"The Aura Power, a kind of power I've never heard of before; I've only ever heard of Superpower." After confirming that Ash was a normal human being with just a special ability, Misty finally put aside her fears and began to converse normally with Ash.
This special power of Aura, not to mention in Kanto, is extremely rare even worldwide. The number of Pokemon that can use Aura is very few, and among humans, it's almost nonexistent.
On the contrary, there are actually quite a few humans with Superpower. In Kanto, for instance, the Gym Leader of Saffron Gym is a Superpower User, and there seem to be Superpower Users in other regions as well.
Although Aura Power and Superpower are different in nature, they are both essentially forms of special abilities. Misty had heard of Superpower, so she quickly accepted the fact that Ash possessed a special ability.
"Speaking of which, even with a special ability, isn't it a bit outrageous for one person to take on a flock of Spearow?"
"Hehe, impressive, right?"
"I'm not complimenting you... well, I guess it's almost like a compliment." Seeing Ash's proud expression, Misty hesitated before ultimately going along with Ash's words and acknowledging him.
Throughout their conversation, Misty discovered that although Ash's strength was terrifying, his temperament was indeed like that of a child—prone to pride and arrogance, yet also very approachable.
What made Misty amused and helpless was that Ash had called her out from behind the tree because, after witnessing his heroic display, she hadn't come out to express admiration or show interest in getting to know him.
Isn't this just the pure heart of a child wanting to show off? It matches the impulsive eagerness of a fifteen-year-old boy.
"Are you a Newbie Trainer?"
"Yeah, I just got my Starter Pokemon and Pokedex today, and I've just set off from Pallet Town. This is my partner, Pikachu."
"Pika pika~" Pikachu waved from Ash's shoulder, greeting Misty.
"Your Starter Pokemon is Pikachu... you mentioned you have a Pokedex? Who was the League's special officer in your area?" Misty asked curiously.
Generally, every city has a league officer who distributes Starter Pokemon to teenagers of eligible age, but there are different levels of officers, and only those with higher status can grant a Pokedex along with the Starter Pokemon to Trainers starting their journey.
Normally, officers of that rank would distribute starter Pokemon with great potential, like Charmander, which has three evolutionary stages and a relatively gentle initial form.
How could an officer distribute a Pokedex alongside a Starter Pokemon like Pikachu, which is common and relatively difficult for Newbie Trainers to handle?
"The officer in Pallet Town is Professor Oak. He's pretty famous, I think."
"Professor Oak!!!"
"Misty, you know Professor Oak too?"
"Obviously, you can't find many people in Kanto who don't know Professor Oak, can you? Besides being a world-renowned top Pokemon Professor, he was also the original Champion Trainer of the Kanto League. Since he retired, no one in Kanto has ever become a Champion!"
Ash & Pikachu: !!!
That kindly, somewhat absent-minded Professor Oak was actually the first Champion of the Kanto League?
This news was a huge shock to Ash and Pikachu. Both gulped, and Ash asked with some difficulty, "Are you sure you didn't remember it wrong? Professor Oak being a famous Professor is one thing, but the first Champion of the Kanto League... how is that possible?"
Misty rolled her eyes and said, "How could I get something so important wrong? I'm Hua... well, anyway, there's no mistake. Although not many people know about Professor Oak's heroic deeds back then, if you ask the Gym Leaders, they'll tell you. Back then, Professor Oak was an extremely famous figure!"
"Can you tell me about Professor Oak's past deeds?"
"Emmm, sure thing. Where are you heading next?"
"Viridian City."
"Then let's chat as we walk."
The two began their journey to Viridian City, conversing back and forth.
Misty actually brought a bicycle, which she had left behind the tree. She could have reached Viridian City in less than half a day by bike, but considering Ash, Misty chose to walk alongside him, pushing her bike.
Along the way, Misty shared some stories of Professor Oak from decades ago. Back then, no Champion Level Trainers had emerged in the Kanto Region, making it the weakest among the seven regions.
During that time, Professor Oak emerged out of nowhere, not only winning the Quartz Conference but also rising rapidly on his path as a Trainer, ultimately becoming the strongest presence in Kanto and the Champion of the Kanto League.
All the famous Trainers back then got a beating from Professor Oak; his prowess could be compared to Leon today.
But, with the then underdeveloped internet and transportation, Professor Oak's fame was largely confined within Kanto. Over time, with his retirement and his rising academic fame, his champion exploits slowly faded away.
"...To this day, the Kanto Region still hasn't produced a new Champion Trainer. Even Dragon Envoy Lance, known as invincible, hasn't surpassed the Elite Four to become the Kanto Champion." Misty, face filled with lament as she pushed her bike, seemed to regret not witnessing Professor Oak's stellar performance firsthand.
"Is Kanto really so weak now? It doesn't even have a Champion?" Ash asked with some curiosity.
"Weak, Kanto?! Haha, you might say that Kanto's League Conference is a cradle for newbies, but if you want to talk about top-level combat power, you should ask the other regions if Kanto is weak." Misty chuckled sarcastically. Claiming Kanto has weak lower and middle tiers wouldn't raise any objections, but questioning Kanto's top-level power? That just shows a lack of common sense.
"Then why doesn't Kanto even have a Champion?"
"Do you know how Champions in each region are selected?"
Ash shook his head.
"To be a Champion, one must defeat all four Elite members in four consecutive days! Fun Fact: Kanto's Elite Four, if placed in other regions, would all be Champions. Now you understand why Kanto doesn't have a Champion?"
Ash & Pikachu: !!!
My goodness, it's not that Kanto is too weak; it's too strong!
The four Elite members are equivalent to four Champions? How can there be such an understated term!
"Drip drip~~" As the two were having an engaging conversation, the once clear blue sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds, and soon after, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
The sunny day quickly turned into a gloomy rainy one, and Misty and Ash hurried to find a place to shelter from the rain.