[Pokémon]: Squirtle
[Type]: Water
[Level]: Senior Elite
[Potential]: Champion
[Description]: Once the leader of the Squirtle Squad, it possesses extraordinary potential.
Yozora's eyes twitched the moment he scanned the panel of that goofy little turtle.
Unbelievable—Champion potential?
He had always assumed that among Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu was inconsistent, Charizard and Infernape were top-tier, Sceptile and Infernape were a notch below, and the rest belonged in second- or even third-rate tiers.
But now, it seemed Squirtle at least had the potential to reach the top bracket—if only its hidden strength were properly developed.
Of course, how could it ever develop that potential when it had never evolved even once?
People liked to say, "Even without evolving, as long as you train hard, a Pokémon can defeat its evolved form." That was true—physical differences and base stats could indeed be compensated for with levels and training.
But if you're already capable of beating your evolved form, wouldn't evolving make you even stronger?
Yozora had always advocated for evolution. He was a Trainer—not a Coordinator who only cared about cuteness.
He revered strength. He sought the extreme.
And evolution didn't just unlock potential—it enhanced physical capabilities across the board, granting even greater power.
Of course, there was no denying that some Pokémon became bulkier after evolving, losing agility and speed.
But that only slowed their movement. Their attack speed didn't diminish—if anything, it often grew sharper.
In battle, as long as you seized the right timing, sheer attack speed could overwhelm everything.
Still, Ash was better suited to fast, aggressive playstyles. Heavy Pokémon rarely thrived under his command. The most tragic examples were his Grotle and Torterra—both of whose battle records were miserable.
Snorlax, however, was an exception.
Despite being one of the heaviest Pokémon imaginable, Ash's Snorlax was bizarrely nimble for its size.
"Ash, since your opponent's Graveler is weak to Water, Squirtle has a big advantage!" Misty stepped up like a strategist, offering guidance.
"I already know that!" Ash replied with pride.
By this point in his journey, Ash had grasped the basics of type advantages—but he was no longer bound by them. His overall skill was beginning to grow steadily, soon to enter a period of rapid breakthrough.
If only Charizard weren't so disobedient, Ash could have achieved much better results at the Indigo League.
"Squirtle, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded at once.
On the field, Squirtle adjusted its sunglasses with a smug grin and spat out a jet of water straight at Graveler.
"Use Defense Curl," Yozora countered calmly.
Graveler let out a crooked grin, tucking in its body tightly, not dodging but taking the blast head-on.
Bang!
The thick, fist-like stream of water slammed into Graveler and exploded, yet it didn't even flinch.
It stood there as if it were splashing in a pond, utterly relaxed.
"No way—such strong defense?!" Brock, Misty, and even the spectators were stunned as Graveler shrugged off the Water Gun.
How could that be? Graveler was quadruple weak to Water! No matter how tough its defenses, it should have taken serious damage.
Could it be that this Graveler's level—and defense—were just too high?
"Water Gun didn't work?!" Ash was shocked.
Yozora smiled faintly. "After all, it's only Water Gun. If it were Hydro Pump… that might be a different story."
"Huh?" Ash blinked, feeling like Yozora's words carried an unspoken meaning.
"Ash, when a Pokémon evolves, not only does it unlock greater potential, it also gains access to stronger moves," Yozora said, his gaze shifting toward Squirtle.
Though the words were directed at Ash, weren't they also meant for Squirtle itself?
Yozora couldn't bear to see that bald-headed little turtle squander its talent.
If it only had Elite-level potential, he wouldn't care. But Squirtle was one in ten thousand—a Champion potential.
With such power, even if it never reached Champion, shouldn't becoming Elite Four or near-Elite at least be within reach?
"Squirtle…" The little turtle clearly hesitated, lost in thought.
"Defense Curl again, then Rollout!" Yozora's command snapped the battle back into motion.
Graveler curled tightly once more before rolling forward like a speeding tire, charging with terrifying momentum straight at Squirtle.
Though Yozora's Graveler didn't look especially large, once it built momentum, it was overwhelming.
The ground shook, clouds of dust trailing in its wake.
Under such crushing pressure, Squirtle panicked. Before Ash could even issue an order, it shrieked and tucked itself into its shell with a whump.
Boom!
But Graveler's Rollout still sent Squirtle flying.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Graveler slammed into Squirtle four more times, each strike heavier than the last.
Five consecutive hits—completed.
Squirtle's shell was left scuffed and filthy, though no one could yet see the state of the turtle inside.
"Squirtle, are you okay?!" Ash cried anxiously.
"Squirtle… Squirtle…" came the weak reply. Its head and limbs poked out limply, the sunglasses crooked, before it collapsed onto the ground. It hadn't completely fainted, but was clearly no longer able to fight.
"Squirtle is unable to battle!" Brock counted a few seconds, saw no further response, and declared the result.
"Come back, Squirtle!"
Ash quickly recalled it, immediately throwing out another Poké Ball. "Go, Bulbasaur!"
"Bulba!" Bursting out onto the field, Bulbasaur let out a spirited cry.
[Pokémon]: Bulbasaur
[Type]: Grass + Poison
[Level]: Senior Elite
[Potential]: Champion
[Description]: A Bulbasaur with extraordinary potential, though it seems reluctant to evolve.
"Another natural Champion?" Yozora's heart skipped a beat after one glance at its panel.
If he recalled correctly, Ash's current team of six should be: Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.
Aside from these six, Ash also had Kingler, Primeape, and Muk—but he hadn't brought them along.
Pikachu, as the starter, was a special case.
The first two captures, Butterfree and Pidgeotto, were ordinary in level and strength, their potential not particularly high.
That explained why Ash's early battle strength was relatively weak.
But once he obtained Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur—his strength skyrocketed.
Not only did those three have tremendous potential, but even when Ash first caught them, their levels were already quite high!
That was why Ash suddenly strung together victory after victory, his career path seemingly smoothed overnight.
(End of Chapter)