"I don't recommend Ash letting Bulbasaur evolve either," Sam said.
"Why?" Misty asked curiously. After all, Sam had chosen to let his own Bulbasaur evolve into Venusaur.
After returning Venusaur to its Poké Ball, Sam replied, "Haven't you noticed? Ash isn't suited for bulky Pokémon."
After hearing this, both Brock and Misty realized something—every Pokémon Ash used emphasized speed. Whether it was Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, or Pidgeotto, they were all extremely agile. Even Squirtle was much faster than average.
"Strong opening offense, using speed to find the opponent's weakness—that's Ash's fighting style," Sam analyzed calmly. "Venusaur isn't suitable for him."
Sam wasn't speaking blindly. Everything he said was based on experience.
He clearly remembered Ash's Snorlax. Even a Pokémon like Snorlax had been trained by Ash to be flexible—and somehow, Ash succeeded.
A counterexample was Ash's Turtwig. When it was still a Turtwig, Ash's win rate was extremely high. But after it evolved into Grotle and then Torterra, his win rate became abysmal.
That was because Ash continued commanding them using the same tactics he used with Squirtle. After evolution, the speed he relied on disappeared, yet his battle style remained unchanged—leading to frequent defeats.
If Bulbasaur evolved into Venusaur, Sam was certain it would underperform. Keeping it unevolved was the better choice. With Ash's protagonist aura, Bulbasaur would never be weaker than an ordinary Venusaur.
"That makes sense," Misty and Brock admitted after thinking it through.
"Hahaha, is that so? Why didn't I notice?" Ash scratched his head and laughed.
"Well then, Ash, good luck challenging the Saffron City Gym. I'll be heading out," Sam said, waving goodbye as he set off toward Celadon City.
---
Saffron City was not far from Celadon City. To connect the two major cities of the Kanto Region, the Pokémon League had built a direct roadway. Walking along it, one could reach Celadon City in three days.
Compared to Saffron City, Celadon City was slightly less prosperous. However, its environment was far more pleasant and suitable for living. Every year, wealthy individuals competed fiercely for residency permits, driving housing prices to the highest levels in Kanto—nearly surpassing even Saffron City.
Along the way, Sam accepted many Trainer challenges.
After all, how could he refuse an opportunity that provided both battle experience and prize money?
A long streak of victories made the usually calm Sam grow a little overconfident.
"Golem? Charmeleon, go have some fun."
Type disadvantage didn't matter—Sam wanted to see if he could win regardless.
"Charmeleon, maximum Flamethrower!"
…
…
"Charmeleon has lost the ability to battle. Golem wins."
"Your Charmeleon is really strong. I hope we can battle again sometime," the victor said cheerfully, taking the two thousand in prize money.
"Haha, there will be another chance," Sam replied with a smile.
He hadn't expected to be humbled one day.
After the opposing Trainer left, Sam sighed as he recalled Charmeleon.
"I got careless. I thought I'd become a master of type-disadvantage battles."
After consecutive victories—and especially after using Kadabra to defeat Sabrina with Ivysaur earlier—Sam had begun to believe he was like Ash, capable of winning any matchup.
Reality proved otherwise.
Underestimating an opponent was a dangerous habit. This loss was a valuable lesson.
The defeat was merely a small episode on Sam's journey. Regaining his composure, he continued onward toward Celadon City.
---------------Author---------------
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