Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

(Ash had already been traveling for two months by the time of Pokémon episode 9)

(How much time did he actually spend in each region?)

(A 10-year-old child who has been traveling for 20 years...)

Chapter 46 can only be described as a minor interlude.

As dusk fell, the sandy arena in the forest clearing was bathed in a warm gold, and the surrounding wooden stakes cast long shadows.

Xiao Ming, who calls himself the Beast Master, stood on one side of the ring, his fingerless gloves tightly clenched, a confident smile on his lips.

He deftly swung the whip in his hand.

There was a crackling sound.

"I choose you, Sandshrew!"

A pangolin covered in hard, brown scales darted out from the side, moving very quickly.

It lay on all fours with its eyes alert, its sharp claws unconsciously scratching at the sand beneath it, making a rustling sound.

As a Ground-type Pokémon, this is its home ground.

"Penetrating the mountain!"

It emits a short, powerful cry.

Xiao Ming crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and said with undisguised pride, "The Sandshrew is a ground-type!"

"Your electric shocks have no effect on us!"

"This is common sense in Pokémon battles!"

"Your Pikachu has no chance of winning!"

Xiao Ming seemed to already see the scene of victory.

In his view, the boy in front of him was about the same age as him and couldn't have debuted much earlier than him... which meant that his Pokémon couldn't be much stronger than his own.

And it still uses the attribute that it is restrained by.

Sandshrew (opposite type) and Pikachu (electro-type).

Tell me how to lose?

There's no way we can lose, okay?

Ash's Pikachu lightly leaped into the arena from his shoulder, its small body a stark contrast to Sandshrew.

Upon hearing Xiaoming's words, it merely scratched its cheek with its little paws, a sly glint in its bright black eyes, as if to say: Is that so?

Pikachu has lightning rod properties; he understands all too well the principle of being immune to lightning.

Cracking it is actually not difficult.

Ash pulled down his hat brim, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, but he didn't refute Decade's words. He simply said, "Let the match begin!"

"Sandshrew, harden!" Xiaoming gave the first order.

This is a prerequisite for the rolling tactic.

Any Pokémon that can roll will habitually use Harden first, given the opportunity.

Hardening + Rolling

It can increase damage to enemies and reduce damage to oneself.

The pangolin's body gleamed with a metallic sheen, enhancing its defensive capabilities.

However, just as its skill took effect—

"Pikachu!" Ash's voice was clear and decisive. "Quick Attack!"

"Pica-!"

Pikachu's figure blurred instantly, transforming into a golden bolt of lightning that tore through the twilight, moving faster than Xiaoming could have imagined.

"What?!" Xiao Ming's pupils shrank, completely unprepared for the opponent's terrifying speed.

This is why Pikachu's strength is off.

The pangolin only felt a blur before its eyes as a tremendous impact slammed into its relatively vulnerable lower abdomen from the side.

"Pangolin!!" Pangolin cried out in pain as its entire body was thrown off the ground by the brute force and flung into the air.

It instantly lost contact with the earth.

"Now!" Ash's arm swung down like a sword, "Electric Shock!"

They didn't give Xiaoming and the pangolin any chance to react at all.

Pikachu's current specialty is high-speed tactics.

Seizing real power is a very effective approach.

Pikachu, who had been poised to pounce, unleashed a dazzling golden light from the electric pouches on its cheeks.

“Sizzle——!!!”

A golden current, much thicker and more violent than any ordinary electric shock, struck the panicked pangolin, which had nowhere to get a foothold in mid-air, with perfect precision, like a twisted lightning snake.

In fact, Pikachu has already stopped a lot of its antics.

If we really have to go all out... maybe grilled pangolin meat would be pretty good?

"Penetrating the mountain!!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the forest clearing.

The pangolin was completely engulfed by the golden lightning.

Its body convulsed violently in the air, and even its hardened scales could not completely block the powerful electric current at close range.

Hardening increases physical resistance.

It cannot increase its own resistance.

Its electrical conductivity remained unchanged.

The smell of burning filled the air instantly.

next moment.

The pangolin, billowing black smoke, plummeted straight down from the sky.

With a "bang," it crashed onto the sand, kicking up a cloud of dust. Its eyes turned into whirlpools, and it completely lost its ability to fight.

Instant kill!

From beginning to end, it only took a few breaths.

There was dead silence.

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang both had their mouths slightly open.

Although they were aware of Ash and Pikachu's strength, they were still inevitably shocked every time they saw such clean and decisive annihilation.

This shows that Pikachu's strength is indeed abnormally powerful.

Xiao Ming's smugness and confidence froze completely, like a stone sculpture.

He stared wide-eyed at the smoking pangolin on the field, incredulous.

Then he suddenly looked up at the calm-looking boy opposite him and the Pikachu on his shoulder that seemed to have done nothing.

"H-How is this possible?!" His voice trembled with shock. "How could a ground-type Sandshrew...?"

Xiao Ming never expected that the pangolin would be instantly killed by an electric shock.

He always thought that pangolins were terrestrial creatures and afraid of water.

So I've been doing swimming training to improve my resistance to water.

Are we going to have to train ground-dwelling pangolins to be resistant to lightning in the future?

This kind of thing is pointless!

Xiao Zhi then slowly raised his head, his gaze beneath the brim of his hat carrying a hint of the composure befitting a "King of Knowledge".

He extended his index finger and began to explain, like a professor in a classroom:

"The so-called 'Ground-type Pokémon are immune to Electric-type moves' is based on the fact that they can efficiently channel incoming electric current underground by contacting the ground."

"Similar to the characteristics of a lightning rod."

But this has two prerequisites—

He paused, looking at Xiaoming's emotionally shaken appearance.

"First, it must remain in contact with the ground. Once it leaves the ground, the conductive path is broken."

"Secondly, there is an upper limit to the amount of current it can conduct underground. If the current intensity far exceeds the limit of its conductivity..."

Ash pointed to the unconscious Sandshrew on the ground.

"The result is as you can see."

Pikachu can easily defeat Sandshrew by using both of these methods.

Sandshrew is quite strong among rookie trainers.

The ability to kill with a single blow is purely a miracle of sheer brute force.

Xiao Zhi's tone was calm, but it was like an invisible slap in the face, hard hitting Xiao Ming's pride built up by his "hundred-win streak".

Xiao Ming's face turned pale and then red.

He looked at the Sandshrew on the ground, unable to fight, and then at Ash, who seemed to have done nothing of importance. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

...He started this fight, so he deserved to be defeated.

"...I still have a long way to go, and I need to work harder." Xiaoming did not slack off because of this setback.

He is a very hardworking, ambitious, and determined person.

Ash stepped forward, patted Decade on the shoulder, and smiled: "Your Sandshrew is very well trained."

"Among the rookie trainers I've ever battled, you're the strongest."

"It's just a pity you met me."

"Then, I'll leave the accommodation and dinner tonight to you, 'Beastmaster' Xiaoming."

Ash's gaze swept over the flag that read "100," and he added meaningfully:

"The path to true strength is not as simple as a hundred victories."

"Let's move forward with me as our goal."

"I'll be waiting for you at the Quartz Conference."

Ash doesn't dislike the hardworking and intelligent Beastmaster, Demi.

"Then it's a deal." Xiaoming checked his pangolin and found that it wasn't seriously injured.

"I will work hard to become stronger, and then challenge you again," Xiaoming said earnestly.

"You may use this place as you please tonight."

Chapter 47 Such cheesy mushy stuff...

"I'll be waiting for you at the Quartz Conference~"

"Then it's a deal."

"This world has an incredibly vast future, and I'll take you to see even more spectacular scenery then." Ash knew very well that going it alone was unreliable.

Therefore, you need to prepare your team in advance.

Whether it's forming an organization or establishing a company, having enough manpower will make things much easier.

This is not something that can be achieved simply by having strong personal abilities.

Even with great strength, it's impossible to do everything personally.

In Xiao Zhi's eyes, the beast master Xiao Ming in front of him is a talent.

After bidding farewell to Beastmaster Xiaoming and his Sandshrew, Ash and his friends resumed their journey to Bright Lighthouse.