Ash did not capture that Vivillon, and after seeing it off, the group continued their journey.
One day, the group rested in a clearing deep within a forest.
The surroundings were quiet, making it a suitable place for training.
Ash began arranging the daily training plan for his Pokémon in an orderly manner.
“Pidgeot, I’ll leave Fletchling and Spritzee to you.
Fletchling, your main focus will be Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, and maintaining stability under strong winds.”
During the Santalune Gym battle, Fletchling had relied on Ember to secure victory, but it had not undergone proper training to handle strong winds.
Ash had no intention of ignoring such a flaw.
For Flying type Pokémon, aerial dominance depended heavily on balance.
If they could not adapt to changing wind currents, maintaining control in battle would be impossible.
“Froakie, your next stage of training will focus on improving accuracy.
You need to be able to hit a fast-moving target while you are also in motion.
Pikachu, assist Froakie with this.”
Before evolving, Froakie’s primary offensive moves were Bubble and Water Pulse.
While these moves were treated as perfectly accurate in theoretical battle data, reality did not follow such rigid rules.
If Froakie wanted to avoid missing, it had to refine its precision through constant training.
“Gabite, you and Annihilape will engage in live combat training.
Spritzee, you’ll act as support.
Use Aromatherapy to remove any negative effects.”
The male Spritzee had already been sent back to Professor Oak’s laboratory.
This female Spritzee was specifically kept by Ash as a support Pokémon.
In critical moments, it could also use Wish to provide emergency healing.
Not long after the training session began, a girl with wine red hair tied into a high ponytail approached, drawn by the commotion.
“Ah, I finally found some traveling Trainers.”
Her expression was full of excitement when she saw Ash and the others.
Ash looked at her with some confusion.
“Who are you?”
Although he vaguely felt she might be someone from earlier encounters in this region, she was not particularly memorable.
“My name is Plumeria.
When Trainers’ eyes meet, a battle is inevitable.
That’s the rule.”
She immediately issued a challenge.
“I see.
My name is Ash, and these are my Pokémon.”
Ash accepted without hesitation.
He had been looking for a proper opponent to secure a higher quality battle reward.
Battling wild Pokémon would only yield basic results, usually common moves like Protect, Substitute, or Rest, along with standard rewards such as Alliance Coins and system points.
Serena, still new to being a Trainer, asked curiously, “Is that really a rule?”
Clemont adjusted his glasses.
“It’s… something like an unspoken understanding among Trainers.”
Since he had spent most of his time as a Gym Leader and inventor, he was not entirely certain either.
“Come out, Sylveon.”
Plumeria released her partner.
[Pokémon: Sylveon (Plumeria)]
[Type: Fairy]
[Gender: Female]
[Strength: Elite Mid-tier (29)]
[Ability: Cute Charm (May infatuate opponents that make contact)]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Attract, Fairy Wind, Draining Kiss, Moonblast]
The moment he saw Sylveon, Ash recalled a certain memory.
In the original timeline, Greninja had once been rendered completely helpless by Attract, leaving an embarrassing impression.
Attract was particularly troublesome against opponents of the opposite gender.
Even across different egg groups, it could still induce infatuation.
Among his current team, only Spritzee could completely ignore such effects.
After a brief consideration, Ash chose Froakie.
As Ash sent out his Pokémon, Plumeria raised a finger and smiled.
“Before we start, let’s make a deal.
If you win, you have to accompany me somewhere.”
Serena immediately misunderstood.
“Accompany… as in… a date?”
Her face flushed slightly, though her expression revealed more unwillingness than embarrassment.
She silently prayed that Ash would win.
No, he definitely will.
She fixed her gaze on him with firm belief.
Ash, aware of the actual situation, nodded calmly.
“Fine.
I won’t lose.”
“Froakie, use Double Team.”
Froakie moved at high speed, creating multiple afterimages that surrounded Sylveon.
“Sylveon, Fairy Wind.”
Sylveon’s ribbon like feelers fluttered, and a powerful gust of wind burst outward.
Under the sweeping airflow, Froakie’s clones were dispersed one by one.
“Water Pulse.”
The real Froakie, positioned behind Sylveon, leaped into the air and formed a compressed sphere of water energy before launching it forward.
The attack traveled quickly and struck Sylveon directly.
However, Sylveon endured the hit without taking significant damage.
“Sylveon, Moonblast.”
Sylveon jumped gracefully, gathering energy as a crescent shaped aura formed behind it.
A pink sphere of energy condensed and fired toward Froakie.
“Froakie, use Quick Attack to evade, then use Bubble.”
Before Moonblast could connect, Froakie accelerated rapidly.
While moving, it grabbed the foam around its neck and hurled it toward Sylveon.
The aim was precise, and the Bubble struck Sylveon’s face.
Its vision was temporarily obscured, forcing it to use its feelers to clear the foam.
“Froakie, now.
Use Water Pulse again.”
Froakie did not hesitate.
Another Water Pulse was launched at close range.
Boom.
This time, the attack landed cleanly and dealt decisive damage, knocking Sylveon out of battle.
The scene that once humiliated Greninja never occurred, and Froakie maintained its composure throughout.
[Ding…
Battle settlement in progress…
Evaluation: B]
[Ding!
Congratulations on obtaining rewards: TM Blizzard ×1, Life Orb ×1]
Hearing the reward notification, Ash felt satisfied.
Both rewards were highly useful, especially the Life Orb.
Life Orb increased the power of moves at the cost of a small amount of HP with each attack, making it extremely suitable for an aggressive battle style.
“I lost.”
Plumeria sighed softly.
Although disappointed, she still explained the reason behind her earlier request.
She was searching for suitable Pokémon companions to interact with children at a nearby kindergarten, hoping to nurture their interest in Pokémon.
After hearing the full explanation, Serena finally relaxed, and the uneasiness in her heart completely disappeared.