Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The video continued.

”Yay!”

The moment the challenger left, all of Raina’s previous calmness and composure vanished. She ran over and threw her arms around Wartortle.

”You were amazing, Wartortle!”

”Wartortle, Wartortle!”

Wartortle rubbed its head affectionately against her.

Misty watched from nearby, unable to conceal the pride on her face, though she still said:

”You battled well, but there are still many areas you need to improve.”

”I know!”

Raina nodded vigorously before turning toward the other side of the field.

”Dad, what did you think of my battle?”

Asher sat in a chair with an ice pop in his hand, his expression calm.

”It was decent. However, you should have saved Protect for the Electric-type move that posed the greatest threat to Wartortle. What would you have done if the water curtain had failed to block Thunderbolt?”

”But the only way to knock Jolteon into the pool was to attack during the interval after it used an Electric-type move.”

Raina tilted her head and thought for a moment.

”Even if the water curtain hadn’t completely blocked it, Thunderbolt would have lost some accuracy after passing through the spray. It wouldn’t have hit Wartortle directly.”

Asher smiled.

”You were that confident?”

”You’re the one who taught me.”

Raina repeated solemnly:

”Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”

Asher froze for a moment before chuckling.

”All right. I suppose you successfully put what you learned into practice.”

Misty walked over and looked between them in confusion.

”’Know yourself and know your enemy’? Did you teach her that?”

Asher spread his hands.

”I happened to come across it while reading.”

”In what book?”

”...One I bought online.”

”Since when do you have a habit of reading?”

”Well... Forget it. It’s a long story.”

[VIP Chat Group]

[Professor Kukui]: ”Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated”... That isn’t an ancient saying from our world, is it?

[Professor Oak]: No. At the very least, I have never heard such a saying in the Kanto region.

[Professor Rowan]: It does not exist in the Sinnoh region either.

[Professor Birch]: Nor in Hoenn.

[Leon]: I’ve never heard it in Galar.

[Ash]: Then where does that saying come from?

[Professor Oak]: ...I don’t know.

[Cynthia]: Once again, it leads back to Asher. The mysteries surrounding him continue to multiply.

[Diantha]: His teaching methods are also unusual. He isn’t merely teaching Raina how to battle. He is teaching her how to think.

[Elesa]: ”Know yourself and know your enemy”... Isn’t that the very essence of battling?

[Wallace]: Indeed. For a seven- or eight-year-old child to understand and apply that principle is already remarkable.

[Steven]: The person who taught her that principle is even more remarkable.

[Phoebe]: Why are you being so serious today, Mr. Steven?

[Steven]: I am always serious when it comes to interesting people.

[Wallace]: You’re even more serious when it comes to stones.

[Steven]: ...That is true.

[Ash]: I don’t really understand it, but it sounds amazing!

[Gary]: Could you stop calling everything amazing?

[Ash]: But it is amazing! He knows something none of you have ever heard of. How is that not amazing?

[Professor Oak]: ...Ash does have a point this time.

[Ash]: Did you hear that, Gary? Professor Oak said I was right!

[Professor Oak]: This man named Asher possesses knowledge that does not exist in our world.

[Cynthia]: Either he comes from a place completely unknown to us, or...

[Diantha]: Or he was never from this world to begin with.

The video froze.

...

[Ding! It is time for a question!]

[Generating a random quiz question...]

[Question: During the previous Gym battle, Wartortle defeated Jolteon using Water Pulse. What is the standard chance of Water Pulse’s secondary effect confusing its target?]

[A. 10%]

[B. 20%]

[C. 30%]

[D. 40%]

[The race to answer will begin in thirty seconds!]

[VIP Chat Group]

[Ash]: Huh? Isn’t this just testing our knowledge about Pokémon? What does it have to do with the video?!

[Brock]: Ash, it is related to the video. Raina’s Wartortle used Water Pulse during the battle.

[Ash]: But... who can remember a probability like that?!

[Bruno]: Young man, you should spend more time reading.

[Ash]: Master Bruno, do you know the answer?

[Bruno]: Of course... I don’t remember it either.

[Lance]: ......

[Professor Oak]: Ahem. Water Pulse has a 20% chance of confusing its target. That is the standard figure I recorded while researching Water-type moves.

[Ash]: Professor Oak! You shouldn’t say the answer out loud! We’re supposed to race for it!

[Professor Oak]: Ah... Right... Force of habit.

[Clemont]: Professor Oak is correct. According to the Pokémon League’s move database, Water Pulse has a standard 20% chance of causing confusion. However, the precise probability may fluctuate slightly depending on factors in the battle environment.

[Bonnie]: Clemont, you’re reading from the manual again!

[Clemont]: I’m providing an educational explanation!

[Iris]: So the answer should be B? Twenty percent?

[Leon]: According to the data, yes. However, could there be some kind of trick hidden in the question? The previous answer wasn’t as obvious as it first appeared.

[Raihan]: Leon, did the last question traumatize you?

[Leon]: I am merely reminding everyone to consider their answers carefully.

[Raihan]: Being scared is still being scared.

[Leon]: Raihan, could you please shut your mouth?

[Professor Birch]: According to the standard data, the probability should be a fixed 20%.

[Steven]: But what if this Wartortle is not an ordinary Wartortle?

[Wallace]: What do you mean?

[Glacia]: There would be far too many possibilities if we considered every variable. We should answer according to the standard data.

[Misty]: ...Are all of you finished discussing it? The countdown is almost over!

[Gary]: Meowth answered the previous question and got it wrong. As for this one... who is willing to take the risk?

[Ash]: I’ll do it!

[Gary]: Are you sure?

[Ash]: Of course! The answer is 20%, right? Professor Oak said so!

[Brock]: Don’t be reckless, Ash! Have you already forgotten what happened during the last question?

[Ash]: I haven’t forgotten! But I’m confident this time!

[May]: Ash, are you certain this isn’t just because you failed to press the button first last time and now you’re itching to try?

[Ash]: ...May, how did you know?

[May]: Because you’re incredibly easy to understand.

[Ash]: Whatever! I’m going for it!

[Gary]: Fine. Go ahead. Just don’t cry if you answer incorrectly.

[Ash]: I won’t cry!

The countdown began.

Three, two, one—

[Ding! The race to answer has begun!]

The enormous red button appeared in the center of the livestream once again.

[Ding! An answerer has been selected!]

[Congratulations to Ash for pressing the button first!]

[VIP Chat Group]

[Brock]: Ash, you actually got it?!

[Gary]: Fine. Let’s see how he answers.

[System Notification: Contestant Ash, please answer—what is the chance of Water Pulse confusing its target?]

At that moment, Ash stood in the backyard of Professor Oak’s Laboratory in Pallet Town, with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

”Pikachu, what do you think the answer is?”

”Pika!”

”All right!”

Ash took a deep breath and shouted at the screen:

”I choose B! Twenty percent!”