Chapter 22: Advancement Match? I'm an Old Sniper After All

The group continued their journey toward Vermilion City. Ash had two electric mice perched on his shoulders, with another standing atop his head—they could have easily formed a card-playing table at this point.

"By the way, let me test this out."

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

"Beep. Pikachu, a common electric mouse, bad tempered."

Ash gave the Pokédex a sharp slap and reminded it, "Hey, hey, hey! I wasn't asking about that, give me something else!"

Pokédex: "..."

After a long pause, the mechanical voice flickered, and a response followed.

"Beep. Pikachu, nickname: Pika. Pokémon belonging to the UR-rank trainer, Red."

"Red?"

Hearing this, the three of them leaned in, eyes wide. None of them had ever heard of a trainer named Red. Surely, someone capable of raising such a powerful Pikachu couldn't be a nobody. How could there be absolutely no rumors about him in the world?

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

"That seems very likely."

Red: "..."

"By the way, what does that 'UR' mean?" Ash was more interested in the other keyword. Do trainers have English titles now?

"Beep. UR-rank, an extremely rare trainer. It is the highest-level title."

Seeing this, Ash grew excited and hurriedly asked, "What about me? What about me?"

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

Upon hearing this, Brock and Misty both wore expressions of disbelief. Although they didn't know who had the free time to establish such a bizarre ranking system, they had played games before and knew that UR was the top tier, followed by SSR. Below that, naturally, was SR.

Super Rate.

Even though it was only third, there were a vast number of "trash-tier" titles below it. Achieving third place was quite impressive, especially since Ash was still a novice trainer.

"Am I really that amazing...?"

Learning the truth, Ash showed a bashful expression for the first time, scratching his head in confusion. "Actually, it's normal. Not to brag, but I am a man who already possesses two badges, so this rank is about right, hehe..." he said, blushing.

The Pokédex interrupted his self-aggrandizement with a cold, grating voice.

"Beep. SR: Street Rate. It means common, run-of-the-mill. Currently the lowest rank."

Ash: "..."

Never mind, then.

For a moment, the other two burst into laughter, and the air around them filled with mirth.

...

After walking for a while, the round-faced Pikachu suddenly patted Ash's head, turned into a red light, and returned to its Poké Ball. After all, not all Pokémon enjoy staying outside. With such high altitude, what if it caught rheumatism? A Pikachu that actually likes staying outside is a rare breed. High-level Pokémon have the luxury of entering and exiting their Poké Balls at will.

Ash didn't overthink it and boosted morale by saying, "The harder we work, the luckier we get! Let's keep moving toward Vermilion City!"

...

Not long after, the three arrived at a desolate, rocky wilderness. The area was empty, but in the center, a huge, tent-like stronghold had been built. A sign hung at the entrance.

"Private Gym. Challenge me if you dare. If you're a coward, pretend I said nothing."

"Oh, my temper!"

Seeing this, Ash's blood boiled. He decided he would teach this arrogant gym leader a lesson.

"Wait a second, Ash..." Brock quickly grabbed him, pointing to the text below the sign.

"99-Win Streak!"

The sign had a red 'X' drawn over it, and next to it, a new "99-Win Streak" was written. Ash's expression darkened, and he swallowed hard. He hadn't even had nine battles since he started his journey, and this guy already had 99 wins? He was a monster.

He took a deep breath, his anger subsiding, and said in a low voice, "Brock, you're telling me not to be careless, right? I understand..."

Brock frowned and moved his finger down one line. "No, I want you to read the text below that."

Ash looked where he was pointing and saw another line of large, crooked, and heavily pressed characters. Every stroke seemed filled with endless resentment: "Trainers from Pallet Town, get lost."

Ash: "???"

Did Pallet Town eat your rice or something?

"What should we do? Should we still go in? It seems this guy has a lot of hostility toward trainers from Pallet Town," Misty asked worriedly. If Ash, a hot-headed kid, went in, he would probably announce his origin immediately: "Hey, hey, hey! I'm Ash, a rookie trainer from Pallet Town!"

He wouldn't even need to use Pokémon; he'd be fighting the trainer himself.

"Though, looking at it that way, Ash's chances of winning might actually be higher...?" Misty muttered to herself.

...

In the end, Ash went in. Not for anything else, but to seek justice for Pallet Town. As one of the top ten villages in the Kanto region, a place with the most potential and a key economic experimental zone—its reputation could not be ruined by outsiders.

Soon, a black-haired, spiky-headed boy emerged from the tent. He held a long whip and looked fierce. At his feet followed a rather stocky, yellow-skinned mouse.

"Beep. Sandshrew, a common mouse Pokémon. Earth-type. Likes to dig holes. Not tasty."

The man: "..."

He glanced at the three of them, looking very vigilant. "Where are you three from?"

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

Brock: "..."

Hearing this, the man lowered his guard, though his expression remained sour. "Greetings. My name is A.J., and I am the trainer of this private gym. I'm currently on a quest for a 100-win streak."

Misty couldn't help but ask, "But aren't you about to finish? I saw the sign said 99 wins."

"That's right. I'm only one battle away from my goal. What? Are you going to be my final prey?" A.J. swept his gaze toward Misty, his sharp look making her immediately back away.

Brock then quietly probed, "Actually, we're more interested in why you want trainers from Pallet Town to get lost. You know, Pewter City and Pallet Town are only a few streets apart."

Ash quickly added, "Yeah, I'm just a passerby. People from Pallet Town are all pretty great—they look good and talk nicely. Why should they get lost?"

A.J.: "..."

Seeing that he wouldn't be able to reach 100 people for a while, A.J. sighed and led them into the tent, explaining casually, "Sigh, the story starts a week ago..."

The three of them instantly switched into "gossip mode."

"I made a vow with my Sandshrew that once I completed 100 wins, I would officially start my journey, challenge the Gym League, and so on. When I had already reached 30 wins, that man appeared..." A.J. frowned.

"He sat with me by candlelight, discussing Pokémon training methods and battle techniques. I benefited greatly, and he was very interested in how I raised my Sandshrew. He boldly reformed it, breakthrough-style, proposing a 'reverse-type' training method. It was an epiphany for me. Now, my Sandshrew can even overcome type disadvantages and withstand Water-type moves."

The three were stunned. Was someone actually tinkering with reverse-type training? And it seemed they had succeeded!?

"He also made a promise with me: when I reached 100 wins, he would travel with me to grow, and we would accomplish the great feat of reverse-type battles together. I gladly agreed."

"Until I hit 99 wins. I happily found him, telling him that I only needed one more person to reach 100 and start my journey."

"That was when he finally showed his true face, saying he would be that 100th person to help me complete my dream..." A.J.'s face turned deathly pale.

"I didn't mind, because he had always acted like a theorist with no combat power, always carrying an Eevee that was just for show. I figured he wanted to give me a free win, so I agreed."

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

"When his Wartortle used Hydro Pump and one-shotted my Sandshrew, I was stunned."

Brock and Misty: "???"

Was there really someone so bored that they waited a week in this godforsaken place just to snipe someone's 100-win promotion match?

Ash: "..."

Why did this behavior feel so familiar?!

At this moment, A.J. hugged his Sandshrew tightly, tears sparkling in his determined eyes. In his mind, he recalled the arrogant face of that man as he left, and his ugly, mocking laughter.

"Does anyone actually believe in reverse-type battles? I was just messing around, and you actually took it seriously! I can barely stop laughing! Hahahaha!!!"

The three: "..."

A villain for the ages. To kill a man's spirit after killing his Pokémon—that was truly heartless.

Ash couldn't help but pat his chest, righteous indignation flaring. "So, did that man say what his name was? That guy is beyond saving. I'll help you snipe him back!"

A.J. composed himself and replied slowly, "Yes, he left his name behind. He said his name was..."

"Ash from Pallet Town."

The three: "..."

Ash: "?"