Beneath the shade of a tall tree in the distance, Ash Ketchum observed the group of players ahead with a furrowed brow and a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. The crowd had gathered around a commotion—a battle was taking place, and the sight of a powerful Typhlosion in action had immediately caught Ash's attention.
At first glance, Ash had assumed someone else must have gotten lucky like him and perhaps received a system or special gift. For a moment, he worried he wasn't unique. But instead of rushing out and confronting them, he decided to hang back and observe. If they were like him, challenging them directly might be risky. It was better to gather intel first.
Then came the mention of the "beta testers."
Ash exhaled in relief.
So, they were just part of the initial test group. That explained their strength. They weren't chosen by fate like he was. They didn't have the same mysterious system—or his companion. They were merely players with early access, not blessed with anything divine or legendary.
"Pidgey~"
A small chirp came from his shoulder. Mew, still in the form of a tiny Pidgey, tilted its head and cried out.
Ash blinked, puzzled by the sound. Though Mew had transformed into a Pidgey for disguise, the chirp didn't carry any particular meaning he could grasp. It was just a sound, one of many a Pokémon might make.
"You should be able to communicate telepathically, right?" Ash asked, turning his head slightly. "Mewtwo can do it, and you were the one he was cloned from. It wouldn't make sense if you couldn't."
A soft, melodic voice echoed in his mind. "Yes, Master."
The voice was ethereal, pleasant, like wind chimes dancing in a breeze. It made Ash smile involuntarily.
"Master," Mew said, "are those people bad? I don't like it when people use Pokémon to hurt others."
Ash's eyes sharpened at that. He looked back toward the scene. The beta testers were clearly bullying the weaker players. Using their high-level Pokémon to rob others of Pokédollars and items. Classic behavior for people who had an edge and knew it.
"You're right, Mew. They are bad people," Ash responded seriously. "Do you want to help me teach them a lesson? They need one, badly."
Mew's telepathic voice chimed again. "Yes, Master."
A grin spread across Ash's face. "Great. Then follow my commands and fight by my side. With you here, I don't think we'll lose."
After all, no matter how strong the beta testers were, could they possibly compare to Mew—the ancestor of all Pokémon? Even if Mew wasn't as aggressive as Mewtwo, its potential was beyond any ordinary creature.
But Ash didn't want to charge in recklessly. He had to play this smart.
As he stepped forward, he suddenly paused, then stepped back and slipped behind a nearby tree.
"Transform," he whispered.
A shimmer of light surrounded him, and a moment later, Ash had taken on the appearance of a middle-aged man with a rugged beard and unassuming clothes.
"Master, why are you doing this?" Mew asked, confused.
Ash adjusted his voice and posture to match the disguise. "Because, Mew, sometimes saving people requires a little subtlety. If I just rush in using my real identity and they discover you're Mew, we'll have every greedy trainer, researcher, and bounty hunter on our tail."
Mew blinked. "I see… I think."
"You will, eventually," Ash said with a chuckle, picking up a small rock from the ground.
Without hesitation, he lobbed the rock toward the Bayleef that was currently chasing down a fleeing player.
The stone struck Bayleef squarely on the head.
"Bay-leef!" it cried out in pain, turning angrily toward the source. Its eyes landed on the figure of the middle-aged man—Ash in disguise—walking calmly toward them with what appeared to be a weak Pidgey on his shoulder.
Bayleef let out a furious roar and lashed out with its Vine Whip.
"Mew—Pidgey—use Hurricane!" Ash commanded sharply.
In a flash, Mew launched from his shoulder and ascended into the air. With elegant movements, it flapped its wings rapidly, generating a powerful storm. Four gales swirled around it, slicing through the air and colliding into Bayleef from all sides.
Caught off guard and with no time to dodge, Bayleef was swept up by the tornado-like winds. It crashed to the ground with a pained cry, unable to stand.
Bayleef had fainted.
Flying-type moves had a natural advantage against Grass-types like Bayleef, and the sheer force of Hurricane was more than enough to overwhelm it.
The fight drew the attention of the three beta testers, especially the young man who appeared to be their leader. His face darkened with fury when he saw his Bayleef lying unconscious, defeated by a Pidgey that hadn't even evolved.
"Bayleef, return," he growled, withdrawing the Pokémon back into its ball.
He stepped forward, eyes narrowing as he looked Ash up and down. "Uncle, what's your deal? You trying to butt into our business?"
Ash clapped his hands together, pretending to be cheerful and a little eccentric. "Haha! I just couldn't help myself. Watching you guys play the bully got me excited. You seem strong. Mind if I join in on the fun?"
"You want to fight us?" the boy asked, frowning. He hadn't expected this twist.
"Not just fight. I want to have a bounty battle with you guys," Ash declared boldly. "All in. Winner takes everything."
The boy blinked, surprised. "You serious?"
"Dead serious," Ash replied with a confident grin.
The three testers exchanged glances. The girl, Steve, stepped forward. "Fine. But tell us how much money you have. If you're poor, there's no point."
Ash raised a hand and interrupted her mid-sentence. "Don't bother asking. You don't need to know how much I have."
He raised his voice and pointed at them dramatically. "What I do want is to challenge all three of you at once—with just one Pokémon. So tell me… do you dare?"
They looked at one another again. Mark, the quiet one of the trio, frowned. "This feels fishy. No one would bet everything like that unless they had something up their sleeve."
"Exactly," Steve nodded. "What if he's got friends hiding around, ready to jump us?"
The leader, however, looked irritated by Ash's provocations.
Ash could sense the rising tension and smirked. "What's wrong? Scared to take on a single old man with a Pidgey?"
The boy clenched his fists. "Fine! We'll do this one-on-one. I don't need their help. I'll roast your Pidgey with Typhlosion."
He tossed out his Poké Ball.
"Typhlosion! Sunny Day!"
The Flame Pokémon appeared in a flash, roaring into the sky. The air around them instantly grew hotter, and the sun overhead blazed unnaturally bright. Heat radiated from Typhlosion's neck flames as they flared up, casting flickering shadows.
"Flamethrower!"
Typhlosion opened its mouth and let loose a stream of white-hot fire, intensified by Sunny Day. The blazing attack surged through the air, heading straight for Mew.
"Quick Attack, dodge! Close the distance and charge your mouth with energy!" Ash ordered, voice steady.
With a Z-shaped flash of movement, Mew blurred out of the way, zig-zagging past the Flamethrower. The air shimmered with heat behind him, but Mew remained unscathed, now hovering directly above Typhlosion's head.
In his mouth, a dark orb of condensed energy began to form.
The boy's eyes widened. "What… What move is that?!"
"Pidgey, use Destruction Ray!" Ash called out.
The boy's jaw dropped. "What?! That's not—Typhlosion, dodge!"
But it was too late.
The dark beam of energy exploded from Mew's mouth with a thunderous roar. It slammed into Typhlosion's back, engulfing the area in smoke and force.
BOOM!
A shockwave rippled across the battlefield. Dust and smoke clouded everyone's vision.
When it finally cleared, Typhlosion was lying on the ground, unconscious. The fire on its neck had sputtered out completely.
The beta testers stood in stunned silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Ash—still disguised as the mysterious middle-aged man—adjusted his hat, his lips curled in a quiet, satisfied smirk.
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