"Ash, you transferred Oddish over?" Misty asked as she looked at the Oddish standing by Ash's feet.
"Yeah. Ever since I caught it, I haven't really had the chance to train it properly, so I figured it was about time."
Ash smiled as he watched Oddish happily playing with Bayleef.
The main reason was that it had been sparring with Bulbasaur at Professor Oak's Laboratory for quite some time and was getting close to evolving. Just look at how energetic it was now.
This time, Ash wanted all of his Pokémon to evolve when the time was right. The more moves they learned, the more tactical options he would have during battles.
"Alright. Once we get over the mountain ahead, we'll arrive in Ecruteak City," Brock said after checking the map.
"So we're finally almost there?" Ash replied eagerly.
"Hey, look! There are so many Pokémon up ahead!" Misty pointed into the distance.
Sure enough, the area was filled with Pokémon. There were Sunflora, Gloom, Vileplume, Bellossom, Paras, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and many other Grass type Pokémon.
"Wow! There are so many Grass type Pokémon!"
Oddish and Bayleef were both overjoyed, looking as though they couldn't wait to run over and play with them.
"An Oddish and a Bayleef! That's great! You actually have two Grass type Pokémon!"
Just then, a young boy with a Skiploom approached from behind them, his face lighting up with excitement.
"Hello, my name is Ephraim," the boy introduced himself politely before continuing, "Are you heading to Ecruteak City to challenge the Gym?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ash, and these are my friends, Brock and Misty. This is Pikachu, and on my head is Ralts..." Ash introduced everyone before nodding. "That's right. We're on our way to challenge the Ecruteak Gym."
"In that case, would you be willing to have a battle with my Skiploom?"
"If it's a battle, I have no reason to refuse. Oddish, you'll take this one."
Instead of sending out Bayleef, Ash chose Oddish. He wanted it to experience the difference between real battles and training.
"Skiploom, use Tackle!"
Skiploom charged forward at high speed, but Oddish simply sidestepped, dodging the attack with ease.
"Oddish Razor!"
Ash shook his head.
"Ephraim, moves like Tackle are generally better used as finishing attacks. Using them right at the start has a high chance of putting your Pokémon at a disadvantage."
"Skiploom, use Double Team and evade!"
To his credit, Ephraim reacted quickly. The moment the command was given, Skiploom split into multiple copies, causing Oddish's Razor Leaf to hit nothing but an afterimage.
"Oddish, let's use Double Team too."
In no time, Oddish created the same number of copies as Skiploom, and both sides faced each other in a tense standoff.
"Relying on clones isn't how a battle should be decided. Oddish, use Bullet Seed!"
All of the Oddish clones fired Bullet Seed simultaneously.
The barrage struck Skiploom from every direction, revealing its real body as it was hit head on and knocked from the air.
"Skiploom, quickly use Leech Seed!"
"Too late. Finish it with Sludge Bomb!"
Oddish launched a glob of sludge that exploded against Skiploom. The attack not only dealt heavy damage but also left Skiploom badly poisoned.
"So, how's your Skiploom?" Ash asked with concern.
"It's fine. Your Oddish is really amazing!" Ephraim replied with a smile. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling relieved that Ash hadn't used Bayleef. Otherwise, his Skiploom probably would have been defeated in just two moves.
Just then, Oddish began hopping excitedly as its entire body was enveloped in a brilliant white light.
Its body grew larger, and a flower bud bloomed atop its head, releasing a sweet fragrance.
Oddish had evolved into Gloom.
Seeing Gloom's successful evolution, Ash couldn't help but smile.
That gave his team yet another dependable member to rotate into battle.
"From now on, let's do our best together, Gloom."
"Gloom..."
Friendships between Pokémon Trainers were often forged through battle.
Sure enough, after the match ended, Ephraim warmly invited Ash and his friends to visit his home.
After meeting Ephraim's parents, everyone sat down and chatted.
"So that's what happened. It sounds like Ephraim and his Skiploom have both been working very hard," Ephraim's father said.
"I really did my best," Ephraim admitted. "But Ash was even stronger. He beat me with just an Oddish, and it even evolved into a Gloom afterward."
"Thank you all so much. Having such an outstanding Trainer like you practice with Ephraim has given him a truly valuable lesson."
"It's nothing," Ash said modestly. "I'm sure Ephraim will become an excellent Trainer himself one day."
His praise made Ephraim blush in embarrassment.
"You should all stay at our house tonight and get a good rest."
"Thank you very much."
If they had a place to stay, there was no reason to camp outdoors.
Ash was sincerely grateful for their hospitality.
"These flowers are so beautiful!" Misty exclaimed as she admired the colorful blossoms filling the courtyard.
"We grow them together with our Grass type Pokémon," Ephraim's mother explained. "You could say that Grass type Pokémon understand the feelings of flowers and plants better than anyone."
"Grass type Pokémon are also incredibly strong in battle," Ephraim added proudly.
"This child has always dreamed of competing in the Grass Type Pokémon Tournament," his mother said with a smile.
"The Grass Type Pokémon Tournament?"
After hearing their explanation, Ash learned that the tournament was similar in scale to the Bug Catching Contest or the Fishing Contest. More importantly, the champion would receive a generous prize.
Ash knew exactly what that prize was.
A Leaf Stone.
It was exactly what he needed to evolve his newly evolved Gloom into a Vileplume.
With a reward like that, there was no way he would pass up the opportunity.
Without hesitation, Ash signed up for the Grass Type Pokémon Tournament.
For this tournament, Ash was determined to claim first place.
...
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