Chapter 41: What a Plump Gengar!

Ash slowly put on Squirtle’s signature pointed-rim sunglasses, and instantly, his entire demeanor took on a suave, street-smart edge.

In truth, he wasn't deliberately playing around with Squirtle; rather, the current situation just wasn't suitable for the latter to strike.

Through the strange power of the Dark-type sunglasses, a figure slowly began to take shape before his eyes.

"This is...!"

It was a dark-colored, bipedal Pokémon, a little over a person's height. Because of the tint of the glasses, he couldn't discern its true color, but it had several spikes on its back.

Two chubby little hands were frantically slapping against the door, while occasionally glancing over at the four of them.

Its two large, round eyes curved into crescents, as if it were secretly gloating.

"Hiss..."

Seeing this, Ash couldn't help but gasp, feeling a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Before him was an incredibly obese Pokémon.

Was it really possible for a Pokémon’s body proportions to be even more ridiculous than his Pikachu’s!?

He couldn't even laugh; he was shaking with frustration, tears welling up inside.

However, obese Pokémon were rarely pushovers.

Once he finished laughing, Ash began to contemplate his next move.

Perhaps because he had seen the exact appearance of the Pokémon, the Pokédex began its automatic broadcast.

"Beep-beep. Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon. The fatter it is, the better its potential. Its body is connected to the second dimension and it has the ability to manipulate dreams."

Ash: "?"

Did the Pokédex’s battery leak today? Why was it speaking so reliably?

But since he now knew the opponent was a Gengar, Ash began to silently recall the three key points Brock had mentioned earlier, planning to use a standard capture procedure to teach the newcomer, Goh, a lesson.

First, provocation.

Ash held up his middle finger, causing the Gengar to freeze on the spot.

Only then did Ash toss a Poké Ball.

"Come on out, Metapod."

A flash of red light.

Its curved green body was marked with black ridges. Its dignified, deep eyes shimmered with a flowing light, its face stern, and its presence felt as if it could swallow the stars and galaxy. One could almost hear the faint, chilling roar of a great dragon echoing in the air.

"Pod-pod!"

Metapod stood on the mahogany floor. It had been a few days since he last saw it, and it seemed to have grown a bit wider.

At its current size, it was already 10% larger than a normal Metapod.

Once it grew to 150% larger than a normal Metapod, it would be time to break out of its shell and evolve into a dragon.

"Prepare to use Electroweb. Don't let that Gengar escape," Ash reminded it, then spoke toward the back: "Pikachu, you watch from the sidelines for now. No need for you to step in this time."

Pikachu had just fought a major battle a few hours ago; it was better to give the other newcomers a chance. After all, nobody could just rely on their starter to topple over Elite Four members and Champions, right? That was the mark of an amateur trainer.

"Pika..."

Unexpectedly, Pikachu had already fallen fast asleep behind them, completely unconscious and even letting out faint snores.

It had sensed something unusual the moment it entered the room and had immediately pulled out a bed, pillow, and blanket set from who knows where, falling asleep instantly.

Sleeping didn't require a reminder from Ash.

It wasn't that it was sleeping, but rather, it was giving the newcomers more opportunities.

...

Ash: "..."

He forced himself to ignore the snoring electric mouse and refocused his gaze on the Gengar in front of him.

Since the provocation was ready, the next step was weakening.

...

But using Metapod to weaken the opponent was clearly hopeless.

At this thought, Ash tossed another Poké Ball, a move that made Brock, standing nearby, frown.

He had forgotten to add one bit of trivia.

Trivia: A proper capture is 1v1; gang-tackling for a capture is a foul.

...

A red light flashed. Before the Pokémon appeared, a large green garlic bulb was seen.

"Bulba-bulba...!"

Bulbasaur not only possessed professional binding skills like Vine Whip but also status-effect moves like Sleep Powder.

Ash was playing it safe.

By the way, it was probably time to give his Bulbasaur a nickname.

"Bulby" sounded quite nice, catchy, but it had already been trademarked, which was a nuisance...

...

"Prepare for battle!"

Ash gave a low shout, then flexed his arms and suddenly picked up Metapod.

Amidst the bewildered expressions of everyone present, he tossed the XL-sized Metapod straight out.

Clang!

Metapod hit the wall and bounced back onto the floor, leaving a small dent and crack in Professor Cerise’s mahogany floor.

Nothing else, just pure hardness!

Everyone: "?"

Ash smiled confidently. This move wasn't intended to use Metapod as a projectile weapon, but rather as a feint.

Gengar: "?"

Beneath the sunglasses, the mischievous Gengar was indeed distracted by the inexplicable Metapod, staring with its two large eyes in curiosity.

What a big green banana.

"Now’s the time, Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!!"

Ash suddenly shouted.

"Bulba!"

Bulbasaur whipped its head, and several green leaves shot out from the bulb on its back. They spun and accelerated in the air, turning into sharp blades by the time they reached the doorway.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

Gengar was startled and quickly jumped up on the spot, barely dodging the attack.

Although its species was known for high movement speed, it wasn't as fast as one might imagine.

Swish...!

Professor Cerise’s mahogany wall, however, was shredded by the Razor Leaves.

The damage caused by the battle wasn't in Ash's service scope. He hadn't sent out Charmander to torch the place, which was already being very considerate of the surrounding terrain.

As Gengar made a large movement, its form was finally fully exposed to everyone's view for the first time.

It was purple.

"What a fat Gengar."

The other three people’s first reactions were to say this in unison.

It was at least 30% fatter than an average Gengar, with excessive body fat.

"Ash, Gengar is the third evolution of Gastly; its power cannot be weak," Brock, the most level-headed of the group, quickly warned.

"I know."

Ash nodded, but given its panicked dodging earlier, it must have gone a long time without a battle, leaving its body rusty; its combat power shouldn't be at its peak.

Combined with what Professor Cerise said—that this strange situation had been going on for two years...

That proved that for these two years, the Gengar had just been slacking off.

...

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!!"

Ash ordered another attack.

Two vines suddenly shot out from the sides of Bulbasaur’s back, striking out like green spirit snakes.

"Geng-geng!!"

The Gengar on the other side was clearly irritated by this sneak attack. It jumped several times on the spot, its wide body changing shape like jelly.

Gengar’s body twitched, and then its blood-red eyes suddenly flashed with a purple light, which erupted outward.

Under the shroud of powerful Psychic energy, the incoming Vine Whip froze in mid-air, unable to advance a single inch further.

Psychic!

Its telekinetic power was strong!

Although it hadn't battled for two years, its underlying strength was still there, not something a starter Pokémon just beginning its journey could easily resist.

"Geng-geng!!"

Gengar’s blood-red eyes widened suddenly, and the vines weirdly changed direction, whipping back toward Bulbasaur.

Slap! Slap!

Two sharp, stinging sounds rang out.

The Vine Whip connected, and two red welts appeared on Bulbasaur’s face.

"Geng-geng-geng-geng!!"

Seeing this, Gengar twitched in a ghostly manner again, its blood-red eyes wide and bright, its large face bulging and shrinking—it was clearly quite satisfied with this counter-attack.

Taking advantage of its arrogance, Ash suddenly spoke up:

"Good opportunity, Metapod, use Electroweb!"

The Metapod, which had been ignored ever since it hit the floor, had already flipped its body over, building up yellow energy in front of it.

Pew-pew...!!

The Electroweb was cast, stretching to its limit while Gengar was still gloating, covering the sky as it fell.

This time, Gengar couldn't dodge in time and was caught head-on.

Its two chubby little hands could only struggle against the net, attempting to tear it apart.

Zzzzt...!!

As soon as it struggled, the electricity from the net surged, giving Gengar a painful shock.

Ash pressed his advantage and directed again:

"Now, Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!"

"Bulba!"

A small, brownish seed shot out from the center of the bulb on Bulbasaur’s back.

The seed fell in a parabolic arc, taking root in the mahogany floor. As if absorbing the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the earth, it suddenly began to sprout outward.

Whoosh!

In no time, it turned into tough vines, binding the Gengar, which was already trapped in the Electroweb, once again.

However, the mahogany floor underneath instantly withered significantly.

As the binding force of the Leech Seed increased, the Electroweb tightened, making contact with Gengar’s skin and triggering the electric shock effect once more.

This was a dual attack from the Electroweb and the Leech Seed!

Zzzzt...!!

Gengar was once again left in a tangled, electrified mess...!