He knows Pokémon better than me.

South of Quanjie City, Route 6.

This is a reddish-brown Gobi mountain road with no winding slopes, but at the end of every dead end, you can see man-made ladders on the rock face.

So this section of the road requires walking a stretch and climbing a ladder, which is quite troublesome.

However, Ash was leisurely flying overhead, holding Corviknight's claws.

Looking down from above, one can see many ruined stone walls along the way, which appear to be ancient relics.

However, due to the lack of human habitation and protection, the relics and sculptures here have been severely eroded by wind and sand.

"Huh, what's that?"

Ash patted Corviknight's claws, and the bird understood, lowering its flight altitude slightly.

On the yellowish-brown open ground, a tent was pitched, and a short-haired woman was busily starting a fire and cooking nearby, with the iron pot on the stove occasionally falling to the ground.

Around the tent, there were some strange mechanical tools.

Ash didn't land; he just watched from afar.

"Strange people".

The short-haired woman wore glasses and was dressed like a researcher, but her white coat was tattered and looked very sloppy.

Even the rugged Dr. Kukui wouldn't be so sloppy, would he?

However, the women camping there aren't the main focus; the campsite offers a view of an ancient ruin across the street.

Inside the arched stone temple stands a huge stone sculpture of three ground squirrels. The largest ground squirrel in the middle is estimated to be more than 20 meters tall, while the two on the sides are slightly smaller, standing there majestically but blankly.

The three-earth rat stone sculpture was partially encased in broken walls and ruins, but it was preserved by wind and sand erosion.

"Uh, do the people here worship tricorns?"

Ash's lips twitched. Were the beliefs of the Galar people always this fantastical?
As dusk fell, the dim, yellowish light made the reddish-brown Gobi mountain road appear even redder.

Ash held Corviknight's claws and circled Route 6 twice more. He could see several wild Scorpiones below waving their claws at him in a defiant manner.

However, as soon as the Corviknight lowered its altitude slightly, the Scorpion immediately tucked its tail between its legs and darted into the crevice between the rocks.

Wherever it went, the iron ants, umbrella lizards, and mandible ants all fled in panic, not daring to look the steel-armored raven in the eye.

He also saw a Tooth, which is quite rare in the Unova region.

"Wow, there are quite a few different kinds of wild Pokémon here!"

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but sigh.

He even saw a small, earthy-green snake on a dirt slope. Its eyes were drooping, and its neck was somewhat swollen, making it look like it was carrying a bundle.

The Rotom app on my phone automatically announced:
"Beep beep! Sandbag Serpent, Ground type, it digs in the soil while storing the sand it eats in the pouch on the back of its neck. In battle, its huge nostrils can violently spray sand out, Loto~!"

This appears to be a small desert snake unique to the Galar region, but it seems to be much more docile, far less ferocious than Arbok or Pikemer.

“Gah!!”

Just then, a sharp, high-pitched cry came from above. Ash looked up and saw three Crying Masks floating over from afar.

"A shimmering crying mask?!"

Ash's eyes lit up at first. The Cry Mask from the Unova region has a pair of red, tearful eyes, while the one in front of him has deep purple eyes.

But then I thought, three shiny individuals wouldn't appear together.

Rotom on my phone chimed in: "Beep beep! Cry Mask, Galar Form, Ground/Ghost type. A bizarre Pokémon named Rotom that absorbs resentment born from a cursed ancient clay tablet~"

Indeed, the mask hanging from the Crying Mask in the Unova region is something resembling a pharaoh's mask, said to have originated from an ancient coffin.

The area before them resembled a crying mask, with stones hanging below it and strange blood-red patterns on its surface.
Just as the three crying masks were about to approach, they scattered instantly at the shout of the Steel-Armored Raven.

When Corviknight evolves into its ultimate form, it exudes an extremely strong aura and is fully capable of competing with Farfetch'd for the job of guarding the gate!

After wandering around Route 6 for a while and not finding anything strange, Ash flew towards the town in the northwest.

"This place should be quite suitable for Baby Dragons to level up, right?"

He thought to himself that the level of the wild Pokémon here didn't seem to be very high; they were mostly in their first or second tier forms.

Hmm, after we go to Souken Town to watch the gym competition, we'll come back and give our Pokémon a good crash course in leveling up!
Soon after, Ash landed in Strangetown.

This is a mountain town that prospered because of ancient art, and many rock walls are carved with unique and interesting ancient murals.

Even along the mountain road connecting to the back of the town, there are many ancient stone sculptures of various shapes and sizes standing in various places.

Strictly speaking, Road 6, which we just saw, is also part of the city.

We landed at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. It was dark outside, and the streetlights were already on.

"Was it originally a desert city?"

The city is quite spacious with wide streets, offering a panoramic view from the entrance of the Pokémon Center.

Unlike big cities, the roads are not paved with cement. Instead, there is only yellowish-brown Gobi soil underfoot. Along the way, there are rows of two- or three-story houses, with the ground floor facing the street and filled with various small stalls selling miscellaneous goods.

Just then, a cool, aloof female voice came from behind:

"This is the treasure market in Suchuan Town. The stalls have all sorts of strange and unusual items. If you look carefully, you might just find a rare treasure!"

Ash turned around and found Mary standing behind him.

She was still wearing that pink short dress, with a black hard jacket over it, decorated with many studs and metal ornaments, and a pair of studded ankle boots.

"Marie, it's been so long!"

Xiao Zhi immediately greeted her with a smile, and Mary responded with a slight upturn of her lips:

"Xiao Zhi, it's been a long time. It took you several days to reply. I thought you weren't coming anymore."

Mary's tone still carried a hint of resentment.

Xiao Zhi quickly scratched his head and chuckled:

"We couldn't get a cell phone signal in that area before."

More than two months, no, more than ten days.

Mary didn't seem to have changed much; her face remained expressionless, making her appear even more aloof in the darkness.

However, Mary was still very happy that Ash, one of her few friends, could come to the appointment.

"Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner."

Without further ado, she led the way, intending to have dinner first before challenging the Su Chuan Dojo.

Along the way, he also took the opportunity to slowly tell Ash about the city. (End of Chapter)