Ash was over the moon with excitement.
After syncing with every disciple in the Muramasa Dojo, including Muramasa himself, not only did Heracross and Bayleef's bond levels skyrocket, but he also earned a whopping 3000 exchange points.
That meant he could redeem another special ability!
Psychic powers, the Power of Aura, the Blessing of Viridian, the Dragon Tamer's Might…
Each category branched off into multiple sub-abilities. For instance, the Psychic path included things like Psychokinesis, Precognition, and even Teleportation.
Ash had once met someone with such powers back in the Kanto region—Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City. That girl was terrifyingly strong and wielded all kinds of psychic abilities.
The Viridian Blessing offered even more variety—Healing Touch, Nurturing Hand, Evolution Boost, Hatching Instinct... all intimately tied to Pokémon.
Of course, Ash also had the option to further enhance the Aura he already mastered, sparing him the trouble of endless training.
But hey—what's the point of hoarding points? He just needed to save a bit to buy system feed for Snorlax, and he was good.
Thinking it through, Ash realized his Aura had already improved significantly after the last bond transformation with Charizard. For now, it was enough.
Better to expand his arsenal with a brand-new ability.
After carefully weighing his options, Ash made his choice.
He was going to spend his hard-earned points to unlock a new psychic power—
Psychokinesis!
Put simply, Aura bolstered Ash's close-combat prowess and perception. It let him go toe-to-toe with Charizard in a brawl.
But Psychokinesis? It was like growing a dozen invisible arms—enhancing both combat and support in ways he'd never imagined.
"Pikachu, don't panic, okay?" Ash grinned as the psychic power coursed through him. With a light wave of his hand, Pikachu began to float slowly into the air.
"Pika?"
Though startled at first, Pikachu quickly caught on and let out a cheerful squeak.
Brock and Misty, watching from the side, weren't even surprised anymore.
"At this rate, Ash's turning into a human Pokémon!" Brock chuckled, shaking his head. Since arriving in Johto, Ash had changed so much it was mind-blowing.
But Misty wasn't as relaxed. "Ash, stop showing off! Put Pikachu down before something goes wrong!"
Ash just laughed. "Relax, Misty. Ever since I awakened Psychokinesis, my mental strength's gone through the roof. I won't be fainting from strain anymore!"
An unexpected perk, really.
"You'd better not faint again!" Misty huffed, clearly recalling the two times Ash had nearly passed out and scared her half to death.
"Pika!"
Still floating, Pikachu suddenly perked up, pointing off into the distance and crying out.
"Come back, Pikachu!" Ash pulled him back to his shoulder, and the three of them dashed toward the commotion.
They hadn't run far before arriving at the base of a cliff.
The cliffside was riddled with caves—an obvious network of tunnels.
"Give up, Quilava! I will capture you!" A furious voice rang out.
A boy slightly older than Ash was cornering a Quilava outside a cave entrance. By his side was a Sandslash, pressing the Fire-type hard.
With its Ground typing, Sandslash naturally had the upper hand. And now that Quilava was driven out of the cave, it had lost its terrain advantage. Things weren't looking good for the Johto Fire starter.
Compared to the shy, timid Cyndaquil, Quilava was far more courageous. And its final evolution, Typhlosion—well, the name said it all.
Pokémon evolution was such a mysterious thing. It could even alter a Pokémon's very personality.
Quilava, despite being at a disadvantage, didn't back down.
"Sandslash, use Slash!"
Sandslash's long claws gleamed—it was perfectly suited for this move.
The force behind its attack was terrifying. Quilava dodged just in time, and the slash landed on a tree nearby—splitting it cleanly in half, trunk as thick as a man's waist!
"Whoa, that Slash is powerful!" Brock couldn't help but admire the strength behind it.
At that moment, the trainer finally noticed Ash and the others watching.
"Hey! Back off! I've been chasing this Quilava for a week! I'm this close to catching it. If you get in my way, I will make you regret it!"
"How rude!" Misty scowled, crossing her arms. "He's got no manners at all!"
"He's not strong enough to catch that Quilava anyway," Ash said coolly.
Almost as if responding to his words, Quilava suddenly tucked itself into a ball, rolled away to create distance, and then flared up—intense flames bursting from both its head and tail.
A jet of flame shot out, engulfing Sandslash completely.
"Damn it!" the trainer cursed, recalling his fallen partner. But he wasn't done. He threw out two more Poké Balls.
A massive Golem and a Tentacruel emerged—both strong against Fire-types.
No wonder he'd been pursuing Quilava for so long. He was clearly prepared. All his Pokémon had type advantages against it.
"A two-on-one fight? That's so unfair!" Misty cried out, furious.
While there weren't official rules for capturing wild Pokémon, most trainers fought one-on-one out of respect.
If the wild Pokémon stayed after defeating one partner, then they'd continue the battle in a relay-style match.
Because, in the end, capturing a Pokémon was also about mutual recognition. Only those who earned a Pokémon's trust and respect could truly bond with it.
If this guy captured Quilava like this, it would never obey him.
"Well, if he's allowed to gang up, then we're allowed to step in!" Ash smirked, gripping a Poké Ball tightly. "A rare Pokémon like this? Finder's keepers!"
Whoever caught it first, won.
"Pikachu, let's go! Use Iron Tail!'"
"Pika!"
Pikachu launched forward from Ash's shoulder, its tail glowing with metallic sheen as it slashed down at Golem!
"Golem, dodge it—!"
Boom!
Pikachu's Iron Tail was getting stronger and stronger. The impact carved a deep crater into the earth.
"Who did that?! That was dirty!" the boy roared in anger.
"As a trainer, when you see a Pokémon you like, of course you try to catch it," Ash said calmly, brushing off the insult. "If I were the one capturing Quilava first, would you have stood aside quietly?"
If this guy weren't so arrogant, Ash might have waited for him to fail before stepping in.
But honestly? Even then, this kind of guy would probably turn on him anyway. Might as well make the first move.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt! Aim for Tentacruel!"
….
Heracross Bond Level: 145/251
Bayleef Bond Level: 165/200