POKEMON : THE WAY OF PERCEPTION

After the morning exercise, Bill and the others had woken up. Brock had already prepared breakfast, which included food for both the group and the Pokémon. Pikachu had also brought some Smelling Salts with him.

"Pikapika..." During the morning workout, Pikachu was getting used to his newfound strength. He was feeling more and more excited, as the improvement in his power and the changes in his body made him feel stronger than ever before.

"Where are you heading next?" Bill asked as he ate his breakfast, looking at Ash and his friends.

"Probably Vermilion City... if all goes well," Ash said, putting his plate down. He finished eating and immediately answered Bill's question.

"Vermilion City... that's not exactly close. If you plan to go there by land, it'll take at least half a month. And that doesn't account for any possible accidents along the way," Bill said thoughtfully.

"It's okay. There's still plenty of time before the Indigo Plateau Conference," Ash replied with a smile.

"Well, how about traveling by boat with me?" Bill finished his meal and then turned to Ash and the others with the suggestion.

"A boat?" Ash, Brock, and Misty all looked at Bill with curiosity. To be honest, Ash had never been on a boat before, and the same was true for Brock. Even Misty, who had traveled across lakes in small boats for fun, had never experienced an actual sailing boat.

"To the southeast of here, there's a city called Yangfan City, where a ship to Vermilion City departs. I'll be taking a boat from there to Fuchsia City, heading toward the Dasha Valley," Bill explained.

Given Bill's previous travels, he should have returned to Cerulean City by now instead of heading toward Sail City. However, after seeing Ash's power, he decided to give it a try. Since Ash was the chosen "Rainbow Warrior," Bill believed there wouldn't be any issues with safety, especially with Marshadow's protection.

Yangfan City was located to the northeast of Cerulean City. Though it wasn't very famous and lacked a tourist industry, it played an important role as the power supply hub for the entire Kanto Region.

Yangfan City was positioned at the edge of the Kanto Region, facing the sea. A massive offshore valley lay just beyond the city, with a power station next to it that harnessed water flow to generate electricity. This station provided much of the electrical energy used throughout Kanto.

Since the city faced the sea, it naturally had a harbor. From there, one could travel to Maiden Gorge, which was close to Vermilion City, as well as to Fuchsia City and Cinnabar Island.

After hearing Bill's explanation, Ash and his friends nodded in understanding. Ash thought back to the video games and remembered that Yangfan City was where the unmanned power station was located.

In the game, the unmanned power station was home to a large number of Electric-type Pokémon, and the legendary Pokémon Zapdos was said to reside there. But of course, the real world was different. The power station in this world was not unmanned, and there was no Zapdos in sight.

The only regret Ash had was that he hadn't seen Squirtle yet during his travels. It seemed that he and Squirtle simply didn't have any fate together.

After agreeing to travel with Bill to Yangfan City, Ash and the others quickly packed up and set off.

Since the Pokémon League hadn't built a road to Yangfan City, the journey was fraught with uncertainty, and the strength of the Pokémon encountered was unpredictable.

They traveled throughout the morning, with Brock making sure to ask Bill for more Pokémon-related information. Brock was determined not to waste this rare opportunity to learn from someone so knowledgeable.

At noon, the group set up camp in an open area. Since they weren't in a rush, Ash decided to stick to the original travel plan and pushed forward with their morning training.

After lunch and a short break, Ash and Misty trained their respective Pokémon. Ash focused his attention on Pikachu, carefully arranging the other Pokémon's training while ensuring Pikachu had some extra attention.

Brock and Bill, who were observing the training, looked on with interest. Even Misty, who was training her own Pokémon nearby, couldn't help but glance over at Ash and Pikachu from time to time.

"Pikachu, can you use the Summoning Thunder Ball again now?" Ash asked, watching Pikachu closely. He was worried that Pikachu might have expended too much energy with the move, especially considering how close it came to losing its ability to fight the day before.

"Pika———!" Pikachu tapped his own mouth and then gave Ash a thumbs-up, signaling that he was ready.

Though Pikachu had been drained of energy after using the Summoning Thunder Ball the previous day, it wasn't just because his own power had been insufficient. It was the first time Pikachu had used such a powerful move, and the experience had taken a toll.

However, after merging with the inheritance overnight, Pikachu's Species Strength had increased significantly. He now had more energy to work with and was stronger, so he was ready to try again.

"Alright… Let's give it a try!" Ash pointed toward the sky, signaling for Pikachu to unleash the Thunderbolt.

While it wasn't the best idea to use Thunderbolt in the current location—since they were in the wilderness and didn't know what kind of Pokémon might be nearby—Ash had no doubt that the sheer power of Thunderbolt would cause even the mighty Dragonite to fear it. He believed that once Pikachu launched the Thunderbolt, nearby Pokémon would likely flee in fear.

"Pikapika—!" Pikachu took a deep breath and, with a determined look in his eyes, prepared to unleash his move.

Brock and Bill both watched closely, with Bill particularly focused. He wanted to record the scene so he could study it later.

"Pika———!"

In an instant, the overwhelming power burst forth. A blinding bolt of lightning shot up from Pikachu's body, reaching the sky. The sheer force of the energy made all the Pokémon that were training nearby stop in their tracks. They stared at Pikachu in horror, clearly confused about how Pikachu had become so powerful overnight.

The thunderclouds began to form overhead as Pikachu's lightning surged into the sky. The arcs of electricity crackled within the cloud, each one flashing with terrifying intensity. The resulting sound echoed like the roar of a giant dragon.

But there was a problem…

"There's no Rival... so the effect of Summoning Thunder Ball hasn't been triggered?" Bill frowned slightly as he noticed something was off. He quickly understood what had happened and sighed with some regret.

Yesterday, when the giant Dragonite attacked, Pikachu's Summoning Thunder Ball had triggered a powerful lightning strike. But now, with no opponent to trigger the move's effect, it was essentially just a display of raw power without its intended effect. Even Ash had anticipated this.

"It would be great if I could control the power of Thunderbolt…" Ash muttered as he watched Pikachu. The little Pikachu was attempting to direct the energy in the air, trying to control the thunderclouds. But Ash couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

In the future, Pikachu would likely be able to control such power, but for now, it was clear that he wasn't quite there yet.

Summoning Thunder Ball was undoubtedly a powerful move, but Pikachu still lacked the full control needed to make the most of it.