Misty shook her head, quickly dismissing the thought. 'That kind of thing is impossible… right?'
It was more believable that Pikachu had somehow learned Aura Sphere directly from Ash. But she hadn't seen Ash teaching anything like that during their travels.
And even if Pikachu had learned it… why did Ash mimic Pikachu's pose? Just for dramatic effect?
No way.
In truth, Misty's guess wasn't far off. The reason Pikachu could unleash Aura Sphere was because he and Ash had entered a state of perfect unity, one heart, one mind.
One of the most advanced applications of Aura is the principle "Aura resides within my heart." By merging his Aura with his partner's, a Trainer can strengthen their Pokémon's power and even grant them temporary Aura-related abilities.
That was why Pikachu had been able to pierce smoke with Detect, sense hostile Aura when Team Rocket attacked, and now, perform the unthinkable, firing an Aura Sphere in a real battle.
On his own, Pikachu could never have done it. Aura Sphere is a technique requiring Aura control, far beyond a Pokémon that hadn't even awakened its own Aura.
But with Ash guiding him? That was another story.
Ash carried the legacy of "Aura Ash" from the group chat, inheriting his mastery of Aura. While he still lacked complete control, he was already a natural at manipulating it. By entering that "fusion state" with Pikachu, sharing his consciousness and will, Ash could channel his own mastery into Pikachu's body, letting the little mouse summon Aura Sphere.
It wasn't easy. That was why, every night in Viridian Forest, when Misty thought Ash and Pikachu were simply dozing off with their eyes closed, they were actually deep in fusion training: meditating, syncing their breathing, practicing Calm Mind, and weaving Aura together until their hearts beat in unison.
The idea had come from "Aura Ash" in the chat. When Ash reported his team, Pikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto, their levels, and their moves, the veterans immediately judged the situation.
"Even with Butterfree's Sleep Powder tactics, you'll struggle against Brock," Tactician Ash had said.
"Rock- and Ground-types have sky-high defense. Normal, Bug, and Flying moves will barely scratch them, and Electric moves won't work at all."
Sure, it wasn't impossible to win. But the only path was to drag the battle out endlessly, swapping Pokémon again and again, slowly wearing Brock down while praying he didn't land a single decisive blow.
But that was the problem: Ash's Pokémon were still too low-leveled. In a war of attrition, one mistake, one opening, one clean hit from Brock's Rock-types would end everything.
That's the cruel truth of battling with type disadvantages. You can unleash combo after combo, but to the opponent it's only a scratch. Meanwhile, one counterattack from them flips the entire fight.
If you want to play the underdog, you have to shoulder the risks of being the underdog. And unless your Pokémon are leagues above the opponent, type disadvantage is a wall that can't be ignored.
So Aura Ash had given his advice:
"Teach Pikachu a Fighting-type move, Aura Sphere. It's super effective against Rock. If Pikachu can pull it off, you'll have the breakthrough you need."
By normal theory, it was absurd. Pikachu couldn't possibly learn a move like Aura Sphere, most Fighting-types can't even master it. But Aura users were exceptions to every rule.
As long as Ash and Pikachu could synchronize their Aura deeply enough, Pikachu might wield that forbidden technique.
The result was plain for all to see: Pikachu had unleashed Aura Sphere and dealt massive damage to Geodude!
"What are you standing there posing for?!" Ash nearly tripped over himself, veins popping. "Finish it already! Use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu's ears twitched. With a sheepish "Pika!" he spun around and darted straight into the fading smoke. A muffled crash followed, and a battered Geodude rolled out, hit the ground twice, and finally lay still.
Ash exhaled, patting his chest in relief. To be honest, he'd assumed Aura Sphere would end things in one shot. But the moment his Insight Eye brushed over Geodude's fading Aura, he realized the truth.
Sturdy.
Brock's Geodude had the Ability Sturdy. No matter how overwhelming the blow, if Geodude was at full health, Sturdy guaranteed it would survive with a sliver of endurance.
Pikachu's Aura Sphere, fueled by their Aura fusion, carried power that could have knocked Geodude out in an instant, but Sturdy had let it cling to life. Fortunately, the sheer force of the attack left Geodude dazed, and Pikachu's Quick Attack sealed the deal.
Silently, Brock recalled Geodude. He hadn't landed a single hit. Compared to Gary's earlier challenge, this was even more frustrating, his Pokémon had been status-locked, slowed down, and finally nuked by a move he didn't even recognize. It was downright suffocating.
"What was that move just now?" Brock finally asked, not sending out his second Pokémon right away.
As a Gym Leader, he prided himself on recognizing most moves at a glance. But this? He had never seen anything like it. Yet the attack had dented Geodude's defense so hard that, if not for Sturdy, it would've been a clean knockout.
"Aura Sphere," Ash answered without hesitation. "It's a Fighting-type move."
Brock's brows furrowed. "Aura Sphere? I've never heard of such a move. And even if it exists… Pikachu shouldn't be able to learn it. Not at that level, anyway."
Although Brock didn't have Ash's Insight Eye, as a Gym Leader, he had extensive experience and could roughly judge the opponent Pokémon's level during battle.
Pikachu's level was intermediate. For a beginner, this level was already quite high, but an intermediate-level Pikachu should be completely unable to learn Fighting-type energy-based moves.
'Just where did this strange boy and this Pikachu come from?'