Still, Ash wasn't too surprised to see how weak this Caterpie was.
Wild Pokémon, unlike those trained by humans, don't undergo systematic training. Most of them spend their entire lives focused solely on food, territory, reproduction, and basic survival. Very few wild Pokémon have the drive to grow stronger or the initiative to spar with stronger Pokémon. The rare few who do are seen as outliers—exceptions within their species.
Yet those battle-hungry "outliers" are prized treasures in the eyes of Pokémon Trainers.
Whenever a Trainer encounters such a Pokémon, there's no way they'd just walk away without trying to catch it. Ash was no exception.
"System, copy Caterpie's skills for me."
Ash gave the command silently in his mind as he stared at the bare-bones status page of the Caterpie before him.
Sure, the moves were just [Tackle] and [String Shot], but Ash didn't scoff. Not even a little. Those moves were money.
And not just that—those moves weren't weak either. Take Tackle, for instance.
The [Skill Copy Module] of the Ascension Trainer System had three major rules when it came to teaching copied skills to other Pokémon:
First: [Type Compatibility]. If a Pokémon's typing matched the move's typing—even if it couldn't normally learn that move—it could still be taught via the system.
For example, Froakie had successfully learned [Aqua Ring] this way. Even though Froakie and its evolutions couldn't normally learn [Aqua Ring], the fact that it was a Water-type Pokémon meant the system allowed it to bypass that restriction.
This meant, theoretically, if Ash managed to copy Kyogre's signature move [Origin Pulse], Froakie could learn it too—so long as it matched in typing.
Second: [Normal-type Compatibility].
Normal-type moves could be taught to almost any Pokémon, regardless of their type. Conversely, Normal-type Pokémon had the broadest learning pool—they could learn a huge variety of moves across different typings. While not every Normal-type Pokémon could learn every move, the system removed that limitation entirely.
So if a move was Normal-type, Ash could teach it to anyone. That was huge.
Third: [Universal Eligibility].
If a Pokémon could theoretically learn a move through leveling up, TM use, or egg inheritance, the system could teach it—no matter what.
These three principles, combined, meant one thing: Ash's Skill Copy Module could help 100% of Pokémon learn at least 90% of all known moves.
Caterpie's moves, [Tackle] and [String Shot], might seem basic on the surface—but Ash saw value.
Take [Tackle], again. It was the kind of move even a Magikarp might be able to learn.
According to research from Pokémon scholars, Magikarp could, in theory, learn [Tackle] in addition to the classic [Splash].
But in the wild, 99.99% of Magikarp never reached the point of learning [Tackle].
That's why—even though everyone knew Magikarp could evolve into the mighty Gyarados—very few Trainers bothered catching them. They were just too weak to train efficiently.
Most wild Magikarp knew only [Splash], a move with zero offensive value. Without [Tackle], there was no way to level them up quickly.
But if Ash could teach Magikarp [Tackle]—then suddenly the game changed.
His online shop could advertise: "We teach Magikarp how to use Tackle!"
That alone would skyrocket his business. His store would go viral in Trainer circles. The [Tackle] skill disk he was about to copy from Caterpie? That was going to be his first gold mine.
"System, copy Caterpie's skills," Ash commanded again.
Because Caterpie only knew [Tackle] and [String Shot], the copying process was fast. A progress bar appeared in Ash's vision and zoomed from 0 to 100% in the blink of an eye.
Ash opened his system inventory to confirm. Sure enough, the number next to the virtual skill disk for [Tackle] had gone up—from ×17 to ×18.
That's right—Ash already had seventeen copies of [Tackle] from Pokémon in Professor Oak's backyard. This was just one more to add to the stash.
"Thanks, Caterpie," Ash said gently.
He wasn't the kind of person to copy and ditch. He respectfully lowered Caterpie to the ground, plucked a couple of tender leaves from a nearby tree, and fed them to the little bug. Then he gave its plump green body a grateful pat.
As a gesture of thanks, Ash thought of something else.
He summoned a bit of his inner Viridian Power—specifically, the [Source Cleansing] ability—and transferred a small stream into Caterpie's body. While copying a skill didn't harm the Pokémon at all, this little boost was Ash's way of showing appreciation.
"Take care, Caterpie," Ash said softly.
Caterpie, as if sensing the blessing it had received, nuzzled its head lovingly against Ash's hand.
As Ash brushed the back of Caterpie one last time and stood up, something unexpected happened.
A ripple of energy surged through his body.
The Viridian Power inside him—usually calm—suddenly roared to life, bubbling like boiling water.
It only lasted for a moment.
Then the power settled, but Ash could feel it: his Viridian Power had increased slightly.
"Huh? What just happened?" he muttered, stunned.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the energy within him.
There was no doubt. His Viridian Power had grown.
And he had no idea why.
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