"Huh, Ash caught a new Pokémon!"
Learning from the previous incident where the lab was destroyed by Aerodactyl, Professor Oak first checked the identity of the new Pokémon. He saw that it was a large Steelix.
"Good. We just finished researching the Aerodactyl, and now we have new material!" Professor Oak nodded in satisfaction and went to the back of the lab to release it. However, when he threw the Heavy Ball, he saw that the Steelix that emerged was covered in head wounds.
"What the...?! How did this guy get so badly hurt?!" The sight was so shocking that Professor Oak blurted out an expletive. He immediately recalled Steelix and rushed back to the treatment machine in the lab.
"That kid is really good at giving this old man trouble!" he grumbled to himself while typing on his keyboard.
"A Steelix got hurt that badly? Is it really okay with just Professor Oak, the senryu poet?" Dawn asked Ash worriedly, recalling the sight of the cracked armor.
"Don't worry," Ash reassured her. "Professor Oak isn't just a senryu poet; being a Pokémon Professor is his real job! The precision instruments in his lab are even more effective than the ones in a Pokémon Center." He had seen Professor Oak use the machines to bring a Rattata back from the brink of death. Although Snorlax had beaten Steelix badly, he had secretly fed it a Revival Block, and with Professor Oak's machines, there was no doubt it would be saved.
But... "I just hope that Steelix doesn't have any emotional trauma," Brock said pitifully, feeling sympathy for the Pokémon. Being knocked out by a Snorlax's butt landing on its head would probably leave it with some psychological scars.
"Ahem," Ash cleared his throat, not wanting to talk about the fact that his "grinding" expedition had been a financial loss. He quickly changed the subject. "I think I can see the town up ahead! Let's go!" He took the lead with Pikachu and sprinted off. Dawn, not understanding, followed him. Only Brock, with a knowing smile, slowly walked after them.
"I can't use that move recklessly. I need to teach Snorlax more skills to increase its range of attacks and improve its regular output," Ash thought to himself as he ran. He had learned a lesson from the Steelix. This fighting style couldn't be used in a normal Pokémon battle. If he kept beating opponents until they were on the verge of death, he would have to spend a Revival Block every time, and he'd end up losing money in the long run. He had just made a small fortune from the battle with Hunter J's three high-level Pokémon. If he had nearly killed the Steelix and lost half of his money, all that hard work would have been for nothing.
"These Revival Blocks are great, but they're so damn expensive! One costs 5,000 gold coins!"
Stats
Gold Coins: 4399
Ash felt like crying when he saw the small amount of gold coins he had left. It felt like all his hard grinding had been for nothing. One mistake, and all the hard work that Scizor and Pikachu had put in was wasted. Now, with this little bit of money, he could either buy a single evolutionary stone or just teach Snorlax a few more moves.
"Sigh, it's a shame Snorlax doesn't know Belly Drum yet!" Belly Drum was a powerful stat-boosting move that would be incredibly useful. As a Pokémon with an attack stat of 110, Belly Drum would boost Snorlax's attack to its maximum, allowing it to unleash devastating damage. Although this came at the cost of half of its HP, with the Leftovers he gave it and its moves Rest and Sleep Talk, Snorlax could heal and counterattack while in a weakened state, making it a perfect combination. It was the most damage a Snorlax could possibly do. Unfortunately, Snorlax hadn't learned Belly Drum yet, so all of this was just an idea.
"Ash, are you okay? Why are you behind me now?" Dawn put her hands behind her back, bent over, and wagged her finger in the air, asking him if he was alright. While Ash was lost in thought, Dawn and Pikachu had overtaken him. She was now gloating, as even Brock, who had started running last, had passed him.
"I need to train Snorlax more and improve its strength," Ash muttered to himself. He then looked at the mischievous Dawn and used Quick Attack to catch up.
"Ah! Run!" Seeing Ash use a move, Dawn panicked, abandoned Pikachu, and sprinted forward. But with Quick Attack, Ash got faster and faster and was about to catch up to her.
"Pikachu, it's just the two of us again!" The sad-eyed Brock and the yellow mouse looked at each other, sighing in frustration. They had no choice but to pick up the pace and follow the two figures who were getting farther and farther ahead.
...
At the Pokémon Lab...
"What on earth happened? How can there be such a huge dent in its head?" After stabilizing Steelix's wounds, Professor Oak had a new question. He wondered what kind of attack could leave such a huge mark on a Steelix's steel head.
"Besides, this shape... it looks a lot like... a butt," Professor Oak said, stroking his chin in thought. It sounded ridiculous. What kind of Pokémon attacks with its butt?
"Tracey, what do you think happened?" He turned to the young man in a lab coat with a red headband on his forehead, who was also Ash's old traveling companion.
"Professor, I'm not entirely sure, but the shape looks a lot like a Snorlax's butt. And since Ash has Snorlax with him, I think..." Tracey, who often fed Snorlax, had seen the marks it left behind when it sat down. This led him to his bold, if unproven, theory.
"This..." Although it was hard to believe, Professor Oak was already starting to agree with Tracey's guess. His expression was complex. He was curious about how Ash had managed to get Snorlax to do that. Snorlax had even managed to dent a Steelix's head. "To be honest, that move is very strong, but it's also pretty immoral."