The dark-skinned boy quickly backed away several steps, his face full of suspicion.
"Hey—what kind of nonsense is this?! Who are you people?
This is private property! I'm calling the police!"
The three of them were clearly outsiders.
"Oh, oh—calm down, calm down. We're all very, very good people,"
Ash said quickly, holding up his hands.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town. I'm a powerful Trainer with three Gym Badges, and I was entrusted by Professor Cerise to deal with the strange Pokémon causing trouble in this research lab."
He then pointed to the two beside him.
"This is Brock, a man with an unshakable Rock-type will.
And this is Misty, a woman aiming to become a Water-type Pokémon Master."
The boy seemed to recall Professor Cerise mentioning something like this earlier. His expression relaxed, and he introduced himself.
"My name's Goh. I'm ten years old. I'm Professor Cerise's daughter's friend. I come here a lot to play with Mini 4WD cars."
Ash coughed lightly.
He hadn't expected the kid to be the same age as him.
No—this was bad.
He absolutely could not let it slip that he was also ten.
Ash's gaze suddenly sharpened.
A dramatic flash of white light seemed to burst from his eyes as he stared straight at Goh.
"We're all people with dreams, Goh," Ash said solemnly.
"So tell me—what's your dream? To become a powerful Pokémon Trainer?"
As long as Goh said yes, Ash could smoothly transition into teaching him how to catch Pokémon and unlock his achievement.
But Goh answered almost instantly.
"My dream is to catch Mew and make it my starter Pokémon, then travel the world together!"
This was the mythical Pokémon Goh had encountered at Professor Oak's summer camp when he was six.
From that moment on, he had made up his mind—
he would meet Mew again and travel with it someday.
If his first Pokémon wasn't Mew, he'd rather not have one at all.
Brock & Misty: "!?"
Are you… playing Pokémon right now?
Ash: "?"
He had no idea what Mew was.
He just assumed it was another Pokémon like Rayquaza (as Caterpie)—rare in Kanto, but probably common somewhere else.
So oddly enough, he didn't feel much shock.
(Incidentally, Ash had also planned to attend that summer camp, but overslept and missed it.
So he ended up attending the next year instead.)
Ignoring Brock and Misty's expressions, Ash suddenly slapped Goh on the shoulder and spoke with conviction:
"As long as you have determination, you could even catch a hundred Mews!
I believe you'll succeed!"
Goh's face instantly flushed red.
His breathing quickened, his expression flustered.
This was the first time anyone had heard his dream and not laughed—
instead offering sincere encouragement.
In that instant, Ash's image skyrocketed in Goh's heart.
He nearly wanted to light incense and swear brotherhood on the spot.
"You seem like a good guy. Want to become sworn brothers—"
Before he could finish, Ash decisively cut him off.
"If you're going to catch Mew someday, then learning proper Pokémon-catching techniques is absolutely necessary."
"Coincidentally, I'm about to catch that prank-loving Pokémon here.
Why don't I teach you some techniques along the way?"
I want to be your teacher, and you want to be my brother?
No chance.
A teacher for one day, a father for life.
Ash was unlocking that achievement today no matter what.
Goh hesitated, abandoning the idea of sworn brotherhood for the moment.
But his brow soon furrowed in confusion.
"…Catching Pokémon?
Is that something you need to learn?"
In Goh's mind, catching Pokémon was simple—
Meet Pokémon → throw Poké Ball → Pokédex says "Nice!" or "Great!" → capture complete.
That's it.
Wasn't it just about practicing throwing accuracy and strength?
Brock, Misty, and Ash all frowned at the same time.
Judging by Goh's expression, it was clear—
This kid's understanding of Pokémon was… crooked.
And if it was crooked, it had to be straightened out today.
Ash put on a solemn expression and declared loudly:
"Catching Pokémon is not that simple!
Before practice, let Professor Brock teach you the theory!"
As soon as he finished speaking—
Brock was already wearing a white lab coat again.
He dragged out a presentation whiteboard and began writing and drawing.
(The coat had been "borrowed" from the lab.)
Today, Professor Brock would properly correct this kid's Pokémon worldview.
"First," Brock said seriously,
"Catching Pokémon is not a simple process. Broadly speaking, it can be divided into three steps."
He narrowed his eyes, teeth gleaming, and wrote three words on the board:
Taunt – Weaken – Capture
"Step one—the prerequisite—is preventing the Pokémon from running away."
"You can use verbal taunts, physical provocation, or even bait such as food or… beauty, to keep it in place for the next steps."
"Once you're sure the Pokémon won't flee, you move to step two—weakening."
"Use Pokémon battles to reduce its stamina so it can no longer resist the Poké Ball."
"Of course," Brock added calmly,
"the Trainer can also engage in hand-to-hand combat—if you're strong enough."
At this point, he pointed at Ash.
"This one here is a prime example."
"And while weakening the target, it's best to inflict status conditions as well. That often produces unexpectedly good results."
Brock then tapped the third word.
His dark skin contrasted strikingly with Goh's, knowledge radiating through the room like divine light.
"And finally—capture."
"This step is also not just throwing a Poké Ball."
"Every Pokémon has a vulnerable point—we call it a weak spot.
Hitting it with a Poké Ball greatly increases capture success."
"For example, Pikachu's weak spot is the tip of its tail."
Brock bent slightly and poked the end of Pikachu's tail.
"Pika?"
Pikachu didn't feel anything special, but still cooperatively hopped.
After all, it could ignore Ash and Misty—but not the guy who handled meals.
For realism, Pikachu even jumped so hard it smacked into the ceiling, fully committed to the performance.
"…So there's all this knowledge?"
That voice was Ash's.
Before Goh could say anything, Ash slammed the table, stood up, and started applauding wildly.
"Bravo!"
"Excellent!"
"Outstanding!"
Three praises in a row.
"Professor Brock, that was AMAZING!!"
Ash had been traveling for three weeks, and this was the first time he'd learned that catching Pokémon involved so many fancy techniques.
This was the power of a man with Rock-type will!
Brock: "?"
His movements stiffened. His brow furrowed deeply.
Oh Volcano God…
Weren't we supposed to be collectively misleading this kid?
Ash—stop adding improv!!
Meanwhile, Goh had fallen into deep contemplation, not paying attention to Ash at all.
To be fair, this theory lesson on catching Pokémon had genuinely shattered his worldview.
He'd always planned to throw a Poké Ball straight at Mew's face.
Looks like…
a battle first was unavoidable.
Life plans required long-term consideration.
(End of Chapter)
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