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he knowes pokemon more than i know _Chapter_381_en
Chapter 381
Chapter 377: Abin's Preliminary Match Results Are Ideal
Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Night.
Ash and his friends were walking down the main street. During the day, it was the site of the Pokémon League Conference with its intense battles, but at night, it transformed into a brightly lit, bustling market.
"Pikachu, eat up. You were amazing today."
"Pika."
The Pikachu on his shoulder didn't hold back, opening its mouth and swallowing a whole skewer of Octillery tentacles.
Don't be fooled by that Bellsprout from today's battle. It might have looked flashy with all its punching and impressive strength—a flurry of moves like a tiger—but Pikachu took it down in one hit with its new move, Flying Press.
After all, the Flying-type has a strong advantage against the Grass-type.
Having finished three preliminary matches, with only the final one tomorrow before officially entering the Top 16, Ash decided against any more last-minute special training. Instead, he maintained an optimistic attitude and went out for a relaxing stroll.
"I heard Gary is also just one final round away. The strength he's shown this time makes him a key person to watch."
Brock, standing beside him, reminded him with a serious expression. He had just gotten the news from the internal Hiker Association group chat; the victorious Gary had spammed the chat with over 99+ handsome photos of himself.
"Yeah, that guy Gary is strong. I know that better than anyone," Ash nodded, not surprised at all.
"Oh, and there's also The Royal Mask," Misty chimed in. "In his three matches so far, he's managed a clean three-Pokémon sweep every time with just that Incineroar. His strength is absurdly terrifying, and he hasn't even revealed any of his other Pokémon."
Many people now suspected that The Royal Mask actually only has one invincible Incineroar, and his other five might just be five Magikarp.
Ash continued walking, his brow furrowed. The Royal Mask was indeed a formidable opponent.
"Also, why haven't I seen Brother Red around at all?"
After Red became a hat spirit, he went off exploring on his own. He hadn't sent any word back these past few days, and he hadn't even swapped his Pokémon with Ash yet.
Ash scanned his surroundings, observing every trainer wearing a hat. Since Red's hat changed color depending on the trainer, he couldn't recognize who was who for a moment.
"Whatever. As long as I keep winning, I'm bound to run into Brother Red eventually."
"Hello, if it isn't my good buddy Ash!?"
A rather cheerful voice called out. Ash instinctively looked up and was met with a dazzling flash of light, almost blinding him on the spot.
He was bald.
His completely bald head reflected the light from the streetlamps, making it incredibly bright, like a small sun in the night sky that drew everyone's attention.
He was about the same age and height as Ash. It was Abin, a youth whom he had met before the tournament started, and also a participant in this competition.
"Oh, hey! Long time no see. How are your battles going?"
Ash smiled and greeted him.
Ash was also quite fond of this flamboyant guy. Abin's tactics were even more flashy and outlandish, reaching a level of whimsical genius completely different from conventional battling. Even the mighty Moltres had been thoroughly disgusted by his maneuvers.
This led to Moltres retaliating by spitting out a "benevolent" flame, which burned him until he was irreversibly bald.
According to Abin, his tactics were a supreme secret art he had comprehended through years of playing Pokémon turn-based battle games. At its peak, this ultimate technique could even allow a nobody to easily overwhelm Champion Lance.
"Haha, I got lucky. I made it through the first three rounds."
He casually rubbed his own head and replied with a laugh. To be honest, Abin was gradually starting to accept the feeling of being bald.
Ever since he went bald, his focus had sharpened, and his appeal to women had diminished. This allowed him to walk the path of the powerhouse without distractions, bringing him closer to achieving the magnificent feat of a commoner challenging Lance.
"Then there's a chance we could be opponents in the fourth round tomorrow."
The two exchanged a smile and continued to wander through the night market together, the group of four eating, drinking, and having fun.
"Haha, by the way, Ash, have you been giving your team some practice in the last few battles? I haven't seen your Charizard make an appearance at all."
Seeing that they had become familiar enough, Abin pretended to be casual, finally bringing up the real purpose of this "chance encounter."
Although Abin's results in the preliminary matches were ideal, they would be meaningless if he couldn't make it to the Top 16. He was once again trying to probe Ash's strength.
This question made Brock and Misty frown. They secretly thought that this bald guy wasn't as friendly as he appeared on the surface. Just as they were about to warn Ash not to reveal any information, he simply waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm letting everyone get some time on the field to gain more battle experience."
This information was trivial, so it didn't matter if Abin knew. He didn't think he would run into him tomorrow anyway, and once they reached the Top 16, it would be a whole new ball game.
Abin put on a surprised look and continued to ask:
"Oh? So you have a Pokémon even stronger than your Charizard?"
Abin had also watched Ash's preliminary matches. The strength of his Wartortle and Ivysaur was quite decent. The former's Bond-Powered Golden Aqua Tail and the latter's special mastery of Grass-type moves made him not dare to be careless.
But he still felt that the Charizard was a bit stronger.
"Oh, and this electric mouse..."
Abin subconsciously glanced at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, which was still single-mindedly stuffing its face with food, and couldn't help but frown.
He couldn't figure this electric mouse out.
When he thought it was just for show, it would display immense combat power.
But when he thought it was powerful, it would act like a decorative pet.
Its power level fluctuated wildly. It was whimsical and unpredictable.
"According to the information I've gathered, Ash also has a Pidgeot and a Gengar..."
Abin was a veteran gamer. He was used to ranking strength based on base stats from the games. In that case, the top three should be Gengar, Charizard, and Pidgeot.
Although that was considered a very strong team lineup for a tournament like this, for him, it wasn't a big problem...
At this thought, Abin gradually grew more confident, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.
Ash: "?"
Seeing the other's expression shift erratically, and then suddenly let out a bizarre "Jie-jie-jie" laugh, he couldn't help but interrupt:
"Ah, here's a fun fact for you. My strongest is a Metapod."
Abin just laughed and patted Ash's shoulder, treating his words as complete nonsense. What could a Metapod possibly do?
Act as a boomerang?
"Trying to make me let my guard down? Haha, you underestimate me! If we face off, I'll definitely give it my all!"
Soon, the group returned to their cheerful strolling. After all, thinking so much about it was pointless; it wasn't even certain they would run into each other in tomorrow's battle.
The next morning.
Ash had already walked up to the front desk of the Pokémon Center. He pressed the button on the familiar selection device.
*Click.*
The dial stopped. A snowflake symbol appeared on the screen. The avatar of the opposing participant next to it was a bald head, smiling like a compassionate little monk.
"Participant Ash, your fourth preliminary match will be on the Ice Field. Your opponent is Abin from Youngster Town. The battle will begin in 20 minutes, so please don't be late~" said Nurse Joy with a smile.
Ash's face immediately darkened as a bad feeling washed over him.
(end of chapter)
Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Night.
Ash and his friends were walking down the main street. During the day, it was the site of the Pokémon League Conference with its intense battles, but at night, it transformed into a brightly lit, bustling market.
"Pikachu, eat up. You were amazing today."
"Pika."
The Pikachu on his shoulder didn't hold back, opening its mouth and swallowing a whole skewer of Octillery tentacles.
Don't be fooled by that Bellsprout from today's battle. It might have looked flashy with all its punching and impressive strength—a flurry of moves like a tiger—but Pikachu took it down in one hit with its new move, Flying Press.
After all, the Flying-type has a strong advantage against the Grass-type.
Having finished three preliminary matches, with only the final one tomorrow before officially entering the Top 16, Ash decided against any more last-minute special training. Instead, he maintained an optimistic attitude and went out for a relaxing stroll.
"I heard Gary is also just one final round away. The strength he's shown this time makes him a key person to watch."
Brock, standing beside him, reminded him with a serious expression. He had just gotten the news from the internal Hiker Association group chat; the victorious Gary had spammed the chat with over 99+ handsome photos of himself.
"Yeah, that guy Gary is strong. I know that better than anyone," Ash nodded, not surprised at all.
"Oh, and there's also The Royal Mask," Misty chimed in. "In his three matches so far, he's managed a clean three-Pokémon sweep every time with just that Incineroar. His strength is absurdly terrifying, and he hasn't even revealed any of his other Pokémon."
Many people now suspected that The Royal Mask actually only has one invincible Incineroar, and his other five might just be five Magikarp.
Ash continued walking, his brow furrowed. The Royal Mask was indeed a formidable opponent.
"Also, why haven't I seen Brother Red around at all?"
After Red became a hat spirit, he went off exploring on his own. He hadn't sent any word back these past few days, and he hadn't even swapped his Pokémon with Ash yet.
Ash scanned his surroundings, observing every trainer wearing a hat. Since Red's hat changed color depending on the trainer, he couldn't recognize who was who for a moment.
"Whatever. As long as I keep winning, I'm bound to run into Brother Red eventually."
"Hello, if it isn't my good buddy Ash!?"
A rather cheerful voice called out. Ash instinctively looked up and was met with a dazzling flash of light, almost blinding him on the spot.
He was bald.
His completely bald head reflected the light from the streetlamps, making it incredibly bright, like a small sun in the night sky that drew everyone's attention.
He was about the same age and height as Ash. It was Abin, a youth whom he had met before the tournament started, and also a participant in this competition.
"Oh, hey! Long time no see. How are your battles going?"
Ash smiled and greeted him.
Ash was also quite fond of this flamboyant guy. Abin's tactics were even more flashy and outlandish, reaching a level of whimsical genius completely different from conventional battling. Even the mighty Moltres had been thoroughly disgusted by his maneuvers.
This led to Moltres retaliating by spitting out a "benevolent" flame, which burned him until he was irreversibly bald.
According to Abin, his tactics were a supreme secret art he had comprehended through years of playing Pokémon turn-based battle games. At its peak, this ultimate technique could even allow a nobody to easily overwhelm Champion Lance.
"Haha, I got lucky. I made it through the first three rounds."
He casually rubbed his own head and replied with a laugh. To be honest, Abin was gradually starting to accept the feeling of being bald.
Ever since he went bald, his focus had sharpened, and his appeal to women had diminished. This allowed him to walk the path of the powerhouse without distractions, bringing him closer to achieving the magnificent feat of a commoner challenging Lance.
"Then there's a chance we could be opponents in the fourth round tomorrow."
The two exchanged a smile and continued to wander through the night market together, the group of four eating, drinking, and having fun.
"Haha, by the way, Ash, have you been giving your team some practice in the last few battles? I haven't seen your Charizard make an appearance at all."
Seeing that they had become familiar enough, Abin pretended to be casual, finally bringing up the real purpose of this "chance encounter."
Although Abin's results in the preliminary matches were ideal, they would be meaningless if he couldn't make it to the Top 16. He was once again trying to probe Ash's strength.
This question made Brock and Misty frown. They secretly thought that this bald guy wasn't as friendly as he appeared on the surface. Just as they were about to warn Ash not to reveal any information, he simply waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Yeah, I'm letting everyone get some time on the field to gain more battle experience."
This information was trivial, so it didn't matter if Abin knew. He didn't think he would run into him tomorrow anyway, and once they reached the Top 16, it would be a whole new ball game.
Abin put on a surprised look and continued to ask:
"Oh? So you have a Pokémon even stronger than your Charizard?"
Abin had also watched Ash's preliminary matches. The strength of his Wartortle and Ivysaur was quite decent. The former's Bond-Powered Golden Aqua Tail and the latter's special mastery of Grass-type moves made him not dare to be careless.
But he still felt that the Charizard was a bit stronger.
"Oh, and this electric mouse..."
Abin subconsciously glanced at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, which was still single-mindedly stuffing its face with food, and couldn't help but frown.
He couldn't figure this electric mouse out.
When he thought it was just for show, it would display immense combat power.
But when he thought it was powerful, it would act like a decorative pet.
Its power level fluctuated wildly. It was whimsical and unpredictable.
"According to the information I've gathered, Ash also has a Pidgeot and a Gengar..."
Abin was a veteran gamer. He was used to ranking strength based on base stats from the games. In that case, the top three should be Gengar, Charizard, and Pidgeot.
Although that was considered a very strong team lineup for a tournament like this, for him, it wasn't a big problem...
At this thought, Abin gradually grew more confident, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.
Ash: "?"
Seeing the other's expression shift erratically, and then suddenly let out a bizarre "Jie-jie-jie" laugh, he couldn't help but interrupt:
"Ah, here's a fun fact for you. My strongest is a Metapod."
Abin just laughed and patted Ash's shoulder, treating his words as complete nonsense. What could a Metapod possibly do?
Act as a boomerang?
"Trying to make me let my guard down? Haha, you underestimate me! If we face off, I'll definitely give it my all!"
Soon, the group returned to their cheerful strolling. After all, thinking so much about it was pointless; it wasn't even certain they would run into each other in tomorrow's battle.
The next morning.
Ash had already walked up to the front desk of the Pokémon Center. He pressed the button on the familiar selection device.
*Click.*
The dial stopped. A snowflake symbol appeared on the screen. The avatar of the opposing participant next to it was a bald head, smiling like a compassionate little monk.
"Participant Ash, your fourth preliminary match will be on the Ice Field. Your opponent is Abin from Youngster Town. The battle will begin in 20 minutes, so please don't be late~" said Nurse Joy with a smile.
Ash's face immediately darkened as a bad feeling washed over him.
(end of chapter)
