"Bwahahahaha—
I'll be waiting for you at the Vermilion Gym, boy~
Show me your strength!"
The call cut off, and Lt. Surge's booming laughter seemed to keep echoing in the room.
Professor Sakuragi turned back and patted Ash's shoulder, his tone gentle but with a trace of worry.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Ash.
Lt. Surge's personality is… overbearing, to say the least.
He's using a provocation—backing you into a corner on purpose.
Honestly, as a retired soldier and current Gym Leader, pulling this kind of stunt on a kid is a bit much."
Thinking of that, Sakuragi himself felt a little speechless.
—Hopefully Professor Oak doesn't call to chew him out for this.
Back in the day, Professor Oak could fight.
After so many years of "cultivating his temperament"… maybe he won't throw hands anymore?
"I understand, Professor Sakuragi."
Ash's eyes were very clear. There was no anger, just the sharpness of someone calmly thinking through a battle plan.
"He wants to force me to challenge quickly, and he wants me to perform—
to show enough strength to 'satisfy' him.
But that was my goal anyway."
Ash had always planned to get the Thunder Badge here.
He was aiming for all eight main League badges, not random side badges.
"As long as you can think of it that way, that's good."
Professor Sakuragi nodded, relieved.
"Come on, I'll give you a quick tour of the lab.
We're still new here, but some of the equipment is pretty interesting.
Might help you relax or spark a new idea."
He really didn't care too much whether Ash won or lost.
If Ash won—great.
If he lost—well, that's life.
On the road of a Trainer—or a researcher—failure is normal.
Nine out of ten research projects end in failure anyway.
Over the next half hour, Professor Sakuragi walked the three of them around the institute, showing some non-confidential machines and projects.
Goh followed excitedly, asking questions nonstop.
Koharu clutched her Wooloo plushie quietly, occasionally whispering a few words to Pikachu.
And Goh… spent the whole time at the back, face dark, eyes stabbing at Ash's back every few steps, clearly stewing over something.
Once the tour ended, Ash and the others took their leave.
The moment they stepped out the front doors, Misty couldn't hold it in:
"That Lt. Surge is way too much!
He's the one causing all the trouble, and now he's dumping the responsibility on you!"
If she didn't know she couldn't win, Misty would already be marching to the Gym to bash his head in.
"It's a kind of pressure tactic and psychological warfare," Brock said, arms folded, calmly analysing.
"He wants Ash to be off-balance when he fights, so he'll make mistakes."
"But he's underestimating Ash's mental toughness."
Brock trusted Ash.
Why?
No particular reason.
It was just a feeling—a charisma Ash gave off.
Some people are just born with that kind of presence.
Ash smiled and didn't argue, just sped up his pace.
"Let's head back to the Pokémon Center.
We need to talk to Beast Tamer Ming about this."
At least there was one good thing to come out of all this—
he'd managed to recommend Ming to Professor Sakuragi.
That alone was worth the trip.
Inside the Pokémon Center, Ming was still at his Sandshrew's bedside, feeding it carefully.
The worst of its injuries had stabilised, but his expression was still clouded.
When Ash finished retelling the call with Lt. Surge—and the "if I'm satisfied, I'll stop" promise—Ming shot to his feet, eyes full of tangled emotion.
"How… how can he do that!"
His fists clenched, anger at Lt. Surge mixing with guilt toward Ash.
"That means he's putting all the pressure on you! This is all because of me…"
"No, it's not your fault."
Ash cut him off, his tone firm.
"Even without you, I'd still challenge him.
Now I just have one more reason to win—and to win beautifully."
"But his Raichu is way too strong…"
Just thinking about that overwhelming power made Ming shiver.
"My Sandshrew couldn't even take one hit…"
"That's why we need a plan," Ash said, his gaze sliding over to his own team.
Pikachu on his shoulder, eyes sharp.
Gyarados and Pidgeotto resting in their Poké Balls at his belt, steady as ever.
"Lt. Surge believes in forcing everything to evolve.
His Raichu's power and voltage are far beyond normal.
If we go head-to-head, we have no chance."
If he used one of Lt. Surge's true ace Pokémon, Ash wouldn't win.
He'd only been traveling a short time. Even if his progress had been ridiculous, beating a Gym Leader's main team now would be…
well, cheating-tier.
Unfortunately, his system wasn't broken that hard yet.
Realistically, Ash figured:
Pokémon League Conference Champion ≈ average Gym Leader
< Elite Four
< true Champion-tier monsters
He'd probably have to win the Indigo Conference and reach true elite status before he could face a Gym Leader's full-power team head-on.
While the group huddled together and discussed ways to use Pikachu's speed, Lightning Rod ability and maybe even the battlefield layout to their advantage, a gentle voice slid into the conversation:
"Maybe… this will help a little."
They turned around.
Nurse Joy had walked over without them noticing.
She held a small, elegant case in her hands.
When she opened it, a brilliant yellow stone filled with crackling energy rested inside—
A Thunder Stone.
"Nurse Joy?" Ash blinked in surprise.
She still wore that kind smile she always did, but this time her eyes held an edge that rarely appeared.
"Lt. Surge's recent behavior has brought a lot of unnecessary pain and pressure to Trainers and their Pokémon," she said quietly.
"As a Joy, what I hope to see is Trainers growing with their partners—
not having their confidence crushed for no reason."
She extended the case toward Ash.
"This Thunder Stone is of no use to me here.
Pikachu is a very special kind of Pokémon—evolving isn't their only path."
"But the right to choose… should be in your hands."
"Or…" her eyes flashed,
"maybe it can be part of your strategy?"
She went on:
"If it's possible… I hope, during the Gym battle, you can fight not just for yourself, but for me—
and for all the injured Trainers and Pokémon—
Give that overconfident man a proper beating."
"Let him understand that Pokémon aren't tools to trample others,
they're partners to protect and guide."
Just as Professor Sakuragi had said, Joy really was unhappy about how much extra work Lt. Surge had dumped on her.
Thunder Stones in general aren't outrageously expensive.
But this one was clearly exceptional—pure color, strong energy, high quality.
Ash looked at the stone, then at Pikachu—
who clearly had no interest in evolving.
His thoughts snapped into place.
He accepted the case solemnly.
You don't turn down something this useful for free.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy."
"We'll definitely make good use of this stone."
A confident smile tugged at his lips.
"As for the beating…
don't worry. I'll add everyone's share together—
and make sure he remembers this battle for a long time."
…That said, how exactly would he deal with Lt. Surge?
Just relying on Lightning Rod wouldn't be enough.
Joy, seeing him accept the stone, clearly felt much better.
"Then I'll give you one more hint~~"
She smiled, eyes curving.
"Lt. Surge won't send out his original main team against rookies.
But aside from his true aces, the other Raichu… aren't very fast."
"All of his Pikachu evolved into Raichu way too early."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios