Seven days after leaving Celadon City—
"Riolu, use Bullet Punch!"
"Riolu!" The small blue dog leapt out, launching a punch at the giant creature in front of it!
Charizard casually blocked it with its wing, completely absorbing the Bullet Punch.
Then, with a flick of its wing, Riolu was sent flying, tumbling backwards across the ground several times before finally stopping.
"Riolu..." Riolu looked at its fist somewhat dejectedly. That punch was the strongest it could muster, yet it couldn't even scratch Charizard's skin.
"Alright, Charizard is at Elite Advanced Level now, and it's a Flying Type Pokemon. If it could get hurt by you, it might as well find a place to bury itself," Ash comforted Riolu by patting its head.
Charizard, not far away, let out a light roar, agreeing with Ash's words.
As an Elite Advanced Flying Type Pokemon, if it got hurt by a Newbie Level Riolu, that would defy all logic, wouldn't make any sense!
"Time to eat! Go wash your hands quickly!" Misty's clear voice rang out, dispelling Ash and Riolu's thoughts of continuing their training.
Nothing's more important than a meal!
After rinsing his hands with water from the kettle, Ash and all the Pokemon gathered around the small dining table.
"We're eating this well today?" Ash was slightly surprised to see such a variety of dishes, usually lunch only consists of two or three dishes, but today there were six.
"Misty made all these, and I helped. After learning for so long, it was time to put it into practice, so we made a little extra," Brock said, taking off his apron with a smile.
Although Misty hadn't cooked during the journey, she'd been learning all along. She'd already mastered ordinary dishes; she just needed to put it into practice.
Since Ash was busy training Riolu, Misty volunteered to cook for once, as she couldn't always rely on Brock and Ash!
"Whoa~ Misty made these? They look pretty good!" Ash praised first, then served lunch to the Pokemon before sitting down to eat.
"Hmm... A bit too much salt in the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, try using less next time. The fish-flavored eggplant is a bit overcooked, but this Mapo Tofu is just right, the spice is perfect..." Ash commented as he ate.
Despite the minor flaws, it was already very good for a beginner.
Misty, who was initially nervous, relaxed after seeing Ash devour the food ravenously despite his critiques.
No matter the feedback, at least it seemed appetizing; this meant her first attempt at cooking was quite successful!
All six dishes were devoured. Ash could eat a lot or a little, depending on how much was made, and with his energy expenditure from training, a meal like this was nothing.
Once they'd finished, it was Ash's turn to clean the dishes. The trio believed in fair division of labor; before, Ash and Brock cooked, and Misty gathered firewood, fetched water, and cleaned up.
Now with Misty and Brock cooking, it was naturally Ash's turn.
However, washing dishes didn't stop Ash from thinking about his Pokemon's training regimen.
After a period of recovery, Riolu finally fully recovered three days ago. It wasn't just able to train; it progressed quickly, rising from scratch to Newbie Peak in three days.
It's not comparable to when Ralts started, eating an Egg Shell took it straight to Advanced Beginner, whereas Riolu needed to train step by step.
But this speed was also incredibly fast, as Riolu had to max out its Ability Values. Reaching Newbie Peak in three days was quicker than even Caterpie back in the day.
Bug Type Pokemon level up at a breakneck pace; for Riolu to reach this level, it was a testament to its effort and Talent.
This progress was also aided by Ash's massages, the Power of Viridian, Aura Power, and the several Odd Incenses made in Celadon City.
As their journey progressed, Ash's methods for enhancing his Pokemon grew more varied, meaning even though his Pokemon's levels were vastly different from the past, their rate of leveling hadn't slowed much.
Excluding the four-day break after the Gym challenge, during the most recent seven days of training, there was only one day of rest, and the rest was spent fighting or training in the wild.
The wild battles had been undefeated, earning Ash 70,000 to 80,000 in pocket money, but his reputation had also spread. When people spotted a Trainer with a Pikachu, they often asked if it was Ash.
It wasn't just the wild battle reputation, but also that Ash had defeated five Gyms. Across Kanto, Ash was now a known name among rookie Trainers.
So, the wild battle money-making strategy was practically obsolete; who would bother fighting a Trainer with five Gym Badges in the wild for no reason?