He knows Pokémon better than me.

In the end, Ash gave Team Pearl all the things he could sell, such as Gold Nuggets and Stardust, keeping only a Water Stone, a Black Stone, and a Peat Block for himself.

"Shinji seems to be unable to find peat blocks, right?"

Shinji had entertained him in Binhai City before, though he kept a cold face the whole time. This was a good way to return the favor.

"As for the black stone, shall we give it to Xiao Jian?"

When he returned to Pallet Town, he often saw Striker, the old mantis with a body covered in hideous scars, yet still devoted to battle.

It just hasn't evolved over the years.

According to Xiao Jian, the scythe's evolution from "scythe-like slashing" to "pincer-like clamping" was directly rejected by the flying scythe, which still prefers frontal slashing.

If it evolves into a Scizor, it should be very much to that Scyther's liking.

As night fell, Ash spent the night at Team Pearl's base on the peat plateau. The food was simple, as in this era, only boiled and fried foods were available. They slept on straw mats laid out on the stone platform.

Around nine o'clock at night, most of the people around were fast asleep, and there were hardly any forms of entertainment here.

Ash was lying on his back on the straw mat, playing with his Rotom phone.

"Tomorrow I'm going to the Cloud Sea Mountain Path in Honglian Wetland to help the King there!"

On the other side, Xiaoguang also sent a text message.

After stabilizing the Forest King, Scizor, she immediately rose to three stars in Team Galactic and accepted a request from Team Kong's manager, Fire Natsu, to help stabilize the "Mountain Path King" there.

"That girl in the skirt?"

Ash remembered that the Mountain King that Pearl had mentioned before was agile and skilled at kicking. How come it was completely different from the Miss Skirt he remembered?

Shouldn't the one who's good at kicking people be the sweet and cold-hearted queen?

"It's on my way," Xiao Zhi replied.

"OK, let's meet at Yunhai Mountain Road tomorrow afternoon~"

Zhu Bei happened to be passing by there anyway, so she thought she could see if there was anything she could do to help the King Kong team.

Two modern people have arrived in the ancient past and have more to talk about than usual. At this moment, Xiao Guang is also on the tatami mat in the wooden house in Zhuqing Village, having a great time texting and chatting with Xiao Zhi.

"I've also got a riding companion now! As long as I blow the flute, the horned deer served by the Kongo Team will immediately jump out and become my mount!"

"As for mounts, I rode the Moon Bear from the King Kong Team today. It can also be used for treasure hunting, and its efficiency is like having a cheat code!"

Xiao Zhi stood up slightly, crossed his legs, hummed a folk song from Northeast China, and leisurely tapped the screen.

In this era, there were no professional "treasure hunters," and the treasures buried underground were simply dazzling.

In the pitch-black night, Xiao Guang and I were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn't even notice the head that suddenly appeared next to us.

"what is this?"

Zhu Bei had somehow gotten close to his straw mat, tilting her head and staring at the screen.

"It can even glow?"

Ash was startled and immediately turned his head away, giving Zoroark, who was sleeping next to him, a light kick.

The Illusion ability remains active for 24 hours, which consumes a significant amount of resources from Zoroark.

So he deliberately chose a secluded spot in the stronghold to sleep, temporarily reverting to his true appearance, planning to transform back into Blackie the next morning.

“Solozzz”

However, Zoroark simply rolled over and nudged Ash with its paw, signaling him to be quiet. Since arriving in the Green Country region, the atmosphere here has made it sleep exceptionally soundly, almost like it's hibernating.

Xiaozhi: "."

Through the light from the phone, Tamabe saw Ash's face clearly for the first time—

He looked young, a cheerful boy of thirteen or fourteen, with wheat-yellow skin, not black.

The two stared at each other, and for a moment the air seemed to freeze.

Zhu Bei's eyes narrowed instantly, and her tone suddenly turned cold:

"Who exactly are you?! You've been posing as someone from the Ginkgo Merchant Guild to get close to our Pearl Team, what's your purpose?!"

Xiao Zhi's expression froze instantly, even showing a hint of panic—

"puff!"

Zhu Bei suddenly burst out laughing, her tone shifting:
"Just kidding, I actually knew a long time ago that you weren't from the Ginkgo Merchant Guild~"

As he spoke, he unceremoniously reached out and touched Ash's cheek, moving even closer and blinking as he carefully examined him.
"So this is what you really look like? You're actually quite cute~"

Xiao Zhi blushed and quickly pulled away from Zhu Bei's hand. Wasn't the person washing jade too direct?

But judging from his appearance, he wasn't angry?
"Uh, I didn't expect you to find out."

He glanced around, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness.

Zhubei had previously told him that the Pearl Team members went to bed early, but the latter still launched a sudden night raid.

Zhubei looked at Zoroark, who was sleeping on his back beside her, and already knew the answer in her heart.

"Was it achieved by using Zoroark's ability to create illusions?"

Although the concept of "characteristics" did not exist in this era, the people of the Greenery still knew that some Pokémon possessed unique powers.

For example, Zoroark is a rare and special Pokémon that inhabits the pure white tundra and can create strange illusions in the snow to confuse prey or enemies.

People in other places may not know this, but Pearl Village is located in pure white tundra, and Pearl Shell is aware of the dangerous Pokémon in the vicinity.

But even humans could create illusions and disguises. This was the first time she had ever known that.

"It's a special color."

In the dim light, Zoroark's arrogant purple fur looked different from the cherry-red Zoroark she knew.

Seeing that his disguise had been exposed, Xiao Zhi could only helplessly rub the back of his head:

"I am actually a friend of Xiao Zhao from Team Galaxy. I can't explain my identity and background in a short time, but I have absolutely no ill intentions towards your Team Pearl."

"To make things easier, I asked Zoroark to help me disguise myself."

He didn't tell us about the mysterious matter of time travel, which people of this era would probably find hard to understand.
Shellder, like a teddy bear, sidled up again, sniffing all over Ash, then flashed a smug grin revealing its silver teeth.
"I forgot to tell you, I'm very sensitive to the 'spatial sense' of everything. When we first met, I already realized you were definitely not from Xicui area, you must be from out of town!"

As she spoke, she lightly tapped the tip of her nose, her smile as if she were showing off some little secret.

"However, Xiao Zhao seems a bit strange, but she should be a local from Xicui!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Is there really such a superpower?"

Speaking of which, Xiao Guang's ancestral home is in the Sinnoh region, so by a rough calculation, he could indeed be considered a Xicui person, which isn't wrong. (End of Chapter)