He knows Pokémon better than me.

"Guo Gang, right? I'm so grateful to you for what happened with the Moon Bear this time!"

Because of Ash's actions, Yubina's hostility towards outsiders vanished instantly, and she even showed a bright smile to Ash.

Now, the safety of their people when they go out is greatly increased!

After all, the best location in this Red Lotus Wetland was actually occupied by the King Kong Team, which used it as their headquarters, King Kong Settlement.
Xi Pu and his seven or eight Pearl Team members had no choice but to camp in this harsh, muddy area.

However, with the protection of the Moon Bear, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"And Huo Xia. I also want to thank her for reminding me this time."

Zhu Bei hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and spoke.

It seems that not all members of the Kong Team are bad people.

Aside from having a false belief in the Great Lord of the Divine Realm, he doesn't seem so annoying after all!
"Bear roar~"

Bear lay down beside Yuuka and growled softly at Ash, displaying a completely docile and honest nature.

Ash curiously reached out and touched Umbreon's cheek. The fur was quite coarse and stiff, which explained why it was a Ground-type Pokémon.

"Bear roar~?"

At this moment, Ursaring tilted its head and asked Ash a question.

Xi Pu smiled and translated on his behalf:

"Moonbear said that to express his gratitude, he can take you on a half-hour treasure hunt."

"Riding to find treasure—that's Moon Bear's unique ability!"

The ground-type Moonbear has an exceptionally keen sense of smell for the earth, allowing it to easily locate special items buried deep underground.

"Is it like a long-haired dog treasure hunt?"

Ash looked surprised. This kind of treasure hunt is also popular in the Alola region. However, the Wooloo only relies on its sense of smell, while the Ursaring should have some other talents.

"In that case, I'll give it a try!"

He naturally did not refuse. Seeing that the bear had lowered its body and was waiting for him to climb up, Ash immediately nimbly flipped over from the side and climbed up.

There is no need for a reins seat; the Moon Bear's broad back and erect, tough mane make it the best saddle.

"Bear Roar!"

Seeing that Ash was settled, Ursaring let out a low growl and began to walk around, sniffing the ground with its nose.

In less than two minutes, as if it had found its target, it began digging holes in the ground.

"I see."

Ash chuckled dryly, realizing that all the mud pits around them were dug by Ursaring.

A moment later, the Moonbear hooked something with its paw, lifted it up and tossed it over its back, which Ash caught steadily.

A clear and transparent blue-purple crystal, easily obtained.

"The Stone of Water?"

Although it's not very useful, I'll accept it since it's a gift from Moon Bear.

This area had been dug up by Ursaring many times, so Ursaring took Ash and ran about a hundred meters away, where the mud pits had thinned out considerably, and they started digging again.

The excited state of Ursaring reminded Ash of his Lycanroc, who liked to dig holes in the beach.

Yuu didn't urge them on, letting the two of them move freely. Zhubei then explained the current intelligence to her, including the violent incidents involving the King that the Pearl Team and the Kongo Team served.

"But what's strange is that it seems only one of the kings has fallen into a berserk state?"

Pearl couldn't help but feel puzzled.

In fact, each area in the Xicui region usually has two kings, corresponding to the different beliefs of the Kongo Team and the Pearl Team.

For example, in the Obsidian Plains, there is the horned deer served by Ami of the Kongo Team, and the cleaver mantis served by Kikui. The former shows no signs of berserk behavior.

"If Moon Bear hadn't been affected by Miss Skirt's phosphorus powder, it wouldn't have gone berserk."

Zhu Bei stroked her chin and began to analyze.

Now, the Skirt Lady that Huo Xia serves, who is skilled in dancing and various kicks, should be covered in golden light, just like the Praying Mantis, right?
"So, was Huo Xia going to Zhuqing Village to ask for reinforcements?"

She reacted.

This time, Huo Xia helped her a lot, and Xi Pu temporarily put aside her resistance to the King Kong team and planned to go to Yunhai Mountain Road where Miss Qun'er was to check on the situation.

If I can help, I can also repay this favor.

"Grandma Xipu, you can stay here. I'll go over there myself."

Zhubei said, "The Cloud Sea Road is located north of the Red Lotus Wetlands. After this incident, Zhubei was going to take Xiaozhi north, which would be a good opportunity to pass through the Cloud Sea Road."

"And the wounded here also need your continued care."

Zhubei looked towards the camp not far away, where there were still many people who had been scratched by the Moon Bear, and Xipu needed to take charge.

"I see."

Xi Pu nodded. Anyway, her camp was close to Huo Xia's camp, so she would find some time to thank that little girl later.

She didn't want to owe the King Kong team a favor.

"Then why don't you stay here tonight with your friend from the Ginkgo Merchant Guild?"

Seeing that it was getting late, Xi Pu took the opportunity to extend an invitation.

"The Ginkgo Chamber of Commerce?"

Zhubei glanced in the direction Ash had left, seemingly lost in thought.

Ash didn't return to Team Pearl's base until mealtime, riding his Ursaring.

Many members of the Pearl Team stared wide-eyed as they saw an outsider effortlessly control the Moon Bear.

Pearl was already at the front to greet them, hands on her hips, asking with a hint of smugness:

"So, how was the treasure hunt? Did you get anything good?"

Although other people in the Greenland region can also capture their own Umbreon for treasure hunting, their efficiency is far lower than that of this special Umbreon that has received power from the Sinnoh Grandmaster.

"That's amazing! I learned a lot!"

Ash climbed down from behind Umbreon, his face full of surprise and praise, as if he had activated a cheat code to increase the drop rate of treasures.

Its efficiency is simply incomparable to that of Alola's longhaired dog treasure hunter!
He was now holding quite a few things in his hands, including some valuable props—

I won't go into details about the stardust and gold beads.

In addition to various evolution stones such as Water Stone and Moon Stone, there are also special sharp claws and fangs that are enough to evolve certain Pokémon such as Gliscor and Sneasel.

He even dug up a strange, brownish-brown clump of mud and a black stone with sharp edges.

Although I can't recognize what it is, if the Moon Bear threw it on its back, it must be something good, right?
Xi Pu then stepped forward and introduced them one by one:
"This is a peat block, which has unique earth energy that can allow a Circular Bear to evolve into a Moon Bear."

"This is a Black Oddity Stone, shaped like a small axe blade. It can allow Scyther to evolve into Scyther."

Ash was amazed; these were all items exclusive to the Greenery region.

Given Moonbear's treasure-hunting efficiency, the Pearl Team could definitely grow and become stronger by relying on Moonbear, right?
Seemingly sensing Ash's thoughts, Yuuka simply patted Ursaring's head.

"This is a precious treasure left behind by the Sinnoh Grandmaster. Our Pearl Team members will not squander it, so we rarely use Ursaring to search for treasure."

"However, since you're not part of the Pearl Team, you can take all these treasures with you." (End of Chapter)