"Ash, go wash up and get ready for breakfast~"
The moment he got home, Delia's voice came from the kitchen, where she was busy cooking with an apron tied around her waist.
"Got it~!"
An hour of morning training—
excluding the time spent guiding Pokémon exercises and the rest intervals in between—meant Ash himself had trained for around 35–40 minutes.
He was drenched in sweat.
The moisture soaked through his training vest, sticking it tightly to his back.
But after sticking with training for this period of time, Ash could clearly feel the changes while showering—
The muscle definition in his calves, thighs, abdomen, chest, forearms, and arms had become far more pronounced than before.
It could be said that during this time, not only had his Viridian Blessing and Aura Powers improved rapidly—
his physical fitness had also grown significantly stronger.
Aside from Team Rocket being as persistent as a bad smell—popping up from time to time just to annoy him—
everything else was moving steadily in a positive direction.
Whether it was at home, or the strength of both himself and his Pokémon.
…
"Pichu, Frogadier, Pidgey, Charizard—come over and eat."
After showering, before sitting down for his own breakfast, Ash first prepared food for his Pokémon.
Charizard had been assigned by Professor Oak as his personal bodyguard.
With Ash's shop now earning a solid income, he didn't skimp on Charizard's food at all.
Yesterday afternoon, when Ash called to order Pokémon food for Pidgey,
he also ordered several large portions of Pokémon food with different flavors specifically for Charizard.
And in terms of quality—
They were all top-tier, the same as what Ash's own Pokémon ate.
"Pidgey, eat a bit more," Ash said gently, stroking the feathers at the back of Pidgey's neck.
"These were specially prepared by Doctor Silas to help your body recover."
"Once your conditioning is complete, you'll be able to evolve into Pidgeotto."
"Coo~"
Hearing Ash's words, Pidgey nodded in its usual "cool" manner—
but its eating speed noticeably increased.
After his own Pokémon finished breakfast, Ash also fed the three Magikarp,
as well as the other Pokémon entrusted to him—including Drowzee.
After taking a brutal beating from Ash the previous night, Drowzee had become far more obedient.
Over the course of the night, most of its external injuries had already healed,
but Ash still gave it another round of treatment.
Of course—
This wasn't because Ash was being kind.
Although he was kind, his kindness was never meant for anyone—or any Pokémon—that harbored malice toward him.
The real reason Ash healed Drowzee was simple:
So it could endure another round of punishment later.
-----
After breakfast, Ash once again led his Pokémon out of town for training!!
Previously, Ash and Gary had agreed to rotate duties—
one would handle skill training while the other went to the wild grasslands to grind levels,
while also helping harvest the ripe crops in the surrounding fields.
Today, Gary was in charge of skill training,
while Ash headed to the wild grasslands to grind levels.
After exchanging a quick word with Gary, Ash brought his Pokémon to the barren grassland outside Dashiwan.
But this time, Ash didn't go looking for the usual aggressive, battle-hungry wild Pokémon—
Because today, he and his Pokémon had a new training target.
Pop—
"Come out, Drowzee."
Ash threw the Poké Ball, releasing the Drowzee he had already treated earlier that morning.
"Drow—?!!"
The moment it appeared and saw the desolate grassland around it,
Drowzee thought this was Ash's chosen burial ground.
Panic and terror instantly filled its face.
Ash naturally sensed Drowzee's fear—
but he didn't explain anything, simply watching it coldly.
Only when Drowzee had nearly frightened itself into a mental breakdown from its own imagination did Ash finally speak.
"Drowzee," Ash said flatly,
"since you—and the Team Rocket behind you—dared to make a move against me, you should have been prepared for retaliation."
"I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself."
"You'll serve as a live combat training partner for my Pokémon."
"If you perform well, I won't make things difficult for you. After some time, I'll return you to your Trainer in one piece."
"But if your performance disappoints me—"
Ash's eyes grew colder.
"You already know the consequences."
"Team Rocket is very skilled at punishing people—and torturing Pokémon."
"When the time comes, I'll personally reenact every punishment I've seen in your memories."
"So," Ash concluded calmly,
"I don't think I need to teach you what to do next."
"Drow… Drowzee…"
As a Psychic-type Pokémon with high intelligence, Drowzee immediately understood.
It shot Ash a fearful glance and nodded frantically.
"Good."
"Since you've made your choice—let's begin."
"Pichu. Frogadier. Pidgey."
"All three of you—together."
With that, Ash gestured to them and stepped back, standing beside Charizard to oversee the battle.
…
A gust of wind swept across the grassland, scattering the morning dew.
In a cleared open area within the wild grassland, four Pokémon faced each other in tense opposition.
But they weren't evenly split.
Drowzee stood alone on one side.
Pichu, Frogadier, and Pidgey stood together on the other.
The sides were clearly drawn.
"Frogadier takes main offense."
"Pichu provides control."
"Pidgey handles disruption."
"Drowzee," Ash added coldly,
"you are forbidden from using Hypnosis."
"As for how much strength you use—that's up to you."
"But in the end, I want you to be truly defeated by them."
"Battle—begin!"
Ash showed no hesitation.
After assigning roles and issuing his warning to Drowzee, he decisively announced the start of the battle.
"Coo—!!"
The moment the battle began, Pidgey seized the initiative.
A powerful Gust erupted instantly.
Sand, dust, and dry grass debris were swept into the raging wind, blasting straight toward Drowzee.
"Drow—!!"
Drowzee, who had been squinting and preparing to use Confusion, immediately raised its arms to shield its face and shut its eyes.
Pichu and Frogadier reacted just as quickly.
Seeing Drowzee pinned down by Pidgey's aerial suppression, the two Pokémon on the ground sprang into action.
"Pichu~!"
"Frogadier~!"
The small, agile Pichu darted about rapidly,
then fired off a Thunder Wave toward the restrained Drowzee.
As a move with a 100% paralysis chance on hit, Thunder Wave had been one of Pichu's key focus moves during recent training.
Its proficiency had already reached—
Proficient.
Amid the yellow storm of dust and grass whipped up by Pidgey's Gust,
the thin arc of electricity from Thunder Wave was nearly invisible.
It pierced through the wind barrier—
And struck Drowzee cleanly.
The Pokémon with the tapir-like appearance convulsed violently, its body spasming uncontrollably.
The battle had only just begun.
--------------
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