"You can already see Joe's weakness from that battle," Ash explained while teasing Pikachu.
"He didn't know that Rapid Spin can deflect Leech Seed and even increase the user's speed."
"Otherwise Starmie wouldn't have been able to fire off Psybeam so quickly."
"So this is the level of a 'beginner' here?" Misty scoffed.
"Wasn't he saying he was stronger than Trainers with two Gym Badges—like those from Cerulean Gym?"
She clearly intended to mock him.
Earlier he had been bragging about crushing them—now the situation had reversed.
"Uh… well…" Joe scratched his head awkwardly.
Why hadn't the battle followed the results of the computer simulation?
"You shouldn't rely only on computer tests," Brock said kindly, trying to smooth things over.
"You also need to pay attention to your Pokémon's condition. Your Pokémon doesn't seem very experienced in real battles."
Joe looked gratefully at Brock.
"Well… we usually don't battle much."
"But our beginner class is still pretty strong. I'm just the weakest among them."
Ash nodded.
Elite academies like this had abundant teaching resources. Many instructors were Trainers who had collected Gym Badges and even competed in the Pokémon League, so producing strong Trainers wasn't surprising.
Misty rolled her eyes.
You're the weak one? That part I believe.
Apparently he thought Water-type Pokémon couldn't win without water terrain.
"Our top beginner student is Lady Seiyo," Joe said proudly.
"Her strength is equivalent to someone with three Gym Badges."
"Tch. I bet she's about the same as you," Misty replied dismissively.
She really disliked the students from this academy—they always acted superior, yet their actual battle skills were a mess.
"So… would you like to test that?"
A pleasant female voice suddenly spoke behind Ash.
Turning around, they saw a girl wearing the academy uniform—a pleated skirt and elegant posture.
Her eyes were bright and clear. Her dark wine-red hair reached down to her hips, and her delicate fair face gave off an aura of elegance and nobility.
Her long legs looked even more radiant under the sunlight, and her uniform skirt swayed gently as she walked, radiating youthful energy.
"What a beautiful student…" Brock froze instantly, completely mesmerized.
Joe quietly revealed her identity.
The girl in front of them was Yuto Seiyo, the top student of the academy's beginner class.
"Would you like to test my strength?" Seiyo said with a playful blink.
She took a Poké Ball from a cart nearby.
"If it's against a Water-type Pokémon, this will be enough."
She released her Pokémon.
Graveler.
Brock was shocked.
Graveler was Rock/Ground-type, which meant it had a quadruple weakness to Water. Starmie should defeat it easily.
Seeing Graveler appear, Misty felt insulted again.
Were the students from this academy always this arrogant?
"Fine, let's battle," Misty said.
She sent out Starmie again.
"Brine!"
Starmie fired a jet of salty water.
But Graveler immediately used Rollout combined with Rock Polish.
Rolling across the field, Graveler avoided the attack, and Rock Polish sharply increased its speed.
Although Rollout didn't deal massive damage, it gradually chipped away at Starmie's stamina.
Starmie's Brine attacks eventually landed, but Graveler's natural durability allowed it to endure the hits.
Soon, Starmie collapsed.
Wait… what?
A Pokémon with a four-times Water weakness had defeated Starmie.
Was she using cheats or something?
She was the true Type-Disadvantage Master.
Earlier, Starmie had beaten Weepinbell using non-Water-type moves, but this situation was even more outrageous.
"How about it?" Seiyo asked calmly.
"Do you want to switch to a water battlefield instead?"
Even if the terrain changed, she looked completely confident that she would still win.
[ New Mission Triggered]
Defeat Yuto Seiyo's Pokémon in an impressive manner.
Reward: TM – Protect (single-use).
Protect?
Ash suddenly remembered he also had a TM for Toxic.
Is the system trying to give me the full Toxic stall combo?
Toxic + Protect…
Is it trying to turn me into a tactical mastermind?
Forget being a Type-Disadvantage Master.
If I'm going to be anything… I'll be a Strategy Master!
"Misty, let me handle this one," Ash said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
He then challenged Seiyo.
"A little advice," Seiyo said gracefully.
"That Pikachu of yours is more suited to being a cute pet for girls."
"It looks adorable… but a bit weak."
"To be honest, this Pokémon is enough to deal with it."
She released another Pokémon.
Cubone.
Seriously? Now you're the one countering me? Ash thought.
He quietly explained the plan to Pikachu.
They were about to show these academy students what Pikachu was really capable of.
Using Electric moves?
No need.
Instead, Pikachu relied on its superior speed and charged straight at Cubone in close combat.
Cubone was completely overwhelmed.
It covered its head desperately while trying to defend itself.
[Pikachu: Fighting-Type (?)]
"Wait—what?!"
"Pikachu used Close Combat?!"
The watching students stared with wide eyes.
Pikachu was fighting bare-handed—and at one point even snatched Cubone's bone club and used it against it.
This battle displayed Pikachu's hand-to-hand combat skills.
Truly worthy of the title Pika-God.
"How is that even possible?" the students muttered.
Ash and Pikachu simply ignored conventional battle logic.
Misty, though wearing an annoyed expression, felt grateful seeing Ash and Pikachu standing up for her.
Brock remained silent.
If it weren't for the system mission, Ash could have ended the battle instantly with Iron Tail.
There was no need for such primitive fighting methods.
But winning through raw hand-to-hand combat would certainly make a memorable impression.
If the roles were reversed—if his Pikachu had been defeated by a Water-type Pokémon using such bizarre tactics—Ash would probably lose sleep over it.
"So?" Ash asked.
Seiyo stared at him, her elegant face showing disappointment.
She had never seen a Pikachu defeat Cubone without using Electric-type attacks.
No textbook or reference material had ever mentioned something like that.
"If even the textbooks don't have it… then I've lost," she admitted.
"Haha… Pikachu was just improvising," Ash explained quickly.
"Please don't try to imitate this."
"Pika!"
(That's right—I'm just that awesome!)
Pikachu stood proudly with its hands on its hips.
A Fighting-type Electric mouse was truly rare.
"Don't casually imitate Ash's battle style," Misty warned everyone.
"Your name is Ash, right?" Seiyo said.
"I take back what I said earlier. You and your Pikachu are very strong."
She looked at him with determined eyes.
"I never expected to lose in such a way."
"Next time… I'll definitely win."
Ash nodded.
Studying at this elite academy meant she still had a chance to become an advanced graduate and compete in the Pokémon League.
If that happened, they might meet again as true rivals.
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