Champion Ash had already investigated this matter, which is why he left this message for Ash.
Ash was still pondering what the Incredible Garden truly was when he saw a pink badge appear in front of him.
"This is proof of defeating the Fuchsia Gym, the Pink Badge. Congratulations, Ash."
Ash’s expression lit up, and he raised the Pink Badge high and shouted, "I got the Pink Badge!"
"Pi... Pikachu..." Not far away, the Pikachu in Misty’s arms weakly called out and then collapsed back into Misty’s embrace.
Even though some time had passed, its condition hadn’t improved at all. After all, the recent battle had drained it of all its strength. If Ash hadn’t used the Power of Viridian to heal it a bit, it might not even have the energy to shout now.
"Bulbulbul!" Bulbasaur walked over to Ash’s side, showing a happy smile on its face.
For Bulbasaur, this battle not only determined its future direction of progress but also allowed it to completely vent the depression in its heart.
Its character is actually quite proud, and it has full confidence in itself.
But after joining Ash’s team, because it didn’t want to evolve, it gradually got left behind by the other Pokemon. Later additions to the team, Charmander and Squirtle, had already surpassed it.
Even Riolu was closing in on it step by step, putting immense pressure on it!
But in this battle, all those emotions were completely vented with a delightful victory!
It had been a long time since it had fought such an exhilarating battle, and it was against a Pokemon it couldn’t even come close to before, a truly unmatched powerful Pokemon.
Even if the power it had was only temporary, Bulbasaur still fully experienced the feeling of a high-level match.
However, with the end of the battle, the power it had started to dissipate slowly.
The feeling of the power within its body gradually disappearing wasn’t great, but after all, this wasn’t its own power.
Yet there was still good news: some of this power remained in its body, boosting its level directly to advanced elite, with its abilities seeing noticeable growth.
[Species: Bulbasaur]
[Gender: Male]
[Attributes: Grass, Poison]
[Level: Advanced Elite]
[Ability: Overgrow]
[Skills: Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Ingrain, Growth, Grassy Glide, Sunny Day, Petal Dance, Solar Beam...]
[Six-Dimensional Abilities: Physical Attack A (A) Special Attack A (S) Defense A (A) Special Defense A (A) Physical Strength A (S) Speed A (A)]
Ash glanced at Bulbasaur’s status panel. Even he was amazed by the improvement.
The level crossed a major threshold while also rising a minor level, and it learned many skills it wouldn’t normally know, like Sunny Day, Petal Dance, Solar Beam.
These skills were likely those of Champion Ash’s Venusaur, and because they were attached, Bulbasaur could use them too. Unfortunately, Frenzy Plant wasn’t on the skill list.
It seems that skill indeed isn’t something Bulbasaur can learn.
During the battle, Frenzy Plant left a deep impression not only on the audience but also on Ash.
However, Frenzy Plant is a skill that the final evolution of the Grass Starter Trio can learn. Even though Bulbasaur had a temporary experience with it, it ultimately couldn’t learn the skill.
Apart from the skills, the biggest change was in the six-dimensional abilities.
All of Bulbasaur’s six-dimensional abilities had improved by one level!
Two of those abilities had already reached an S limit, and if it found a way to raise another ability to an S limit, Bulbasaur would have the potential to become Divine Domain Level.
This possession truly brought abundant rewards!
"Can I speak with you privately for a moment, Ash?"
"Hmm? It’s okay, Mr. Koga. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here."
Hearing this, Koga glanced at the surrounding cameras, hesitated for a moment before finally shaking his head, "Never mind, next time. This battle was beautifully won, Ash. I am completely defeated. It seems I need more time to settle before taking on the Johto Elite role."
Ash waved his hands repeatedly, "No such thing. I only narrowly defeated you because I had a bit more information. Ultimately, Bulbasaur managed to win because it borrowed the power of a certain Pokémon; otherwise, I had planned to just take it easy in the third match."
Koga was taken aback, "The power of a certain Pokémon?"
"Yes, that Pokémon’s voice suddenly appeared in my mind. It said it felt my desire for victory, and as long as my Pokémon and I could match its standards, it would grant me power." Ash nodded, speaking with conviction.
This statement left Koga utterly puzzled. He had wanted to request a private talk with Ash to find out what was really up with Bulbasaur in the last battle.
Even though he knew it was Ash’s secret, he still couldn’t resist knowing, given that a mere Advanced Level Pokémon could one-shot his Elite Peak Crobat, which had four times resistance to Grass.
If he didn’t get an explanation, he’d likely be sleepless for the rest of the month!
Yet Ash came straight out and stated the reason, albeit in a way that Koga didn’t quite understand.
"Do you know the name of that Pokémon?"
"Um... it seems to be called Victini," Ash said, putting on a thoughtful face, revealing the Pokémon’s name.
Koga: !!!
Victini?! Isn’t that the name of the Phantom Pokémon, the legendary God of Victory!
As a candidate for the Elite, Koga’s knowledge reserves were beyond doubt. Although information on Victini seldom appeared in Kanto or Johto, Koga was aware of this Pokémon.
Victini holds the title of the God of Victory, and it’s said that Trainers with Victini win any battle they face.
The most remarkable characteristic of Victini is that it can lend power to other Pokémon, and it’s known as the Infinite Pokémon, meaning its internal power is inexhaustible.
Whether this is true or not is unknown since these are merely legends; very few people in the world have seen Victini, and even fewer have experienced its mysterious power.
The name is scarcely known, and now Ash had unexpectedly mentioned it.
Coupling Victini’s legend with Bulbasaur’s explosive power growth, Koga reached a conclusion—this might well be the work of Victini!
The legend of Victini tells of its unique ability to grant power to Pokémon who seek victory, explaining Bulbasaur’s sudden power surge.
As for whether Ash made this up... Koga thought the chances were slim. Ash, a rookie Trainer, couldn’t possibly know about a Phantom Pokémon from the Unova Region, right?
Moreover, Bulbasaur’s enhancement to such an extent couldn’t be explained away without invoking Phantom Pokémon or Legendary Beasts.
So this match wasn’t lost to Ash but to the legendary Phantom Pokémon Victini?
Thinking of this, Koga felt oddly comforted; losing to a Phantom Pokémon isn’t really losing, is it.jpg.
...
After receiving the badge, Ash said goodbye to Koga and prepared to leave the Fuchsia Gym, but as he stepped outside, he was immediately surrounded by a crowd. They encircled Ash, and a cacophony of voices filled Ash’s ears.
They mainly asked how Ash had trained his Pokémon to such a state in just two months, and if Ash had any special methods for temporarily boosting his Pokémon’s power, how Pikachu had been trained to be so strong...
In short, all sorts of random questions emerged, and they surrounded Ash, leaving no room for escape.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Ash, in a bid to protect Misty, unleashed his Aura Power, pushing everyone away and then released Gardevoir. With one Teleport, he disappeared from everyone’s sight with Misty and Brock.