The next morning—
"Ahhh!"
A sharp scream jolted Ash awake.
Still half-asleep, he instinctively grabbed the nearest thing beside him and hurled it forward.
"Scorbunny!
Only when Scorbunny yelped in protest did Ash spring up from Dragonite's belly, wide-eyed and disoriented.
What just happened? What just happened?!
He could've sworn he heard Koharu's voice just now.
"Ash, help meee!"
There it was again—definitely not a dream.
Ash quickly shook his Pokémon awake and rushed toward the source of the cries.
As soon as he reached the first floor, he was met with a bizarre sight.
Almost every researcher in the lab was floating midair.
Even Koharu was drifting, clutching Yamper tightly and trembling in fear.
Ash had never seen anything like this.
"Whoa, is this some kind of cool new game? Can I join too?" Instead of being scared, Ash was itching to try it out himself.
"Ash, be careful! It's a ghost!"
A ghost? Ghost-type Pokémon, maybe?
Ash scanned the area, but saw nothing.
He spread his hands helplessly at Koharu.
"I don't see anything."
Koharu was nearly in tears. She'd prepared herself to become a Trainer, but never imagined she'd have to face something like this. She was terrified of ghosts.
Seeing her panic, Ash got serious.
There were only two possibilities:
This wasn't a Ghost-type at all, but a Psychic-type causing the phenomenon.
It was a Ghost-type, but it was invisible.
Either way—Ash wasn't afraid.
"There's a Gengar hiding here," Professor Cerise finally spoke up from midair, seeing Koharu too shaken to explain.
"Got it. Leave it to me!" Ash's eyes lit up.
A Gengar? He'd fought those before!
"Pikachu—Electroweb at the ceiling!"
"Pikachu!"
Golden lightning shot from Pikachu's tail, spreading a net across the entire ceiling of the research lab.
With nowhere to hide, Gengar was forced to reveal itself, blocking the attack with Shadow Ball.
"I'll save everyone with Dragonite. Pikachu, Scorbunny—the battle's yours!"
Pikachu pounded its chest proudly. Leave it to me!
[Korrina: I'm starting to think Ash really has a touch of Aura. How else could he pinpoint Gengar's location so precisely?]
[Koga: Aura or not, Fighting moves don't even work on Ghosts. Maybe it's just Ash's crazy instincts.]
[Gardenia: You can't use normal logic on Ash.]
[Cynthia: How interesting… I also have a Lucario. Ash, if you want to learn more about Aura, come to Sinnoh.]
[Brock: Oh, dazzling Champion… might I, as Ash's companion, also come along? Of course, not for Aura… purely to admire your beauty.]
[Misty: Ugh, stop embarrassing us! This is CHAMPION Cynthia you're talking to!]
[Cynthia: Fufu… amusing.]
[Aaron: …It's over. She's mad.]
Somewhere on the road, Aaron froze.
That guy Brock must have a death wish!
This was Cynthia—the merciless woman who never held back!
Brock, huh? Rest in peace.
And maybe… I shouldn't stay in Sinnoh for a while. If she lashes out, even ten lives wouldn't be enough.
On screen—
Ash kicked off the ground, leaping high and catching Koharu safely in his arms.
At the same time, Dragonite swooped in to rescue the rest of the researchers.
Now focused on Pikachu and Scorbunny, Gengar couldn't maintain its psychic hold.
And those two were relentless.
"Nice! Pikachu, another Electro Ball! Scorbunny, time your kick and launch it!"
Even while holding Koharu on the stairs, Ash didn't miss a beat directing the battle.
The sight left the researchers dumbfounded.
And the audience too.
Pikachu generated Electro Balls nonstop, while Scorbunny kicked them with flaming feet, sending them flying like blazing meteors.
The synergy was perfect. Gengar was pinned down, overwhelmed by the constant barrage.
This was a tactic Ash had dreamed up just last night—
Flame Thunderball!
Normally, Pikachu could only throw one Electro Ball at a time, limited by the move's mechanics.
But with Scorbunny, it was different. Pikachu just needed to produce the spheres, while Scorbunny acted as the launcher.
Firepower multiplied many times over!
And Scorbunny could even wrap the balls in fire, scorching foes as they were electrocuted.
So considerate, Ash!
Sometimes Pikachu mixed in Electrowebs too, turning the combo into a storm.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shadow Balls and Flame Thunderballs clashed, explosions rocking the lab.
Under this artillery duo, Gengar couldn't keep up.
Finally, one blazing Thunderball smashed it through the lab doors and out into the street.
Ash rushed outside—but Gengar had vanished.
"Shame. That Gengar was strong. Would've liked to catch it…"
He remembered almost catching a Haunter once—only for it to follow Sabrina instead.
Ah well.
[Aaron: So cool! Denji, let's try this! I bet my Infernape can pull it off too!]
[Volkner: …No. Count me out. Too scary.]
[Leon: Brilliant! Scorbunny's final evolution has a signature move, Pyro Ball. Ash must've designed this so it'd adapt more easily later.]
[Ash: Really? Wow, I'm amazing!]
[Gary: Idiot.]
[Ash: Jerk! Could you have come up with something this clever? Dare call me an idiot!]
[Delia: Oh, Gary and Ash get along so well~]
…Excuse me, ma'am, how exactly does this look like getting along?
They're about ready to throw hands!
Still, Leon's words carried weight. Ash's foresight—training Pokémon in moves before they even evolved—was something most Trainers never thought of.
[Sabrina: That Gengar was adorable~]
And there it was—another heavyweight opinion.
On screen—
Professor Cerise bowed repeatedly to everyone.
"Apologies! I shouldn't have bought a haunted house for a lab…"
Researcher: "You really didn't care if we lived or died, huh?!"
Koharu: "Mom gave you plenty of funding! Did you buy this cheap haunted mansion just to pocket the rest?!"
Professor Cerise broke into a cold sweat.
Hands pressed together, he pleaded, "Please! Don't tell your mother. I only used the money to buy a new research machine—I swear it wasn't for secret savings!"
…Oh, he was serious.
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