Leaf approached Ash and asked, "Are you leaving soon?"
Ash nodded and replied, "Yes, if I want to catch up with other trainers, I need to move quickly."
Leaf hugged him and said, "Make sure to keep in touch with us."
Ash smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll stay in touch with you guys."
Gary walked up to Ash and handed him his Pokedex, "I've registered you in the League database."
"Thanks, Gary, I appreciate it," Ash said, thanking him. He then said his goodbyes to his friends and started his journey.
"Here we go again," Ash said as he checked his smartphone for potential opponents he could defeat to move up in the rankings. Raichu nodded in agreement.
"I need to defeat high-ranking opponents to move up quickly," Ash thought to himself. There are four classes in the World Coronation Series: the Normal Class, which most trainers start with; the Great Class, which includes most gym leaders; the Ultra Class, which includes all Elite Four; and the Master Class, which consists of sixteen trainers who are at the top of the world rankings. All regional champions are in the Master Class. The Master Tournament is only two months away, so Ash needs to move from the Normal Class to the Master Class within that time frame. It might be impossible for any other trainer, but Ash is far from a normal trainer.
"We can do it," Ash said to himself. He discovered that a tournament was being held in Viridian City and decided to participate.
Ash called out to his Pidgeot, "Pidgeot, take us to Viridian City."
With one strong flap of its giant wings, Pidgeot took off, carrying Ash and Raichu towards Viridian City.
Pidgeot landed on the empty ground near the Viridian City Gym where the tournament was being held. In the past, the Viridian Gym leader was Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, but now he has been replaced by someone named Blue.
"Thanks, pal," Ash thanked Pidgeot before recalling him into his Pokéball. Ash entered the gym building, and a large number of trainers were gathered there. He didn't expect so many people to be in the gym at the same time.
It was an open tournament, allowing anyone to enter. The rules of the tournament were simple: two trainers would engage in one-on-one Pokémon battles. When one trainer lost, they would be replaced by another trainer. Last one standing will be the winner.
On the field, Machamp delivered a powerful Dynamic Punch to Sandslash, sending it flying across the field.
"Sandslash is unable to battle. Machamp wins," the referee announced.
"Another one falls victim to Josh," a trainer remarked.
"He only challenges opponents weaker than him and takes pride in defeating them," another trainer added. Ash overheard the conversation and checked Josh's ranking.
"He has a decent rank in the normal class. Alright, he'll be my next opponent," Ash thought as he stepped onto the field.
"Alright, we have a new challenger," the referee announced. Josh took a look at Ash's ranking and burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, 2000th rank? What kind of rank is that? I didn't know anyone could be this low," Josh said. Because Ash just registered and didn't fight any opponent until now, his rank was shown last. Ash remained silent and released his Pokémon, Scizor.
"Let's begin," the Referee said.
"Aerial Ace combined with Bullet Punch," Ash commanded. Scizor swiftly rushed towards Machamp, surrounded by a clear aura. One of Scizor's claws glowed light blue. Machamp failed to react in time, and Scizor struck him with its glowing claw, sending him crashing to the ground.
Josh was taken aback. "Dynamic Punch!" he shouted in anger. Machamp got up from the ground, clenched its fist as it began to glow red, and red-orange energy started pulsating off it. Then it charged toward Scizor.
"Block it with Metal Claw," Scizor's claws gleamed with a metallic sheen and held up in an X shape. Dynamic Punch met Metal Claw, and both attacks were evenly matched.
"Scizor, push him back," Ash encouraged Scizor.
"Scizor!" With a powerful thrust of Metal Claw, Scizor pushed Machamp back. Machamp lost its balance and stumbled.
"Bullet Punch, now!" The fast and precise punch to the face caught Machamp off guard, sending it to the ground. Josh gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Focus Blast," Machamp put its hands together and formed a sparking light yellow orb in between them, then hurled it at Scizor.
"Dodge, then use X-Scissor with Aerial Ace followed by Metal Claw," Ash instructed a series of commands to Scizor.
Scizor easily dodged the Focus Blast by sidestepping. It put its claws in an X formation as they glowed light green, then used Aerial Ace to speed up and slash Machamp. It then switched to Metal Claw and slashed Machamp again.
"Why can't I hit you?" Josh asked angrily. His frustration kept increasing. "Machamp, Bulk Up, then hit that bug with Cross Chop," Josh said.
Machamp's body was surrounded by a red aura, causing its muscles to flex and boosting its attack and resistance to physical power. After that, Machamp crossed its top two arms to form an X, and his arms started to glow. He rushed towards Scizor with crossed arms.
When Machamp was just a few inches away from Scizor, "Jump," Ash ordered. Scizor jumped over Machamp and narrowly dodged Cross Chop.
"Now, Flash Cannon," still airborne, Scizor unleashed powerful white beams of energy from its claws. Machamp didn't have time to turn and took a hit on its back. Machamp fell to the ground unconscious.
"How could Machamp be defeated by such a low-ranking trainer? I paid a high price for him," Josh was shocked. His face was twisted in anger and disbelief.
"The defeated trainer must leave the field," the referee stated. Josh wasn't willing to admit his defeat.
"It wasn't fair! There's no way my Pokémon could have been defeated by him. He must have cheated," Josh pointed towards Ash. However, the referee didn't pay attention and called security to escort Josh out, and the crowd cheered.
Ash battled nonstop, winning one battle after another with his pokemons. His rank jumped from 2000th to 1000th, a massive leap of 1000 ranks. He was so close to entering the Great Class. For the night, Ash rented a room at the Pokémon Center.
"Today was great, wasn't it, buddy?" Ash asked his faithful companion, Raichu.
"Rai!" Raichu agreed, sharing in Ash's excitement.
On a winter morning, the streets bustled with a lively crowd. The air was crisp and chilly, causing breath to form visible puffs. Ash gazed out of the window of a local restaurant, taking in the vibrant scene while waiting for their orders. Soon enough, a waiter arrived, placing a grilled cheese sandwich in front of Ash and a bowl of Pokemon food for Raichu.
"What should we do next, buddy?" Ash asked, turning his attention to Raichu. With their meal finished, they began making plans for the day.
"Rai Rai Raichu," Raichu responded.
"I know, we can head to the gym, battle some more, and climb up the ranks. But honestly, I'm getting bored. We've faced over twenty opponents, and not one of them has truly excited me. At this rate, I'll die of boredom before reaching the Master Tournament," Ash dramatically exclaimed, earning a sweatdrop from Raichu.
"You're absolutely right. There's nothing more mundane than fighting weak opponents," a voice chimed in. It was a person standing near Ash's table, bearing a striking resemblance to his friend, Gary, albeit older.
"Gary?" Ash asked, surprised by the familiar face before him.
"Gary? No, my name is Blue, and I'm the gym leader of Viridian City. I heard about your battles at the gym, and I must say, I'm quite curious. Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while," Blue introduced himself.
After a moment of consideration, Ash nodded and replied, "Alright then."
"How about a three-on-three match?" Blue proposed, standing opposite Ash.
"Fine by me," Ash responded confidently.
"Then let's go, Rhyperior!" Blue released his massive and sturdy Pokémon onto the battlefield.
"Hawlucha, get ready," Ash chose his dual flying and fighting-type Pokémon from Kalos.
"Rhyperior, start with Stealth Rock," Blue commanded. Rhyperior's body became surrounded by shimmering silver glitters that grew larger and formed into sharp gray rocks, which he then fired around the battlefield. The pointed rocks disappeared from view.
"Not good," Ash thought. Stealth Rock is an invisible attack that damages any Pokémon upon switching in. "If that's the case, then we have to defeat Rhyperior first."
"Get close with Acrobatics, then use Karate Chop," Ash instructed. Hawlucha performed several front flips to swiftly close the distance between itself and Rhyperior. On the final jump, one of Hawlucha's claws glowed with golden energy as it struck Rhyperior. Rhyperior took the hit and flinched.
"Rock Smash," Blue commanded. Rhyperior's hand glowed orange as it prepared to strike Hawlucha.
"Use Karate Chop with your other hand and block it," Ash shouted. Hawlucha quickly used its free hand to deliver a Karate Chop and block Rhyperior's Rock Smash, but it was sent flying into the air.
"Now hit it with Rock Slide," Blue ordered. Rhyperior raised both hands into the air, creating multiple white energy rings above it. From these rings, large gray boulders emerged, falling down and raining upon Hawlucha.
"Dodge them all with Acrobatics," Ash commanded. Hawlucha utilized its flexibility and speed to leap over the raining rocks and dodge each one.
"Now use Flying Press," Ash said. Hawlucha's body became outlined in white and orange energy as it dove toward Rhyperior.
"Rhyperior, counter with Rock Wrecker," Blue countered. Rhyperior brought its hands together, causing small chunks of gray stones to emerge from the holes on its hands. These chunks formed a large gray rock with a red aura, which Rhyperior then hurled toward the incoming Flying Press. The impact of the large rock caused an explosion, with Hawlucha flying out of it and hitting the ground heavily.
"Hawlucha!" Ash shouted in concern. Hawlucha attempted to stand up but fell unconscious.
"You did great, buddy," Ash said, returning Hawlucha to its Pokéball. It had been a while since someone had outclassed him like that. This meant that Blue was the real deal and that Ash could bring out one of his more powerful Pokémon.
"Lucario, let's finish this," Ash sent out his Lucario onto the field. As soon as it stepped onto the field, several pointed rocks materialized out of thin air, striking Lucario. Lucario hissed in pain but endured it.
"Rhyperior, use Earth Power," Blue commanded. Rhyperior's body briefly flashed with yellow energy as it slammed its fist into the ground, causing golden cracks to appear beneath Lucario.
"Lucario, jump!" Before the ground could explode with golden energy, Lucario leaped into the air. "Now use Aura Sphere," Ash continued. Lucario clasped its hands together, forming a blue ball of energy between them, and then launched it towards Rhyperior.
"Send it back with Rock Smash," Blue ordered. Rhyperior employed its orange-glowing hand as a bat, swinging it and propelling the Aura Sphere back towards Lucario with double the speed.
"Use Force Palm on it," Ash instructed. One of Lucario's paws turned light blue as it struck the incoming Aura Sphere. With a burst of blue energy, Lucario returned the Aura Sphere to Rhyperior, this time with four times the normal speed. Rhyperior didn't have time to react and was struck by the Aura Sphere at an incredible speed, leaving it stunned.
"Lucario, use Bullet Punch," Ash commanded. Lucario dashed towards Rhyperior, both fists glowing light blue, and relentlessly pummeled Rhyperior. The blows landed on Rhyperior from all directions, not giving it a moment to counterattack.
"Rhyperior, step back and then use Rock Smash," Blue instructed. Rhyperior took a step back, causing Lucario to miss its punch, and then charged up its Rock Smash attack.
"Block it with Bone Rush," Ash quickly reacted. Lucario swiftly formed a staff-like bone made of blue energy and blocked the Rock Smash. Both Pokémon exerted their strength, pushing against each other for dominance. However, Rhyperior began overpowering Lucario.
"Power Jump," Ash commanded. Lucario's legs emanated a light blue glow and burst with blue energy. The sudden burst provided enough force for Lucario to push Rhyperior back, making it stumble.
"Now, Steel Beam," Ash directed. Lucario formed a bluish-silver orb and unleashed a powerful beam of energy at Rhyperior. The attack, being super effective, blasted Rhyperior, causing it to fall to the ground unconscious.
"What was that Power Jump?" Blue inquired as he recalled Rhyperior.
"Oh, it's just a variation of Force Palm where Lucario performs it with its legs instead of its hands," Ash replied nonchalantly. To Blue, who strictly adhered to established moves, Ash's improvised techniques were out of the ordinary. Most trainers only taught their Pokémon pre-existing movesets because they were easier, simpler, and learned instinctively. They were also easier to master. Only Ash and Lucario knew the amount of hard work they had put into developing these unique moves.
The battle continued, with Ash's Lucario easily defeating Blue's Pidgeot and Alakazam. Ash emerged victorious, earning him a promotion to the Great Class.
"We did it, buddy. We made it into the Great Class," Ash exclaimed, fist-bumping with Lucario while Raichu joined in the celebration.
"That was an amazing battle, Ash. I had a great time battling with you. Did you enjoy it as well?" Blue asked.
"Absolutely! It was the best battle I've had in a long time," Ash thanked Blue.
"Good to hear," Blue and Ash shook hands.
After Ash left the gym, Blue picked up the phone and dialed a number belonging to a certain someone.
"Hello, it's me, Blue."
"Blue, what do you want?"
"Take a guess who I just battled with."
"Blue, I don't have time for your games. Get to the point."
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you. It was your son, Ash."
[Crashing sound]
"Don't joke around, Blue. He has been missing for ten years."
"I'm not joking. He just won a Pokémon battle against me, and I wasn't holding back."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"..."
"And from the looks of it, he's challenging the World Coronation Series. Now that you have resumed your duty as the Kanto Champion, you're bound to meet up with him."