In the afternoon, after a brief rest, Ash and Misty found themselves a quiet area in the forest, each setting up their own training grounds.
Misty needed to train her "Staryu" and "Starmie", while Ash was eager to work with Pikachu and Pidgey.
Misty initially thought about offering advice on Ash's training, but after hearing his plan, she realized there wasn't much she could contribute. She opted to focus on her own training instead.
Ash, meanwhile, sat on the grass with Pikachu and Pidgey in front of him.
"Pikachu, you've already mastered "Thunder Shock" and "Quick Attack", but to keep improving, we need to expand your move set," Ash explained, folding his arms.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement. It could feel its strength growing thanks to the inherited power of Winged Dragon of Ra, but it knew the importance of mastering more moves to truly advance.
"Next up is "Thunderbolt"!" Ash continued. "Not only is it stronger than Thunder Shock, but it's faster. Once you master Thunderbolt, it'll be your go-to move in most battles."
Pikachu's eyes lit up. It was aware of Thunderbolt but hadn't been able to learn it yet.
"Thunderbolt is essentially a stronger version of Thunder Shock, but it requires more energy output,"
Ash explained, recalling what he'd learned from "Professor Oak".
"Your training will focus on outputting as much electric energy as possible to generate a more intense current. Once you can do that consistently, you'll be able to master Thunderbolt."
"Pika!" Pikachu responded enthusiastically, raising a small paw to show its determination.
Ash smiled and patted Pikachu on the head, sending it off to train on its own. He then turned his attention to Pidgey, who was watching him with admiration.
"Pidgey, I still don't know which moves you've mastered, so I need you to demonstrate them first before I can create a training plan," Ash explained.
"Pi!" Pidgey chirped excitedly, eager to show what it could do. It flew towards the pond and began its display.
First, Pidgey performed "Tackle", charging forward with its body covered in translucent energy, skimming over the surface of the water before returning to Ash.
Ash nodded. "Tackle is a basic move for most Pokémon, so that's no surprise."
But what came next did surprise Ash. Pidgey flapped its wings rapidly, sending a powerful gust of wind across the pond's surface, stirring the water into waves.
"Gust… Impressive! I didn't expect you to have mastered that," Ash said with a grin. "Gust" was a simple move for Flying-Type Pokémon to learn, but it was still nice to see Pidgey handling it so well.
Pidgey wasn't finished. After stopping the Gust, it coated its wings with a layer of sky-blue energy. The energy extended outward, creating an ethereal outline of Pidgey's wings.
"Wing Attack!" Ash exclaimed in surprise. Wing Attack was a much stronger move compared to Tackle or Gust.
For Pidgey to have already mastered it at such an early stage meant it had impressive potential. According to the games, Pidgey wouldn't normally learn Wing Attack until level 15, so this was exceptional.
After finishing its display, Pidgey landed in front of Ash, looking proud. It had shown all it knew: Tackle, Gust, and Wing Attack.
Ash smiled. "You've done great, Pidgey. But you're missing two moves that I think would really help: "Sand Attack" and "Quick Attack"."
While Pidgey was strong in direct combat, Ash knew it lacked adaptability. Sand Attack would help with defensive evasion, while Quick Attack would enhance Pidgey's speed and give it a tactical advantage. Ash preferred aggressive, high-speed strategies, so Quick Attack was the top priority.
After explaining the mechanics of Quick Attack, Pidgey nodded eagerly. It had been trying to learn that move but never quite understood how—until now. With Ash's guidance, it finally grasped what it needed to do.
With Pidgey off to train, Ash relaxed a bit. He glanced over at Misty, who was hard at work training "Staryu" and "Starmie", before turning his attention inward to the system in his mind.
He still had two chances to draw from the lottery.
"Hopefully, I get an inheritance, but if not, maybe something valuable I can sell," Ash thought optimistically.
Even without a direct inheritance, he believed he'd become the strongest Trainer in the world one day.
"Let's do the draw!" Ash pressed the lottery button, and the interface spun like a slot machine. Various items and skills flashed before his eyes, making it impossible to predict what he'd land on.
"Stop!" Ash called, pressing the stop button.
The spinning slowed, and finally, the result appeared: a "Technical Machine (TM)".
"TM? Well, it's not bad," Ash said, slightly disappointed at first. Still, he was curious about which move the TM would teach, so he checked the details.
"TM: "Aerial Ace". After using this TM, the Pokémon will immediately master the move."
Ash's eyes widened. "Master immediately?!" That was unexpected. This wasn't just a quick learning boost; it meant that Pidgey, or any other Pokémon that used the TM, would instantly know how to use Aerial Ace as if it had trained with it for years.
The realization hit Ash hard—Pidgey could learn "Aerial Ace" right away and use it with expert precision!
___________
Adios