Chapter 121

"Uh, my Ralts doesn't know how to battle." To avoid crushing Nana's confidence, Ash could only come up with a tactful excuse.

Upon hearing Ash say that Mew didn't know how to battle, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock all couldn't help but roll their eyes.

He really was telling a lie with his eyes wide open.

"Alright then." Nana pouted, accepting Ash's excuse.

The backyard of Professor Elm's laboratory.

After Brock, acting as the referee, briefly introduced the rules of the match, the battle began.

Although Nana was a beginner and a girl, her fighting style was very aggressive; as soon as the battle started, she had her Chikorita launch a fierce assault.

Razor Leaf, Vine Whip, Tackle—all sorts of moves were unleashed at Ash's Mankey.

"What a ferocious way to battle," Misty exclaimed from the sidelines.

"But, did Nana pick the wrong starter Pokémon?"

Nana's battle style didn't suit Chikorita at all; with such an aggressive combat style, she should have chosen Totodile.

"Nana was originally planning to choose Totodile, but she arrived too late, and Totodile had already been picked by another beginner," Professor Elm explained.

Gary: "Not picking the right Pokémon because you were late—that sounds a bit like someone I know."

Brock: "You know, Nana and Ash are actually quite similar, and their battle styles are very much alike too."

Equally hot-blooded, equally aggressive.

Although the levels of the two Pokémon were about the same, the gap between the trainers was too large; Ash quickly found the flaws in Nana's reckless assault.

Seizing the opening, Mankey went in with a Scratch attack, directly scratching up Chikorita's face.

"Next is Leer."

Mankey's fierce glare intimidated Chikorita, and even Nana was taken aback; without her trainer's guidance, Chikorita stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do.

"Finish it with Scratch."

"I lost," Nana said, feeling dejected.

"There's no need to be discouraged. Ash is the Indigo League Champion; it would be strange if you could win," Professor Elm stepped forward to comfort her.

Under Professor Elm's consolation, Nana slowly recovered.

"Ash, you're just too amazing! How about I take you as my master!!!" Nana suddenly said.

"Huh?" Ash suspected something was wrong with his ears.

Take him as a master? Was she kidding? He was about the same age as Nana, maybe even younger. How could he be a teacher!

118: Erika has chased him all the way to Johto, and there are three great beauties in the group!

After Nana's pestering and the egging on of the others, Ash finally accepted Nana as his student.

"Ash, congratulations on your promotion to Master," Misty said, laughing heartily.

Karen: "Misty really is a big dummy."

Lorelei: "Exactly. Doesn't she realize that Nana is also a great beauty?"

Diantha: "Although her personality is like a boy's and she dresses strangely, Nana is also a cute girl. Instead of pushing threats away, she's desperately inviting them into the house. I really give up on Misty."

Daisy: "Sigh, it's all because the eldest sister didn't teach Misty well that she turned into a big fool."

Violet: "Hey, what does that have to do with me? Isn't teaching Misty something Lily should be doing?"

Lily: "Please, I'm the third sister, why should I be the one to do it?"

"Chikorita is a very balanced Pokémon; its six base stats are very even."

Among the six starter Pokémon from Kanto and Johto, Chikorita's stat distribution is the most balanced—nothing stands out, but nothing lags behind either.

Bugsy: "But sometimes, 'balanced' just means 'mediocre.' Good at everything, but master of nothing."

Whitney: "How can you talk about your own region's starters like that? Chikorita is actually quite good."

Bugsy: "Venusaur, Meganium, Sceptile—pick one. Who would you choose?"

Jasmine: "That's sophistry. The Kanto and Hoenn starters are the most popular; of course, Chikorita can't compare to them."

Whitney: "How about this: Meganium, Torterra, Chesnaught—pick one. Who would you choose?"

Bugsy: "Chesnaught? Who is Chesnaught?"

Grant: "You're done for, Bugsy. You actually don't know Chesnaught? You've offended hundreds of millions of Chesnaught fans worldwide!"

Viola: "Hundreds of millions? Heh, even in our Kalos region, you wouldn't find many Chesnaught fans."

Clemont: "Chesnaught is the evolution of Quilladin and is the Grass-type starter of the Kalos region."

With Clemont's reminder, many viewers suddenly realized: Oh, right, it seems the final evolution of the Kalos Grass starter is indeed called Chesnaught.

Since Chikorita's physical and special attack stats are balanced, there's no need to specialize in one; a dual-wielding style is more appropriate.

In terms of special attacks, Chikorita has already mastered two moves: Razor Leaf and Vine Whip, which are enough for now. What needs to be strengthened next is its physical attack.

The move Ash chose for Chikorita is Slash.

The leaf on Chikorita's head isn't just for show; it can be used as a tool for offense. Don't let its soft appearance fool you; it's actually quite sturdy.

After arranging the special training tasks for Nana's Chikorita, Ash also began training with Mankey.

Rage. A move that becomes more powerful the higher the anger level. This move is practically tailor-made for the Mankey family.

Other Pokémon might need to be attacked to accumulate anger, but the Mankey family is different; they are angry at every moment, making them the most suitable for this ultimate technique.

Once in the zone, Mankey began to destroy things frantically. After kicking down two trees, smashing four rocks, and hammering the floor tiles under its feet, its rage finally began to dissipate.

"Still can't control the rage very well."

Ash shook his head, not very satisfied with Mankey's performance.

His goal was to have Mankey be able to control itself while in a state of rage, and even be able to unleash various moves.

Turning Rage into a buff move rather than an attack move—that was Ash's goal.

But as it stands, it's still far from enough. Mankey has no way to effectively control its emotions; once it enters a state of rage, it only attacks blindly.

Bruno: "Turning Rage into a buff move? Hiss, isn't that idea a bit too wild?"

Brawly: "How could that be possible? Rage has been an attack move since ancient times; how could it become a buff move?"

In Brawly's view, Dark Ash was really overthinking it and doing completely useless work.

Roxanne: "Don't speak too soon. He is Dark Ash; there's nothing he can't do."

Didn't Dark Ash just invent a new move a few months ago? If he can even invent a move, what's so special about improving one?

Brawly: "Heh, then I'll wait and see."

"Right, I have to go to the Pokémon Center to register first." Ash suddenly remembered an important matter. To challenge the Johto League, one must register at a Pokémon Center; otherwise, one isn't qualified to challenge Gyms.

Accompanied by Misty, Brock, and Nana, Ash arrived at the New Bark Town Pokémon Center.

"Long time no see, Ash."

What Ash never expected was that he would meet an old acquaintance at the Pokémon Center.

——

【Ding!】

【Entering the prize quiz segment!】

Just then, a question appeared on the big screen.

【Question: Who is the person Ash met at the Pokémon Center?】

【A: Sabrina.】

【B: Erika.】

【C: Lorelei.】

【D: Flora.】

【E: Luana.】

【F: Serena.】

Wallace: "I can answer questions again, great! This time I definitely won't waste the opportunity."

Steven: "Your big talk gets louder every time, but I never see you get a reward. Can you be a bit more impressive, Wallace? Don't lose face for us in Hoenn."

Roxanne: "Heh, ever since he got a reward once, this guy Steven has become more and more arrogant."

Phoebe: "That's for sure. He's someone who possesses a Legendary Pokémon; he's not on the same path as us anymore."

Sidney: "What's there to be proud of? Just lucky to get it right once. Ash has gotten it right so many times and isn't as arrogant as you."

Glacia: "Don't argue, don't argue. The three-second penalty period is over, you can start answering."

Diantha: "This question is a bit difficult; it's basically luck. However, option F can be directly excluded. Serena only returned to Kalos a few days ago; it's impossible for her to be in Johto again."

Malva: "That's not necessarily true. Maybe Serena realized she couldn't live without Ash after going home, so she decided to charge for love. I choose F!"