Chapter 56

【After leaving the town where the carnival was held, Ash and his friends arrived in a deep mountain range.】

【After stocking up on enough medicine at a pharmacy located in the deep mountains, Ash began a new round of special training with his Pokémon.】

【The main goal of this special training was Bulbasaur. After more than half a month of practice, Bulbasaur’s execution of Substitute had reached a point of perfection. It was time to move on to the next stage.】

【“The skills Bulbasaur needs to learn this time are Protect and Toxic.”】

【Substitute, Protect, and Toxic—this was the tactic Ash had tailored specifically for Bulbasaur.】

【Use Substitute and Protect for defense to stall for time as much as possible, then use Toxic to slowly drain the opponent’s stamina.】

【Toxic is different from regular poisoning; its effect is that the damage increases as time passes. Therefore, as long as Bulbasaur can hold its ground on the field, theoretically, it can exhaust any enemy to death.】

【Ash named this tactic "Sub-Protect-Toxic."】

Lance: “Isn’t this tactic a bit too underhanded?”

Although Lance hadn’t seen the Sub-Protect-Toxic tactic used in a battle yet, just thinking about it made it clear that this tactic was quite underhanded.

As long as the opponent couldn’t quickly take down Bulbasaur within a few turns, the only outcome awaiting them was being toyed with by Bulbasaur until they fainted.

Misty: “Ash, look at him. We’re all Ash, but Dark Ash has already created his own tactic. What about you? You haven’t even memorized the type effectiveness chart!”

Ash: “I, I can create my own tactics too.”

Ash retorted stubbornly.

Misty: “Could it be the ‘Just Dodge It’ and ‘Stand Up’ tactic?”

Koga: “The door to a new world has been opened. I must write this down, write it down.”

Koga took out a notebook and recorded the core of the Sub-Protect-Toxic tactic one by one.

Lorelei: “This is bad.”

Koga was already a master of poison; if he mastered the essence of Sub-Protect-Toxic, they would likely be annoyed to death the next time they faced him in battle.

Just as Koga thought that by learning the Sub-Protect-Toxic tactic he would sweep through Kanto, reality slapped him hard in the face.

【“Wow, what an amazing tactic. In that case, wouldn’t Bulbasaur be invincible?” Misty exclaimed. As long as the opponent wasn’t significantly stronger than Bulbasaur, this tactic was basically invincible.】

【Ash shook his head and said, “Where in the world is there an invincible tactic?”】

【Sub-Protect-Toxic is quite useful, but it really can’t be called invincible. Ash himself could think of several ways to break it.】

【1. Pokémon with the Infiltrator ability. Use Pokémon like Crobat or Seviper that have the Infiltrator ability to attack directly, ignoring Substitutes and barriers.】

【2. Steel-type or Poison-type Pokémon, which directly ignore the effects of Toxic.】

【3. Gliscor or Breloom with the Poison Heal ability; Toxic won’t hurt them, but will instead restore their stamina.】

【4. Status-changing moves like Taunt or Encore.】

Koga: “...”

Koga tore up the notebook he had just finished writing in.

What was the point of playing now?

Dark Ash had listed four major ways to break Sub-Protect-Toxic; it was clear he wasn’t going to let him have any fun!

This was simply too hateful.

Ash: “Taunt? Encore? What kind of skills are those?”

Ash, who had always only taught his Pokémon offensive moves, was hearing about Taunt and Encore for the first time.

Misty: “Sigh, you’re hopeless, Ash.”

Brock: “Encore: Forces the opponent to repeat the last move they used for 3 turns. Taunt: Enrages the opponent. For 3 turns, the opponent can only use moves that deal damage.”

(Three updates, fifteen thousand words, finished.)

75: The 9-year-old Champion, taming an Aerodactyl with bare hands! (Please subscribe!)

Ash: “So troublesome. Still don’t understand.”

Misty, Brock: “...”

【After a week of special training in the forest, Bulbasaur, having learned Toxic and Protect, had a friendly match with Brock’s Geodude. The result was that Brock’s Geodude was driven to the brink of madness by Bulbasaur’s Sub-Protect-Toxic tactic. Throughout the match, it barely dealt any damage to Bulbasaur, while its own health just kept dropping.】

【The training match was won, but Ash was still a bit dissatisfied. The effect of Bulbasaur’s Toxic was still far from his expectations.】

【“When I have time, I must go to Fuchsia City again to seek advice from Gym Leader Koga,” Ash muttered to himself.】

【Among the people and Pokémon Ash knew, no one could compare to Koga in the study of poison, not even Mew.】

Koga: “Dark Ash has a good eye. When it comes to poisoning, no one in all of Kanto is my match!”

Agatha: “Oh, is that so?”

Koga: “Oops, I forgot about Agatha. -Except for Agatha.”

Although Agatha held the title of Ghost-type Elite Four, if you looked at her Pokémon, you would know that she was actually a genuine Poison-type master.

【After staying overnight in the City That Never Sleeps, Ash and his friends set off just as the sky was turning light. This place was truly not meant for normal people to stay in. It was brightly lit all day; there was never a moment when the city went dark.】

【Moreover, the city was far too noisy. After staying in the Pokémon Center for one night, Ash hadn’t managed to fall asleep for even an hour.】

【They didn’t dare to stay any longer; if they continued to stay, they would probably end up with a nervous breakdown.】

【After walking for over two hours, they finally left the City That Never Sleeps far behind, and all three breathed a sigh of relief.】

【After finding a cool, shaded place to rest for a while, Brock began preparing breakfast.】

【This was the best part about traveling with Brock; there was no need to worry about food at all, as Brock would have everything prepared properly.】

【Just as Brock finished preparing the sumptuous breakfast and everyone was about to start eating, a round, pink Pokémon suddenly appeared in their sight.】

【The moment they saw the Pokémon, Misty and Brock dropped their bowls and chopsticks and rushed in front of the Pokémon with lightning speed, arguing over who would own it.】

【“I saw this Igglybuff first,” Misty glared fiercely at Brock.】

【“Wrong, wrong, I was the one who wanted to see it,” Brock retorted without showing any weakness.】

【Seeing that there was no way to make the other back down, the two decided to ask Ash for help, letting Ash decide who the Pokémon should belong to.】

【Huh?】

【Actually, Ash himself quite wanted to catch this Igglybuff, but seeing that Misty and Brock both wanted to catch it, he felt embarrassed to say so.】

Ash: “What’s there to be embarrassed about? If you see a Pokémon you like, you have to say it bravely. Love must be shouted out loud!”

Cynthia: "This is the Jigglypuff from a year ago, right? It's really so cute."

Diantha: “Huh? My Jigglypuff. I was the one who wanted it, but it’s going to be snatched away by others.”

Malva: “Your Jigglypuff? What a shameless woman.”

Diantha: “Who are you calling shameless? Do you want to fight, Malva? I’ve been annoyed with you for a long time.”

Malva: “Fight then, who’s afraid of whom!!!”

Siebold: “Women are truly terrifying.”

【Ash ultimately didn’t voice his desire to catch the Igglybuff. People should know when to be content; throughout this journey, Misty and Brock hadn’t competed with him for the Pokémon he wanted to catch, so it wouldn’t be right for him to compete with them now.】

【As for helping decide who the Igglybuff should belong to, Ash felt that this matter could be put aside for now; the most important problem was to find the Igglybuff that had run away.】

【That’s right, while Misty and Brock were arguing, the Igglybuff had quietly slipped away.】

【After devouring their breakfast at top speed, the three split into three directions to start a carpet search for the Igglybuff.】

【The three acted separately. Ash’s original intention was that whoever found the Igglybuff would get to keep it. But unexpectedly, Ash was the one who found it in the end.】

【When Ash returned to the camp with the Igglybuff’s Poké Ball, Brock and Misty looked at him with resentful expressions.】

【“Ahem.”】

【Ash ultimately didn’t keep the Igglybuff. It wouldn’t be good to cause a rift in the team over a Pokémon they had just met. But who should the Igglybuff go to?】

Misty: “Of course it should be me. I’m a girl.”

Brock: “Are you from the old era? It’s the 21st century now; we believe in gender equality. It should go to me.”

Diantha: “Can it be given to the me from that world? I really want it too.”

Cynthia: “Diantha, have you lost your mind? You even want to snatch a child’s Pokémon.”

【“If you both want it, then let’s decide in the way of a Trainer.”】

【This was the fairest way.】

【Moreover, in Ash’s view, the chances for both sides in this battle were equal. Brock’s advantage was that he was 4 years older than Misty, while Misty’s advantage was that her Pokémon were Water-type, which completely countered Brock’s Pokémon.】

【Ten minutes later.】

【“Nice, the Igglybuff is mine,” Brock cheered, punching the air.】

【While Brock was cheering wildly, Misty looked like a wilted eggplant, her whole person drooping as if the whole world had lost hope.】

【In the end, it was Ash who stepped forward to comfort her, promising to help Misty catch a Pokémon as cute as the Igglybuff, which finally lifted her spirits.】

【“Ash, you’re the best,” Misty smiled happily.】