Evening.
Yozora and A.J. each showcased their cooking skills.
In the end, both were full of praise for the other's dishes.
"Yozora, I knew it—you've raised your Charmander and Psyduck so strong, and now, with this amazing cooking, it's clear you're a truly excellent Breeder." A.J. spoke with heartfelt admiration.
"Likewise," Yozora replied with a smile. "Providing nutrition for our partners and ensuring solid support work behind the scenes—that's the most basic quality a Trainer should have."
A.J. froze, then nodded rapidly. "Yozora, you really are a kindred spirit. That's exactly how I think too!"
Then he let out a long sigh. "But still… you're way more amazing than me. You're younger, yet stronger, and you even understand life better than I do…"
Hearing such earnest praise, Yozora nearly choked on his food.
Honestly, he couldn't bear it.
Stronger than you? That's mostly thanks to the system…
And as for "understanding life better"? That's just because I've lived longer than you…
"Don't get discouraged. You have rare talent. Once you set out on your journey, your gifts will shine through quickly enough." Yozora's smile was genuine.
Those words came straight from his heart.
Yozora truly recognized A.J.'s potential. If A.J. had even half the luck—or rather, fortune—that Ash carried, his achievements would be extraordinary.
But as the saying goes, luck is also a part of strength.
Now that Yozora had helped open A.J.'s eyes, the course of his life was bound to change. Whether fortune and opportunity would follow—that would depend entirely on his own fate.
"Dinner's ready, everyone!"
Working together, Yozora and A.J. prepared a lavish feast using A.J.'s ingredients.
Soon after, A.J. summoned his Pokémon, and Yozora also released his partners so everyone could enjoy the meal together.
A.J. had lived in this area for two years. Aside from his Sandshrew, all of his Pokémon were the likes of Rattata, Butterfree, and Beedrill.
All common, everyday Pokémon, the sort you'd find as easily as stray dogs on the roadside.
Yozora's partners, however, were extraordinary—one after another leaving A.J. stunned.
"Whoa! That Beedrill is massive—almost twice the size of mine!"
"And that Pidgeotto—so strong! Its height is at least twenty-five centimeters above average!"
"Wait, is that… a Nidoran♂? How?! That poison horn on its head is unbelievably sharp! At first glance, I thought it was a Nidorino!"
"No way… that's a Kangaskhan? Yozora, you actually managed to capture such a rare Pokémon too?!"
A.J. was floored, overwhelmed with envy.
Only now did he realize how much he'd wasted during those two years—what he had truly missed out on…
In truth, though, things weren't that simple.
Yozora's absurd growth was thanks to the system.
If it were A.J., no matter if he had two years—or more—it would be almost impossible to gather such a luxurious lineup.
"Nothing special. I just got lucky for a while." Yozora laughed lightly.
Across from him, A.J. rolled his eyes so hard it hurt.
"Lucky for a while? Yeah, right!"
Without real strength and unique charisma, how could anyone gather such an incredible team?
Even if ordinary Trainers got lucky and captured rare Pokémon, could they keep them? If a Pokémon—especially one with a strong personality—didn't respect its Trainer, it would eventually run off on its own.
A.J. studied Yozora's team for a long time, but his gaze always came back to Beedrill and Kangaskhan.
Of all Yozora's Pokémon, only those two he couldn't see through.
As an outstanding Breeder, A.J. could normally judge a Pokémon's level by its build and aura.
But that required a reference point.
For A.J., that reference point was his Sandshrew.
Having raised Sandshrew himself, he knew every stage of its growth—its power, its aura—inside and out.
So when faced with Pokémon equal to or weaker than Sandshrew, A.J. could judge their levels precisely.
But Beedrill and Kangaskhan were far stronger—beyond Sandshrew entirely. He had no way of gauging their true levels.
…
It was the same with Ash.
Ash was born an Aura Guardian—though at this stage, he had no idea.
He couldn't yet gather Aura.
But like Yozora, he could receive it, sense it.
For Aura Guardians, that ability was innate—present from birth, requiring no training.
Still, Ash could only sense Aura—he could tell who was strong or weak, but not exactly how strong.
What level had they reached? What tier of power did they stand in?
That he couldn't discern.
Why?
Because he lacked reference points. His current partners—Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Butterfree—were simply too weak.
Of course, as time passed, Ash grew stronger. Pikachu and Charizard grew too.
With those as reference points, Ash eventually learned to gauge levels.
From then on, his growth accelerated, his strength rising by leaps and bounds.
It must be said—beyond luck, Ash was indeed a skilled Trainer, with tactics that were versatile and flexible.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved so many notable accomplishments.
Think of the Kalos League, when Ash lost the championship to Alain—fans everywhere were crushed.
Some even joked that the writers rigged things, handing Alain's Charizard a Water Absorb ability just to make him win.
But of course—that was only a joke.
Alain's Charizard carried Charizardite X. Upon Mega Evolving, it became Charizard X.
Charizard X was a true Dragon.
Fire is weak to Water—but Dragon resists Water.
They cancel out.
Meaning Charizard X wasn't afraid of Water at all—not because of any Water Absorb.
Add to that its Tough Claws ability, its powerful moveset, and its terrifying durability—at equal levels, Ash defeating it would've been a miracle.
Ash might've been the protagonist…
But Charizard was the writers' true favorite. That's the reality.
Otherwise, besides Mewtwo, who else had the luxury of two Mega Evolutions?
Pokémon XY. The very title of the anime spelled it out—X and Y.
Did you think Ash was the protagonist? Wrong. In that series, Charizard was the real star!
…
All this aside, the same logic applied to Yozora.
For him, Beedrill was the reference point.
If an opponent's Aura surpassed Beedrill's, he couldn't gauge their level either.
But Beedrill's level was already extremely high—at the very peak of the Elite Level.
Anyone radiating stronger Aura than Beedrill was, without question, at least Elite Four level.
…
(End of Chapter)