Chapter 22: Promotion Match? I'm an Old Sniper

The group was still making their way toward Viridian City.

Ash had two electric mice perched on his shoulders, and if one more stood on his head, they could have sat down for a card game.

Speaking of which, where exactly did this Pikachu come from...?

"Oh, right, I can try this."

Suddenly struck by an idea, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and performed a full-body scan on the round-faced Pikachu.

"Beep beep. Pikachu. A common, run-of-the-mill electric mouse. Bad temperament."

Ash slapped the Pokédex hard and reminded it, "Hey, hey, hey! I wasn't asking for that. Something else!"

Pokédex: "..."

After a long pause, the mechanical voice vibrated, providing an answer.

"Beep beep. Pikachu. Nickname: Pika. Belonging to UR-rank Trainer, Red."

"Red?"

Hearing this, the three of them crowded around, staring at each other in disbelief. No one had ever heard of a trainer named Red.

To be able to raise such a powerful Pikachu, he certainly couldn't be an ordinary person.

How could there be no mention of him in the world?

"Could he be a legendary senior who has already passed away?"

"It's a high possibility."

Red: "..."

"By the way, what does 'UR' mean?"

Ash was interested in a different keyword. Do trainers have English titles like that now?

"Beep beep. UR-rank: Ultra Rare. An extremely rare tier of trainer. It is the highest possible title."

Seeing this, Ash's competitive spirit flared up, and he hurriedly asked, "What about me? What about me?"

"Beep beep. Trainer: Ash. SR-rank trainer," the Pokédex prompted meticulously.

Upon hearing this, Brock and Misty, who were standing nearby, both wore expressions of utter disbelief.

Although they didn't know who was responsible for this arbitrary ranking system, they had played games before and knew that UR was the top tier, followed by SSR.

Below that was SR.

*Super Rare.*

Even though he was ranked third, there were still a whole bunch of "trash" titles below him. Being third was already quite exaggerated, especially since Ash was a novice trainer.

"Am I really that amazing...?"

Having learned the truth, Ash showed a rare expression of embarrassment, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Actually, it's quite normal. Not to brag, but I am a man with two badges after all. This rank is about right, hee hee..." he said, blushing.

The Pokédex spoke again to interrupt his boasting, its voice cold and piercing.

"Beep beep. SR: Street Rate. It means 'commonplace/run-of-the-mill.' It is currently the lowest rank."

Ash: "..."

Well, never mind then.

For a moment, the other two burst into laughter, filling the air with a sense of joy.

However, after they had walked for a short while, the round-faced Pikachu suddenly rubbed Ash's head, and its body turned into red light, returning to its Poké Ball.

After all, not all Pokémon enjoy staying outside.

At such a high altitude, what if they caught a cold from the wind?

A Pikachu that liked staying outside was the real anomaly.

High-level Pokémon could enter and exit their Poké Balls at will like this.

Seeing this, Ash didn't think much of it and said to boost morale, "The harder we work, the luckier we get. Let's keep moving toward Viridian City!"

Not long after, the three arrived at a desolate rocky area.

The surroundings were empty, but in the center, a massive, tent-like fortress had been built in a very eerie manner. A sign hung at the entrance of the fortress.

"Private Gym. Fight me if you dare. If you're a coward, pretend I didn't say anything."

"Whoa, my temper is rising!"

Seeing this, Ash's anger flared up instantly. He intended to give this arrogant private gym leader a proper lesson.

"Wait a minute, Ash..."

Brock quickly pulled him back and pointed to the text below the sign.

"99 Consecutive Wins"!

However, a red "X" had been drawn through it, and next to it was a new "99 Consecutive Wins."

Ash's expression darkened, and he swallowed hard.

Since his debut, he hadn't even fought more than nine battles, yet this person already had 99 consecutive wins?

He's a monster.

He took a deep breath, his anger gradually dissipating, and said in a heavy voice, "Master Kang, are you telling me not to be careless? I understand..."

Brock frowned and moved his finger down one more line.

"No, I'm telling you to look at the line below that."

Ash followed his finger and indeed saw another line of large text. The handwriting was crooked and messy, but the strokes were heavy.

Every stroke seemed to carry an endless resentment.

"Trainers from Pallet Town are scum."

Ash: "???"

Did Pallet Town steal your rice?

"What should we do? Should we still go in? It seems this person has a great deal of hostility toward trainers from Pallet Town," Misty asked worriedly.

With a hothead like Ash, if he went straight in, he'd probably introduce himself immediately.

"Hey, hey, hey! My name is Ash, and I'm a rookie trainer from Pallet Town!"

As a result, they'd skip the Pokémon battle and go straight to a fistfight between trainers.

"But if that happens, Ash's win rate might actually be higher...?" Misty muttered to herself.

Ultimately, Ash decided to go in.

Not for any other reason, but to uphold justice for Pallet Town.

Top ten towns in Kanto, most potential towns, key economic experimental zones, and so on...

His reputation couldn't be ruined by an outsider.

Soon, a boy with black, spiky hair walked out from the tent.

He was holding a long whip, looking quite menacing.

At his feet followed a rather stout, yellow mouse.

"Beep beep. Sandshrew. A common, run-of-the-mill mouse Pokémon. Earthy. Likes digging holes. Tastes bad."

The man: "..."

He glanced at the three of them, looking very wary.

"Where are you three from?"

"We're from Pewter City. We're city folk, good people," Ash replied smoothly.

Brock: "..."

Hearing this, the opponent lowered his guard, though his expression remained unpleasant.

"Hello. My name is Akio. I am the trainer of this private gym, and I am currently undergoing training for my 100th consecutive win."

Misty couldn't help but ask, "Then aren't you almost finished? I see it already says 99 wins on the sign."

"That's right. I'm just one last battle away from completing my goal. Why? Do you want to be my final prey?"

Akio swept his gaze toward Misty. His sharp gaze caused her to quickly retreat.

At this time, Brock also tentatively asked, "Actually, we're more interested in why you want Pallet Town trainers to crawl. You know, Pewter City is only a few streets away from Pallet Town."

Ash quickly added, "Yeah! I'm just a passerby. People from Pallet Town are great—they're good-looking and speak nicely. Why make them crawl?"

Akio: "..."

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to gather 100 people anytime soon, Akio sighed and led them into the tent, explaining casually, "Sigh, the story begins a week ago..."

Ash and the others instantly switched into "spectator mode."

"I made a vow to my Sandshrew that after completing 100 consecutive wins, I would officially set out on a journey to challenge the Gym League. When I had reached 30 wins, *that man* appeared..."

Akio frowned.

"He sat with me through the night, discussing Pokémon training methods and combat techniques. I learned so much from him. He was even extremely interested in my Sandshrew's training method and boldly proposed a revolutionary 'Type-Reversal' training method. It was a revelation to me. Now, my Sandshrew can even break through type advantages and develop resistance to Water-type moves."

The three of them were incredulous, thinking to themselves that someone was actually tinkering with type-reversal?

And from the looks of it, he had actually succeeded!?

"He also promised me that once I reached 100 wins, he would travel and grow with me, together achieving the great feat of Type-Reversal combat. I gladly agreed."

"Until I reached 99 wins. I joyfully sought him out, telling him that with just one more person, I could complete my 100th win and begin my journey."

"That was when he finally showed his true colors. He said he would be that 100th person to help me achieve my dream..."

Akio's face turned incredibly ashen.

"I didn't pay it any mind, because he had always acted like a theoretical type with no combat strength. The only Pokémon he brought along was an Eevee, which seemed to be just for show. I assumed he wanted to gift me a win, so I agreed."

"When he pulled out a Wartortle, I felt a bit panicked, but it wasn't a big deal. I still believed my dear friend wouldn't do something so cruel to me."

"But when his Wartortle used Water Pulse, it one-shotted my Sandshrew. I was finally stunned."

Brock and Misty: "???"

Could there really be someone so bored that they would wait in this middle-of-nowhere place for a week just to snipe someone's 100th-win promotion match?

Ash: "..."

Why did this behavior feel so familiar?!

At that moment, Akio suddenly hugged his Sandshrew tightly, his determined eyes shimmering with countless tears.

In his mind, he recalled the arrogant face of *that man* as he left, and his ugly posture as he laughed toward the sky.

"*'No one actually thinks they can do Type-Reversal combat, right? I was just talking nonsense and they actually took it seriously. I'm almost laughing out loud, ahahaha!!!'* "

The three: "..."

What a villain. To kill someone's spirit, he even had to rip out their heart.

Ash couldn't help but pat his chest, saying with righteous indignation, "So, did that person say his name? This guy is beyond saving. I'll help you snipe him too!"

Akio composed himself and replied slowly, "Yes. In the end, he left his name. It was..."

"Ash, from Pallet Town."

The three: "..."

Ash: "?"