Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

Xiaoxia, in particular, kept thinking about the scenes of Xiaozhi's battles during this period, but she still couldn't figure it out.

"Sister, are you still thinking about the battle just now?" Xiao Lan noticed something was wrong and asked considerately.

"Yes, there are many things I don't understand." Xiaoxia nodded silently and raised her own questions, "Why is Ash's battle style so straightforward lately? And what kind of battle are you hoping for?"

After asking all these questions in one go, Xiaoxia looked much more relaxed, showing that she had been struggling with these issues recently.

"Actually, the fact that you can ask these questions shows that you are gradually getting stronger," Ash said with a smile. "Perfect, I'll explain it to you, it might also help improve your strength."

He led his companions to a secluded open space, where they sat in a circle on the ground.

"Let's answer the first question first. Why is my battle style so direct lately?" Ash explained, "It's actually very simple. The battles I've encountered aren't complicated, so I don't need to use any special tricks."

So-called tricks, such as Double Return Shield, Bugged Tsubasa Thunderclap Armor, or moves named after various random anime, how could Ash, as the second-born Toxapex transmigrator, not come up with them?

He was just too lazy to put any effort into it.

In his view, using those items unexpectedly during a battle might catch the opponent off guard.

However, if you insist on treating it as a standard moveset, or even as part of a Pokémon's inherent strength, and practice it repeatedly for that purpose, then you are really wasting your time.

Instead of wasting his free time, Ash would rather lead his partner in doing more shuttle runs and basic training, as well as the most important physical conditioning exercises.

The core of Pokémon battles is simply 'standing'.

Only by standing firm can one produce results; otherwise, it's all just empty talk.

Furthermore, the more complex a trick or tactic is, the more flaws it will have.

To help Xiaoxia and the others understand in detail, Xiaozhi found a twig, drew a line about one meter long on the ground, and roughly cut it at a 7:3 ratio, dividing the line into two parts.

"This line represents Mr. Ippei's Greninja. If its overall strength is ten points, seven points are its foundation, and the remaining three points are ninjutsu—that is, those special tricks that enhance it."

After explaining this, Ash drew another line below it, making the whole line longer and no longer segmented.

"The line below represents my Cross Bat."

The difference becomes quite obvious when compared in this way.

“Indeed, Crobat’s basic abilities alone surpass Greninja’s, so there’s no need for any special tactics.” Brock nodded knowingly.

To put it bluntly, in the match between I-Pin and Ash, the only thing that helped I-Pin was to prevent him from losing even more miserably.

“Today is a different story. This is Mr. Liu Bo’s white sea lion.” Ash redraws a one-meter line, this time dividing it at the 8:2 position.

Clearly, those last two points were the result of the White Sea Lion's Sleepy Snowstorm tactic.

"Mr. Liu Bo's tactics are excellent, and to ensure the operability of Sleep Talk, he did not let the White Sea Lion master too many special moves, so the probability of drawing a one-hit kill is naturally higher."

While analyzing, Ash drew the last line, which was slightly shorter than Dewl's but longer than the eight-point mark.

“This is my Nidoking. Penny’s Dewpriest is getting old and its condition is inevitably declining. In terms of base strength, Nidoking is better... Overall, Dewpriest is stronger.” Ash explained, while erasing the last two points of Dewpriest’s strength. “However, I broke through Penny’s tactics in the battle, causing Dewpriest’s last two points of strength to disappear, so of course it lost to Nidoking.”

“That’s true, but the only one who can do that in the shortest amount of time is probably my brother,” Lila interjected. “A trainer can spot a flaw at a glance, and a Pokémon can accurately attack by following the simplest commands. It’s very difficult for ordinary people to do that.”

Ash's tacit understanding with his companions was honed through constant training. Don't be fooled by the short time he spent catching them; the effort he put in was immense!

"But there's a problem with that... I think I've made them a little too strong~" Ash said with a wry smile.

He's not just bragging; when it comes to basic Pokémon training, Ash is confident he's second to none!

This raises a problem: if Ash's opponents aren't that strong, his friends can easily crush them with their basic abilities.

As Xiaoxia saw, the opponent's attacks were dazzling, but few of them were actually effective... On the contrary, Xiaozhi's partner could destroy the opponent's weakness with a single move!

This situation began a long time ago, and became even more pronounced after arriving in the capital.

Simply put, there's not a single one who can fight.

"So, I need someone to put enough pressure on me to push my strength to make a real breakthrough!" Ash concluded, but his face fell. "But such a person is really hard to find."

It's hard to challenge him because Ash doesn't want to lose any battles; otherwise, he would just go and challenge Lance to a one-on-one duel.

So, he had to fight Ash with all his might, and then lose to Ash afterward...

Ash probably won't find anyone suitable in the Johto region.

Chapter 549 Regarding Nidoking's being a lolicon...

After leaving Cajon Town, Ash and his friends continued their journey.

Of course, the destination may not be Blacksmith City... Suicune recently informed Ash that Raikou's trial could begin at any time.

Ash and his friends have been quietly making preparations while traveling recently.

While passing through a forest, the little bag's 'belly' finally stirred...

Okay, that was actually the Eevee egg that the five sisters gave to Misty back in Ecruteak City, and it's finally going to hatch now.

Artificially bred Pokémon eggs like these are usually carried in incubators, but Ash doesn't need to use one because he has a small bag.

Kangaskhan's pouch is arguably the best incubator for Pokémon eggs in the world, better than any other incubator.

As everyone waited anxiously, the Pokémon egg finally released a pure light, gradually transforming into an adorable little beast.

Brown, fluffy fur, large ears, and bright, expressive eyes…

"Beep~" Eevee called softly, instantly winning over Misty's heart.

"It's so cute!" Xiaoxia hugged Eevee tightly, and after its initial panic, Eevee seemed to gradually accept Xiaoxia and nestled affectionately in her arms.

"Great, the egg has finally hatched!" Lila immediately offered her congratulations.

"Yes, Xiaoxia has another key player to rely on," Xiaozhi nodded in agreement.

If it's Misty's Eevee, it will definitely evolve into Vaporeon in the future. If properly trained, it will definitely become a top-tier Pokémon, no less than the average starter Pokémon.

"But speaking of which, Little Bag is getting more and more skilled at incubating eggs," Little Blue said with a smile. "So, when are you thinking of having one of your own?"

Although it was said in jest, this is indeed something that Xiao Dai is currently struggling with.

A Kangaskhan without offspring is ultimately incomplete in terms of combat power. Even though the baby Kangaskhan has mastered the self-meta-evolution that only the ancient Kangaskhan possessed, it is still far from reaching its limit!

Of course, Xiaodai has always had her own pursuits when it comes to things like marriage and having children, and Xiaozhi is well aware of this.

"It hasn't met the right partner," Ash explained. "Sack has very high standards for its partner; ordinary Pokémon don't meet its standards."

"Aren't the ones you've captured good enough?" Little Blue was taken aback. "I've always thought Nidoking and it would make a good couple."

Kangaskhan's eggs are a single group of monsters, and among all of Ash's Pokémon, quite a few can indeed hatch eggs with it.

For example, the starter Pokémon of Kanto, Nidoking, Feraligatr, etc., including Snorlax.

Of all these Pokémon, Blue's favorite is Nidoking.

If you ask why, well, girls always like pink things~

“Nidoking… Little Bag thinks it’s too short.”

“It’s short… okay~” When Xiaozhi said that, Xiaolan initially thought he was Versailles, but then she realized that he really was.

Although Nidoking has the appearance of a monster, wild individuals generally only grow to about 1.4 or 1.5 meters tall, which is not particularly tall.

Ash's pink Nidoking is over two meters tall, making it a giant among its kind... but when it faces the giant girl Pocket, whose size far exceeds that of a normal Kangaskhan, it can only look up at her.

Therefore, if height is also included in the criteria for choosing a partner, Ash's only remaining option is Charizard.

However, firstly, they are too familiar to attack, and secondly, Charizard is now focused on preparing for a second run of Charizard Valley, and is completely oblivious to the dragons.

Xiao Dai's important life event was thus delayed.

"Oh dear, how pitiful, it was rejected." Little Blue couldn't help but chuckle, but then a mischievous idea popped into her head, "What a waste of Nidoking's cool look... why don't we have it talk to my little Nidoking, maybe they can have a litter of handsome and cute pups in the future?"

"Honey, are you serious?" Ash looked at Blue with a strange expression. "Don't you know that Nidoqueen can't lay eggs?"

"Oh...is that so?" Xiao Lan's eyes widened in surprise.

“There really is one,” Xiao Gang chimed in. “And it’s not just Nidoqueen, Nidorina can’t lay eggs either… It’s said that she resolutely gave up her reproductive ability during evolution in order to protect her young.”

"Wait...you mean only Nidoran and Nidoqueen can't lay eggs, while the others can, right?" Little Blue seemed to have realized something, and immediately gave a look of utter disbelief. "Then...such a large Nidoran population, does it all rely on Nidoking and..."

“That’s right, it’s with Nidoran.” Lila subtly finished off the culprit.

"What the heck?!" Little Blue screamed.

She imagined for a moment the massive Nidoking casting a shadow over the petite and adorable Nidoran, then doing all sorts of push-ups, and suddenly felt she could no longer look directly at this race.

“Nidoking…it’s actually a lolicon?” Little Blue curled her lips in disdain, while rolling her eyes at someone, “Tch, just like its owner.”

"How did this get dragged into me?" Xiao Zhi was speechless.

He's not as lewd as Nidoking... Besides, when did he ever become a lolicon?

It's just that the people he likes aren't quite grown up yet...

"Eek... Is Nidoking really like that? I'd better keep a close eye on it and not let Eevee get too close." Misty had calmed down from the joy of catching a new partner, but after hearing Ash and the others chatting, she immediately hugged Eevee tightly again.

Xiao Zhi: ...

Xiaoxia joining in the fun with the newborn Eevee is going a bit too far.

Besides, Nidoking and Eevee, they…

Okay, they're all terrestrial species, and they really do lay eggs together... and Xiaoxia's Eevee happens to be female.

Therefore, Pokémon breeding can sometimes be a truly bizarre and amazing thing. Aside from pampered lolicon like Nidoking, there are even more entertaining examples like Wailord taking down a Siren in one fell swoop!