For Ash to enter the group chat, he had to close his eyes and focus on the glowing point in his mind.
Doing this while awake would look… strange, especially now that he wasn't traveling alone. With Misty and Brock by his side, Ash made sure never to log in during the day.
Nighttime, when everyone else was asleep, was the perfect chance.
[Newbie Ash: Everyone, I'm here.]
[Champion Ash: If I remember right, you were challenging a Gym today. Did you clear it?]
[Newbie Ash: Yeah, I won! The method Tactician Ash taught me really worked. Even when Compound Eyes Sleep Powder got countered, I could still disrupt with Supersonic. Then, with Aura Sphere for the finishing blow, I beat Brock without taking much damage!]
Tactician Ash had warned him early on: Sleep Powder wasn't perfect. Unlike Hypnosis, powders could be blown away by wind, water, or fire. That's why he insisted Ash have a backup, Supersonic.
The real reason Tactician Ash told him to catch Caterpie in the first place wasn't for raw strength, but for what Butterfree could do later, layering status moves that drove opponents crazy. It was the most accessible support Pokémon for a beginner.
Pokémon like Grimmsnarl or Amoonguss? Way out of reach right now. But for Ash's current level, Butterfree was more than enough.
[Aura Warrior Ash: So, how was it? Pretty amazing to use Aura Fusion Resonance, right?]
[Newbie Ash: Yeah! It feels endless. No matter how much I explore it, there's always more potential. Even though the group gave me "instructions," I think I've barely scratched the surface.]
[Aura Warrior Ash: Hah, of course. Aura is the pinnacle of human power in the Pokémon world. Master it fully, and you can even stand against Legendary-tier Pokémon.]
Legendary-tier Pokémon…
Ash immediately thought of Ho-Oh.
That vast, ocean-like Aura he had glimpsed when he first saw it… his own strength wasn't even a ripple compared to that.
Could a human really reach such a level?
[Champion Ash: By the way, have you run into three weirdos yet? You'll know them, they've got a talking Meowth and won't stop calling themselves "the cute and charming villains."]
[Newbie Ash: I have! Pikachu blasted them off! That was also the first time I tried Aura Fusion.]
[Aura Warrior Ash: Good grief. Looks like you can't escape them in your timeline either. Be careful, they've got their eyes on Pikachu.]
[Newbie Ash: Huh? What do you mean?]
[Tactician Ash: You'll understand later. They're an unbelievably persistent bunch.]
[Champion Ash: Haha, but to be fair, they're not truly evil. Just… misguided. In some timelines, they even reform. Anyway, newbie, haven't you gone a while without drawing? You should check your prize chances.]
Drawing chances?
Ash blinked. He'd nearly forgotten about the group's mysterious "lottery."
Ash froze for a second, then suddenly remembered: he'd already cleared his first Gym.
The veterans in the group had mentioned before that certain "firsts" acted like achievements, each granting a drawing chance. Surely defeating a Gym for the very first time would qualify.
Opening the chat group's notification bar, three new messages popped up:
[First encounter with Team Rocket Trio, drawing chance ×1]
[First time blasting off Team Rocket Trio, drawing chance ×1]
[First time clearing a Gym, drawing chance ×1]
"Three… three drawing chances?!"
Ash blinked hard, his clear eyes full of disbelief. He hadn't expected that run-in with Team Rocket to count for two. Just bumping into them and then blasting them off each gave a draw.
What kind of people are those three anyway? Even achievements get weird around them…
Remembering what the veterans said, that Team Rocket would keep coming back like a bad penny, Ash felt an ominous shiver run through him.
Still, that was for the future. Right now, he had a lottery to spin!
With a deep breath, Ash tapped for a triple draw.
The turntable's three golden pointers whirled at dizzying speed. At Ash's mental command, they slowed… and stopped, one by one.
[Congratulations! You drew A-Rank Ability: Special Attack Limit Boost.]
[Congratulations! You drew C-Rank Ability: Beginner Breeder.]
[Congratulations! You drew S-Rank One-Time Ability: Chosen One's Radiance.]
Ash's jaw dropped. A-Rank, C-Rank, and an S-Rank. Again.
"An S-Rank… once again?!"
That tiny sliver on the wheel where the S-Rank sat, barely visible to the naked eye, was where his pointer had landed. Twice now. Out of six total draws, he had two S-Ranks, two A-Ranks, and two C-Ranks.
That wasn't good luck. That was broken.
The veterans had explained before: out of tens of thousands of draws, maybe one or two would ever land on an S-Rank. That was how rare they were. And yet Ash had pulled two before his journey had even properly begun.
With Aura alone, he'd gone from "slightly above average kid" to "superhero in the making." Once he mastered it, he'd be able to challenge Champion-level Pokémon head-on. Wasn't that already heaven-defying enough?
And now this "Chosen One's Radiance" thing? What even was that supposed to mean?
Ash quickly typed into the chat:
[Newbie Ash: Guys, I just finished drawing… but I don't understand one of the rewards.]
[Fishing Enthusiastic Ash: You didn't just pull another A-Rank or B-Rank, did you?]
[Newbie Ash: Uh… why couldn't it be D-Rank or E-Rank?]
[Fishing Enthusiastic Ash: Because D- and E-Ranks are garbage. E-Ranks are like… basic farm chores. Hoeing the ground. Useless in battle. D-Ranks give tiny stuff, like beginner computer skills, or driving practice. Better than nothing, but hardly worth bragging about.]
[Fishing Enthusiastic Ash: C-Rank and above are where it gets interesting. That's why your previous draw mattered. So… what rank this time?]
[Newbie Ash: S-Rank.]
[Fishing Enthusiastic Ash: ???]
[Fishing Enthusiastic Ash: You &&*%$#@!!]