Milotic's future training plan looked very similar to Gyarados's at first glance.
But in reality—
The two were walking completely different paths.
The similarity lay in the fact that both Pokémon occupied an offensive tank role.
However, Gyarados focused on:
Physical Attack • Physical Defense • HP
Whereas Milotic specialized in:
Special Attack • HP • Special Defense
The difference between them had already been apparent back when they were still in their unevolved forms.
When Ash first selected offensive moves for them, Magikarp learned the physical move Tackle, while Feebas learned the special attack Water Gun.
That distinction remained unchanged even after they evolved.
In fact, after reaching their final forms, the divergence between their combat styles became even more obvious.
Gyarados lived up to its name.
It was violent.
Brutal.
Aggressive.
When facing fast and agile opponents, Gyarados's solution wasn't to slow them down or lock them in place with control techniques.
Instead—
It simply unleashed large-scale area attacks and crushed everything in sight.
Even when forced onto the defensive, Gyarados didn't truly defend.
Defense was merely preparation for an even more devastating counterattack.
Its philosophy was simple:
Attack.
Attack harder.
And then attack again.
Every detail of its battle style reflected that violent nature.
Milotic, on the other hand, was completely different.
Although it also prioritized offense, it wasn't obsessed with explosive damage output.
Instead, Milotic pursued a balance between damage, control, and attrition.
It preferred limiting its opponent's opportunities to attack.
It preferred keeping itself safe.
As a Special Attacker, Milotic could fight from a distance.
There was no need to allow enemies to approach.
No need to engage in dangerous close-quarters combat.
Its defensive philosophy was similarly unique.
Like Gyarados, it could absorb damage.
However, rather than relying on counterattacks, Milotic depended on its exceptional Special Defense, respectable Physical Defense, enormous HP pool, and incredible recovery abilities.
Moves such as:
Aqua Ring
Recover
Life Dew
Allowed Milotic to continuously restore itself while slowly wearing down opponents.
Both Pokémon occupied tank roles.
But they were fundamentally different kinds of tanks.
Gyarados was a Violent Assault Tank.
Milotic was a Regenerative Defensive Tank.
One was aggressive.
One was elegant.
Yet both were equally powerful.
And equally deadly.
Ash had already long since decided on the overall development paths for both Pokémon.
The remaining challenge was refining the details of their daily training plans.
For example:
Milotic had already learned most of its recovery-oriented moves.
Furthermore, those moves had reached high proficiency.
Therefore, its future training focus should shift toward:
Special Attack moves
And
Control-oriented techniques
Meanwhile, Gyarados faced the opposite problem.
It already possessed a respectable collection of single-target attacks.
However, it lacked sufficient area-of-effect techniques.
Likewise, important counterattack moves such as:
Facade
Avalanche
Payback
Retaliate
Had yet to be learned.
Those moves would become major goals in the next phase of training.
...
After completing the training plans for Gyarados and Milotic, Ash turned his attention toward the newest member of the team.
Bulbasaur.
In the short term, Bulbasaur's focus remained simple.
Build foundations.
Gain levels.
Strengthen fundamentals.
There was no need to rush.
However, long-term development was another matter entirely.
That required serious planning.
Ash opened Bulbasaur's profile and began analyzing its evolutionary future.
The final evolution, Venusaur, possessed the following base stat distribution:
HP: 80
Attack: 82
Defense: 83
Special Attack: 100
Special Defense: 100
Speed: 80
A perfectly balanced spread.
Every stat reached at least eighty.
Both Special Attack and Special Defense exceeded one hundred.
From Ash's perspective, the conclusion was obvious.
Venusaur was naturally suited to becoming a Magic Tank.
Although the Grass/Poison typing left it vulnerable to:
Flying
Fire
Ice
Psychic
And various resistances throughout the type chart—
When viewed purely through the lens of stat distribution, Venusaur possessed no glaring weaknesses.
More importantly, compared to Pokémon like Blastoise or Pidgeot, whose stats were distributed somewhat evenly across the board, Venusaur managed to maintain excellent overall balance while still excelling in Special Attack and Special Defense.
That distribution pleased Ash greatly.
And his Bulbasaur wasn't ordinary.
This was one of the iconic Pokémon from the original storyline.
Its talent exceeded that of normal Bulbasaur.
When it eventually evolved into Venusaur, its actual combat stats would likely surpass the average member of its species by a significant margin.
But the most important factor wasn't that.
It was this:
Venusaur could Mega Evolve.
Ash's eyes brightened.
He immediately pulled up Mega Venusaur's data.
Its stat distribution became:
HP: 80
Attack: 100
Defense: 123
Special Attack: 122
Special Defense: 120
Speed remained unchanged.
At a glance, the numbers were astounding.
HP wasn't a weakness.
Speed wasn't crippling.
Attack exceeded one hundred.
Defense exceeded one hundred and twenty.
Special Attack exceeded one hundred and twenty.
Special Defense exceeded one hundred and twenty.
From a statistical perspective—
Mega Venusaur was outstanding.
It was the very definition of a Magic Tank.
Compared to Gyarados, the Violent Tank.
Compared to Milotic, the Regenerative Tank.
Mega Venusaur's raw offensive output might not seem as explosive.
However, its Special Attack and Special Defense both exceeded one hundred and twenty.
Its attributes were far less polarized.
Far more balanced.
And that wasn't even accounting for its Poison typing.
Poison-based strategies excelled at inflicting gradual damage.
The longer battles lasted, the stronger Venusaur became.
Combined with Grass-type control techniques and excellent recovery options, Venusaur was extraordinarily versatile.
In terms of overall balance and utility—
It might even surpass both Gyarados and Milotic.
Leaning back in his chair, Ash couldn't help reflecting on a previous assessment he had made of his team.
Back then, if every Pokémon were judged solely based on the average potential of their species—
Only Greninja truly qualified as a future ace.
Pidgeot and Milotic could serve as secondary core members.
Pokémon like Pikachu and Fearow excelled more as surprise weapons and tactical specialists.
But now?
That assessment had changed.
A second candidate had appeared.
Bulbasaur.
Or more accurately—
The future Venusaur.
Both Greninja and Bulbasaur belonged to regional starter lines.
Looking back, Ash couldn't help admiring the wisdom of the Pokémon Leagues that selected those starter Pokémon.
Their species base stats might not always be extraordinary.
But they possessed something even more valuable.
Reliability.
Starters were Pokémon that Trainers could confidently invest resources into.
Pokémon capable of serving as core partners throughout an entire journey.
Pokémon that remained relevant all the way into the late game without ever needing replacement.
In the end—
Base stats alone didn't determine a Pokémon's value.
What truly mattered was something else.
Ash tapped his pen lightly against the notebook.
A smile appeared on his face.
"The move framework."
"That's always the most important part."
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