034: "The Power of Periphery" Becomes Stronger!!
"It's a pity that I don't have my own Pokémon at hand. These powerful copied skills have no recipient for the time being."
Ash sighed while staring at the one-use skill entries stored in the Mega Trainer System backpack, each represented by a virtual skill disc shimmering in the interface tools of immense value, yet currently unusable.
According to system feedback, the copied techniques were retained in the System Backpack as virtual skill discs, generated upon successful duplication. However, unlike traditional Technical Machines (TMs) used in the Pokémon world, these discs were non-physical intangible constructs bound to the system itself.
More importantly, they could neither be extracted nor traded externally. They were locked for exclusive use by Ash's own Pokémon.
Yet, the wording left ambiguity. What, exactly, constituted Ash's own Pokémon? The system didn't offer a precise definition. This vague limitation sparked curiosity in Ash, who immediately sensed there might be loopholes in this rule.
"The system's intelligence module is down due to the severe damage from dimensional interference... without its full regulatory logic, a lot of things are running on simplified subroutines. Maybe... just maybe I can manipulate this."
"If I can use these skill discs on Pokémon that aren't technically mine, but are temporarily under my command, like rental or Assist Pokémon, maybe I can activate the disc."
A spark of ambition lit in Ash's eyes.
After all, Ash had already been brainstorming ways to generate income ever since learning that the top three students in the Pallet Town Summer Camp would be granted early licensing by the Alliance to own and train their first Pokémon ahead of the standard Trainer age.
Training and raising Pokémon was expensive. Ash knew this all too well. Despite his outward energy and optimism, his family's finances were quite average.
His mother, Delia Ketchum, had scraped together enough funds to support his dream only because she respected his resolve and because she knew that, deep down, Ash was a Breeder at heart, even if he didn't call himself one yet.
But Delia had once told Ash over dinner that if she ever had to choose between food on the table and evolution stones, she'd pick the table. That memory kept him grounded.
So while Ash was genuinely excited about the possibility of owning his first Pokémon soon, he was also practically worried worried about food costs, potion expenses, TM prices, and long-term training plans.
If he ended up with a Pokémon but couldn't even afford basic supplies, wouldn't that be pathetic?
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"Nidoking, thank you. You're really strong."
Ash finally turned his full attention to Nidoking, who was still enthusiastically posing mid-Bulk Up, as if trying to impress his new admirer.
But Ash wasn't just seeing muscles anymore. Thanks to the Aura Perception granted by his latent Waveguide power an ability once described in the Lucario chapters of the manga Ash could sense that Nidoking wasn't showing off. He was simply happy. Genuinely happy to have made a new friend.
Nidoking radiated warmth and loyalty. He had grown attached to Ash in just a short time.
And that made Ash feel something he hadn't expected.
Guilt.
Not guilt for copying Nidoking's skills the system's operation hadn't harmed the big guy at all. Nidoking hadn't lost a single move. It hadn't drained his stamina or tampered with his memory.
No, what weighed on Ash's conscience was something else.
He had used Nidoking as a tool.
"I gained his trust using the natural aura resonance of the Power of the Periphery... but my heart wasn't in the right place. I treated him like an NPC in a game. That's not right."
Ash remembered something Professor Oak once said in the manga, back when Red had just started his journey: "Pokémon are not tools. They are our partners our friends."
"This isn't a simulation. This world is real. These Pokémon think, feel, trust."
"Nidoking, I'm really sorry about earlier..."
Ash stepped forward and, for the first time, genuinely embraced Nidoking not for training, not for copying skills, but simply to say thank you.
He wrapped his arms around the muscular, armored creature and whispered an apology from the bottom of his heart.
At the same time, he subtly channeled a thread of Periphery Force the innate Changpan Power that had taken root in him ever since he arrived in this world into Nidoking's body.
The effects were minimal. Ash didn't have the mastery or strength yet to awaken hidden potentials. But a small amount of the power still settled inside Nidoking like sunlight filtered through leaves. It was gentle, nurturing.
A subtle gift, a quiet apology.
In the manga timeline, both the original Ash and Red displayed a fierce love for Pokémon, but this version of Ash traveler and host of a broken system—was starting to understand something deeper.
This wasn't just a game.
Perhaps it was that very empathy, that sincerity in the way he viewed Pokémon as companions rather than assets, that allowed the Will of the World to accept him as the new bearer of destiny, even after its initial attack.
The original Ash might have faded. But what took his place… was someone worthy of being called the Son of Destiny.
In the original manga, Ash's predecessor never awakened the Power of Viridian. Yet, after crossing into this world, Ash had not only received the blessing of Viridian Forest, but had also awakened that elusive and sacred power the Force of Perpetuity.
The Viridian Forest wasn't just a landmark on the Kanto map it was a sentient pulse of nature, a node in the ecosystem that resonated with the very will of the Pokémon world. The Power of Viridian represented this connection: it was a force not rooted in domination or mental command like Psychic Power, nor overwhelming legacy like the Power of Dragonblood, but rather in communion with nature itself.
That much was evident from the healing energies it carried, its unparalleled affinity with wild Pokémon, and the aura of harmony that accompanied it.
But it wasn't limited to healing or taming. There was something deeper—a strengthening of spiritual will and natural vitality. An unseen Zhuoyuan Flow, threading itself into everything it touched.
Unlike Psychic Power, which was aggressive and cerebral, or the Power of the Dragon Lineage which demanded reverence and obedience, Viridian's blessing was humble. It had no offensive techniques, no mental invasion. Its skills were all support-based. But ironically, it was this very purity that made it irreplaceable a force that reached places other powers could not.
A Psychic user might be called a Psychic.
But one who awakens Viridian's resonance?
They were a Child of Nature.
Moved by guilt and compassion for Nidoking, Ash extended his hand and gently released a stream of that gentle energy into Nidoking's body a creature whose potential had long plateaued, its genetic ceiling reached through years of hard training and loyalty to Professor Oak's lab.
Ash didn't expect anything spectacular.
It was simply a quiet apology.
But just as Ash let go and stepped back, something changed.
"——Hmm? What... is that...?"
The Viridian energy within his core stirred. It buzzed first like a spark, then like a living current awakening inside his body. The moment passed in a flash, but the sensation it left behind was undeniable.
His power had... grown.
"What... was that?!"
Ash's eyes widened. He hadn't meditated, hadn't practiced the Listening to All Things Calm Mind method he'd learned from Professor Oak's bookshelf.
So why now?
Could it have been the act of sharing? The selfless use of power to uplift another lifeform?
"Wait a second " A sudden idea lit up in Ash's mind. "Could it be that... the cultivation method for Viridian's Force is to help Pokémon awaken their latent potential?"
It was an unusual concept. Most power systems be it Aura, Psychic, or Dragon Lineage required inner discipline, battle mastery, or heritage. But here was a possibility that Viridian grew stronger through altruism?
"Let's test it again," Ash murmured.
He extended his hand once more and channeled a standard dose of Viridian power into Nidoking. But this time... nothing happened.
The power dispersed like water over stone. There was no internal resonance, no strengthening, no feedback loop. It was like pouring sunlight into a vessel already full.
"Hmm. So maybe it's like the system's Skill Duplication function—once per Pokémon?"
Ash's thoughts began to spiral.
"Or maybe there's a cooldown? Or it only works when the target has untapped potential? Could the act of healing or nurturing with Viridian also trigger it? Or was the first event just a coincidence?"
His mind swirled with unanswered questions. The Power of Viridian, still newly awakened just yesterday afternoon, was too mysterious to fully grasp.
"Forget it." He shook his head and smiled to himself.
He was the kind of person like the Ash of the original canon who knew when to stop overthinking. If something didn't make sense now, it would later. He preferred action to speculation. Besides, he still had the Listening to All Things Calm Mind method to explore in time.
"Anyway, the real purpose of coming to Professor Oak's backyard today, aside from goofing off with Tierno and Trevor, was to test the system's Skill Duplication module."
Now that he had experimented and confirmed the basics of the feature, today's primary objective was more or less complete.
There would be plenty of time to investigate the mysteries of his new power later.
Ash gently withdrew his hand from Nidoking's shoulder.
"Thanks again, big guy. You're amazing," he said sincerely.
Nidoking rumbled in approval, flexing once more though this time, Ash smiled for a different reason. He saw not just strength, but trust, emotion, and a spark of something deeper between human and Pokémon.
Turning on his heel, Ash walked back toward Gary, Tierno, and Trevor, his figure framed against the summer sky.
The System, the Forest, and the Future it was all just beginning.
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