The Dynamax Snorlax crisis might have been tricky for anyone else.
But this was Ash!
The most unpredictable Trainer of all!
—On screen—
This Snorlax wasn't undergoing an ordinary Dynamax.
It was a special Gigantamax phenomenon.
Normal Dynamax just made a Pokémon huge,
But Gigantamax also altered their form.
Like the Snorlax before them, whose belly now had an enormous fruit tree growing right out of it!
The train was about to crash straight into the Gigantamax Snorlax.
"Ash, what do we do?!"
Koharu panicked completely. This was a train!
If it crashed, hardly anyone aboard would survive.
Ash's brows furrowed—
But then, an idea sparked.
He had a Snorlax himself, and knew how sensitive they were to food.
All he had to do was get it to smell something delicious.
"Time to act! Koharu, stand back!"
Without another word, Ash dashed around Snorlax in a circle.
Even Koharu didn't understand what he was doing.
Neither did the livestream audience.
What was Ash up to?
The very next moment, however—
Everyone was stunned.
"Pikachu, sorry, but I'll have to trouble you!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu gave a little OK sign with its paw.
One glance between Trainer and partner was enough—they understood each other perfectly.
Pikachu curled itself into a tight ball, coating its tail with a metallic shine—
Iron Tail!
Ash scooped Pikachu into his arms, sprinted forward, then suddenly hurled him upward with all his strength.
At the same instant, Ash leapt high—
And with his right foot, he kicked Pikachu's Iron Tail like a soccer ball!
CLANG!
The sound of metal striking metal rang through the world.
Ball-shaped Pikachu arced gracefully through the air, landing squarely in front of the massive fruit.
"Now! Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
As soon as it landed, Pikachu sprang back into shape and sliced the giant fruit cleanly in two.
"Yes! Send it flying!" Ash roared in triumph.
The plan was a complete success.
The fruit brushed against Snorlax's nose as it flew past.
The scent woke Snorlax instantly.
At the very last second before the train struck, the giant Snorlax lumbered off the tracks.
[Brock: !!!]
[Brock: I've seen a lot of Ash's ridiculous stunts, but this is on another level!]
[Gary: You kicked Pikachu's Iron Tail with your foot! Doesn't that hurt?!]
[Denji: So cool! This move needs a name—like Spiral Shining Ultra Wheel Kick No. 3! Argh, why did I ever evolve my Pikachu into Raichu…]
[Ash: Whoa, that works too?! Pikachu, let's try it next time—it looked so awesome!]
[Lance: You're all ignoring the most important part! Did none of you hear that sound? That was pure steel-on-steel!]
[Mustard: Excellent! A true martial prodigy! Young one, if you ever visit the Isle of Armor, I shall pass down my life's martial arts to you!]
[Leon: Master! I'm your disciple!]
[Mustard: You're just an outside disciple!]
Ash's move was so outrageous that no one had time to react properly.
What kind of body could even pull that off?
And so that's why he'd circled Snorlax—he was calculating the angle!
Truly Ash!
—On screen—
"Doooot dooot—"
The train whistle blew as the locomotive passed by safely.
The conductor even tipped his hat in salute to Ash.
Hidden in the shadows, a stowaway Scorbunny had witnessed everything.
So it was possible!
This human… It was incredible!
It clenched its tiny paws, eyes blazing.
I must make him my master!
I'll learn his ultimate kicking technique!
I'll become the greatest Cinderace ever!
Master, wait for me!
The train rolled on.
Koharu finally let out a long breath.
"That was amazing, Ash. And Pikachu, you too!"
Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at him.
Ash scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Aw, I'm not that great."
Truthfully, it had just been a gamble.
There wasn't time for anything else, and he'd gone with his instinct.
Luckily… he'd been right.
After that detour, Ash and Koharu continued exploring Galar,
Encountering all kinds of Dynamax phenomena.
Ash's curiosity about it only grew.
—Hammerlocke—
While resting at an inn, Ash received an email.
It was a battle invitation from Hoenn's Battle Frontier.
"No way… I just got to Galar…"
Ash groaned. The timing couldn't have been worse—he hadn't even caught a single Pokémon here yet!
"Maybe I should ask Koharu… should we detour to Hoenn first?" he wondered aloud.
Pikachu, already half-asleep, yawned widely.
Master, please stop. Time for bed…
Ash chuckled. He'd just been talking to Pikachu, but the decision would be made with Koharu.
She was his partner on this journey, after all.
He slid off the bed and opened the door—
And froze.
A Pokémon he'd never seen before was waiting outside his room.
"Beep beep, Rotom here! Scorbunny, the Rabbit Pokémon, Fire type. When it's ready for battle, its nose and paw pads heat up. Its strong legs are said to bring good luck."
Rotom Phone delivered its report right on cue.
The moment the door opened, Scorbunny's eyes widened with excitement.
"Chyu!"
Master!
"Pikachu?"
Pikachu, grumbling, hopped off the bed to see what the fuss was—
And froze.
What did you do to it?!
Pikachu stared in disbelief at the Scorbunny now kneeling before Ash.
"I don't know! I just opened the door and it was here!" Ash waved his hands defensively.
The last thing he wanted was Pikachu thinking he bullied random Pokémon!
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly through Pikachu's translation.
Ash finally understood Scorbunny's intentions.
Facing the fire Pokémon's burning gaze, Ash knew he couldn't let it down.
"In that case… would you like to be my partner?"
He held out a Poké Ball.
Scorbunny didn't hesitate for even a second—
It leapt inside.
Once. Twice. Three shakes.
The ball clicked shut, stars flashing above it.
Ash had caught Scorbunny!
Holding the ball, he still felt a little odd.
Usually, the Fire-type starters in the League came with dramatic backstories—
Abandoned like Charmander, rebellious like Chimchar, or stray like Litten.
But one showing up at his door and begging to be caught?
That was a first.
Was soccer really that inspiring?
It wasn't even basketball!
[Bruno: Becoming Ash's disciple? I can already imagine what this Scorbunny will grow into!]
[Wallace: What, is it going to sing, dance, and rap too?]
…
Ash's strongest team should be Pikachu, Sceptile, Infernape, Charizard, Greninja, and Lucario, right?
Does anyone disagree?