On screen—
Goh's voice rang out loud and clear.
Everyone present exchanged looks.
If they hadn't already heard Koharu's full story earlier, they might have actually been fooled by his nonsense.
"You guys didn't see my heroic stance just now! If no one had interfered, I would've caught Lugia!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became. He even waved his arms dramatically right in front of Professor Sakuragi—completely ignoring his charred, ridiculous appearance.
But he failed to notice how everyone else was slowly edging away from him.
Like the boy who cried wolf, Goh's lies had long worn thin. Compared to him, everyone found Koharu's words far more trustworthy.
Even kind old Professor Oak frowned after listening. This was way out of line.
"Shut your mouth and get out of here!" Professor Sakuragi's face flushed red with rage. His usual scholarly air twisted into something fierce.
Just moments ago, Koharu had told him everything about what happened back at Professor Oak's summer camp. Father and daughter had finally untied that knot in their hearts.
Now, hearing Goh spew blatant lies in front of everyone… Sakuragi could no longer stomach it.
Flustered by the sudden outburst, Goh stammered on.
"I-I'm telling the truth! You have to believe me!"
But Oak spoke as well:
"Koharu already told us everything. Are you still trying to deceive us?"
Goh swept his eyes across the room in panic. Then, spotting Ash, his expression lit up.
"It's him! Koharu's in it with him! He smashed my Poké Ball! If it weren't for him, I'd already have Lugia!"
He clung to Ash like a drowning man to driftwood.
But his shamelessness only made the professors loathe him even more.
[Professor Oak: How can a child be so ill-mannered? Did he grow up without parents?]
[Professor Birch: Even with lies exposed, he drags others down—this kid's roots are rotten.]
[Professor Sakuragi: I can't believe it. After all these years, I never saw his true face. It disgusts me.]
[Paul: Pathetic. He probably lives in the lies he weaves.]
[Gary: Hah. If this clown pulled that in Pallet Town, Green would've beaten the crap out of him already.]
Gary sneered—claiming to be Ash's rival, but finding Goh beneath contempt. A braggart like that didn't even qualify as a trainer. He was worse than Team Rocket.
(Team Rocket Trio: "Achoo!")
On screen—
"Do you even get the situation? I just saved your life. Instead of thanking me, you slander me?" Ash snapped, fed up with the nonsense.
He'd traveled far and wide, but never had he seen someone this absurd.
Even Team Rocket wasn't this low.
But Goh's eyes lit up at the reply.
Ash had responded—so to him, that meant he was winning!
"What do you mean 'saved me'? I was about to capture Lugia! I was this close to becoming the first trainer to command a god!"
Gasps swept through the room and the live chat alike.
They had seen shameless, but not this shameless.
Gods? He really dared to say that?
In all of history, almost no one had ever truly "caught" a divine Pokémon with authority.
And this brat—who wasn't even a proper trainer—dared to boast about it?
Even Ash knew better: for such Pokémon, the best relationship you could have was friendship. Catching them required fate, not arrogance.
Ash didn't even bother arguing.
But his silence only emboldened Goh.
"Do you understand what you've done? You destroyed the future of a great trainer—one who could have commanded a god! Do you grasp how monumental that is? And you ruined it with your own hands!"
…Is this guy mentally ill?
Even Professor Oak couldn't hold back anymore.
"Enough! Ash is the Champion of Alola. You're not even a trainer. Who are you to lecture him?"
Ash was Pallet's pride. To Oak, he was practically family.
But Goh sneered.
"Alola Champion? Hah! You're bragging about some backwater title?"
That one line changed everything.
Ash's face darkened instantly.
"Say that again."
"Pika!"
Ash and Pikachu were both furious.
Alola wasn't just where they'd first won a championship—it was home. It was family. It was their precious memories.
To call it a "backwater"…
The aura of a Champion burst forth from Ash.
The sheer force of his will made Goh stumble back a step.
But still, his mouth ran on.
"A league that only formed this year—how's that not backwater? No Elite Four, no weight! A Champion title from a place like that is worthless!"
"I will not allow you to speak that way."
"You! Apologize!"
For once, Ash was truly angry.
[Professor Kukui: I don't know why, but I'm tearing up… Even though I haven't met Ash yet, it feels like our bond was destined long ago!]
[Lillie: No wonder I felt a strange closeness when I first saw him on screen. So in the future… we really are companions.]
[Professor Oak: For Ash to actually lose his temper… that's rare.]
[Lance: Careful, Ash! If a trainer orders a Pokémon to attack a human, that's illegal. Don't act rashly!]
[Steven: Relax. I trust Ash won't do anything reckless.]
[Misty: Don't be so sure.]
In White Silver Town, Misty glanced at the Ash beside her, who was seething just like the one on screen.
"Ash, if it were you, what would you do right now?" she asked quietly.
"If someone dared to say that, I'd beat the crap out of him! Just like Gary—I'd pound him until he learned to talk properly!"
Misty fell silent.
She didn't have to worry…
But now she worries even more.
If Ash himself threw hands…