He knows Pokémon better than me.

"Uh, speaking of which, it's such a long journey, aren't we going to ride Pokémon?"

They hadn't gone far when Xiao Zhi couldn't help but ask.

This is almost the southernmost point of the Xicui map. It would probably take ten days to half a month to walk all the way to the northernmost point.

Moreover, judging from the direction the pearl shell is leading, it seems that we still need to cross the rolling hills next to it.

Although not as steep and rugged as Tianguan Mountain, the altitude is still quite high.

"Oh, I'm sorry, before I return to Pearl Village, I need to go to Red Lotus Wetlands first!"

Zhu Bei took out a parchment map, pointed to their current location, and then pointed to the other side separated by mountains, the Red Lotus Wetland.

That place is Lizhi Lake, one of the three major lakes of Xicui.

Now that she knew that Pokémon battles were the way to calm the berserk king down, she decided to go and inform the Team Pearl members stationed in Cinnabar Wetlands, since it was on her way.

"Going up from Honglian Wetland, you can completely bypass Tianguan Mountain; the route is just right!"

Zhubei spoke lightly, as if she were traveling with an old friend, rather than facing a stranger she had just met.

"And I know there's a shortcut through a mountain cave that leads directly to the Red Lotus Wetlands. It's very close!"

For this part of the journey, there's no need to ride any Pokémon for now.

"I see."

Xiao Zhi nodded; he wasn't actually in a hurry.

Now that Xiao Guang's safety has been confirmed, he can finally enjoy the beautiful scenery of Xicui area.

The two set off together. Along the way, Pearl walked briskly, humming an unknown little tune about washing greenery from time to time. Solving the problem of the mantis made her feel happy.

The Glaceon at my feet also gently swayed its head, emitting a soft hum, almost like a chorus:

"Ice cream~~"

She doesn't seem like the leader of an organization at all; she looks more like a female tourist on vacation.

"By the way, Mr. Guo Gang, I'll just call you Guo Gang."

Zhu Bei suddenly turned her head and stared at him curiously.

Ash thought his identity had been discovered, but soon Pearl's gaze fell on Pikachu on his shoulder.

"So you're also one of those who 'capture Pokémon without using Poké Balls'? That's quite rare in the Green Country!"

"Not catching Pokémon?"

Ash was taken aback and subconsciously looked down at the Glaceon next to Shellder's fair feet.

Pearl Shell shook her head secretly:

"Glaceon is my partner~ I don't like putting Pokémon into Poké Balls!!"

Ash looked at Shellder's waist and indeed didn't see any Poké Balls.

After thinking for a moment, he replied:

"My Pikachu just doesn't like staying in its Poké Ball, but I'll still put the other Pokémon back in their balls."

Upon hearing this, Zhubei immediately showed a disappointed expression:
"Oh, I thought you were the same kind of person as me."

"I feel that Pokémon caught with Poké Balls can never become partners who understand each other's hearts. There's always something strange about that."

Ash didn't refute this, but simply reached out and ruffled Pikachu's head, a slight smile playing on his lips.

His Pikachu was also caught with a Poké Ball, but the bond between the man and the mouse had absolutely nothing to do with the Poké Ball.

Of course, even in modern times, a considerable number of trainers believe that "Pokémon should not be caught with Poké Balls," considering it a restrictive constraint.

However, Zhubei is quite open-minded. Although she belongs to the "no Poké Balls for catching Pokémon" camp, she doesn't object to others using Poké Balls.

Of course, this school of thought also has many problems.

For example, when she goes out, all the other Pokémon have to stay in Pearl Village, and she can only bring one Glaceon with her.

The two chatted as they walked, their conversation ranging from the customs of the Shizuku region to the dietary preferences of Pokémon, and they enjoyed each other's company immensely. Both being outgoing socialites, they clicked instantly and quickly became acquainted.

During this time, Xiaozhi was also intentionally avoiding his own affairs, since he knew basically nothing about the Ginkgo Merchant Guild.

"By the way, what did you mean by the ability you mentioned when Xiaozhao was battling Scizor earlier?"

Suddenly remembering something, Zhu Bei turned to the side and asked.

She tilted her head, her eyes full of curiosity, her intuition telling her that this word seemed closely related to Pokémon battles.

"Ability? You can think of it as a Pokémon's innate ability. Each Pokémon is different, but Pokémon of the same type generally have the same ability."

Ash blinked and explained with a smile.

The ability was discovered by several modern Pokémon doctors and published in papers before trainers began to use it on a large scale.

These days, it's as basic common sense as "attribute advantage."

However, this seems a bit too advanced for the Xicui area.

Sure enough, Zhu Bei looked like she understood but didn't quite.

Ash stopped and placed Pikachu on the broken wooden stake next to him.

"For example, uh, you try touching Pikachu's hand."

Zhu Bei stared blankly as she stretched out her finger and tapped Pikachu's little hand.

There was no reaction.

Ash coughed once, indicating that he should let go and touch it again.

Still no response.

What do you want to express?
Seeing the growing skepticism on Pearl's face, Ash coughed awkwardly a few times.
"Anyway, you'll know once you touch it again!"

Pearl Shell was puzzled but impressed, yet it obediently let go, touched it again, and let go again.
On the ninth time, a slight tingling sensation suddenly came over her fingertips, causing her to abruptly pull her fingers back.

"That's Pikachu's characteristic, Static Electricity—when you make close contact with it, there's a chance it will paralyze your opponent."

He quickly picked up Pikachu, his face flushing slightly.
"Hmm, the probability shouldn't be this low normally!"

It took nine tries to trigger. As expected, Pikachu's ability is really weak!
When we get back to the Galar region, I'll definitely give Pikachu a special ability patch!
"I see.!"

Pearl Shell's eyes lit up, and she was in high spirits, as if she had discovered a new continent.

"So, what's the ability of my Glaceon?"

She wants to make progress so much!

If you master this "characteristic", you can use your raw strength to crush the King Kong team!

"Glaceon?"

Ash looked at the Glaceon in the Shellder. He knew a lot about the Eevee family and didn't even need to take out his Pokédex to check.

"Gladiator's usual abilities are Snow Cloak or Ice Body. Does your Gladiator exhibit any strange behavior on snowy days without using any moves?"

"A strange phenomenon?"

Zhu Bei really thought about it carefully, then suddenly clapped her hands and answered:

"Once, Glaceon was seriously injured, and there were no medicines in the Pearl Village at the time, so I went outside to gather some. But when I came back, Glaceon was already lively and energetic, as if it hadn't been injured at all!"

"It seemed like it was snowing heavily at the time. Is that considered a strange phenomenon?"

Zhu Bei initially thought it was someone else from the Pearl Team who helped with the treatment, so she didn't think much of it.

Xiao Zhi did offer his assessment:
"Then your Glaceon's ability should be Frozen Body, which automatically restores its HP in snowy weather!"

The Xicui region has its own unique characteristics.

Zoroark's ability to continuously activate his illusions is the best example. (End of Chapter)