147. Huge Progress

Back at the lighthouse, Ash and the Pokémon demonstrated their combat skills to Brock and the others.

Brock had anticipated that both Ash and the Pokémon would be exhausted after training, so he prepared a feast. As soon as Ash and the Pokémon returned, they devoured the food like they hadn't eaten in days.

"Slow down, slow down! No one's going to take it from you, and the Professor is still here!" Misty, sitting next to Ash, was worried he might choke.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, I enjoy this kind of lively atmosphere. It's nice to be young," Professor Bill said, unfazed by the scene.

Though still young himself, Professor Bill had dedicated his life to research early on and admired trainers like Ash, who traveled the world with their Pokémon.

In half an hour, Ash and the Pokémon had cleaned the table, and they all lay down to rest, their stomachs full.

Misty and Brock began cleaning up. As they glanced at the peaceful scene, a warm feeling came over them. Professor Bill also looked at Ash, sensing the deep bond between him and his Pokémon.

"They look really tired," Brock remarked as he gathered the dishes.

"Yeah! But do you think Ash can really teach Pikachu Surf? I'm still not sure," Misty said, her doubt lingering.

"I'm not sure either, but if it's Ash, there's probably a good reason," Brock replied with a slight shake of his head.

"Actually, Pokémon have limitless potential. There are still many incredible things in this world that humans don't fully understand, so Pikachu learning Surf wouldn't be that surprising."

Professor Bill, sipping the coffee he'd just brewed, chimed in. Having witnessed many amazing things in his research, he wasn't shocked by Misty's doubts.

Hearing this, Misty didn't say anything more.

And so, Ash and the others stayed at the lighthouse, continuing their training with Professor Bill. Each day, Ash practiced alongside his Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Misty would occasionally relax by sunbathing or swimming, while Brock cooked different meals for Ash and the Pokémon. Seeing them satisfied after eating made Brock happy, and both he and Misty enjoyed the peaceful routine.

Ash, committed to his Pokémon, would help them every evening by massaging them, brushing their fur, and treating any injuries. He was always the last to go to bed and the first to wake up.

Three days passed quickly at Professor Bill's lighthouse. During that time, the Pokémon made significant progress, and their strength improved notably.

Both Pidgeotto and Eevee had nearly mastered their new moves, and thanks to the booster, Squirtle's training had caught up with the others.

Squirtle was making strides with Aqua Jet. As a Water-type, it had a natural talent for learning Water-type moves. It could now release water to envelop its body, though aiming was still a challenge. Squirtle often lost direction during the attack, but there was hope it would master the move within a week.

In the past few days, Axew's claws had grown sharper and sharper. Ash began experimenting with channeling dragon-type energy into Axew's claws.

Axew was naturally talented. The first time it tried to use Dragon Claw, the results were already impressive. If this continued, it might even learn the move faster than Squirtle was mastering Aqua Jet.

Ash was a bit surprised. Was this what made Shiny Pokémon so special?

As for Pikachu, the progress was also impressive. Pikachu had almost mastered Surf, even pulling off some fancy moves.

However, Pikachu was still limited to the basic Surf technique. It couldn't yet manipulate the waves or generate power from them. In other words, Pikachu had mainly learned a useful life skill over the past few days.

"What should we do next? Hmm~~" Ash sat in the shallow water, pinching his chin in thought.

**Squirtle!**

His thoughts were interrupted by a sound nearby. Squirtle's body was wrapped in water as it glided smoothly over the ocean's surface, like a water snake, crashing into the oncoming waves.

"That's it! What if Pokémon could move on water without needing a Surfboard? But how could non-water-types do it?" 

Watching Squirtle's graceful movements gave Ash a sudden burst of inspiration. But it wasn't surprising that a water-type like Squirtle could do this—just like Totodile's ability to jump across water.

Water-type Pokémon were naturally attuned to water, making it easy for them. However, for other types, it would be much harder. Ash closed his eyes, thinking through every possibility. After all, Pokémon weren't like Blaze from the neighboring town, who could use a Carracosta to walk on water.

"Speed! Yes! It's all about speed!"

After thinking for a long time, Ash remembered Squirtle's sprint across the water earlier and realized what he had missed.

It was just like those martial arts movies from his previous life. While walking on water with agility was mostly TV magic, in theory, with enough speed, it could actually be done.

Of course, people couldn't really do it, but with Pikachu's speed, it might be possible.

"Pikachu, let's try again!" Ash stood up suddenly and called out to Pikachu. "Pika!"

Pikachu grabbed the Surfboard again and responded eagerly. Ash shook his head slightly and said, "Not this time, Pikachu. This time, you're coming with me."

Ash instructed Pikachu to put away the Surfboard and instead stand in front of him on his larger board. There was plenty of room for Pikachu to stand without being in the way.

After explaining his plan to Pikachu, it nodded in understanding. Ash began paddling along the waves. As the waves grew, Ash stood up, riding the swell.

"Ready, Pikachu!" Ash called out as they reached the highest point of the wave.

"Pika-pi!"

Pikachu took a few steps back, then dashed forward, increasing its speed as much as possible. In a burst of energy, Pikachu leaped off the Surfboard, maintaining its momentum as it landed on the water, its four limbs skimming the surface, riding the waves effortlessly.