Pokémon: Simultaneous time travel, this Ash is too versatile!

Chapter 25: The Ultimate Caterpie, Ash's Tactical Advice.

"So do you understand now? Caterpie can indeed quickly give you a boost in the early game, but once you reach the professional level, Bug-type Pokémon will be very weak unless you are a Bug-type specialist. Only Bug-type trainers can bring out the full potential of Bug-type Pokémon and make them strong in the later stages."

Xiaoxia earnestly advised him.

Bug-type Pokémon aren't incapable of reaching the pinnacle, but to make them stand out from other Pokémon, trainers need to research this type to its fullest extent to fully unlock their potential and even unleash power beyond their original potential.

Therefore, generally speaking, apart from those bug-catching teenagers and a small number of trainers, most of the remaining Pokémon that use Bug-type Pokémon are Bug-type specialists. Only by specializing can Bug-type Pokémon reach its peak.

"I know, but this Caterpie is different, and I need new Pokémon to defeat the first gym leader. I'm confident I can train any Pokémon to be very, very strong! Trust me, Misty."
-
Ash gave Misty a confident smile, a smile that made Misty swallow the words of advice she wanted to say.

Although Ash can be reckless and childish at times, when Misty sees Ash's smile, she can't help but want to believe him.

Since Ash said and did those things, he must have his reasons...

Ash slowly approached Caterpie, and Caterpie's various stats appeared in his eyes.

[Species: Green Caterpillar]

[Gender: Male]

[Level: Beginner to Intermediate]

【Features: Scale powder】

[Skill: XXXXX]

[Six Stats: Physical Attack D (C), Special Attack C (B), Defense D (C), Special Defense D (B), HP D (B), Speed ​​D (A)]

This caterpillar's talent is visibly strong. Except for physical attack and physical defense, all its other stats are at the B level, and even its speed is at the A level.

Along the way, Ash encountered more than a dozen Caterpie, but he didn't catch any of them because all of those Caterpie had E-rank talent.

If there were no other options, that would be one thing, but Viridian Forest is so big, Ash doesn't believe he can't find a Caterpie with an aptitude limit of D or even C.

The appearance of this Caterpie confirms that Ash's decision to wait was correct.

For ordinary elves, C-rank is already considered a good talent, while B-rank talent is one in a thousand, and A-rank talent is one in ten thousand or even one in a hundred thousand.

As for S-rank... perhaps only one out of millions of Pokémon might appear, excluding legendary Pokémon.

After battling over thirty Bug-type Pokémon and encountering nearly a hundred, Ash realized that Bug-type Pokémon have lower stat caps than regular Pokémon. This might be one of the reasons why Bug-type Pokémon are harder to train later in the game.

The green caterpillar we've encountered not only has an overall B-level ability ceiling, but also one of its most important abilities has reached A-level.

This is why Ash decided to catch Caterpie the moment he saw it.

"Come battle, Caterpie, let's catch it!" Ash shouted at Caterpie, clenching his fist.

The Caterpie, happily enjoying its lunch, looked up at Ash with a puzzled tilt of its head, then continued eating. Ash: ...

"Damn it, how dare they ignore me! Pikachu, use Thunder!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, and then a golden bolt of lightning shot out from its body, striking Caterpie's side.

The green caterpillar, which was eating, was startled and belatedly jumped to the side.

However, Pikachu's electric shock is not meant to attack Caterpie, but rather to give Caterpie a warning, or rather, a declaration of war.

At this moment, the Caterpie, which had been intimidated, finally looked at Ash and Pikachu seriously, and a hint of fighting spirit appeared in its large eyes.

"That's more like it! As for food, I'll give you a full meal after you become my Pokémon! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu leaped onto the ground, transforming into a golden flash as it rushed towards Caterpie. Caterpie, in turn, spat out a pure white thread—Silk Spin!
Pikachu, moving at high speed, dodged the oncoming string attack with a light tap of its toes. After circling to the side, it exerted force again, slamming its entire body into Caterpie.

"Bang!" Caterpie was sent flying, and Ash, seizing the opportunity, shouted, "Now! Use Electric Shock!"

"Pikachu!" A golden bolt of lightning ripped through the sky and struck Caterpie squarely. Caterpie let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, powerless and unable to fight.

"Now's the time, go, Poké Ball!" Ash took out his blank Poké Ball for the first time and threw it at Caterpie.

The throwing skills he had practiced since childhood were on full display at this moment. The Poké Ball hit Caterpie precisely, and a red light captured Caterpie inside the Poké Ball.

After being shaken three times, the Poké Ball made a soft sound, indicating that Ash had successfully caught Caterpie.

Seeing this, Ash excitedly rushed to the Poké Ball, picked it up, and exclaimed, "I caught a Caterpie!"

"Pipikachu!!"

Catching a Pokémon for the first time was quite novel and exciting for Ash. He wanted to catch as many Pokémon as possible when he traveled, including those he had never seen before.

However, following the advice of various experts in the group, he ultimately decided to focus on training Pikachu first and not to rush into capturing Pokémon. So he patiently waited until now before throwing out his first Poké Ball.

On the other hand, Gary might have already caught a dozen or twenty Pokémon.

Xiaoxia's lips twitched, but she ultimately said nothing. One of the reasons she had advised Xiaozhi not to catch Bug-type Pokémon was her extreme aversion to them.

But now that the die is cast, all she can do is try to overcome it, or perhaps walk away a little when Ash releases Caterpie.

She doesn't dislike Bug-type Pokémon, she just dislikes Pokémon that look like caterpillars. So once Caterpie evolves into Metapod, she should be fine. Until then, it's best to avoid conflict for now.

Ash looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, recalling the advice given to him by one of the experts in the group last night, the tactical master Ash.

[Tactical Master Ash: ...How do you deal with the Pokémon at Pewter City Gym? Grass or Water types are best, as they are four times super effective against most Pokémon at Pewter City Gym, making it incredibly easy to beat. But if you don't encounter any Pokémon of those types, then I recommend catching... Caterpie.]

(End of this chapter)