Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The scene shifted to the backyard of Cerulean Gym.

The sun was setting, casting golden reflections across the surface of the pool.

Raina stood at the water’s edge, while Wartortle floated in the pool before her.

”Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!”

Wartortle withdrew into its shell and began spinning rapidly across the water, sending up a ring of spray.

”Good! Now use Water Gun!”

Wartortle poked its head out of its shell and fired a stream of water into the air.

”It’s not high enough!”

Raina frowned.

”A little higher!”

Wartortle tried again. The stream rose higher than before, but it still failed to reach the position Raina had envisioned.

”Wartortle...”

Raina crouched down and stared at it.

”Are you tired?”

”Wartortle.”

Wartortle shook its head.

”Then why can’t you hit that spot?”

Wartortle remained silent for a moment before slowly swimming to the edge of the pool and gently nudging Raina’s hand with its head.

Raina froze.

”You mean... I should try thinking of a solution too?”

”Wartortle.”

Wartortle nodded.

Raina sat beside the pool, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at the water.

After a while, Asher’s voice came from behind her.

”What are you thinking about?”

”Dad.”

Raina did not turn around.

”I was wondering whether Wartortle’s training isn’t working because I’m doing something wrong.”

”Why would it be your fault?”

”Because I’m its Trainer.”

Raina turned to look at him.

”If it can’t do something properly, then there must be something wrong with my commands.”

Asher studied Raina for a moment before smiling softly.

”In that case, how about I battle you? We can find out exactly where the problem lies.”

Raina stared at him in surprise.

”Huh? I’m going to battle you, Dad?”

Asher rose and walked to the opposite side of the training field.

”Don’t you want to become stronger? Come on.”

Raina exchanged a glance with Wartortle before nodding.

”I understand.”

Once Raina and Wartortle had taken their positions, Asher removed a Poké Ball from his waist and lightly tossed it into the air.

A flash of red light appeared.

A Dragonite materialized at the center of the field.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary Dragonite—round, somewhat chubby, and endearingly harmless.

Its eyes, however, were neither warm nor gentle.

They were sharp and composed, like the edge of a blade that had been meticulously honed.

When Dragonite landed, it made almost no sound. Its body merely lowered slightly, effortlessly dispersing all the excess force from the impact.

It then raised its head and looked at Wartortle.

It was only a single glance.

Yet Wartortle’s body visibly stiffened, and it instinctively retreated half a step.

”Wartortle!”

Raina immediately called out.

”Don’t be afraid!”

Wartortle stopped and looked back at her. It took a deep breath before straightening its body once again.

Asher watched this with the corners of his lips slightly raised.

”Are you ready?”

”I’m ready!”

Raina clenched both fists, her golden eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

”Wartortle, use Ice Beam!”

Wartortle opened its mouth and fired an icy-blue beam toward Dragonite.

Dragonite did not move.

Asher did not issue a command either.

Just as Ice Beam was about to strike, Dragonite merely tilted its head slightly.

The attack brushed past its cheek and struck the wall behind it.

Dragonite’s expression did not change in the slightest.

Raina froze.

”Too slow,” Asher said calmly. ”Wartortle’s moves aren’t lacking in power, but the warning signs before it attacks are too obvious. Whenever it inhales, its shoulders rise first. That movement gives its opponent more than enough time to determine the direction of the attack.”

Raina bit her lip and looked at Wartortle.

”Wartortle, try again! Use Water Gun!”

This time, Wartortle showed no fear. It immediately fired a powerful stream of water.

Dragonite tilted its head and avoided it once again.

This time, however, something was different.

The moment the first stream passed Dragonite, Wartortle launched a second Water Gun, firing the two attacks almost consecutively.

Dragonite leaned back slightly.

The two streams flew past its face one after another, but neither managed to touch it.

”Not bad.”

Asher nodded.

”The idea of attacking continuously is correct, but the delay between your attacks is still too long.”

”Wartortle, use Rapid Spin!”

Wartortle withdrew into its shell and spun toward Dragonite.

”Dragonite, block it with your wing.”

Dragonite extended one wing and lightly placed it in Wartortle’s path.

Wartortle’s spinning shell struck Dragonite’s wing with a dull thud before being immediately knocked backward.

Wartortle tumbled several times through the air before barely managing to land. It staggered two steps before regaining its balance.

Raina’s pupils contracted.

It was not because Wartortle had been repelled.

It was because Dragonite’s wing had not moved at all when it received the attack.

Dragonite had blocked Wartortle as casually as though it were catching a pebble thrown through the air.

”Rapid Spin also lacks power,” Asher explained. ”When Wartortle spins inside its shell, its center of gravity is unstable. The moment it encounters an opponent capable of resisting it directly, it loses control of its direction.”

Raina clenched her fists but said nothing.

”What’s wrong?”

There was a trace of amusement in Asher’s voice.

”Are you giving up already?”

”No!”

Raina raised her head.

”I would never give up! Wartortle, let’s try again!”

Asher looked into his daughter’s eyes and nodded.

”All right. From this point onward, I won’t only defend.”

”Dragonite, use Extreme Speed.”

The instant Asher finished speaking, Dragonite vanished.

It was not merely moving so quickly that its path was difficult to follow.

It had truly disappeared from sight.

The next moment, Dragonite appeared behind Wartortle.

Before Wartortle could even turn around, Dragonite lightly swept it with its tail.

Wartortle rolled twice across the ground before collapsing on the grass and remaining motionless.

Raina’s entire body froze at the sight.

”Wartortle...”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Gary]: Holy crap!

[Ash]: Gary! Don’t swear!

[Gary]: No... Did all of you see that Dragonite?! Its presence—there’s no way that’s an ordinary Dragonite!

[Brock]: Indeed. That level of pressure... It must be at least on the level of an Elite Four member’s Pokémon.

[Lance]: Higher than that. Judging by how thoroughly that Dragonite has been trained, it would be considered Champion level even in our world.

[Lorelei]: Lance, are you serious?

[Lance]: Completely. Pay attention to Dragonite’s movements. The force and angle of every sweep of its tail are exactly the same. That means its control over its strength has been refined to an extraordinary degree. There are fewer than twenty Trainers in the entire world capable of training a Pokémon to that level.

[Bruno]: And he’s battling his own daughter. He’s obviously holding back.

[Cynthia]: Which brings us back to the original question. Just who is Asher?

[Steven]: I’m becoming increasingly curious. A Trainer who is at least Champion level has absolutely no records attached to his name. It is almost as though... he appeared out of thin air.

[Wallace]: Appeared out of thin air?

[Cynthia]: Wallace, did that make you think of something?

[Wallace]: Nothing in particular. I merely found the wording interesting.

[Alder]: Hey, don’t make it sound so unsettling. Perhaps he’s simply a powerful Trainer who prefers to keep a low profile.

[Cynthia]: Mr. Alder, can someone at the Champion level truly remain completely unknown, no matter how much they value their privacy?

...

The battle in the video continued.

Wartortle stirred on the grass.

It slowly pushed itself back onto its feet and shook its head. After letting out a low cry, it turned to face Dragonite again.

”Wartortle.”

Raina watched it and took a deep breath.

”...I understand now.”

She raised her head and looked at Asher.

”Dad, let’s go again.”

Asher looked into his daughter’s eyes and smiled.

”All right.”

...

This time, Raina did not rush to attack.

She crouched down until she was eye-level with Wartortle and quietly whispered several things to it.

Wartortle nodded before turning to face Dragonite once again.

”Wartortle, use Water Gun!”

A stream of water shot forward.

However, it was not aimed at Dragonite’s body.

It was aimed at the ground beneath Dragonite’s feet.

Asher raised an eyebrow.

Dragonite stepped aside, but the Water Gun struck the ground, and the resulting spray obscured its vision.

”Use Rapid Spin!”

Wartortle withdrew into its shell and spun forward.

This time, however, it did not travel in a straight line.

It curved around and charged toward Dragonite from the side.

Dragonite reacted and raised a wing to block it.

”Use Bite!”

The instant Wartortle’s spinning shell struck Dragonite’s wing, its head suddenly emerged.

Wartortle opened its mouth and bit down.

Its jaws clamped onto the edge of Dragonite’s wing.

The moment Dragonite’s wing was caught, its movements paused for a fraction of a second.

Wartortle did not release it.

Taking advantage of that brief hesitation, it extended all four limbs from its shell and wrapped them around Dragonite’s wing, hanging from it with its entire body.

Raina’s eyes lit up.

”Use Ice Beam!”

Wartortle aimed directly at Dragonite’s neck.

At point-blank range, the freezing beam struck Dragonite’s body.

A layer of ice crystals rapidly formed across Dragonite’s neck, but it still did not react.

It merely flicked its wing.

Wartortle was thrown through the air. It flipped several times before falling into the pool.

Splash!

A large wave of water erupted into the air.

Raina rushed forward.

”Wartortle!”

Wartortle surfaced and clung to the edge of the pool, panting heavily.

Raina crouched beside it and gently stroked its head.

”You worked hard.”

She then raised her head and looked toward Asher.

Asher remained on the opposite side of the field. Dragonite had already folded its wings and stood quietly behind him.

”Dad?” Raina called.

Asher smiled.

”That was a good battle.”

”But I still didn’t win...”

”Who said you didn’t?”

Asher walked over and crouched until he was looking directly into her eyes.

”Despite such an enormous difference in strength, you and Wartortle discovered the only method that gave you a chance of landing an attack. It may not succeed every time, but learning to think that way is far more important than winning a single battle.”

Raina blinked.

”Really?”

”Really.”

Asher reached out and gently ruffled her hair.

”You may lose a battle, but you must never lose faith in your partner. Throughout that entire battle, you continued believing in Wartortle. That trust was what created your final opportunity to land a hit on Dragonite.”

Raina turned toward Wartortle.

Within its eyes, she saw not only its trust in her but also its determination and desire to become stronger.

Looking at the partner who believed in her, Raina smiled once again.

”Mm! Thank you, Dad!”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Iris]: Wow... This child is incredible.

[Ash]: I understand exactly how she feels! Wanting to become stronger together with your Pokémon! That’s how I felt when I first began my journey too!

[Brock]: Indeed. However, Asher’s method of teaching his daughter is rather unusual.

[Professor Oak]: Hmm... ”You may lose a battle, but you must never lose faith in your partner.” That is an excellent lesson.

[Cynthia]: Did any of you notice his expression? That mixture of pride and heartache... It was as though he knew this path would be difficult, yet still chose to support his daughter.

[Lance]: That seems perfectly normal. What father wouldn’t want his daughter to achieve her dreams?

[Cynthia]: No, what I mean is... he appears to know more than we think.

[Lorelei]: Cynthia, are you suggesting that Asher can see the future?

[Cynthia]: Not foresight. It was more like... the expression of someone who has already experienced countless hardships.

[Steven]: Now that you mention it, I noticed it as well. There truly was something difficult to describe in the way he looked at Raina. It was almost as if... he wasn’t only seeing the five- or six-year-old girl standing in front of him.

[Wallace]: He was seeing the person she would become in the future.

[Cynthia]: ...

[Diantha]: Cynthia, why did you suddenly stop talking?

[Cynthia]: I was wondering whether I could do the same thing in his position—whether I could knowingly allow my child to walk a difficult path and still choose to support them.

[Diantha]: And what do you think?

[Cynthia]: I probably would. If that is the path a child truly wishes to follow, what else can a parent do but support them?