" Ho? You already much better than before, i almost mistook you for someone else boy." The old grandmaster of the Monestry said to ash.
It has been another three days since Ash woke up and least to say this was not your typical pokemon world.
Pokemon being able to increase their size at will, people fighting pokemon with their own bodies and using pokemon powers, It all felt Somewhat baffling to Ash.
He himself had seen one of the monks throw hands with a scizor and actually managed to win with ease.
He had questions, a lot of questions. So he did what he could do, visit the one who has decided to make him his student after saving his life- the grandmaster of the monestry, Leviathan or Levian for short.
Now he stood face to face with Levian, sitting on his knees as the old man greeted him with a laughing smile and some tea.
Levian's Braviary came from the side, towering in height and widder than a normal venasaur, a menace to look at from below to say the least.
The Braviary looked at Ash's judging him throughly and left as he decided he wasn't worth its time. Atleast not yet.
"Don't mind him, he only likes fighters," Levian says as he leaned forward and looked at Ash as his eyes begins glowing in a purple shade, "You are not of this world.. are you?"
Ash recoiled away, taken aback by the Sudden question but was suddenly pinned down on the floor from a invisible pressure.
The pressure wasn't like some psychic power but rather a pure suppression as if being drowned in something non-existent.
"Those eyes... They have no wildness, no fighting spirit, eyes that can't survive in this cruel world."
Levian stood up, his hands pulled together in a prayer as he walked towards Ash and placed his hand on the Ash's head.
"You won't survive in this world with this soft mindset."
Ash heard the words, his delusion of being a free person that just loved pokemon was not something he could have, he will be reduced to a mere weakling without the knowledge of this new world.
The pressure strengthens, followed by a series of stinging pain throughout Ash's spine, making him fall to the ground with his mind barely intact.
He felt something piercing his body, digging deep into his skin, ripping open his pores with force, sending numbing pain that left on his wits end.
It was pain similar to bring pricked by hundreds of needles and enduring a venom bite from ekans without a antidote.
"Your body is jammed, not adapted to this world but... It is also unaffected by them, making it the perfect canvas for future growth and potential."
The Grandmaster monk says with pity, his fingers twitching as he gave such a cruel treatment to Ash but he calmed himself down with only one sentence 'Its for his survival'.
The process kept going, again and again as waves upon waves of pain hit and spread throughout Ash's body, bringing him to the verge of collapse many times.
However he endured, maintaining his consciousness with sheer developed in his over a decade of solitude inside the lab.
"I. I.. is-", half complete words begins coming out of Ash's mouth.
Levian opens his eyes, trying to understand what Ash was trying to say, 'Is this too much? Should I tone it down a l–' He thought.
"Is that.. all you.. have. got? I have, suffered.. worse." Ash said as he smiled weakly.
Levian was left wordless, Stupified at Ash's words. He looked down at the toddler in front of him, a prideful smile creeping onto his face as he laughed in joy.
" I didn't see it wrong.. I am relieved, now prepare for another round boy!"
Anothr wave of energy seeped into Ash, this time going deeper than ever and straight into his nerves as the pain rose tenfold and he screamed in pain but still the smile didn't fade away.
***********
"Sandshrew use Cut!" A child calls to his sandshrew.
" Vulpix fire fang" another child yells to his partner.
"Somebody call brother Ash to stop these morons." A third one says, his patience empty as he had enough the two's antics.
It's the time of the summer, the sun stands high up in the sky, the horizon filled with hills and cliffs, with forests and ponds as the children of the monestry jump around with their friends and pokemon.
A figure could be seen standing slightly far away, perched atop a tall stone, his eyes closed as he prays in solitude, only to be interrupted the children's calling.
"These troublemakers," The figure mutters as he turns to another boy beside him, "Can you save me some trouble Ash?"
Ash looked at his master, bowed with a smile and left without a single word like a obedient child as he jumped from the rock and slides down it barefoot.
Two years have passed since his admission to the monestry, two years he have spent learning under his master.
He was one if not the most respected among the children for two reasons-first, his kind personality and second, his surname.
Red Ketchum, a living legend who became the champion of Kanto at the age of ten, anybody of the Ketchum family, no matter where or who they were, are treated like VIPs.
However Ash wasn't known just for that, he was a monster in both figurative and psychological sense.
A herculean strength that matched the monks themselves and his backstory has shocked everyone, giving him a nickname in the monestry, 'The fallen Star'.
Ash lands on the ground, streching his body as he breathed in the air like a vacuum and create a small vortex around himself.
"Phew- I wonder when I will reach that." Ash mutters to himself as his gaze lowers towards the panel in front of him as he slowly walked forward.
[-Unnamed-]
[-Skills : Aura control(Apprentice level), Close combat skills(slightly experienced), Identify(system provided), Cooking( Horrendous), Bond/Link (10% max)]
[ The system requests the host to complete one of the update missions:-
1> get a pokemon (System updates to trainer system)
2> create a pokeball (System updates to crafter system)
3> Create a link/Bond and catch the pokemon (System updates to Warrior system)
Ash looks at the panel, feeling slightly frustrated for not having a chosen a partner yet because of his preference towards the warrior system.
The reason behind his preference? Well that would be the so called bond evolution that spread and legal all over this pokemon world.
However it is quite different because instead of being just a pokemon evolution, it also gives the trainer a strength equal to the pokemon.
The result is that trainers now themselves battle alongside their pokemon, literal brawls mid arena with their pokemon at their side.
But those things can wait as right now, Ash has more important things to deal with like-
Smack Smack
"I told you idiots to stop battling outside the battle grounds.", Ash kicked both the sandshrew and the Vulpix back to the children in one quick swoops and then dragged both the pokemon and kids to the mountain again.
Deep down he wished to be like them, to be able to do pokemon battle but he wasn't some weak-willed collector to just do it even if it harmful for his potential.
So Ash suppresses his dreams about pokemon battle into his heart again and quickly dragged the four idiots back to the mountain top.
The monestry was huge, spanning across great many mountains and creating a net of pathways that helped them move around.
Ash leapt from stair to stair, the kids and pokemon being pinned between his arms as he leapt from one place to another.
This kept on going for another 20 mins, after which he reached a giant clearing on a cliff and was greeted by the gatekeepers of the monestry.
"*Cries* Spare us big bro.. *cries more* We won-" One of kids begged for mercy.
Ash shut the kid's mouth, not wanting to hear any nonsense as they soon reached the living quarters where Ash saw one of the Sisters just sitting on the door step with a statue of zekrom on her hand.
"Sister... This brats have been going around fighting against." Ash called out with sigh, interrupting the prayer.
The sister turned, her pupils expanding as she glared at the kids who have ruined her peace time for the tenth time in the month.
"I warned you two,*Turns to the sandshrew and vulpix* ,And you two as well." She comes closer and takes the four of them into her hands, she then turns to Ash and silently said " Go to the top, The head monk and grandmaster are waiting for you."
The sister then turned around and left with the children who were still begging while Ash just stood there, realisation coming to him as he dashes for the highest peak of the mountain.
Today was the day he would get it, his first partner in this world and his ticket out of this place.