Ash was slightly stunned. "Really, Xiao Mu? What Pokémon is it?!"
At this moment, Ash's gossipy nature resurfaced, and he was eager to know what it was.
Xiao Mu smiled slightly, "Guess! See if you can get it right!"
Ash rolled his eyes at Xiao Mu. "Heh, you're being so mysterious."
"Oh, let me give you a hint. It's a Fire-type Pokémon, and its evolution is quite strong!"
Seeing Ash's impatient nature, Xiao Mu quickly gave him a hint. After all, a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a person.
Of course, Xiao Mu wasn't scolding Ash; it was just a phrase that popped into his mind from his diligent studies these past few days.
"A Fire-type Pokémon?" Ash pondered for a moment.
According to the current market, Ponyta and Growlithe are the most popular.
Ash said, "Could it be Ponyta?"
Xiao Mu shook his head, signaling Ash to keep guessing.
Ash rattled off a long list of Fire-type Pokémon, but all were rejected.
It was clear that Ash was on the verge of collapsing; so many Fire-type Pokémon, and none of them were right.
Ash took a deep breath. "You're forcing my hand. It's Entei."
Hearing Ash's words, Xiao Mu's face was full of black lines. "That's completely off the charts! That's a Legendary Pokémon!"
"Come out, Cyndaquil." With a flash of white light, a Pokémon with flames on its back hopped out.
The moment Cyndaquil appeared, the surrounding temperature rose by several degrees.
Ash was slightly stunned for a moment. "It's Cyndaquil?"
If he remembered correctly, this Pokémon's Blaze ability was simply terrifying!
It would spray flames from its back to Protect itself. While the flames are fierce when it's angry, they don't burn completely when it's tired.
"Congratulations, Xiao Mu, you actually got a Cyndaquil." Ash offered his sincere blessings, as they were both good friends.
Na Zi stood on the podium, a smile on her face. "Class, to ensure the smooth running of the graduation battle, we will have a day off tomorrow."
"Woohoo, we're taking off!" The students below were like monkeys, their cheers echoing endlessly.
Na Zi coughed. "Everyone, quiet down. This isn't a complete holiday for you to play around. You need to train your Pokémon well."
"The graduation battle is coming soon, and the teacher hopes you all achieve good results!"
Ding-a-ling, soon a day passed.
Ash was already impatient, waiting for tomorrow's training.
Pikachu still needed more refinement, and Froakie's level was too low, so it needed even more training.
"Pikachu, Froakie, tomorrow we're going to the forest to train!"
Ash lay on his bed and soon fell into a deep sleep, entering dreamland.
At dawn, Ash was incredibly excited. "Let's go, let's go, to Qingshan Forest!"
After Delia's brief instructions, she let Ash go. The Pokémon in Qingshan Forest were not very strong.
Moreover, there were forest rangers, and to this day, there had never been an incident of a Pokémon injuring a person in Qingshan Forest.
"Be careful, and come back early." Delia stood at the doorway, waving at Ash.
"I know, Mom, I'll definitely be back early." For a delicious dinner, Ash didn't need any urging.
Upon entering Qingshan Forest, Ash immediately noticed something: there were also his classmates, including students from other classes.
"It seems these people have also discovered that this is a good place to train Pokémon."
Ash quickened his pace; he had to find wild Pokémon one step ahead of these people.
Pikachu stood on Ash's shoulder, its gaze fixed forward. No rustle or movement could escape Pikachu's eyes.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.
Ash stopped, his expression becoming serious. He wouldn't act rashly until he clearly saw what Pokémon it was.
Pikachu entered a state of alert, ready to strike at any moment.
A purple Pokémon appeared before Ash in the blink of an eye, staring intently at him.
"This is a Rattata?" Ash quickly recognized the Pokémon in front of him.
Pokémon: Rattata
Gender: Male
Type: Normal
Aptitude: Entry-level (Level 3)
Abilities: Guts, Run Away
Hidden Ability: Hustle
Base Stats: 253
Ash smiled slightly. "Alright, it's decided, Froakie, I choose you."
Of course, facing a Level 3 Rattata with a Level 0 Froakie, there was still a huge difference in strength.
"Pikachu, you go too, help Froakie."
Pikachu jumped directly from Ash's shoulder. "Pika, Pika!"
Rattata bared its fangs, seemingly trying to scare away Ash's Pokémon.
"Froakie, use Pound! Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!"
Receiving Ash's command, Pikachu charged its electricity, and Froakie quickly jumped up, giving Rattata a big slap.
Rattata was dazed by the shock and the slap, completely disoriented.
"Great job, Pikachu, Froakie!"
Rattata shook its head, seemingly having cleared its mind a bit, and charged towards Froakie with a sidestep.
Ash's expression changed. "Froakie, be careful!"
He hadn't expected this Rattata to be so resilient, and even somewhat intelligent, knowing to attack the lower-level Froakie.
At this moment, Froakie also reacted, but its level was too low, and its speed was far inferior to Rattata's.
Bang, Froakie was directly knocked to the ground, covered in bruises.
"Froakie!!"
Froakie, who had fallen to the ground, slowly stood up, its sharp eyes fixed on Rattata.
Seeing Froakie's unwavering determination, Ash smiled with relief. "Good, Froakie, use Pound! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
Bang, bang, Rattata was knocked to the ground, its eyes dizzy, losing its ability to battle.
"Yes, great job, Pikachu, Froakie!"
Their first battle was a success, which made Ash incredibly excited. However, Ash did not catch Rattata at this time.
He was only doing this to increase Pikachu's and Froakie's battle experience.
After this battle, Froakie directly leveled up to Level 2, and Pikachu leveled up to Level 6.
Ash returned Froakie to its Poké Ball and continued deeper into Qingshan Forest, maintaining a state of vigilance along the way.
Among the few Pokémon encountered next, Rattata accounted for the majority. It had to be said that their breeding speed was truly fast.
Froakie was constantly leveling up. At this rate, their chances of winning the graduation battle would increase even more!