Chapter 137: See? She’s Copying Him Again (Membership Extra - )
[VIP Chat Group]
[Steven]: Brother Asher commands respect in every world. How about we call him Asher, Guardian of the Twin Dragons, Special League Advisor, Father of Space-Time, Lifetime VIP of the Devon Corporation?
[Wallace]: Steven’s naming sense remains as disastrous as ever.
[Alder]: Hmm... According to what Asher said, the simultaneous awakening of the twin dragons means that two heroes must appear. Miori is one of them, but who is the other?
[Skyla]: Ideals against Truth. They must be two people standing on opposing sides.
[Brycen]: The heroes chosen by the twin dragons throughout history weren’t necessarily enemies. They were people whose beliefs opposed each other. They might not have hated one another, but they always held different visions for the world’s future.
[Bianca]: I suddenly feel like Miori has it much worse than Raina and Tiana from the previous two episodes. Raina was free to travel wherever she wanted, while Tiana was born into a Champion’s family and never encountered any real difficulties. Meanwhile, Miori is being trained to death by her parents as their little employee.
[Skyla]: Elesa is truly evil! How dare she exploit child labor! @Elesa
[Elesa]: That was my parallel-world counterpart. What does it have to do with me?
[Wallace]: Based. For a moment, I thought Asher had said that.
[Lance]: Wait. Is Asher’s influence really that powerful?
[Diantha]: I don’t think we need to wait until the video ends. How about Elesa moves into Asher’s home ahead of schedule? (Snickers.)
[Elesa]: Stop talking nonsense! I have absolutely no relationship with him!
[Skyla]: Oh? No relationship whatsoever? Then who was clinging to Asher’s arm and acting spoiled in the video?
[Elesa]: I already told you—that was my parallel-world counterpart!
[Skyla]: See? You’re copying him again.
[Gary]: She’ll change her tune as soon as the memories arrive. Didn’t the previous two do exactly the same thing?
[Cynthia]: ...
[Diantha]: Cynthia refuses to speak and throws an ancient text at you.
[Skyla]: Mr. Asher, what do you think of Elesa? @Asher
[Asher]: I don’t have any opinion of Miss Elesa.
[Skyla]: No opinion whatsoever?
[Asher]: Correct. We haven’t met yet. Ask me again after we get to know each other.
[Steven]: Excellent! That answer receives full marks from me.
[Wallace]: Clap, clap.
[Diantha]: Clap, clap.
[Brock]: Damn it! How am I supposed to learn that kind of reaction speed?
[Gary]: When will you finally understand that the difference between you and Asher isn’t something studying can overcome?
[Brock]: No! I refuse to believe it!
[Croagunk]: Croagunk. (Poison Jab strikes Brock in the side.)
[Brock]: Wh-why...? (Completely numb.)
The video continued playing.
A considerable amount of time passed once again.
Miori’s long black hair now reached her waist and was loosely tied behind her with a pale-blue ribbon.
"Luxio, use Electroweb!"
At Miori’s command, Luxio flicked its tail and released a large net woven from golden electricity, completely enveloping the Panpour opposite it.
Panpour struggled twice inside the net, but the electricity wrapped around its limbs and left it unable to move. Eventually, its head fell limply.
The referee raised a flag.
"Panpour is unable to battle! Luxio wins!"
Miori recalled Luxio and walked to the center of the battlefield.
"Your Panpour was trained very well. Had it not been at a type disadvantage, it probably could have won."
The opposing Trainer was a bespectacled boy. Although he appeared somewhat disappointed, he still nodded.
"Thank you for the battle!"
Once the challenger had left, Miori immediately ran toward Elesa and Asher, who were sitting beside the field.
"Mommy, what did you think of my performance today?"
Elesa smiled and nodded.
"Mm, you did very well. You’re looking more and more like a proper Gym Leader."
Miori’s eyes immediately lit up.
Receiving such praise from her mother gave her a greater sense of accomplishment than winning ten battles.
After accepting the towel Elesa offered and wiping away her sweat, Miori sat down beside them.
"By the way, Daddy, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your Pokémon. Why don’t you lend them to the Gym?"
Asher paused.
Beside him, Elesa pursed her lips to suppress a laugh.
Asher reached out, ruffled Miori’s hair, and smiled.
"Daddy’s Pokémon are rather unusual. They aren’t particularly suitable for Gym Battles."
"Why not?"
"Because they don’t know how to hold back. The last time I released one in the backyard to get some fresh air, it nearly demolished the Gym’s entire training field."
Miori blinked.
"Seriously?"
"Completely serious."
Asher withdrew his hand.
"I’ll let you see them when an opportunity arises. For now, focus on training Luxio and Emolga. Building a solid foundation is the most important thing."
Miori nodded, then suddenly spoke again.
"Daddy, I’ve already learned almost everything Mommy has taught me, but you’ve never given me any guidance about battling."
"For the time being, what your mother has taught you is more than sufficient. I have nothing to add."
Asher turned and began walking into the Gym.
"Besides, my battling style is different from your mother’s."
"How is it different?"
"Your mother generally makes her opponents accept their defeat wholeheartedly."
Asher paused.
"I prefer making my opponents question their entire existence."
Miori froze. Several seconds passed before she finally asked:
"Then... which style is stronger?"
"It depends on the situation. Your mother’s approach is better for Gym Battles, but when you encounter a genuine life-or-death battle..."
Asher didn’t finish the sentence. He merely looked back at Miori.
"You must survive first. You can worry about elegance afterward."
"I don’t understand."
"That means you’re doing fine. You’ll understand after you lose badly enough to question your entire existence."
Miori still wanted to ask more questions, but Asher had already entered the Gym.
Elesa shook her head and patted Miori’s shoulder.
"Don’t worry about your father. He has always enjoyed acting mysterious."
"Mommy."
Miori continued staring in the direction Asher had left, the curiosity in her blue eyes undiminished.
"Who exactly is Daddy? Why is he so powerful when he never trains?"
Elesa smiled.
"I’ve wondered about that many times myself. Eventually, however, I realized that he simply enjoys watching the people around him grow stronger. He’s satisfied with standing behind everyone else."
"So Daddy is the secret final boss controlling everything from behind the scenes?"
"That comparison might not be entirely appropriate."
Elesa held her forehead.
"But it isn’t completely wrong either."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Lenora]: Elesa’s assessment of Asher is quite accurate. In these videos, Asher never openly places himself in the spotlight, but he’s always present during every critical moment.
[Jasmine]: When Raina was dragged into the ocean by Tentacruel, he was standing behind the reef. When Tiana entered the rift’s core, he was suppressing Giratina inside the Reverse World. Now, before Miori has even begun her journey, he has already been guarding Dragonspiral Tower’s seal for years.
[Dawn]: When you summarize it like that, Mr. Asher really is incredibly dependable!
[Brock]: And he’s dependable in the "I never say anything, but I’ve already taken care of everything" kind of way. When will I ever reach that level?
[Gary]: In your next life.
[Brock]: ...
[Steven]: How could ordinary mortals ever reach Brother Asher’s level? Still, now that Miori has asked, I’m also curious. How many Pokémon does Brother Asher actually have?
[Wallace]: Based on the previous two episodes, the Pokémon that have clearly appeared include Dragonite, Gardevoir, Dragapult, and Kricketune—along with Arceus and Giratina.
[Raihan]: Setting Arceus and Giratina aside, could Leon defeat Asher?
[Leon]: Three minutes.
[Raihan]: You’re that confident?!
[Leon]: World Coronation Series rules don’t allow you to surrender until three minutes have passed.
[Raihan]: ...
...
TL: Thanks, Titan, for the Tier 3 membership... w-what are you still here for? Go to the next Chapter already!