Chapter 7: Overpowered Cooking?! Ash's Personal Creed – Return Kindness, Repay Vengeance!
---
Three Golds, two Reds, and one Orange.
This trait lineup wasn't just impressive—it was insanely luxurious!
If Pikachu didn't have that Rainbow-tier Infinite Reincarnation, Ash himself would be outshining his starter.
When Ash first got the Trait System, he scanned himself…
And found he had three Golds and one Red right out of the gate.
At first, he thought the system was broken.
Even most Legendary Pokémon don't start out this strong.
And yet here he was—just a human.
He recalled a phrase from his past life's online comments:
> "Ash is a human-shaped Legendary Pokémon."
Honestly?
They weren't wrong.
Even though he didn't have any Rainbow traits, none of his current traits were weak.
Combined with his Red-ranked training ability, Ash's potential was terrifying.
Without the Trait System, however, even he wouldn't have been able to tap into the full potential of these traits.
That may explain why, in the original timeline, despite traveling across multiple regions and countless adventures…
Ash never managed to become Champion.
But now, with his past-life memories and the Trait System in hand…
If he doesn't win the Indigo League?
He'll eat Pikachu!
(Pikachu: …???)
Ash even once got a Blue trait called "Kitchen Amateur" from a wild Pokémon.
He never expected a cooking trait to drop, but it included making food for both people and Pokémon.
The early-stage version had minor buff effects… and some side effects.
Eventually, after investing tons of traits into it, he upgraded it to Red rank.
This cooking boost is the main reason why both Pikachu and Ash had leveled so rapidly—
One becoming quasi-Elite, the other stepping into the Elite Four tier.
If not for Pikachu's one-time reincarnation and reset, he might be Elite level already.
And right now—the strongest fighter in Ash's team… isn't Pikachu.
It's Ash himself.
Pikachu can cross tiers in battle—but Ash? So can he.
Diamond Body and Strength of Legends are the foundations of his tier-breaking potential.
Even though he was only Entry Elite Tier,
When it came to fighting, anyone below Champion level was no threat to him at all!
---
With Serena's help, dinner was soon ready.
Though it was just a simple beef curry,
Serena nearly swallowed her tongue from the taste.
After eating, an overwhelming sense of bliss spread through her entire body.
Her physical and mental fatigue from the long day simply melted away.
She felt like she was floating in paradise!
Blushing, shoulders soft, she slumped against the seat with a dazed expression.
Ash glanced at her, confused.
Wait…
Did I accidentally drug the food?
Why does she look like that?!
In truth, only he and Pikachu had ever tasted his cooking before.
At home, Delia always cooked, and Ash only made meals while training in the wild.
Even Delia didn't know Ash could cook—let alone how good his meals were.
Serena was the first human besides Pikachu to taste his food.
He had no idea his cooking could trigger this kind of reaction.
It was the physical version of someone getting too comfortable—it literally melted her.
Even Froakie, who had his own Pokémon-specific meal made from general ingredients (since it was sudden), was stunned by the taste.
He too experienced total relaxation.
Compared to Ash's cooking?
The food from the lab was basically pet chow.
---
After dinner, Serena offered to clean the dishes—despite only helping chop veggies.
She felt a little guilty for not doing more, so she did it all with Froakie's help.
That night, the two sat by a campfire, sharing stories of what happened during their time apart.
Ash's side was simple:
He and Pikachu had been clearing out all the wild Pokémon areas near Pallet Town.
Every time he beat a wild Pokémon, he would heal them afterward.
Because of that, the local Pokémon held no grudge against him.
In fact, many became quite friendly.
Some even volunteered to help train his Pikachu.
If Ash had Pokéballs at the time, he could've filled an entire ranch by now.
There are many Trainers who fight wild Pokémon—
But few who defeat them, then heal them.
"…Ash, you really are still so kind," Serena said softly, her eyes shimmering.
Serena had once been saved by Ash's kindness.
But his kindness wasn't exclusive to her—it was a kindness that extended to all living beings.
Normally, who would go out of their way to heal wild Pokémon they had just defeated?
Unless, of course, someone planned to catch them.
Ash gently stroked Pikachu on his shoulder and said seriously to Serena:
"I don't consider myself all that kind. It's just… those wild Pokémon never did anything to me.
If I just go beat them up for no reason, it feels kind of wrong, doesn't it?"
"If I leave them there after battling them, and they end up dying to other predators because of it…"
"I'd probably feel guilty for the rest of my life."
"So whenever I battle wild Pokémon who have no grudge against me, I always help them recover afterward."
Return kindness with kindness. Repay vengeance with vengeance.
That was Ash's philosophy.
He would never repay evil with good, nor would he hold grudges unnecessarily.
If he harmed a random Pokémon to train or farm traits,
Then he had the responsibility to compensate them in his own way.
Sure, it was time-consuming, costly, and a hassle.
But Ash felt—it was something he must do.