"Huh? A battle?" Ash looked confused. "But I don't have any Water-type Pokémon!"
Caster had just refused his challenge earlier. Why the sudden change of heart?
"Because my Magikarp just learned a new move. Perfect timing to show you all. I guarantee you'll be blown away,"
Caster said with a mysterious smile.
"Your Magikarp learned a new move? Then I've got to see this!" Ash's eyes lit up, then he turned to Pikachu beside him. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Pika-pika~"
But to everyone's surprise, Pikachu shook its head.
"You're saying you just became friends with Magikarp and don't want to battle?" Ash understood what Pikachu meant.
A hint of resignation crossed his face before he threw a Poké Ball. "In that case, I choose you!"
"Mimi~"
With a flash of red light, a butterfly with a deep blue-purple body, massive white wings with black veins, and four legs appeared midair.
It was a Bug and Flying-type Pokémon: Butterfree.
Above the lake, Butterfree fluttered gracefully, elegant and beautiful.
"In that case, I'll be the referee," Brock stepped forward at the right moment.
Ash looked curious. "Caster, my Butterfree can fly in the air. What's your Magikarp going to do?"
Besides Pikachu, Ash's other two Pokémon were Butterfree and Pidgeotto, both capable of flying freely.
Magikarp was in the water, Butterfree in the air. How would these two Pokémon battle?
Caster smiled slightly and called out, "Magikarp, Bounce!"
"Bounce? Can Magikarp even learn Bounce?"
"Yeah, I thought Bounce was a Flying-type move, wasn't it?"
Misty and Brock looked shocked.
Brock's squinted eyes seemed to open a bit wider.
Theoretically, Magikarp could learn Bounce, but in reality, Magikarp that mastered this move were rare as Hoho feathers. Neither Brock nor Misty knew about this.
Only Ash looked calm, since he had no idea what Bounce even was.
But judging by the reaction, it must be some kind of move?
Splash!
As soon as the words left his mouth, Magikarp, which had been swimming in the water, suddenly leaped up. Like a rocket launching, it shot rapidly into the sky.
"Karu~"
Magikarp looked thrilled.
Woo-hoo, taking off!
Originally, Magikarp's jumping limit was a few dozen meters high, but now, manipulating Flying-type energy, it felt light as a feather, as if freed from the planet's gravity.
Its altitude kept climbing.
"Magikarp's jumping so high! That's nowhere near the height Splash can reach. It really is Bounce,"
Brock said, tilting his head to look at Magikarp in the sky. He tried to open his eyes, but the sun's glare was too harsh, so he squinted them shut again.
"Caster's Magikarp actually mastered Bounce,"
Misty, who aspired to be a Water-type Pokémon Master, realized her own shortcomings. Her knowledge of Water-type Pokémon clearly needed work.
Meanwhile, high in the air, Magikarp began accelerating downward, its body glowing white, momentum fierce.
"Butterfree, dodge!" Ash sensed trouble and quickly gave the command.
"Mimi~"
Butterfree flapped its wings trying to evade, but its speed wasn't outstanding, and its large wing area made it an obvious target.
In contrast, Magikarp in midair glared with fierce eyes locked onto Butterfree.
As it plummeted, Magikarp manipulated Flying-type energy to adjust its trajectory, like a guided missile with automatic targeting and correction, making it impossible for Butterfree to dodge or escape.
Whoosh!
With a sharp screech, Magikarp shot past Butterfree and plunged heavily into the water, creating a massive splash.
"Butterfree!" Ash's heart skipped a beat as he looked toward his Pokémon.
Butterfree wobbled in midair before falling, its eyes already spinning in circles.
"A one-hit KO? This Magikarp's attack power is terrifyingly strong," Misty said, her eyes full of stars as she gazed at Magikarp.
True, Bounce was a Flying-type move, super effective against Bug-type Butterfree.
But a knockout in one hit proved Caster's Magikarp had formidable offensive power, far beyond any ordinary Magikarp.
"What a tough opponent!"
Brock looked at Caster with deep wariness in his eyes, but still remembered his role as referee. "Butterfree is unable to battle, so the winner is Caster."
"I lost!" Ash clenched his fists.
He didn't understand how amazing it was for Magikarp to master Bounce. He only knew he'd lost, and felt somewhat dejected.
"Caster, you're amazing!" As soon as the match ended, Misty rushed over with an adoring expression.
"Oh, not at all! Compared to you, Misty, I still have a long way to go," Caster said with a humble smile.
"Oh my, I'm not that great," Misty said, touching the back of her head, but feeling delighted inside.
At this point, she was still a rookie trainer who'd just started her journey. How could she resist such praise from Caster?
Seeing Ash still looking down.
Caster added, "Ash, I only beat Butterfree by catching you off guard. Next time you're prepared, it'll be much harder for Magikarp to win."
Hearing this, Ash felt much better.
"Oh yeah! I still need to challenge Cerulean Gym," Ash said, suddenly remembering his goal and becoming frantic.
It was already three in the afternoon. In two more hours, the gym would close.
"Ash!" Brock and Misty waved goodbye to Caster and hurried after him.
But before leaving, Misty exchanged contact info with Caster and sent over her secret bait formula.
She knew Caster didn't have suitable fishing bait.
Watching the main trio quickly disappear into the distance, Caster shook his head, thinking, "Who knows when we'll meet again."
"At least I achieved my goal," he said, looking at the bait formula Misty had sent on his phone with a smile.
With this bait formula, he could catch various Water-type Pokémon from now on and power up quickly.
On top of that, Magikarp had learned Bounce.
"With this, winning the 'Magikarp High Jump Competition' should be a sure thing," Caster couldn't help but grin.
While other Magikarp were still competing with Splash, his Magikarp had already learned Bounce.
Total dimensional superiority!
"Maybe I could even challenge Celadon Gym while I'm at it,"
Caster's eyebrows rose as an idea formed in his mind, growing more excited the more he thought about it.
Celadon City's gym specialized in Grass-types, and Bounce was a Flying-type move, super effective against Grass-type Pokémon.
There might actually be a chance to win.
The Celadon Gym Leader was Erika, whose looks rivaled the Sensational Sisters and whose popularity was even greater.
She'd be absolutely perfect for drawing viewers on stream.
"If I challenged Celadon Gym with Magikarp and won against the type disadvantage, the buzz and heat would be ten times more explosive than Cerulean Gym…"
Caster felt this had serious potential. He immediately began editing today's video and uploaded it to his channel.
"Guys, I caught a big one!!!"
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones