He knows Pokémon better than me.

The overall structure of the Greenery map is similar to that of the Sinnoh map, with the Crown Mountain Range extending north to south dividing the entire region into east and west sections.

Then there are the three corners of the region, each with a circular lake, corresponding to the three major lakes of the Sinnoh region.

He is currently located in the southwest corner of the map, and his location is marked with a red dot on his phone.

"I'm actually quite close to Xinqi Lake from here?"

Ash checked the map and looked up towards his southeast. However, the hills blocked his view, preventing him from seeing what lay behind them.

I wonder if Emredo, who symbolizes "emotion," is still in Lake Heart in this era?
"Wait a moment!"

Looking at the map, Ash suddenly noticed that almost to his northeast, there was a map of a village where humans were active.

They are local jade washers!
No similar patterns were seen in other parts of the map, suggesting that this was the only place of human activity in the entire Xicui area.

"Okay, let's go to this village first and find out some information about Hikaru!"

Having made up his mind, Ash put away his Pokédex, released the Seal Ball, and headed towards the destination marked on the map.

There's only one path leading up from the beach. Walk along it for several hundred meters until it ends, and an ancient village comes into view.

The village is surrounded by wooden walls, with the gate wide open and two watchtowers built on either side.

Above the main gate hangs a plaque, but the writing on it is not in modern characters.

"Beep beep! Identified: Zhuqing Village Luotuo~!"

The Rotom app automatically prompted me.

"Zhuqing Village? Is that the predecessor of Zhuqing City?"

As Ash walked, he mentally compared the location of Lucky City on the Sinnoh map. Hmm, it seems pretty much the same.

The beach he was on was probably the location of the later Watervein City, right?

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the village inside the gate consists of rows of neatly arranged wooden houses, the style and layout of which look somewhat familiar.

"Is this the inspiration for the transformation of God and the town?"

It was similar to the Green Washing Festival he had seen in Shenhe Town before he traveled through time.

But as he approached the gate, two men wearing straw hats and ancient clothing immediately came up.

"Sorry, you're not from the village! Strangers are not allowed to enter Zhuqing City!"

"Outsiders who want to enter must have a villager as a guarantor!"

The two raised their hands and sternly stopped Xiaozhi from approaching.

This is a dangerous era. The people of Xicui must be wary not only of ferocious wild Pokémon, but also of unfamiliar outsiders.

Only villagers are trustworthy.

Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow and sized up the two genuine jade washers in front of him.

The reddish-brown travel clothes they were wearing, along with joggers and straw sandals, were the same ones he had seen being rented out in Shenhe Town.

Similarly, the two guards from Zhuqing Village were also sizing up Xiaozhi, thinking to themselves:
"Why is there another person dressed in weird clothes?"

"Do we need a guarantor?" Xiao Zhi scratched his head. He actually knew a few people in the Xicui area, so he quickly asked:

"I know Mr. Wang Luo, can he vouch for me?"

The guard on the left raised an eyebrow and said seriously:
"That person from the Ginkgo Merchant Guild? Although people from the Ginkgo Merchant Guild can freely enter and leave Zhuqing Village with their passes, they are not villagers and have no right to act as guarantors."

Xiao Zhi frowned, implying that there were many other merchants like Mr. Wang Luo here. He quickly switched to another person.
"What about Mingyao? Mingyao is my good buddy!"

The village didn't actually have many people, less than three hundred at most. As the guard, he knew almost everyone in the village, and quickly spoke up:

“Mingyao? That greenhorn is not qualified to vouch for outsiders.”

The guard in the straw hat looked rather puzzled as he spoke.

Mingyao had only recently become a member of the Survey Corps and was allowed to leave the village to explore the surrounding area.

I've never heard of him knowing someone like Ash, who's dressed strangely, before, right?
"Is Mingyao just starting out?"

Xiao Zhi was taken aback. The Mingyao he knew was a hidden master who had clearly seen a lot.

It's just that since he only carries riding Pokémon, he can't unleash his true strength. How could he possibly be a complete novice?
Wait a minute, or did he travel to the wrong time?!
Xiao Zhi slapped his forehead, finally realizing what was happening.

Yes, he only arrived in the Xicui region, but he didn't specify when or where.

In other words, Mingyao is still just a newcomer?
Ash frowned immediately. If it were a fully evolved version of Radiant, it would be much simpler, as a powerful local snake could carry him the whole way.

But now... we can't count on that anymore!

He saw that the two guards in straw hats were still watching him warily—

The electric mouse on his shoulder indicates that the boy in front of him is someone who can command his partner Pokémon in battle, and is not an ordinary being.

In this era, catching and partnering with Pokémon is not very common.

In their village, only the administrators, the Survey Corps who can freely go out, and the guards like them have their own Pokémon.

There aren't even all the guards; for example, these two guards in straw hats together only have a small fist stone.

Seeing that he couldn't enter the village, Xiaozhi didn't intend to force his way in.

We can just sneak in at night when the opportunity arises.

But before that
He took out his Rotom phone and pulled up a picture of Xiao Guang.

This was taken when Hikari visited the Alola region.

"Then I won't go in, but I have a question. Have you seen this girl before?"

The novel phone drew the attention of two guards, who crowded around to examine it. One of them immediately pointed at the photo and exclaimed in surprise:

"Ahhh!! It's that strange girl Dr. Laben brought back last week!"

Their clothing is strange, just like in the picture. They're wearing short sleeves and shorts, which is not common in the Xicui area!

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected to find out so quickly.

So, is Xiaoguang in the village right now?
He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that safety was not a problem for the time being.

"Can Xiaoguang be my guarantor?"

Ash asked another question tentatively, and the guard immediately shook his head and said:
"This girl was only brought in by Dr. Laben from another village; she wasn't qualified to act as a guarantor herself!"

However, it seems that recently he has also become a member of the Zhuqing Village Survey Corps, just like Mingyao.
It's strange, there's never been a precedent before, letting an outsider join the village's most important survey corps.

It is said that it is because it has a unique talent for capturing and commanding Pokémon?

So Ash didn't press the matter further and turned to leave.

I'm planning to sneak in tonight, find Little Light first, and then we'll meet up! (End of Chapter)