Because she understood that when it came to Pokémon capture and training, Ash was the true expert.
That much was obvious from everything he had achieved in the Trainer profession so far.
Along the way, they had encountered countless Oddish and Paras, yet Ash had rejected every single one.
Now, after examining this particular Oddish, he had finally revealed a satisfied smile.
Clarissa couldn't help feeling excited.
"Mm-hmm. Not bad."
"This Oddish barely meets my requirements."
"I'll watch over the battle for you. Go ahead and capture it yourself."
Ash smiled.
"Okay~ (≧▽≦)"
Clarissa nodded obediently before stepping forward.
Looking at the Oddish that was drinking water by the pool, she called out:
"Oddish, I'd like to catch you and make you my Pokémon."
"Let's battle!"
Without waiting for a response, Clarissa immediately tossed a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Lucky!"
Bang!
A flash of white light burst forth.
"Lucky~!"
Chansey appeared beside the moss-covered stone and the spring-fed pool, its round pink body standing protectively before its Trainer.
"Oddish?!"
Only now did the wild Oddish notice the humans nearby.
Startled, it let out a cry and immediately spun around.
Its leafy crown swayed as it adopted a defensive battle stance.
"Oddish, I want to make you my Pokémon!"
"Chansey, use Sweet Kiss!"
After expressing her desire to capture it once more, Clarissa immediately launched the first attack.
Having spent so much time battling alongside Ash in city arenas, her battle awareness and practical combat experience had improved tremendously through constant exposure.
Against a relatively low-level Oddish, she felt quite confident.
She didn't know whether the Oddish possessed Chlorophyll or the more troublesome Run Away Ability.
And Grass-type Pokémon were notorious for disruptive moves, especially powder-based control techniques.
So instead of charging in recklessly, she chose to open with Sweet Kiss.
If she could confuse Oddish and restrict its actions, defeating it would become much easier.
"Lucky~!"
Following her command, Chansey quickly acted.
It blew an adorable kiss.
A pink heart adorned with tiny white angel wings shot through the air toward Oddish.
The moment Chansey attacked, Oddish reacted as well.
Its leafy crown trembled violently.
Puff—!
A cloud of yellowish powder exploded outward like a drifting mist and swept toward Chansey.
Seeing this, Clarissa quickly scanned her surroundings.
Her eyes landed on the nearby spring pool.
They immediately lit up.
"Chansey!"
"Use Pound and splash the water toward the Stun Spore!"
"Lucky~!"
Chansey responded instantly.
It swung its tiny arm and smacked the surface of the pool.
Splash!
Water erupted into the air.
Countless droplets scattered like rain.
The incoming cloud of Stun Spore was immediately soaked through.
The damp powder lost its buoyancy and fell harmlessly to the ground along with the water.
Clarissa and Chansey had successfully neutralized Oddish's attack.
However, Oddish wasn't nearly as fortunate.
"Oddish!"
Looking at the adorable winged heart flying toward it, Oddish sensed danger despite its cute appearance.
Panicked, it began hopping sideways to evade.
Unfortunately, Sweet Kiss possessed a brief tracking effect.
As Oddish jumped to one side, the heart immediately changed direction and followed.
"Oddish!!"
With a startled cry, it was struck directly.
The confusion effect took hold instantly.
"Oddish..."
Stars spun around its head as it staggered into a confused state.
Rather than attacking itself or launching a reckless assault, the confused Oddish instinctively shook its leafy crown.
A sweet fragrance drifted toward Chansey.
Sweet Scent.
The move had no direct offensive power.
In the wild, it was primarily used to attract Pokémon.
Against opponents with weak willpower, the fragrance could dull concentration and reactions.
Whether Chansey would be affected?
Ash wasn't sure.
But Clarissa clearly had no intention of finding out.
"Chansey, pull back and create distance!"
"Then use Disarming Voice!"
"Lucky~!"
Chansey immediately began hopping backward.
At the same time, it clasped its tiny hands to its chest and opened its mouth.
Pink musical notes filled with Fairy-type energy flowed outward.
The notes pierced straight through the veil of Sweet Scent.
Then—
Direct hit!
Although Disarming Voice was merely a basic Fairy-type move and Poison-types naturally resisted Fairy attacks...
Chansey's level was nearly ten levels higher than Oddish's.
The level advantage more than compensated for the resistance.
The damage was still substantial.
"Chansey, don't stop!"
"Keep using Disarming Voice!"
Taking advantage of Oddish's confused state, Clarissa maintained a safe distance and continuously pressured it with ranged attacks.
"Lucky~!"
"Oddish!!"
...
A nearly ten-level gap separated the two Pokémon.
And with Oddish still trapped in confusion, the battle quickly became one-sided.
Several minutes later, despite Grass-types being known for their durability and recovery capabilities, Oddish finally rolled its eyes back.
Its body collapsed onto the ground.
It had lost the ability to battle.
"Clarissa, you can throw a Poké Ball now."
Watching from the sidelines, Ash smiled.
"Okay! (≧∀≦)"
Clarissa excitedly took out a fresh Poké Ball.
She aimed at the unconscious Oddish and threw it forward.
The Poké Ball spun through the air.
Just as it was about to strike Oddish—
Whoosh!
Smack! Smack!
Two deep-green vines suddenly shot out from the nearby grass.
The Vine Whips lashed through the air.
The Poké Ball was struck twice in rapid succession.
Like a spinning top, it was sent flying straight back.
"Who's there?!"
Ash's expression changed.
He immediately lunged forward.
Before the rebounding Poké Ball could hit Clarissa, he caught it cleanly in his hand.
Rustle... rustle...
The nearby bushes shook.
Something was approaching.
Ash and Clarissa focused their attention on the movement.
A moment later—
A Pokémon neither of them had expected emerged from the undergrowth.
"Bulba! Bulba!"
A small green Pokémon hopped out.
Its squat body resembled a toad.
And on its back sat a large green bulb.
It was none other than—
Bulbasaur.
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T/N:
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