1. Ash's Story (Part 11: Paldea,Kitakami,Unova)

Chapter 23

(Biology Class)

Another day dawns for Professor Jacq's Biology Class. He greets his students, saying, "Hello, hello. I hope everyone's ready to learn some new things today! I seem to remember teaching you all about the importance of Eggs in our last class together."

In our previous session, we had been hatching eggs, which proved quite enjoyable, given the absence of any day care facilities in the Paldea Region, our first stop. Professor Jacq continues, "Ah, on that note, is everyone using their Pokédex? It registers Pokémon born from Eggs as well as those encountered via other methods, so don't you worry about that! And, uh, hehe...just so you know, I'm the one who developed the Pokédex app! It was waaay before I started teaching here at the academy, though."

He then delves into his backstory, saying, "Back then, I was a researcher. In fact, Director Clavell wasn't working in education at the time, either! He was researching alongside me at the same facility. We got to research Pokémon together day in, day out... Those sure were fun times. I got yelled at all the time, though. Heh."

Pausing momentarily, he asks, "Wait a second, how did I get onto this? Pretty sure I was talking about the Pokédex... Uh... Anyway! Today, I'd like to teach you about catching Pokémon."

Looks like it is something that I already know. He continues, "As you all know, a great way to catch a Pokémon more easily is to first lower its HP. But there's another way to up your chances of a successful catch. Can you guess what it is?"

"We can just inflict the Pokemon with a status condition," I suggest, and Professor Jacq smiles, "Wow! That's right, Florian! Great job! The correct technique for making Pokémon easier to catch is to inflict them with a status condition.

Sleep is an especially effective status condition. It makes Pokémon drastically easier to catch! If you have a Pokémon that can use moves that put opponents to sleep, like Sleep Powder or Hypnosis, filling up your Pokédex will be a cinch! There are other ways to improve your catch rate as well, like using Poké Balls specifically designed to be effective against certain Pokémon. Eating food that gives you Catching Power works, too—or sneaking up on Pokémon from behind to catch them by surprise when you start a battle!"

Having Catching Power by eating food is something that I am not really sure of since it is unique to this region. "If you're having trouble, you may want to make the rounds to the Gyms to get Gym Badges. Earning Gym Badges will make it easier to catch Pokémon of higher and higher levels! Please do come show me your Pokédexes once they start to fill up!"

As the bell rings, he sighs, "Another day, another enjoyable class. Oh yeah, don't forget—our next class will be the mid-term exam!"

Half a semester has already flown by; time truly does pass quickly.

(Math Class)

Professor Tyme kicks off the math class with enthusiasm, saying, "Hello, everyone. Let's have a fun class today. Tell me, do you all enjoy fortune telling, horoscopes, and the like? I think it feels great to read your horoscope and see that it says good luck is coming your way. So today, I'd like to teach you all math while focusing on the topic of luck! Perhaps you have seen the following phrase crop up during Pokémon battles before... 'A critical hit!'"

The concept of critical hits playing a role in battles surprises me, considering it's a math class. Tyme explains, "When a Pokémon's attack lands as a critical hit, the damage it deals is increased by half. In other words, it does one-and-a-half times as much damage as it normally would! It is truly luck that determines whether your Pokémon lands a critical hit—or has one landed on it. This can cause a great upset in battle. Does anyone know what percent chance a Pokémon has of landing a critical hit?"