Ash slowly put on Squirtle's signature sharp-edged sunglasses, and in an instant, his whole vibe changed—
he looked sharper, tougher, and oddly… streetwise.
It wasn't that he was deliberately messing with Squirtle.
Given the current situation, Squirtle really wasn't suited to take the field.
Through the strange power of the Dark-type–boosting sunglasses, a silhouette actually began to form before Ash's eyes.
"This is…!"
A dark, upright Pokémon, a little taller than a person.
The sunglasses obscured its exact color, but several sharp spikes protruded from its back.
Two chubby little hands were enthusiastically bang-bang-banging the door,
occasionally glancing back at the four of them.
Its huge eyes curved into crescent shapes, clearly enjoying itself in secret.
"—!"
Ash sucked in a sharp breath, his head spinning slightly.
What stood before him was an extremely obese Pokémon.
So Pokémon with proportions even more outrageous than his Pikachu actually existed?!
He couldn't even laugh anymore.
He was so shaken he felt tears welling up somewhere deep in his soul.
Still—
fat Pokémon were rarely pushovers.
Once he recovered, Ash began thinking about his next move.
As if responding to his gaze, the Pokédex automatically chimed in.
"Beep. Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon.
The fatter the body, the higher the potential.
Its body connects to another dimension and it possesses the ability to manipulate dreams."
Ash: "?"
Was the Pokédex leaking battery fluid today?
Why did that actually sound… reasonable?
Now that he knew its name, Ash recalled Professor Brock's three key steps, preparing to demonstrate a standard capture procedure for Goh.
Step One: Taunt.
Ash raised his middle finger.
The Gengar froze on the spot.
Then Ash calmly threw a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Rayquaza (as Caterpie)."
Red light flashed.
A long, green, segmented body appeared, patterned with black rings.
Its gaze was deep and solemn, radiating an oppressive aura as if a dragon's roar echoed faintly in the air.
"—Metapod!"
Metapod stood firmly on the polished redwood floor.
After not seeing it for a few days, it seemed… a bit bigger.
Judging by size alone, it was already about 10% larger than a normal Metapod.
Once it grew another 150% beyond the standard size, it would be time to truly break the cocoon and soar as a dragon.
"Get ready to use Thunder Wave. Don't let that Gengar escape,"
Ash instructed, then added over his shoulder,
"Pikachu, you can sit this one out. No need for you to fight this time."
Pikachu had fought a major battle just hours ago.
It was better to give the newcomers some opportunities.
After all, no one became a Champion just by relying on their starter forever—
that was amateur hour.
"Pika…"
Unfortunately, Pikachu was already asleep on the spot.
Fast asleep.
Snoring softly.
The moment it entered the room, it had sensed something was off, somehow pulled out a full bedding set—pillow, blanket, mattress—and passed out immediately.
Sleeping didn't require Ash's permission.
This wasn't slacking off.
This was making room for the rookies.
Ash: "..."
He forcibly ignored the sleeping electric mouse and refocused on the Gengar.
With taunting complete, the next step was weakening.
But using Metapod for that was clearly unrealistic.
With that in mind, Ash threw out another Poké Ball, prompting Brock to frown slightly.
He'd forgotten to add one important footnote.
Fun fact:
Proper captures are supposed to be 1v1.
Ganging up is technically against the rules.
Red light flashed—
Before the Pokémon itself appeared, a green bulbous head popped into view.
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur.
With both Vine Whip for restraint and Sleep Powder for status conditions, it was a textbook control specialist.
Ash was playing it safe.
By the way…
it really was time to give Bulbasaur a nickname.
"Garlic" sounded nice—short and catchy—but it was probably already taken.
"Get ready to fight!"
Ash suddenly barked, then flexed his arms and picked up Metapod.
To everyone's utter confusion, he hurled the XL-sized Metapod straight forward.
Clang!
Metapod smashed into the wall, bounced back, and slammed onto the floor, cracking the redwood boards.
No technique.
Just Harden.
Everyone: "?"
Ash grinned confidently.
He wasn't using Metapod as a projectile—
this was a setup.
Gengar: "?"
Behind the sunglasses, the prank-loving Gengar was indeed distracted.
Its big eyes stared curiously at Metapod.
What a huge green banana.
"Now! Bulbasaur—Razor Leaf!"
Ash suddenly shouted.
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur snapped its head, launching several leaves from the bulb on its back.
The leaves spun faster and faster through the air, turning into razor-sharp blades by the time they reached the doorway.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gengar yelped in surprise and leapt straight up, narrowly dodging the attack.
Though Gengar's species was known for high mobility, its speed clearly wasn't as ridiculous as expected.
Slash—!
Professor Cerise's redwood wall, however, was not so lucky.
Battle damage wasn't covered by Ash's service package.
Honestly, he was already being considerate by not unleashing Charizard and torching the entire place.
As Gengar made that big movement, its form finally became fully visible.
Purple.
"…That's one fat Gengar."
The other three said it in perfect unison.
At least 30% bulkier than an average Gengar—serious excess body fat.
"Ash, Gengar is the third evolution of Gastly.
Its strength can't be underestimated," Brock warned gravely.
"Got it."
Ash nodded.
Still, based on its panicked dodging earlier, it clearly hadn't battled in a long time.
Its body was rusty.
Combined with Professor Cerise's statement that this situation had persisted for two full years, it was obvious—
This Gengar had been coasting the whole time.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!"
Ash pressed the attack.
Two thick vines shot out from Bulbasaur's back like green serpents.
"Gengaar!!"
The Gengar, finally irritated, bounced violently in place, its gelatinous body wobbling like jelly.
Its form shuddered—
then its blood-red eyes flared with purple light, which surged outward.
Under the crushing force of psychic power, the charging vines froze midair, unable to advance another inch.
Psychic!
Its psychic power was immense.
Even after two years without combat, its foundation was still there—
far beyond what a freshly-started starter Pokémon could handle.
"Gengaar!!"
Gengar's red eyes widened.
The frozen vines suddenly twisted around, whipping back toward Bulbasaur!
Smack! Smack!
Two sharp lashes landed.
Bulbasaur staggered, red marks appearing on its face.
"Gengengeng!!"
Gengar's face contorted gleefully, swelling and shrinking as it reveled in turning the attack back on its opponent.
But right at that moment, Ash spoke calmly.
"Perfect timing.
Metapod—Thunder Wave!"
The Metapod that everyone had ignored after it fell to the ground had already righted itself.
Yellow energy gathered in front of it.
Pshhh!!
An Thunder Wave burst forth, spreading wide in midair and crashing down on Gengar while it was still gloating.
This time, Gengar couldn't dodge.
The net wrapped around it completely.
Its chubby hands flailed uselessly as it tried to tear free.
Bzzzt!!
The moment it struggled, electricity surged through the web.
Gengar got zapped hard.
Ash didn't let up.
"Now! Bulbasaur—Leech Seed!"
"Bulba!"
From the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, a small brown seed shot out.
It arced down, embedded itself in the redwood floor, and—
as if fueled by nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—exploded into growth.
Rustle—whip—whip!!
In moments, thick vines burst forth, wrapping tightly around the already-trapped Gengar.
The redwood floor beneath them visibly withered.
As the vines tightened—
The Thunder Wave constricted.
Electricity surged again.
This was a double-layered assault:
Thunder Wave + Leech Seed.
Bzzzt!!
Gengar was electrocuted into total chaos.
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