[Phoebe: A Shadow Ball with that much power would normally knock out any Pokémon… but Team Rocket actually withstood it? Incredible!]
[Jindai: Do you three want your overseas mission to end?]
[Jindai: Just return to headquarters, give us a body sample, and let us run some tests.]
[Jessie: !!!]
[James: Absolutely not!]
[Ash: Now that you mention it… Pikachu's Thunderbolts, Charizard's Flamethrower—none of them ever seemed to really hurt Team Rocket, huh.]
[Lance: I think we should check their ancestry. No way—these two are definitely from Pallet Town!]
The tale of the "Super Newcomer from Pallet" was no longer just a legend.
Both Ash and Team Rocket were living proof that it might be real.
Which raised the question—
Could they too be "Super Newcomers"?
After all, who wouldn't envy such a physique?
[Bea: Professor Oak, can I apply to stay in Pallet Town for a while? I want to experience its wonders for myself.]
[Alder: Do you think Super Newcomer genes grant longevity too? I'd like to give it a try.]
[Lenora: Master, at your age, maybe let your disciples go test it first.]
[Grimsley: Exactly, Master. You rest well in Unova. Lenora and I will bring back good news.]
Fatherly love, filial piety—the family dynamic was strong here.
But there was only one true loser tonight:
Giovanni, sitting far away at Viridian Gym.
He never expected the Rocket Trio to fail yet again—
and this time, at the hands of a single Gengar.
If this livestream kept going on like this,
Team Rocket's fearsome image, built up over so many years, was going to collapse.
In Kanto's past, the name Team Rocket had been enough to make children cry at night.
But now?
At the mention of Team Rocket—
people thought only of these three clownish fools.
Giovanni had a bad premonition.
Soon, no matter how powerful their organization remained,
others would only mock them as a comedy troupe.
The usually stern Giovanni was actually angry.
"Jindai! Cut Meowth's food rations by another 50%."
"Yes, sir!" Jindai replied with a trembling voice.
That year she was 20—yet standing by Giovanni's side, she still felt like a grunt.
After docking Meowth's rations, Giovanni calmed down slightly.
Silver, his son, had always thought Team Rocket too evil, hadn't he?
Perhaps this was a chance—an opportunity to reshape the organization's image.
Maybe then Silver would return and inherit Team Rocket after all.
With that thought, Giovanni's furrowed brows finally relaxed.
"…Forget it. Make it only 30%."
Meowth shivered: Why do I suddenly feel a chill down my spine?!
On screen—
The Gengar that had sent Team Rocket flying turned and gave Ash a cheerful victory sign.
At that moment, it had finally broken free from the shadows of its past.
Especially when it met Ash's eyes—
eyes filled with nothing but encouragement.
"Gengaaaar…"
Its eyes welled up with tears.
Not because its sockets were red to begin with,
but because of gratitude.
Gengar placed its pudgy hands over its chest and bowed deeply to Ash—
then its figure began to fade.
This seemed to be its final farewell.
Ash was great… but this time, it wouldn't stay by his side.
Just as Yellow had once said, Gengar still believed it carried a curse.
If it remained with Ash, it would only bring him misfortune.
So—it chose to leave.
"Gengar, I know you're still here."
Ash stepped forward to where Gengar had just stood.
"For everything that person did to you before, I apologize on his behalf. Please, don't stop believing in humans.
Not everyone is like him. Try reaching out—you might find your view of people changes."
"I know this may sound sudden, but there's one more thing I want to say.
What he failed to do—I will. I will never abandon any of my partners.
Curses don't scare me at all. Your performance just now was amazing.
Even [RECURRING] Chloe said you're an incredibly strong Pokémon!"
"Gengar, be my partner!
Let's stand together on the grandest stage,
so the whole world will see your strength!
You are Gengar—the strongest Ghost-type Pokémon!
And my partner, Ash's partner!"
"Gengaaaar…"
The vanished Gengar slowly appeared again before Ash.
But its fierce face was now streaked with tears.
It even held a handkerchief in its chubby hands—nobody knew where it had gotten it.
Clutching it between its teeth, it actually looked… I'm a little shy.
"…?"
"Come on, be my partner."
Ash pulled out a Poké Ball, holding it toward Gengar.
Gengar reached out its stubby little hand—
and tapped the button.
A flash of red light enveloped its entire body.
The Poké Ball shook three times in Ash's hand…
Then burst open with three stars of light.
Holding the ball with Gengar inside,
Ash spun and raised it high above his head—
then gave [RECURRING] Chloe a radiant smile.
"Gengar—I caught it!"
[Sabrina: Ash, you haven't changed. Just like back in Goldenrod City—you challenged me without fear, even when I was at my darkest.]
[Ash: Please don't say that, Sabrina. You weren't a bad person—I just happened to be able to help.]
[Brock: Ahem… if I may, being turned into a doll by Miss Sabrina was also… quite the memorable experience.]
[Misty: Are you insane?!]
At Silver Town—
Misty gawked at Brock in disbelief.
Come on! Even perversion should have its limits!
How could he possibly be interested in that frail little girl Sabrina used to be?
Could Brock actually be a freak?!
She glanced sidelong at him…
only to see he was holding a poster he'd picked up somewhere—
a poster of Sabrina.
Misty froze.
That figure.
That face.
So voluptuous. So striking.
Was this really the same Sabrina they'd met in Goldenrod?
No wonder Brock said such things.
She'd better keep her distance!
[Sabrina: Heh… since you're so interested, next time you come to Goldenrod, I'll make sure you become my doll forever.]
[Brock: It would be my honor!]
[Misty: Get a grip, you idiot!]
Everyone else watching was just as stunned.
This Brock guy… how bold could one man be?!
He provoked Cynthia before, now Sabrina?
Good grief—was he planning to anger every terrifying woman in the world?
[Lance: Alright, enough. Didn't I tell you all? Team Rocket are just comedy characters. Look, I was right!]
[Wallace: Not just comedy. They even handed Ash a golden opportunity. Without them, it might have taken him much longer to bond with Gengar.]
[Steven: I'm starting to question Team Rocket's credibility. Weren't they supposed to be the world's most dangerous evil organization? More like a dark comedy troupe!]
[Archie: An "evil" group without ambition isn't even worthy of the title.]
[Drake: You dare show your face, Archie? Come back to the League and face judgment!]
[Archie: Uh—signal's bad, gotta go!]
Viewers: Where did this comedy skit just come from?!
On screen—
After capturing Gengar and forging their bond,
Ash returned with it to Professor Cerise's lab.
When the researchers saw Gengar again,
those who'd been pranked by it trembled in fear.
"Ash—you said it wouldn't show up again. Why is it back?!"
"You mean Gengar? I caught it. It won't play tricks anymore."
"Gengaaaar~"
Gengar floated up to the researchers—then bowed deeply.
Given its round body, the sight was almost comical.
"Gengar's apologizing," Ash explained quickly.
Otherwise, this stalemate could've dragged on forever.
Luckily, the researchers weren't unreasonable.
Gengar had never truly harmed them—only scared them.
After the apology, they accepted it.
At that moment, Professor Professor Kukui shared good news:
Ash's Rotom Phone had successfully been upgraded with the ranking system.
This meant he could now officially compete in the World Coronation Series.
The first thing Ash did was open the battle system.
Soon—
He found around ten thousand trainers listed in Vermilion City alone.
Most were still in the lowest Poké Ball ranks.
Without hesitation, Ash pressed "matchmaking."
"Searching for a worthy opponent…"
"Match found."
"Your opponent: Ranked #10,001—Trainer Huang."
Ash tapped the profile picture—
and nearly lost his composure.
It was him.
The very trainer who had abandoned Gengar.
Ash turned to Gengar, showing it the phone.
"Want to take your revenge face to face?"
"Gengaaaar?!"
[Serena: Ash, that's so bad of you! Tempting poor Gengar like that—it's still just a child.]
[Steven: Fascinating. Talk about fate—this time, Gengar gets to defeat its old trainer fair and square.]
[Flint: Ohhh, this is gonna be good! Can't wait—update faster!]
No one could resist the thrill of poetic justice—
not even the Champions and Elites.
Little did Trainer Huang know…
that his next opponent would be Ash Ketchum,
a fifteen-year-old prodigy who had already earned the title of Champion.
This matchmaking system really knew how to set the stage!
On screen—
After [RECURRING] Chloe explained the situation,
Gengar finally understood.
Learning it would get to battle Huang,
it grew visibly excited.
"Gengaaaar!"
Following the system's directions,
Ash soon tracked Huang down on the roadside.
The moment Huang saw Ash, he panicked.
What the hell was this guy doing here?!
But seeing no Gengar behind Ash,
his confidence quickly returned.
Wrapping an arm around his green-haired girlfriend,
he sneered:
"What's a brat like you want from me? Don't tell me you expect me to help you catch Gengar again.
Listen up—never happening! I never want to see that thing again in my life!"
The same disgusting arrogance.
Huang's mouth always spewed filth.
A textbook selfish opportunist.
He only cared when it benefited him.
He'd once grovelled to befriend Gengar—
but the moment it brought him so-called 'bad luck,'
He abandoned it at Professor Kukui's lab.
Even now, despite Gengar's strength,
He still dismissed it because of the curse.
To him, avoiding misfortune mattered more than true power.
"I'm here to battle you."
Ash raised his Rotom Phone, showing the official challenge request.
"Battle? With you?" Huang almost laughed.
To him, Ash was just a kid.
What strength could he possibly have?
So he helped resist Gengar once—so Lucario: What?
That only proved he had natural talent.
But trainers were all about Pokémon.
Without strong partners, what battle could a child fight?
"Just say yes or no." Ash didn't waste words.
"Why not?" Huang sneered, yellow teeth showing.
Since this brat dared to confront him with Gengar before,
he'd "teach him a lesson."
In the adult world, there was no place for childish ideals!
But his girlfriend nudged him nervously.
"Look at his phone."
Annoyed, Huang glanced—
then froze.
Unlike his own plain yellow phone,
Ash's was bright red.
And everyone knew what that meant.
The Rotom Phone.
Professor Professor Kukui had only just unveiled it.
A device that combined Pokédex, battle functions, and more into one.
Only a handful of truly skilled trainers had earned them so far.
Could this brat be one of them?
Huang scoffed. No way. Probably just connections.
Even if Ash was strong—he was still just a kid!
He tapped "accept challenge."
The system then located a nearby outdoor battlefield,
while also sending out spectator invites to surrounding trainers.
Battle results would be uploaded online, rankings updated instantly.
This was why the World Coronation Series had become so popular.
With enough strength, anyone could rise through the ranks.
And once you had results, everything else—fame, sponsors, even invitations from Leagues—would follow.
Top trainers were the world's most sought-after prize.
[Rose: So that's it. No wonder the Coronation Series in Ash's era became so much more prestigious—it's because battles were integrated with the network.]
[Leon: That's the way to go. Let's implement this too. A World Coronation where only a few can join isn't truly world-class. Everyone must be able to participate!]
[Raihan: Shame that even five years later, they hadn't figured out how to popularize it globally. If they had, the Coronation would've soared even higher.]
For sheer visual impact,
Dynamaxing rivaled even Mega Evolution.
Mega was undeniably stylish—
but for shock value, Dynamax and Gigantamax were unmatched.
After all—
Who could resist the spectacle of two giants clashing?
Just like when we were kids, we were glued to our first tokusatsu shows…
wasn't it always the giant monsters battling that captivated us?
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard