It was all because Yozora's disguise wasn't thorough enough.
Despite carrying a Restrainer—an advanced one at that—he trained together with Mei for twenty minutes. Yozora himself was perfectly fine, but Mei collapsed from exhaustion.
No matter how much Yozora feigned weakness or pretended to be on the verge of fainting, Mei refused to get back up.
It seemed she had realized the truth: even though her Trainer was just a human, his physical fitness far surpassed hers. He didn't need her protection at all…
"Ahh…" Yozora let out a sigh. If only Mei were a battle-hungry Miltank, that would be ideal.
Just like in the original story, Ash's Pokémon grew at astonishing speed—even surpassing the wealthy Gary at times—despite Ash not training them very strictly.
Of course, some of that credit went to Brock, a top-level Breeder, but the greater reason was that most of Ash's Pokémon were inherently battle-loving.
Even his Bulbasaur, who stubbornly refused to evolve, possessed an unyielding will to protect others. That very will drove it to become stronger.
Later on, when Bulbasaur became the guardian of Ash's backyard, even without evolving, its strength was formidable.
…
If one were a Breeder or a Pokémon Coordinator, such traits wouldn't matter as much.
But for a Trainer's Pokémon, the drive to fight—or at least the belief in becoming stronger—was priceless.
Without that conviction, a Pokémon would refuse to battle, or even to train at all.
Yes, it could still slowly grow stronger through years of nutrition and supplements—but that kind of growth was slow, shallow, and incapable of awakening the deepest, hidden potential inside a Pokémon.
To a Trainer, nutrition and breeding methods were only supporting measures. Training was fundamental. But only through battles—especially fierce, evenly matched battles—could a Pokémon's true potential be unlocked.
Yet Mei wasn't battle-loving. She lacked even the basic desire to grow stronger. With that, she couldn't even sustain the most basic level of training…
This all stemmed from her upbringing. She had been raised on a ranch, sheltered and without any survival pressure.
And perhaps… it was also in her genes.
No matter how skilled Yozora was, he couldn't change a Pokémon's very nature.
After a short rest, Mei's energy returned.
As a cow Pokémon, her body brimmed with nutrition. Her recovery ability was astonishingly strong.
This time, she simply sat down on the ground with her back to Yozora. Staring at the blooming flowers and soft grass, she smiled with the innocent delight of a child.
Yozora walked over, massaging her shoulders and neck as he gently persuaded her:
"Mei, do you know? As a Miltank, the stronger your body is, the higher the quality of milk you produce… With you alone, you could change the fate of an entire team…"
But Mei didn't respond much to his careful words.
Her focus remained on the flowers and weeds at her feet. Every now and then, she'd turn her head and lick Yozora's face with her large tongue, then flash him a childlike smile. Yozora could only shake his head helplessly.
He knew he couldn't force the issue. He could only guide her slowly, step by step.
Perhaps… I should find a young Pokémon for Mei to raise. That might awaken her motherly instinct! Yozora thought.
As the saying goes, a mother's strength knows no bounds.
For the sake of their children, mothers often unleash power beyond imagination.
There were real stories of elderly women in earthquakes, who managed to push aside boulders larger than themselves to rescue their grandchildren.
Love and hate—those were the strongest forces in the world.
It was easy to understand why villains who turned over a new leaf became weaker. They lost the hatred that had driven them for so long, yet had not yet gained the strength that love could provide. With their faith collapsed, weakness was only natural.
…
Current Team Status:
Beedrill*: Elite-level peak, pseudo-legendary potential
Golduck*: High Commander-tier, Tier 3 Legendary potential
Aegislash: High Commander-tier, pseudo-legendary potential
Pidgeot: Low Commander-tier, Champion potential
Machop: Mid Senior-level, Elite Four potential
Graveler: High Senior-level, Champion potential
Miltank: Junior-level, Gym Leader potential
A week later, Yozora smoothly arrived in Fuchsia City.
It had been exactly six months since the start of his journey. His body had grown stronger, and the strength of his team had risen tremendously.
At the Pokémon Center, he unexpectedly ran into Ash and his companions, fresh from their challenge at the Fuchsia Gym.
Ash, Misty, and Brock—the legendary original trio.
As expected of Ash, he was traveling with not one but two Gym Leaders.
And they weren't just ordinary Gym Leaders—they were future successors of their respective Gyms.
Two future Gym Leaders willing to travel as Ash's companions—what did that say about him?
And yet… Ash himself had absolutely no sense of grandeur.
"Hey everyone, long time no see."
"Yozora, it's been a while!" they all greeted.
"Yozora, you've gotten so much stronger!"
"Yeah, and even a bit tanned. But still as handsome as ever!" Misty and Brock studied him carefully, shocked at how much he had changed in such a short time.
Ash, on the other hand, was as simple as always. He glanced at Yozora, then proudly pulled back his jacket, showing off the six neatly arranged Gym Badges on his vest. Tilting his nose upward, he declared:
"Well? How's that, Yozora? I've already got six Badges!"
"Impressive. I've only got four so far," Yozora admitted with a smile.
Looking closely, Yozora saw that Ash's two extra Badges were none other than Sabrina's Marsh Badge and Koga's Soul Badge.
Ash had simply bulldozed his way forward, never stopping to consider the dark secrets hidden behind Sabrina or Koga.
But Yozora knew better. With his own overwhelming strength and rare Pokémon, he had to learn patience.
Otherwise, the tallest tree in the forest is the first to fall to the wind.
"What? You've been traveling this long and only have four? You're way too slow!" Ash put his hands on his hips and burst out laughing.
In front of him, his Charmander mimicked him perfectly—crossing its arms, standing proudly, and laughing at Yozora.
This was Charmander's golden period under Ash: countless battles, rapid growth, and one victory after another.
Ash had tasted success, and he grew increasingly fond of using Charmander. In fact, it was Charmander who had just won him his Fuchsia Gym Badge.
During this time, Charmander accumulated tremendous experience, laying the foundation for its back-to-back evolutions later on.
Indeed, its current strength was the source of Ash's overflowing confidence.
…
(End of Chapter)