Chapter Thirty-Eight: This Isn’t Scientific

Ash sent out Bulbasaur, who immediately took a Sludge Bomb from Gloom…

Since he switched in right at that moment, Bulbasaur naturally had no time to dodge, but at least it was better than being hit while asleep!

“Bulba! Bulba!” Bulbasaur cried fiercely.

Am just now had gleaned a bit of “outside information”…

The four skills Gloom was currently displaying were Energy Ball and Sludge Bomb—two STAB special attacks—and then Sleep Powder and Leech Seed, two status moves.

Normally, faced with a sleeping Pikachu, Am would almost certainly have Gloom use Leech Seed.

In this world, Leech Seed is a special seed formed from Grass-type energy, implanted in the opponent’s body; then, every time the opponent uses a move, it saps their life force.

It isn’t a direct attack, and the chance of “waking up” Pikachu is very low.

If Ash didn’t switch Pokémon, and Leech Seed didn’t wake Pikachu, with some luck Am could set up another move, gaining a big advantage; even if Ash switched, seeding the next Pokémon wouldn't be a loss.

But Ash had mentioned earlier that he’d caught a Bulbasaur as well, so...

Naturally, Am had to guard against that—Sleep Powder and Leech Seed have no effect on Grass-type Pokémon!

Moreover, Bulbasaur is Grass/Poison, giving it double resistance to Grass moves, so Am didn’t have Gloom use Energy Ball, turning instead to the less powerful, 65-base-power Sludge Bomb.

Sure enough, Ash switched in Bulbasaur!

Am secretly felt lucky; if he’d used Leech Seed just now, Bulbasaur would have been immune…

Not necessarily a disadvantage, but it would have evened the playing field!

Now, as soon as Bulbasaur appeared, it was struck by Gloom’s Sludge Bomb; already less powerful than Gloom, Bulbasaur was at an even greater disadvantage.

“Oh no! Bulbasaur’s no match for Gloom… What is Ash thinking?” Goh exclaimed in anxiety.

“No, Ash isn’t the kind to worry about things like that,” Brock said from the sidelines.

Ash called out, “Bulbasaur, you can do it! Show them how amazing you are!” He clearly didn’t believe for a moment that Gloom was inherently stronger than Bulbasaur.

“Bulba! Bulba!” Bulbasaur howled up at the sky.

“Hm?” Am sensed there was more going on than simple encouragement.

Just now, Bulbasaur seemed… to get a bit stronger?

It was said that the Viridian Power could temporarily boost a Pokémon’s level in battle…

Could Ash also possess the Viridian Power? Or some other special ability with a similar effect?

Smack, smack, smack—

Both Bulbasaur and Gloom extended their vines, entwining and wrestling with each other, the sound of whips slicing through the air, or perhaps striking one another, echoing across the arena!

At first, Gloom was sure of victory—after all, the opponent was just a Bulbasaur, seemingly lower level too; how could this be lost?

Yet, once their vines truly crossed, Gloom realized the opponent’s strength was greater than expected.

Of course, factors like physical and special attack stats played a role…

Right now, Gloom couldn’t channel Grass-type energy into its vines outside of using moves, relying solely on physical strength—naturally at a disadvantage.

But that Bulbasaur’s strength…

Why was it so unexpectedly powerful?

Fortunately, after a dozen exchanges, Gloom managed to seize the upper hand, gradually pushing back the range of Bulbasaur’s striking vines.

Just then, both Gloom and Bulbasaur finished preparing their next moves—their buds/tips both trembled ever so slightly. Being the same species, they instantly sensed each other was ready to attack!

“Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!” Ash shouted energetically.

Bulbasaur immediately withdrew both vines, then flung them forward with all its might, sending a flurry of sharp, grass-energy-forged “blades” hurtling toward Gloom!

“Eh?”

Both Goh and Brock exclaimed in surprise.

Gloom, too, had a double resistance to Grass-type moves; by game calculations, it would only take a quarter of the normal damage.

Am saw this as a “great opportunity” and commanded, “Garlic, block it!”

But Gloom didn’t know Protect—it could only brace itself in a defensive posture and endure the attack. Given Razor Leaf’s barrage-like nature and Gloom’s mediocre evasiveness, Am didn’t expect it to dodge.

As for counterattacking?

It was possible; using Poison-type Sludge Bomb against Grass-type Razor Leaf could even offer an advantage, perhaps even repelling the attack.

However…

In that case, both sides’ attacks would mostly cancel each other out, and with Gloom double resisting Razor Leaf, Am felt the best course was to just withstand the attack, then strike back with Sludge Bomb!

Gloom understood Am’s intentions, confidently setting up its defense, but—

“What?” Am instantly realized something was wrong.

After the rapid pelting and the dust settled, Gloom was visibly injured, even struggling a bit!

Am: ???

How could a Grass-type Razor Leaf deal so much damage to Gloom?

Even if Ash had somehow boosted Bulbasaur’s level, Gloom should still have the advantage; how could it be so badly hurt by a doubly resisted Grass move?

Am had no time to ponder further; seizing the moment while Gloom’s move was ready, he recalled it: “Come back, Garlic! I’ll leave it to you… Amen!”

As Gloom vanished into the recall beam, an Exeggutor appeared in its place.

“Eggs!” Exeggutor’s three faces all wore a comically intelligent smile.

“Well done! Bulbasaur, you forced his Gloom to retreat!” Ash cheered Bulbasaur on.

Am also felt the damage from that Razor Leaf made no sense…

But although Bulbasaur was inspired now, Am instinctively sensed its momentum had dropped, and formed a suspicion.

“Exeggutor, prep your move,” Am commanded.

Exeggutor, all three faces grinning foolishly, began hopping left and right to dodge.

Bulbasaur tried to press the attack, but its vines kept getting intercepted by Exeggutor’s psychic powers—sometimes, even its own body was tripped or lifted by bursts of telekinesis.

It looked like Exeggutor was just dodging, but in fact, Bulbasaur was the one getting more and more battered!

Exeggutor’s body wasn’t exactly built for battle either—no hands, after all—but at nearly level 30, it could already use telekinesis outside of official moves.

With a combat power approaching 18,000, Exeggutor far outclassed Bulbasaur, finishing its move preparations first. Timing it perfectly so Bulbasaur couldn’t switch out, Am gave the order: “Exeggutor, use Psyshock!”

“Not good!” Brock realized the danger even from the sidelines.

Exeggutor’s three faces suddenly sharpened, and from atop its head, three dark pink psychic beams shot at Bulbasaur, knocking it out on the spot!