Chapter 39: Teacher Gang, Straightening Things Out, Little Zhi

The dark-skinned boy quickly stepped back several paces, his face full of wariness as he asked, "What the... who are you people anyway? This is a private residence, I'm calling the police!"

The three people before him were clearly not locals.

"Oh, oh, calm down, calm down! We are very good people." The trio quickly spread their hands to show they were harmless.

"My name is Ash, from Pallet Town. I'm a powerful trainer with three badges, entrusted by Professor Cerise to help him deal with the strange Pokémon inside the institute." Ash pointed to the two people beside him and introduced them. "This is Brock, a man with the will of rock, and this is Misty, a woman who is going to become a Water-type Pokémon Master."

The dark-skinned boy seemed to recall Professor Cerise mentioning this, so he relaxed. His expression softened as he introduced himself: "My name is Goh. I'm 10 years old and a good friend of Professor Cerise's daughter. I often come over to play with toy cars with her."

Upon hearing this, Ash gave a light cough. He hadn't expected this boy to be his same age. *No, I can't let it slip that I'm also 10.*

Ash suddenly narrowed his eyes, a sharp, piercing glint of white light flashing from his gaze, directed straight at Goh. "We are all people with dreams. Tell me, Goh, what is your dream? Is it to become a powerful trainer?"

If he said yes, Ash could seize the opportunity to offer to teach him how to catch Pokémon and unlock an achievement.

But Goh blurted out almost instantly, "My dream is to catch Mew, make it my first Pokémon, and travel with it!"

This was the special Pokémon Goh had encountered while attending Professor Oak's summer camp at the age of six. It was at that moment that he had made up his mind: he would definitely meet it again in the future and travel with Mew. If his first Pokémon wasn't Mew, he would rather have none at all!

Brock and Misty: "!?" *Are you daydreaming?*

Ash: "?" He didn't know anything about Mew. He assumed it was just like Rayquaza—rare in the Kanto region but common as dirt in other regions—so he didn't feel much of anything. It is worth mentioning that Ash had also been supposed to attend that summer camp, but he had missed that session because he woke up late. So, a year later, he had made up for it by attending another...

...

Ignoring the expressions of the other two, Ash suddenly slapped Goh on the shoulder and encouraged him earnestly: "As long as you have determination, you could even catch 100 Mews! I believe you will succeed!"

These words made Goh blush instantly. His breathing grew rapid, and he looked flustered. This was the first time someone had heard him say he wanted to catch Mew and, instead of laughing, had encouraged him so seriously.

Suddenly, Goh’s impression of Ash reached its peak; he felt like burning incense and swearing brotherhood right then and there.

"You look like a good person; how about we become sworn broth—"

Before Goh could finish, Ash nimbly interrupted him. "Since you intend to catch Mew in the future, you must master the little tricks of catching Pokémon. Since I happen to be catching that mischievous Pokémon right now, why don't I teach you some techniques?"

*I want to be your mentor, and you want to be my brother? A teacher for a day is a father for life; I must unlock this achievement today!*

Hearing this, Goh temporarily abandoned the idea of swearing brotherhood and considered the other's words. He frowned, feeling a bit confused. "Catching Pokémon...? Does that need to be learned?" he asked skeptically.

In Goh's mind, catching a Pokémon simply meant throwing a ball as soon as you met one, and then the Pokédex would make a "NICE" or "GREAT" sound, signaling a successful capture. *That's it? Isn't it just a matter of having hands? Do you have to practice the accuracy and force of your throw?*

The trio frowned at this. Judging by the expressions on the latter's face, they all realized that this boy's path of thinking might have gone a bit off-track...

Since it was off-track, it had to be corrected today!

Ash looked stern and shouted, "Catching Pokémon is not that simple! Before we go into the field, let your teacher Brock supplement your theoretical knowledge!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Brock, who had already put on a white lab coat, dragged out a display whiteboard and began writing on it. He had snatched the coat from the lab. Today, Teacher Brock would properly straighten out his Pokémon worldview!

"First of all, capturing a Pokémon is not a simple task. Roughly speaking, we can divide it into three steps." Brock's eyes narrowed into slits, revealing his white teeth as he wrote three words on the board: "Taunt," "Weaken," and "Capture."

"The first step, and the prerequisite, is that you cannot let the Pokémon run away. You can use verbal taunts, physical gestures, or even lure it with food or beauty to keep it in place to facilitate subsequent operations."

"Once you ensure the Pokémon won't run, the next step is the second one: Weaken! Use Pokémon battles to sap its stamina so it cannot resist the restraint of the Poké Ball."

"Of course, it's also acceptable for the trainer to engage in hand-to-hand combat, as long as you are strong enough." As he said this, Brock pointed to Ash, indicating he was the archetype of someone who could jump right in.

"Furthermore, while weakening its stamina, it's best to sneak in an status effect to wear down its fighting spirit; this often produces unexpected results."

Brock then pointed his finger to the third word. His dark skin contrasted with Goh's, and the glow of knowledge seemed to permeate the room like a mystical aura.

"And the final step, Capture, is also not just a simple throw."

"Every Pokémon has a specific point on its body, which we call the 'weak point.' Successfully hitting this weak point with a Poké Ball can greatly increase the probability of capture. For example, with Pikachu, its weak point is the tip of its tail."

Brock bent over slightly and poked the tip of Pikachu's tail with his finger.

"Pika?" Although Pikachu didn't feel anything special, it jumped up very cooperatively. After all, among the three, it didn't have to listen to Ash or Misty, but it had to respect the one who provided the food. To make it look real, Pikachu even leaped all the way to the ceiling, putting on a dramatic performance.

...

"So there's all this knowledge? This is my first time hearing about it..."

This was Ash's voice.

Before Goh could say anything, Ash suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, clapping his hands with an expression of awe and disbelief.

"Good!"
"Good!"
"Good!"

Three consecutive exclamations expressed the excitement in his heart. "Teacher Brock, your lecture was absolutely brilliant!!"

He had been traveling for three weeks, and this was his first time knowing there were such fancy operations to catching Pokémon. *Is this the power of Teacher Brock? He truly is the man with the will of rock!*

Brock: "?" This shouting made his movements stiffen, and his brow furrowed even deeper. *My God of Volcanoes, aren't we supposed to be a team tricking this dark-skinned boy? Ash, stop overacting!*

...

On the other side, however, Goh was lost in thought, ignoring Ash's behavior. It had to be said that this theory class on catching Pokémon had truly refreshed his worldview. Previously, he had thought that when he met Mew, he would just throw a Poké Ball right at its face. It seemed he had to battle it first? His life plan needed to be reconsidered...