralts. The second group consisted of Squirtle and Cyndaquil. And the last was Charizard, who was on his own. After he finished separating them, he sent all their groups to three different parts of the field and approached the first group.
"Pikachu, you're up first," Ash said, and Pikachu dashed forward enthusiastically, ears perked and tail twitching in anticipation. Ash reached into his bag and pulled out a sturdy rope. On one end, he tied a moderately heavy rock, and on the other, he fastened it to Pikachu's tail. "This time, we're focusing on strengthening your tail. I want you to be able to learn Iron Tail and maybe Dragon Tail but I am not sure about the latter. For now, you're going to lift this stone using only your tail. Once you can manage that, we'll move on to the next stage."
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded confidently, immediately getting to work, his tail straining as he tried to lift the heavy stone.
Ash then his attention to Larvitar and Ralts, who were curiously watching Ash and Pikachu's conversation. "Okay, little ones, now it's your turn," Ash said before pretending to rummage through his bag while he opened his system interface and spent 700 points on two special training items.
The first was a set of 4 Power Bands for Larvitar, which cost him 500 points. According to the system, the Power Bands were specialized training gear that boosted users' Attack, Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense stats when worn during training or other physical activities at the cost of Speed stat. Given Larvitar's eventual evolution into the hulking Tyranitar which had abysmal speed due to its weight and size, it was useless to try and increase its speed. That's why Ash had decided to make his future Tyranitar a tank with monstrous Defense and Special Defense, as well as high physical and Special Attack. Therefore, in Ash's opinion, investing points in Power Bands for Larvitar wasn't much of a loss.
The second item he purchased was a set of weighted training bands for Ralts, which cost him 200 points. Based on his knowledge, Gardevoir had an incredible Special Attack and Special Defense, but in return, it had an abysmal physical attack and paper-thin physical Defense. However, the saving grace for Gardevoir was its decent speed stat that could be used to counter many bulky Pokémon who tend to have a high physical defense but are slow and more exposed to Special Attackers. That's why Ash had bought the weighted bands to help Ralts improve her speed and mobility. The idea was for her to get used to moving with the weights, and then when they were removed, her agility would be noticeably faster.
Once Ash equipped Larvitar with the Power Bands and Ralts with her weighted bands, he instructed them, "Alright, you two. Today's training is simple. You're going to play tag with each other. This will stimulate your bodies and help you get comfortable with your new gear."
Larvitar grunted in agreement, and Ralts nodded shyly, her small hands fiddling with the edges of her new bands. Ash stepped back to watch, but before they could begin, May's Torchic and Ashly's energetic Totodile darted over, eager to join in on the fun.
"Looks like you've got some extra players," Ash chuckled, not minding the company. "The more, the merrier." He knew the extra interaction would be good for all of them, especially Ralts. The more time she spent in a playful, non-threatening environment, the more comfortable and confident she would become.
The four little Pokémon began chasing each other, giggling and chirping as they raced around the clearing. Larvitar's heavy steps thudded against the ground, while Ralts' movements were more slow and sluggish as her body was still adjusting to the weights. Torchic's little feet scrambled quickly as it ran around everyone, and Totodile just danced around in circles, enjoying itself.
Ash took a moment to appreciate the cuteness of all the little Pokémon playing tag before turning his attention to the second group.
"Alright, Squirtle and Cyndaquil, today we're working on some new moves," Ash announced, earning eager nods from both Pokémon.
"First Squirtle, the move we are going to work on today is Aqua Jet," Ash continued, pointing at a nearby boulder. "To start, show me how you use Skull Bash on that rock."
Squirtle nodded and without hesitation, it launched itself into the air with impressive speed. The air whistled as it propelled forward, its head connecting with the rock in a powerful impact. The boulder shattered into pieces, fragments tumbling to the ground as Squirtle landed, striking a proud pose.
Ash approached, squatting down to be at eye level with Squirtle. "That was awesome," he said, patting the Water-type's shell. "Now, let me ask you something—can you feel the Water Energy in your body?"
Squirtle nodded enthusiastically. Being a Water-type, it had an abundance of Water Energy coursing through it.
"Good. Here's the plan: Before you use Skull Bash next time, try to surround yourself with Water Energy. Channel it so you can produce and envelop yourself with water while you're flying through the air. Do you think you can do that?"
Squirtle gave another confident nod, eyes shining with excitement. Eager to try, it immediately prepared for another Skull Bash. This time, it focused hard, trying to summon the Water Energy Ash had mentioned. For a brief moment, a faint shimmer of water began to coat Squirtle's body, but halfway through the attack, the water dispersed, and Squirtle finished the move with a regular Skull Bash.
Confused, Squirtle stopped and tilted its head, glancing back at Ash as if to ask, 'Why didn't it work?'
Ash chuckled, finding the expression on Squirtle's face adorable. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did you really think it would work perfectly on the first try?" he teased, raising an eyebrow with a smile.
Realizing Ash's point, Squirtle blushed slightly and scratched the back of its head.
"Don't worry," Ash said with a reassuring tone, "Just keep trying, and keep a cool head. Practice makes perfect." Then, an idea popped into his mind, one he knew would motivate his little friend. "Hey, Squirtle, can you imagine how impressed your old friends would be when they see you zipping around with Aqua Jet? Zooming around them like a real water jet on the ground?"
At the thought of showing off his new move in front of his fellow Squirtles, stars practically sparkled in Squirtle's eyes. Renewed with determination, he gave a sharp nod and resumed training with even more focus, now more motivated than ever to master Aqua Jet.
With Squirtle's training underway, Ash turned to Cyndaquil, who had been watching quietly but attentively. "Okay, Cyndaquil, now it's your turn. Today, we're going to learn Sunny Day," Ash said, looking down at the Fire-type who was already brimming with excitement.
Now, finding a new move for his Cyndaquil was quite difficult for Ash than he had initially thought. In his opinion, his Cyndaquil already had an impressive moveset for a first-stage evolution. However, the problem here for Ash was the fact that most of the possible moves his Cyndaquil could learn right now were either too high level for him or had a risk of creating a forest fire with no source of water nearby. While he did have two water types on hand, he decided the risk wasn't worth it anyway.
In the end, Ash decided that Sunny Day was the perfect move. Not only would it boost Cyndaquil's Fire-type moves, but it would also benefit his other Fire-type and Grass-type Pokémon in the future.
Now, here comes the biggest trouble about teaching Weather moves to your Pokémon from scratch: Ash had no idea how he was going to do that. While the option of buying TMs for the moves existed—oh yes, TMs do exist—but unlike in games, TMs here in the real world were detailed tutorials from experts about how to learn the moves and were absurdly priced. And although his system did have a version of TMs that could instantly teach moves, their prices were currently far too absurd for Ash to even consider.
Despite this, Ash had a trick up his sleeve, an idea he hoped would work. "Okay, Cyndaquil, I want you to start by feeling the Fire Energy inside your body," he instructed. Cyndaquil closed its eyes and focused. Its body began to glow slightly as the Fire Energy surged within, warming the air around it.
"Now, gather all that energy in your stomach and hold it there," Ash continued. Cyndaquil's stomach glowed bright red, the fire gathering inside. "Good. Now, launch that energy into the air." Cyndaquil obeyed, releasing the energy in the form of a fireball. The ball of fire shot up into the sky but exploded after only rising a few feet, fizzling out in the air.
"Great work, Cyndaquil," Ash praised. "Now, keep practicing, but this time, focus on two things. First, instead of letting the fireball explode, try to keep it stable. Hold it together as it rises. Second, and this is the most important part, keep the image of the sun in your mind. Imagine you're creating a miniature sun with your own Fire Energy. Think of it as your very own sun."
That's right. Ash was essentially trying to teach Cyndaquil to create an artificial sun of his own. This idea of Ash was directly inspired by Vegeta, who was able to create an artificial moon to trigger his Great Ape form. Honestly, Ash had no idea if this idea would work or not, but he was optimistic since he knew that the same moves could have different forms depending on the Pokémon. If it didn't work, at worst it would be a failed experiment. At best, he might accidentally teach Draco Meteor to the little guy.
Leaving Cyndaquil to practice, Ash moved on to Charizard, who was waiting impatiently for his turn.
"Okay, Charizard, from today we are going to start working on your special move called Inferno," Ash said. "You can think of it as an advanced version of Flamethrower, but the difference is you'll be raising the temperature of your fire to the point where it turns blue. That's when you know you've reached the intensity required for Inferno."
Upon hearing the description of the move, Charizard looked interested and eager to learn it. The idea of mastering a technique even more powerful than Flamethrower appealed to the dragon-like Pokémon's pride and strength.
"Alright," Ash continued, pointing to a large, sturdy boulder nearby. "We're going to start simple. I want you to fire Flamethrower at that giant rock. But here's the twist—before each attack, gather as much Fire Energy as you can inside your body. Build up the energy, hold it, and then release it with the Flamethrower. Keep doing this until you can't anymore."
Charizard gave a confident nod, taking a position in front of the boulder. It inhaled deeply, its chest glowing with fiery energy before launching a powerful Flamethrower at the rock. The flames roared, licking the surface of the stone.
"Remember," Ash said, watching Charizard closely, "the goal here is for you to make this entire process quick and easy for you to use. Moreover, you need to increase your capacity to store Fire Energy and raise the temperature of your flames. If you keep at this, we'll eventually learn and master the move Inferno."
After that, Ash was done setting up training methods for his Pokémon and took a step back, his mind momentarily shifting to other matters. He opened his [Interdimensional Subspace] to check on the Berries he had planted. Much to his delight, the berries were almost fully grown and would be ready to harvest in about a week. He smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment as he mentally patted himself on the back.
However, he had no intention of using the current harvest just yet. His plan was to use the first two batches of Berries to replant and multiply his yield. Only when he had enough would he start using the berries to feed his Pokémon. Moreover, according to his current plan, half of the future harvest would go toward his team's nutrition, and the other half would be replanted again. Ash had long-term goals for self-sufficiency—he wanted to produce enough food to feed even his Snorlax without ever worrying about running out, while still having plenty for his other Pokémon.
Closing the system, Ash took a deep breath and returned his focus to the task at hand. He began making rounds, helping his Pokémon wherever they needed it.
******
"I must say, he's really dedicated," May observed as she watched Ash running around the field, tirelessly helping his Pokémon in any way he could. One minute he was offering water to Larvitar and Ralts, the next he was nearly getting blasted by Cyndaquil's fireball as the little Fire-type practiced some move she wasn't familiar with.
For May, it was a fascinating experience. Despite being a seasoned and powerful trainer, her father never allowed her or her brother to observe how he trained his Pokémon. He believed that each trainer should develop their own style of raising Pokémon and didn't want to influence his children with his own methods.
"Yeah, Ash is pretty amazing when it comes to Pokémon," Ashly said, sitting nearby with a fond smile on her face. "When I was younger, I used to think it was kind of silly that he wanted to become a Pokémon Master. But now that I've seen how hard he trains and how much he cares for his Pokémon, I really believe he can achieve that goal."
May chuckled softly. "Watching you talk about Ash like that makes me a little envious. I kind of wish I had a cute little sister of my own." She sighed and glanced at Ashly. "But what about you, Ashly? Do you have a dream? Why are you traveling with Ash?"
Ashly shrugged casually. "I don't really have a dream yet. That's why I decided to travel with my brother when I could officially start my journey. I wanted to explore the world, see interesting things, and maybe along the way, I'll figure out what I want to do."
"You're ten, right?" May asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're so lucky! You get to start your journey early. Here in Hoenn, we have to wait until we're twelve before we're allowed to become trainers. It's so frustrating!"
"Yeah, I heard about that," Ashly replied thoughtfully. "Do you know why the age requirements are different in every region?"
"No idea," May said with a shrug. "One day, they just announced the new rules, and that was that. I guess it's just one of those decisions made by the people in charge. Who knows how their brains work."
At that moment, Ash approached the two girls with a smile. "Food's ready," he said, gesturing toward the campfire, where a hearty meal was waiting for them. They all sat down together and began eating, exchanging stories as the warm light of the campfire flickered around them. Ash narrated tales of his travels, May told them embarrassing stories about her brother, and Ashly did the same with stories about Ash and Gary.
With delicious food and funny stories, the time went quickly, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, the three of them settled into their tents, the peaceful sounds of the forest lulling them to sleep.
The next morning, Ash woke up early and quietly. He resumed training with his Pokémon while the others slept. By the time Ashly and May woke up, the sun was rising, and the camp was already buzzing with energy and noise as Ash's Pokémon practiced their moves.
After a quick breakfast, the three travelers packed up their camp and set off once more on their journey toward Oldale Town.
To be continued...