Under Ash's completely baffled gaze, Blue shakily raised her right hand.
Her palm trembled violently, like a severe case of Parkinson's.
After a long, incomprehensible exchange that could only be described as dragon-language communication, Ash finally understood what had happened.
"..."
Several days ago, she and Gary had made an agreement.
Gary would handle all the miscellaneous work around the city.
She would be responsible for cutting down every single weed and tree.
The workload didn't sound heavy.
Work together.
Enjoy life together in two days.
In the early stage, Blue relied on her ace Pokémon—Ivysaur—to do the cutting.
By the mid stage, she rolled up her sleeves and started swinging an axe alongside it.
By the final stage—
The axe broke.
She didn't have a DIY repair manual.
So she started cutting trees with her bare hands.
Ash: "?"
Wait a second.
So the infamous barehanded tree-cutting maniac recently terrorizing Vermilion City…
Was this exhausted girl right in front of him?
He had even seen the news report.
The suspect's face was mosaicked—no wonder he didn't recognize her.
As if remembering something, Blue's haggard face suddenly lit up.
Her large eyes curved into crescents, full of pure satisfaction.
With her other trembling hand, she pulled out a wrinkled cruise ticket.
This was the reward she had earned by waking up at 5 a.m., sleeping at 2 a.m., and grinding nonstop for days.
"Hehe… I finally get to live like a real high-class person now."
Ash smiled and pulled out his own ticket.
"What a coincidence. I'm becoming upper-class too."
Blue: "?!"
At that moment, Brock and Misty returned.
They were carrying bags of ingredients, planning to cook a celebratory dinner.
Seeing Ash and Blue holding up tickets, they assumed some kind of ritual was happening and naturally raised theirs as well.
"What a coincidence—we're going upper-class too."
Everyone was upper-class.
Blue: "!!!?"
Just as the group was about to catch up properly—
Blue suddenly sensed something.
Her lifeless, salted-fish posture vanished instantly.
She shot to her feet.
Her back straightened like a blade leaving its sheath.
Her entire presence changed.
Invisible energy surged around her body.
Her brown hair slowly floated upward, as if gathering power.
In an instant, a sharp, savage pressure filled the air—
so keen it felt capable of splitting metal and stone.
Brock and Misty both stepped back instinctively.
"Such terrifying blade aura…"
"This has to be the Heavenly Cut Realm!"
Brock's eyes narrowed into a line from shock.
The next moment—
Blue moved.
Her arm rose.
The edge of her palm transformed into an indestructible blade.
She slashed diagonally toward Brock.
Brock: "??!!"
Danger!
Brock stumbled backward.
But Blue's footwork shifted instantly—she followed, giving him no room to evade.
No escape!
A brilliant cutting intent erupted from her eyes.
The sound of air tearing apart rang out.
A blinding white arc shot upward, as if it might split the Pokémon Center ceiling.
"Die."
Blue muttered.
Her blade could cut through anything.
SHHHH—!
The slash was unleashed—and retracted in the same instant.
Sheathing her "blade," Blue placed her trembling hand at her waist.
Thud.
The three green onions Brock was holding had all been cleanly severed at the waist.
The cuts were smooth, flawless.
Without decades of mastery in Cut, such a strike would be impossible.
Yet the plastic bag around the vegetables was completely intact.
As if the slash had passed through reality itself.
Brock: "?"
Everyone: "?"
After executing the Cut, Blue's strength vanished.
She collapsed back into her seat, reverting to her salted-fish state.
Her face flushed as she clutched her still-trembling right hand.
"Sorry… I… couldn't help it."
Her Cut had reached perfection.
Vermilion City Highlights had even awarded her the honorary title:
"Tree-Chopping King."
Now whenever she saw weeds or branches—
Her body instinctively wanted to use Cut.
She was no longer pure.
She had become a merciless Cut machine.
Everyone: "..."
Is she beyond saving?
Brock and Misty went to the Pokémon Center kitchen to prepare dinner.
Only Ash and Blue remained in the lounge.
With no one around, Blue blinked and cautiously asked:
"Don't you think… maybe we misunderstood him?
Maybe Gary is actually a good person at heart…?"
Ash: "?"
Has the nerve damage from your palms finally spread to your brain?
"Think about it," Blue continued seriously.
"I only cut trees and ended up like this. Gary said his workload was fifty times mine. He slept only one hour a day, working nonstop just to earn two tickets."
"When I ran into him yesterday, he even said proudly that everything he did was for Pallet Town's honor!"
Blue was moved.
Even though every time she saw Gary, he was calmly drinking coffee—
Surely, deep down, his body and soul had already been destroyed.
What a blood-sucking, evil city!
She clenched her fist in anger—
But had no strength.
Her hand unconsciously turned into a cutting posture instead.
Ash: "..."
"Uh… actually," Ash coughed, lowering his voice.
"I talked to Professor Oak before."
After some hesitation, he decided to tell the truth.
"The Professor said the Pokémon League gave him two cruise tickets. Both were mailed to Gary. One for him, the other for whoever met him first."
Since Blue left early and Ash already had tickets from Professor Cerise, he hadn't bothered competing for the free one.
Before Ash could finish—
There was no response.
He looked down.
Blue's eyes had gone dark.
Her once-bright pupils were now replaced by the classic X-X dead-fish expression.
Her hand still weakly mimed tree-cutting motions in the air.
"I'm going to chop him to death…"
she muttered.
Then she passed out completely.
Not just ordinary fainting.
Even Blue's inner persona didn't appear.
Ever since she started cutting trees barehanded, that inner voice had sealed their mental connection and gone into deep hibernation.
She was possessed.
Ash: "..."
He took a deep breath, expression solemn.
So Gary's strength had already reached this level…
Truly worthy of being his rival.
From now on, Ash couldn't afford even the slightest carelessness.
Otherwise, he might end up just like Blue.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere in Vermilion City.
A spiky-haired boy lounged with his legs crossed, calmly sipping coffee.
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind—low and steady.
"I can feel it. Red has come to this city too."
Gary jolted.
"Red? The guy you said was even stronger than you, Green?"
Inside his soul, Green frowned.
"We're… fifty-fifty."
Gary stroked his chin.
Judging by timing, that blockhead Ash should have arrived too.
"Hmph. Beating Blue was boring anyway.
Time for a new target."
"Hahaha… let me show you what true terror looks like!"
Gary Oak was brimming with confidence.
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