"Hmm… Ash, what happened just now? I suddenly felt an incredibly strong burst of Fire-type energy directed at you. Was it from this little monkey?"
Mewtwo emerged from its Master Ball, floating beside Ash with an expression of curiosity as it observed the Chimchar standing in front of him.
At the same time, Mewtwo's eyes glowed with a blue light—its Psychic power still active.
It had just used its telekinesis to halt the fiery blast of crimson flames before they could harm Ash.
"Guu! Gu-gaa!"
Chimchar's body temperature kept rising!
The cozy warmth from earlier had disappeared, replaced by an uncontrollable surge of heat, as if a firestorm was raging inside it!
The flames in its tail burned even brighter, flickering wildly, as if Chimchar was on the verge of erupting.
"Mewtwo, help me hold Chimchar down. If it can endure this surge of power, it should return to normal soon."
Hearing Ash's request, Mewtwo nodded.
It flicked its fingers, and the mass of fiery energy suspended in midair instantly dispersed, vanishing into nothingness.
Then, with another gesture, Chimchar was enveloped in a gentle telekinetic force, holding it in place.
Meanwhile, Dawn and Anabel anxiously checked on Ash, looking him up and down to ensure he hadn't been injured.
"I'm fine," Ash reassured them with a grin. "Even if that fire had hit me directly, it wouldn't have been life-threatening."
At this point, Ash wasn't even sure how strong his body had become. With all the training, battles, and system-enhanced stamina, his endurance had reached an absurd level.
All three of them focused their attention back on Chimchar.
Even with the system's assurance that everything would be fine, Ash couldn't help but worry about Chimchar.
Half an hour passed. Sweat poured from Chimchar's body, but its breathing remained steady.
Mewtwo finally released it from its Psychic hold.
Chimchar was now able to control itself again.
Another thirty minutes went by.
Finally, Chimchar returned to normal, its tail flame settling down.
However, while its appearance seemed the same, the temperature of its flames had skyrocketed!
"Chimchar, how are you feeling? Everything alright?"
Dawn and Anabel stood beside Ash, concerned.
There was no doubt now—their earlier theory had been correct.
Chimchar had gained control over its awakened Blaze ability.
Though it still required its stamina to be nearly depleted before triggering, it was no longer an uncontrollable force.
"Gu! Gu-ga! Gu-oh…!"
Chimchar: I feel incredible! I can control that power now! When I reach my limit, I can choose when to unleash it! It's so powerful! Any Fire-type move I use with it gets twice as strong!
Excitement surged through Chimchar as it bounced around in sheer joy.
Dawn, however, felt left out. Ash and Anabel could understand what Chimchar was saying, but she had no clue!
Anabel kindly explained everything to her, while Ash took Chimchar and Mewtwo aside to test Chimchar's newfound strength.
Since Chimchar was already exhausted from earlier, it was the perfect opportunity to see the full effects of Awakened Blaze!
A series of tests followed.
The results?
Right now, at only level 30, Chimchar's Fire-type energy output was already on par with that of a level 50 Pseudo-Elite Fire-type Pokémon!
And it hadn't even evolved yet!
Still in its base form!
With two more evolutions to go!
No wonder Chimchar was called "Boss Monkey" in the original timeline. Now, with the system's buffs, it had become even stronger than before!
"Anabel, Dawn, let's keep this ability a secret for now. It's not the right time to make this public."
Ash's expression turned serious. Anabel and Dawn understood the gravity of the situation and nodded without hesitation.
They knew how significant this discovery was.
Mewtwo, meanwhile, was deeply intrigued by Chimchar's awakened ability.
"I know, Mewtwo. If the opportunity arises, you and Latias might get a shot at awakening something similar."
Ash had already thought about this.
If the system had rewarded him with an ability-enhancing item for Chimchar, could it also grant something similar for other Pokémon in the future?
If it could…
Then Mewtwo with an Awakened Ability would be utterly terrifying!
Mewtwo returned to its Master Ball, while Ash prepared to recall Chimchar.
But when Ash used his Aura Vision on Chimchar through the system—
His eyes widened in shock!
Pokémon Status: Chimchar
Category: Chimp Pokémon
Type: Fire
Ability: Blaze (Awakened)
Hidden Ability: Iron Fist (Activated)
Potential: Purple
Level: 30
Moveset: Scratch, Claw, Leer, Ember, Flame Wheel, Fire Spin, Dig, Quick Attack, Mach Punch, Flamethrower…
Its potential… had upgraded to Purple!
And more importantly—
It had unlocked its Hidden Ability, Iron Fist!
The process of mastering Awakened Blaze had triggered a second ability!
This meant that Chimchar's punch-based moves would now receive a power boost!
This was getting better and better!
Now, he just needed to wait for his rematch with Paul…
That day, Paul would finally witness just how strong Chimchar had become!
Ash recalled Chimchar, and the group continued on their journey toward Hearthome City.
After three days of traveling, they were getting closer and closer.
Today, they had to pass through Mt. Coronet.
However, as they ventured into the mountainous terrain, they unexpectedly encountered a Shieldon!
Ash's mind raced as he tried to recall the original timeline.
If he remembered correctly…
The presence of a Shieldon here meant that Gary was nearby!
More than that, it also meant that Pokémon Hunter J was lurking around.
Someone had placed an extremely high bounty for the capture of a Shieldon.
Since Shieldon were fossil Pokémon revived through scientific research, they were considered highly protected, and capturing one required official permits from Officer Jenny's department.
But the person who placed this bounty clearly wasn't a law-abiding citizen.
Instead of obtaining a Shieldon legally, they had hired Hunter J to hunt one down!
"This is a Shieldon? It's kinda cute! But… why is it out here? Shouldn't they be in Pokémon reserves?"
Dawn looked up Shieldon's data in her Pokédex, puzzled.
Before anyone could answer—
"Shieldon! There you are! You're alright!"
A voice called out.
Just as Dawn was about to approach Shieldon, a familiar figure rushed toward them.
A young man with spiky brown hair and a confident demeanor.
Behind him stood a towering Electivire.
It was someone both Ash and Anabel recognized instantly.
Gary Oak!
The moment Shieldon saw him, it happily bounced up and down.
It had gotten lost earlier, and Gary had finally found it!
"Ash? Well, well. Fancy meeting you here."
Gary finally took notice of the group.
His gaze swept over them before settling on Dawn.
"You must be Dawn. I've heard about you from my grandpa. Nice to meet you. I'm Gary."
"Pika! Pika!"
Pikachu greeted Gary excitedly.
It had been a while since they last saw him.
This reunion, however, meant one thing—
They were about to get caught up in yet another intense battle against Hunter J…
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T/N:
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