"System virus scan in progress."
After dinner, Ash was picking his teeth and patting his stomach when he wandered over to take a look. To his surprise, the Pokédex sitting atop the stone platform was still running at full speed, occasionally emitting grinding, gluttonous noises that were harsh enough to make one's ears ache.
"Well… makes sense," Ash muttered. "You can't raise Gu in a single day. I've heard even raising an Arbok takes forty-nine days before it fully matures."
He casually tossed the toothpick aside and released his Pokémon nearby, treating it as some post-meal warm-up training.
After all, Saffron City had a Gym too—and rumors said it was no joke. He needed to prepare properly.
"Gengar, you're way too strong. Sit this one out for now. Let the younger ones get some experience," Ash said thoughtfully. "Besides, the Saffron Gym's type might counter you."
"Gen…"
Gengar didn't bother responding. The moment it appeared, it activated its Levitate ability and drifted up onto a high rock. It bent its backside and squatted there, chubby little hands propping up its cheeks, utterly immersed in the sorrow of heartbreak.
I brought the gear… and my online crush brought the gear too. Even a ghost can't handle that!
Ash scratched his head, utterly baffled, then turned his attention to the others.
Pikachu didn't even need mentioning. Having just finished eating, it had already laid out its little blanket with a lightning-bolt pattern. After giving Ash a quick look, it closed its eyes peacefully.
The sun had been down for nearly an hour already. If it didn't sleep now, it might die of exhaustion.
Ash: "..."
Why does this Electric Mouse feel like it's already been completely ruined by me?
He then looked toward his Kanto longevity squad.
Charmander had been appearing frequently in recent battles and had built up quite a record of achievements—but its temper had also been getting worse.
According to Brock's analysis, this was a sign of imminent evolution. Fire-type Pokémon often became especially irritable before evolving.
This upcoming Gym challenge might be the perfect chance to trigger it.
On the other hand, Squirtle and Bulbasaur had seen far fewer battles. Bulbasaur usually only came out to act as a vine rope, while Squirtle mostly existed to liven up the atmosphere.
Still, they could be安排—ahem—scheduled for some real combat this time.
As for Metapod, it continued to accumulate power, waiting patiently for the day it would break its cocoon and become a dragon.
Entering battle now would risk losing control—once that power overflowed, all those years of cultivation would be wasted in an instant.
After all, it wasn't holding an Everstone. It was enduring purely through ironclad willpower.
Pidgeotto, meanwhile, was grinding hard on HM techniques, leaving it with little time to participate.
"Looks like a 3-on-3 match at the Saffron Gym would be perfect," Ash muttered.
Soon, he joined them in enthusiastic training.
"Pidgeotto! Use Rock Smash on that boulder!"
"Pidge!"
Pidgeotto understood immediately, its wings carving visible marks into the stone.
"Whoo…"
Late at night, a gust of wind swept through the forest, rustling the trees. All three of them instinctively looked up toward the sky.
Brock spread his hands, fingers forming a lotus-like gesture, sensing the flow of air. Under the moonlight, his eyes gleamed faintly.
"Looks like it's going to be very windy tomorrow."
Just like the Pokédex had predicted—maybe they'd even witness the rare sight of a mass Butterfree migration tomorrow.
Ash & Misty: "..."
Damn it. Has Brock already attained enlightenment?
The Next Morning
The wind had indeed grown stronger, and by noon it would likely reach its peak.
Bathed in the purplish glow of dawn, Ash took a deep breath—then turned around and yanked Pikachu's blanket away.
"Pika?"
Seeing Pikachu's groggy, confused face, Ash made up his mind.
He could never let it keep indulging itself like this again.
Ash raised his arms and stretched.
"Pikachu! Do morning exercises with me!"
Pikachu yawned, lifted its tiny paws, and reluctantly began following along.
After a proper warm-up, trainer and Pokémon both felt fired up again. Seeing the fighting spirit return to Pikachu's eyes, Ash finally felt reassured.
As long as Pikachu was willing to work hard, it still had ambition.
The future was bright!
After breakfast, the trio packed up and prepared to continue toward Saffron City. Ash retrieved the Pokédex he'd left far away the night before—afraid it might explode—and was surprised to find it had finally stopped running.
"The ultimate Gu King has been born?" Ash wondered.
All three leaned in, heads forming a circle as they examined it.
Turning on the screen, they found that Vermilion Manager, Viridian Security Manager, and Mt. Silver Antivirus had all vanished.
Only a single antivirus remained on the main interface.
Last night, while the three slept soundly, a battle worthy of being recorded in history had unfolded inside the Pokédex's CPU.
At the start, Vermilion Manager, just like a local clickbait outlet, was aggressively provocative—launching attacks on all three rival programs at once.
Viridian Security Manager, embodying the will of the land, stood firm and unmoving, solid as bedrock, never initiating an attack.
Mt. Silver Antivirus, however, erupted midway through the conflict. Shockingly powerful, it launched virus scans against both remaining rivals simultaneously.
As for Alola Guard—well, no one even bothered looking at it.
A rural native. Completely ignored by the three "elite" programs.
Yet this very neglect laid the groundwork for the bloodiest finale.
At the final moment, Alola Guard broke through the shackles of its own version. Originally written in low-level assembly code, it descended even further—into machine language itself.
Even a three-year-old knows:
The lower the level of code, the stronger it is.
In the end, Alola Guard evolved into a never-before-seen, brand-new form—
Alola Giant Guardian!
The underdog rose up, completely annihilating the other three antivirus programs and deleting them without mercy. Instantly, the Pokédex felt clean and refreshed.
"Beep. Vermilion Headlines successfully deleted."
"Beep. Vermilion Highlights successfully deleted."
"Beep. LeafTok successfully deleted."
Ash was overjoyed. He patted Misty and Brock on the shoulders, relieved that he wouldn't have to smash the Pokédex after all.
But before he could celebrate for more than a few seconds, the Pokédex spoke again.
"Beep. Alola Headlines installed successfully."
"Beep. Alola Highlights installed successfully."
"Beep. WeAlola installed successfully."
Ash: "?"
So that's what this so-called Alola saint was?
Turns out it's just as black-hearted as Murkrow everywhere else!
"Hey! Delete this trash immediately!" Ash roared.
"Beep. Initiating Plan A: Using Alola Giant Guardian to delete Alola Headlines."
"Beep. Deletion failed."
Ash: "???"
Soon, the Pokédex fan began spinning wildly once more.
"Beep. Initiating Plan B: Using Vermilion Manager to delete Alola Headlines. Beginning installation of Vermilion Manager."
"Beep. Installation failed."
"Beep. Installing Vermilion Manager Plus."
The trio: "?!"
Just hearing the name, it sounded like another supreme Gu King!
Wait… why does this plot feel so familiar?
Have we entered some kind of Infinite Tsukuyomi loop?
"Stop—stop—STOP!!" Ash hurriedly interrupted.
Forget it. Forget it.
Maybe a Pokédex is destined to carry at least one piece of junk software forever.
With a sigh, he stuffed the Pokédex back into his pocket.
His face looked like it had aged ten years in an instant.
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