"Greninja, your entire battle style revolves around your Ability, Protean."
"Because of that, you need to learn as many moves from different types as possible."
"Other than Fire-, Electric-, Steel-, and Dragon-type moves—which you simply can't learn—you can pick up at least a few techniques from almost every other type."
"As for Water-, Dark-, and Normal-type moves, you can practically learn as many as you want."
"Up to now, I've made sure you've learned at least one move from every type available to you. That gives Protean room to function during battle."
"But overall, we've only just begun expanding your Protean move pool."
"The next stage of your training is simple."
"You need to learn every compatible move possible."
"Expand your move pool as broadly and deeply as you can."
"The more options you have, the more terrifying Protean becomes."
Ash looked at Greninja and continued.
"Today's training focus will be two moves."
"Poison-type: Gunk Shot."
"And Ice-type: Icy Wind."
"Gunk Shot is one of the strongest Poison-type attacks."
"Icy Wind is an advanced Ice-type technique."
"Neither move is easy to master, but both are incredibly practical in real combat."
"So I hope you can get them under control as quickly as possible."
As he spoke, Ash immediately summoned the system interface.
From the system inventory, he selected the skill discs for Gunk Shot and Icy Wind, allowing Greninja to instantly acquire both techniques.
"Croak~ (=^ー^)"
Greninja gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Almost immediately, new memories flooded into its mind.
The methods for using Gunk Shot.
The principles behind Icy Wind.
The instant it absorbed the information, excitement filled its eyes.
Without wasting another second, it dashed toward an open stretch of beach and threw itself into training.
"Pidgeot~! What about me?"
Pidgeot hurriedly flapped its wings impatiently.
Ash opened its status information.
Mastered
Tailwind
Aerial Ace
Roost
Whirlwind
Air Cutter
Agility
Quick Attack
Double Team
Hurricane Gale
Wing Attack
Air Slash
Mimic
Hurricane
Hyper Beam
Twister
Feather Dance
Proficient
Tackle
Sand Attack
Ash glanced at the data before speaking seriously.
"Pidgeot, you've taken the path of Speed and Special Attack."
"Your claws and wings are certainly powerful enough to deal heavy physical damage."
"But as a bird Pokémon, your wings are also your greatest weakness."
"If your wings are injured…"
"If you lose the ability to fly…"
"Or even if your speed is merely reduced…"
"Your overall combat effectiveness will drop dramatically."
"So unless you're completely out of options…"
"Unless your opponent is another Flying-type whose speed matches yours…"
"Unless they're forcing you into close-range combat and you literally can't escape…"
"Never choose to fight head-on."
Ash's tone became firm.
"Your battle style is speed."
"You harass."
"You disrupt."
"You toy with your opponents."
"You kite them to exhaustion."
"Ever since you joined my team, I've treated Speed as your most important attribute."
"Quick Attack."
"Agility."
"Double Team."
"These three moves have always been the core of your training."
"Now your speed is already incredible."
"Your speed-combo framework has been polished to perfection."
"At this point, your combat system is essentially complete."
"Even if all you knew was Gust, your speed alone would allow you to endlessly kite opponents and eventually secure victory."
"Not to mention that you also possess high-powered attacks like Air Cutter, Air Slash, Twister, Hyper Beam, and Hurricane."
"Just like Pikachu, your combat framework has already matured."
"All you need now is continuous refinement."
"Keep strengthening your speed."
"Keep improving your speed-based techniques."
"Keep sharpening your special attacks."
"Then adjust and optimize your framework whenever necessary."
Ash paused briefly.
"Right now, your speed and special offense are already outstanding."
"So the next move I want you to learn is Substitute."
"With Substitute, you'll be able to safely use Roost on the ground to recover."
"You can also combine it with Aerial Ace and Double Team for even more deceptive offensive patterns."
"Additionally, since we're training on a sandy beach, I want you to spend time improving your Sand Attack as well."
"It's a surprisingly practical move."
As he spoke, Ash once again opened the system interface and used a skill disc to teach Pidgeot Substitute.
"Pidgeot~! (Got it!)"
Pidgeot nodded enthusiastically.
Seeing Pikachu and Greninja already training with all their might, it felt a growing sense of urgency.
Without further delay, it spread its magnificent wings and soared into the sky.
A moment later, it began practicing Substitute while weaving through the morning winds.
"Gahyaa~! Ash, what about me?"
Fearow immediately stepped forward.
It clearly wasn't willing to be left behind.
Ash opened Fearow's status panel.
Mastered
Peck
Focus Energy
Growl
Leer
Sky Attack
Roost
Quick Attack
Agility
Double Team
Fury Attack
Mimic
Drill Run
Drill Peck
Fearow's development path was completely different from Pidgeot's.
After examining the data, Ash began explaining.
"Fearow, you're a Speed and Physical Attack specialist."
"Your speed has already been trained to an excellent level."
"Quick Attack."
"Agility."
"Double Team."
"You've mastered all three."
"Your offensive capabilities are equally impressive."
"Peck."
"Fury Attack."
"Drill Run."
"Drill Peck."
"Sky Attack."
"You already possess plenty of offensive tools."
"And as we continue integrating more enhancement items into your body, your damage output will only keep increasing."
Ash's expression became thoughtful.
"However…"
"Your battle style is too extreme."
"Too aggressive."
"Too risky."
"One mistake and it's all-or-nothing."
"You either destroy your opponent…"
"Or you leave yourself completely exposed."
"So while we continue improving your speed and physical attack…"
"We also need methods to weaken your opponents."
"Because of that, I want you to learn several support-oriented moves."
"Glare."
"Mean Look."
"Scary Face."
"Chatter."
"And Feather Dance."
"These moves can inflict debuffs, restrict movement, and reduce enemy combat effectiveness."
"Today, I'll start by teaching you Scary Face and Feather Dance."
"Your brother Pidgeot already knows Feather Dance."
"So while training, you can learn from him."
Thanks to the Skill Copy Module of the Ascension Trainer System, any move with compatible typing could theoretically be learned.
That meant Fearow could also learn techniques like Glare and Chatter.
The only problem was that Ash currently didn't possess a Chatter skill disc.
After all, Chatter was originally the signature move of Chatot from the Sinnoh region.
Unlike moves such as Electroweb and Parabolic Charge, which Ash had managed to acquire for Pikachu through various means, Chatter wasn't available in his inventory yet.
Still, Ash wasn't particularly worried.
Chatter was useful.
But it wasn't irreplaceable.
Its base power was only moderate, and its main value lay in causing confusion.
For Fearow, it was a valuable addition—but not an essential one.
There were alternatives.
So for now, Ash decided not to rush.
The sea breeze swept across the beach.
Pikachu ran tirelessly through the surf, electricity crackling around its body.
Greninja practiced Gunk Shot and Icy Wind on the open sands.
Pidgeot streaked across the sky like a silver arrow, testing its newly learned Substitute.
Fearow eagerly prepared to begin mastering Scary Face and Feather Dance.
Watching his Pokémon throw themselves wholeheartedly into training, Ash couldn't help but smile.
Milotic's evolution had undeniably created pressure.
But pressure wasn't always a bad thing.
Sometimes, pressure was exactly what drove a team to grow stronger.
And right now, every member of Ash's main squad was sprinting forward at full speed on the road toward greater power.