"Oh? A Butterfree? You managed to raise a fully evolved Pokémon in just nine days? You're quite the Trainer," Brock said, watching Butterfree fluttering high above.
Sure, it was a Bug-type, but evolving one into its final form in only nine days was no small feat for a Beginner.
And from Brock's trained eye, this Butterfree wasn't just evolved—it was in excellent condition all around.
Its spirit, its wings, even the sheen of its body and the clarity in its eyes all spoke to a Pokémon raised with genuine care.
That meant Ash hadn't rushed his Caterpie into evolving, but had nurtured it properly, letting it grow strong enough to evolve naturally.
For someone who dreamed of becoming a Breeder, Brock had to admit: this Butterfree was raised beautifully.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? Beginner Trainers from Pallet Town aren't like the others. So me having a Butterfree isn't that strange," Ash replied. He tried to play it cool, but the smugness tugging at the corners of his mouth betrayed him.
Getting praised by a Gym Leader before the battle even began—it was enough to make him feel like he was floating.
But he quickly forced the grin down and straightened his face.
Pride during battle was fatal. If he wanted to be proud, he had to win first.
"Raising a Butterfree is impressive," Brock admitted, "but you clearly haven't memorized the type chart. Bug and Flying together? That's four times weak to Rock. If my Geodude lands even one hit, the match is over."
The Geodude he sent out was Advanced-tier. Against a typical Beginner, that was an insurmountable wall. Even Ash had needed nearly ten days just to push his Pikachu from Normal-tier to Advanced.
For an ordinary person, even tripling that time might not have been enough.
So purely in terms of Tiers, the odds were stacked against Ash, even though this was the Gym's lowest difficulty setting.
And now he'd chosen Butterfree—a Normal Peak Pokémon with a type that Rock completely crushed. To most, his chances looked hopeless. But Ash didn't see it that way.
"Level and type, sure, they're the basics. But the most important factor is still the Trainer giving the commands. Let me show you the tactics I've trained with Butterfree! Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"
"free~~"
Butterfree beat its wings, scattering a cloud of glittering dust straight toward Geodude.
"Sleep Powder, huh? Geodude, Rollout!"
"Geo!" Geodude tucked itself in and began spinning rapidly, hurtling forward at full speed!
By the time the powder drifted down, it had already vacated the spot.
"That slow powder won't ever hit my Geodude! Rollout—hit Butterfree!" Brock thrust his hand forward, directing the attack.
Rollout only grew stronger the longer it continued. With Geodude's higher level, boosted power, and four-times type advantage, one good hit could easily take Butterfree out!
But under Brock's shout, Geodude didn't launch itself skyward—it kept rolling in a straight line… slower and slower.
"What's going on, Geodude?!" Brock frowned. Why wasn't it obeying?
The answer came the next moment.
Still spinning, Geodude suddenly smashed into a rocky pillar on the field, then slumped motionless against the ground.
"…It's asleep?!" Brock's eyes widened. "Impossible! Geodude dodged the powder earlier!"
Sleep Powder had a narrow range and was notoriously slow. Without a feint, landing it was tricky. That's why Brock hadn't thought twice about it—his Geodude could dodge that easily, even with its sluggish Speed.
So how? Why had Geodude been hit?
"Heh, because my Butterfree's Ability is Compound Eyes." Ash rubbed his nose, smirking.
Back in the forest, Ash had finally learned from the group chat how to use Butterfree properly—and what it meant to have a support role.
Compound Eyes boosted accuracy by thirty percent. But it wasn't just numbers. With this Ability, Butterfree perceived enemy movements almost in slow motion, allowing it to drop its powder precisely where the target would be.
That was the core tactic Ash had drilled into Butterfree—the Compound Eyes Sleep Powder combo!
With Compound Eyes, Sleep Powder's shaky accuracy skyrocketed. Unless the opponent massively outclassed Butterfree, the first dose was almost guaranteed to land—especially if they didn't expect it.
And sure enough, Brock had been too confident. He thought Rollout would dodge easily, but Butterfree had already tracked Geodude's path and timed the powder to fall right in its way.
That's why Geodude had collapsed into sleep.
"Compound Eyes… You even understand Abilities and can apply them like this? Are you sure you're really a Beginner?"
"Of course I am! A bona fide rookie. Just… a pretty amazing one. Butterfree, use String Shot!"
"freee~~"
Butterfree opened its mouth and spat out white silk, wrapping the sleeping Geodude tightly.
That was the second step after putting it to sleep—lower the opponent's Speed.
Normally, Tailwind would've been the play here, but Butterfree hadn't learned it yet. So String Shot would have to do.
Relativity in action: if the opponent slowed down, it was the same as his side getting faster.
When you didn't have the Tier advantage, you had to work with tactics like these.
"Sleep Powder… then String Shot… First put them to sleep, then slow them down? That's a fine strategy," Brock admitted. For a Trainer who had only just set out, using tactics at this level was shocking.
Just who exactly was this kid?