Chapter 39 Teacher Brock, Setting Straight, Ash
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The dark-skinned youth hastily took several steps back, asking warily:
"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you people? This is a private residence, I'm calling the police!"
These three people before him were clearly not local residents.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, calm down. We're all very good people."
The three of them quickly held up their hands, showing they were harmless.
"My name is Ash, from Pallet Town. I'm a powerful Trainer with three Badges, and I've been entrusted by Professor Cerise to help him deal with a strange Pokemon inside the Research Lab."
Ash then pointed to the two people beside him and introduced them:
"This is Brock, a man who possesses a Rock-Solid Will, and this is Misty, a woman who's going to become a Water Type Pokémon Master."
The dark-skinned youth seemed to have heard Professor Cerise mention this matter before, so he relaxed.
His expression eased, and he began to introduce himself:
"My name is Goh. I'm 10 years old and a good friend of Professor Cerise's daughter. I often come over to play with her four-wheel drive cars."
Hearing this, Ash coughed lightly. He hadn't expected this youth to be the same age as him.
No, I can't reveal that I'm also 10 years old.
Suddenly, Ash's gaze sharpened. A sharp, brilliant White Light shot out from his eyes, aimed directly at Goh.
"We are all people with dreams. Goh, tell me, what is your dream? Is it to become a powerful Trainer?"
If he answered yes, Ash could then take the opportunity to offer to teach him how to capture Pokemon and unlock an Achievement.
But Goh blurted out his answer in the very next second.
"My dream is to capture Mew and make it my Starter Pokemon, so we can travel together!"
This was the special Pokemon Goh had encountered when he was six years old, at Professor Oak's Summer Camp.
It was at that time that he had made up his mind to one day meet it again and travel together with Mew.
If his Starter Pokemon wasn't Mew, he'd rather not have one at all!
Brock and Misty: "!?"
Are you dreaming?
Ash: "?"
He didn't know what a Mew was. He just assumed it was like Rayquaza—rare in the Kanto Region but a common, dime-a-dozen Pokemon in Other Regions, so he didn't think much of it.
It's worth mentioning that Ash was also supposed to attend that Summer Camp, but he missed it because he woke up late.
So a year later, he attended a make-up Summer Camp.
Ignoring the expressions on the other two's faces, Ash slapped Goh's shoulder and encouraged him with a serious look:
"With enough determination, you could even catch 100 Mews! I believe you will succeed!"
These words instantly made Goh blush beet red.
His breathing became a little ragged, and his expression was flustered.
This was the first person who, after hearing him say he wanted to catch Mew, didn't laugh but instead encouraged him in all seriousness.
In an instant, Goh's impression of Ash soared to its peak. He wished he could light an incense stick and become sworn brothers with him on the spot.
"You look like a good person, why don't we become sworn bro—"
Before Goh could finish, Ash shrewdly cut him off.
"Since you're going to capture Mew in the future, you'll have to master the little tricks of capturing Pokemon. As it happens, I need to capture that mischievous Pokemon right now, so how about I teach you a few tricks?"
I want to be your teacher, but you want to be my brother?
A teacher for a day is a father for life. He was determined to unlock this Achievement today!
Hearing this, Goh temporarily abandoned the idea of becoming sworn brothers and began to consider Ash's words instead.
However, he couldn't help but frown, a little confused.
"Capture Pokemon? Does that require learning?"
he asked doubtfully.
In Goh's mind, capturing a Pokemon was just about throwing a Poké Ball right at the start of an encounter. Then the Pokedex would make a "NICE" or "GREAT" sound, indicating a successful catch.
That's it?
Isn't it something anyone with hands can do?
Do I just need to practice the accuracy and power of my throw?
Hearing this, the three of them frowned deeply. From the youth's facial expression, they all understood that his way of thinking had gone astray somewhere.
Since it had gone astray, it had to be set straight today!
Ash's expression turned solemn as he shouted:
"Capturing a Pokémon isn't that simple! Before the practical part, let your Teacher Brock give you a refresher on the theoretical knowledge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Brock, on the other side, had already slipped on a Lab Coat and dragged out a whiteboard, on which he began to write and draw.
He had casually swiped the coat from the Research Lab.
Today, Teacher Brock is going to properly set you straight on the Pokémon World's worldview!
"First of all, catching a Pokemon is no simple matter. Generally, we can divide it into three steps."
Brock's eyes narrowed to slits, and he flashed a brilliant white smile as he wrote three words on the whiteboard.
"Taunt," "Weaken," "Capture."
"Step one, which is also the prerequisite, is that you cannot let the Pokemon run away. You can use verbal taunts or physical taunts, or even lure it to stay put with delicious food or beautiful sights, to achieve the goal of the subsequent steps."
"Then, on the premise that the Pokemon won't flee, comes step two: Weaken! You weaken the opponent's stamina through a Pokemon Battle, making it unable to resist the Poké Ball's restraint."
"Of course, a Trainer can also engage in direct hand-to-hand combat, as long as you're strong enough."
At this point, Brock pointed at Ash, indicating that he was a prime example of someone who could fight directly.
"And while you're weakening its stamina, it's best if you can also sneak in a Status Condition to wear down its fighting spirit. This often produces unexpected results."
Next, Brock pointed his finger at the third word.
The former's dark complexion shone in contrast with Goh's. The light of knowledge filled the entire house, like wondrous celestial music and golden springs gushing from the earth.
"And the final step, Capture, is also not as simple as just throwing a Poké Ball."
"Every Pokemon has a spot related to its Ability, which we call a Weak Point. Successfully hitting this Weak Point with a Poké Ball greatly increases the probability of a catch. For example, Pikachu's Weak Point is at the tip of its tail."
Brock bent over slightly and poked the tip of Pikachu's tail with his finger.
"Pika?"
Pikachu didn't feel anything special, but it still cooperated by jumping up.
After all, among the three of them, it could ignore Ash and Misty, but it had to respect the one who provided the food.
To make it look real, Pikachu even leaped straight up to the ceiling, its performance full of emotion.
"So there's all this knowledge... this is the first time I've ever heard of it."
This was Ash's voice.
Goh hadn't said anything yet, but Ash at the side suddenly slammed the table, stood up, and started clapping, his face a picture of admiration and disbelief.
"Bravo!"
"Bravo!"
"Bravo!"
Three consecutive exclamations expressed the excitement in his heart.
"Teacher Brock, that was an amazing lecture!!"
He'd been traveling for three weeks now, and this was the first time he'd learned that capturing Pokemon involved all these fancy skills.
Is this the strength of Teacher Brock? As expected of the man with a Rock-Solid Will!
Brock: "?"
The shouting made his movements a little stiff, and his brow furrowed even more deeply.
Oh, my Volcano Deity, aren't we supposed to be ganging up to trick this dark-skinned youth?
Ash, stop ad-libbing!
On the other side, however, Goh was lost in thought, not paying any attention to Ash's actions.
It had to be said, today's theory lesson on capturing Pokemon had truly and utterly refreshed his worldview.
He had previously been thinking that when he met Mew in the future, he would just charge in and smash a Poké Ball in its face.
It seems I'll have to battle it beforehand?
My life plan needs some long-term reconsideration...
(There will be another chapter tonight.)
(Currently undergoing tribulation. Recommendation tickets and collections are very, very important, everyone.)