He knows Pokémon better than me.

"Hiss~"

The spoon in the pot shook and waved to the group with a smile.

Let it watch the fire. The rest of you can sit down for a bit and come back in half an hour.

"Then I'll leave it to you~"

Ash casually pulled Gengar along with him, who knows what this restless fellow might do when he wasn't looking over his nose.

However, since the teapot is always floating on top of the hot soup, won't the "black tea" inside also get heated?
So the three of them went to Onio's room. Although he never entertained outsiders here, the sofa and table were kept very clean.

"Give me a drink!"

The two had just sat down when a tea maker floated over and poured them each a cup of black tea.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "The true form of the Sad Tea is probably just liquid black tea, right? It can even pour itself out."
Isn't this the same as eating a Pokémon?
"The teacup for Lai Bei Cha can hold regular tea. The tea and the main body are separate."

Onio explained cautiously.

It can be roughly understood as pouring juice out of the pot?

"I see."

The two nodded, finding this acceptable. They raised their teacups and took a sip, noting that in addition to the black tea, there was a unique flavor.

"Of course, the essence of Lai Bei Tea is also drinkable."

"But if you drink it, you'll faint. Then the tea will emerge from your body, absorb your vital energy, and return to the teacup."

"Cough cough!!"

Onio's words made Ash and his companion choke instantly, almost spitting out their tea again.

There's no need to explain this little-known fact!
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward as the three sat on the sofa.

Mary wasn't good at chatting, and Onio was even worse; this was the first time they'd ever hosted someone.

However, as the most outgoing young man in Kanto, Xiaozhi naturally wouldn't let the atmosphere become awkward, and he slapped his thigh to start the conversation:

"Speaking of which, isn't there some kind of wandering spirit festival going on these days? Onio, didn't you go out and have some fun with them?"

"Uh...this."

Onio started stammering again.

However, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes beneath the mask.

Miss Joey from Su Chuan Town had previously come to him, asking him to give a speech at the celebration. Onio immediately shook his head vigorously.

After struggling for a while, Onio only gave this answer:

"Um... I get nervous talking to anyone, except Ghost Pokémon."

"Besides, my face is scary."

Onio pointed to his pale, skeletal mask.

Normally, when strangers see me, they scream and run away in fright.

However, Ash smiled, seemingly unconcerned, and pointed to himself:
"So now you can talk to us normally, right?"

"Besides, at the Ghost Festival, everyone wears masks, so you can just treat everyone as a ghost Pokémon, right?"

As he spoke, Ash took off the Gengar mask that was tilted to the side of his head and covered his face.

Mary followed suit and also put on the newly bought cursed doll mask.

Unable to see a normal face, Onio's nervousness lessened considerably, and he stopped stuttering.

"Let's go, Onio! While the Max Soup is still simmering, shall we go for a walk outside?"

Xiao Zhi took the initiative to invite him.

Even the withdrawn Mary chimed in:
"That's right, you don't have to stay in the arena alone."

It's clear that Onio and she have some similarities in personality. However, in Spiketown, she's always had her brother and a whole bunch of townspeople with her, so she never feels lonely.

"This... Ah!!"

Onio was still hesitating, but Ash's Gengar, with its impatient nature, immediately lifted Onio's entire petite body up.

Without a word, it floated away. This panicked all the ghost Pokémon in the arena; their trainers certainly didn't have the guts to do that!

However, none of them could keep up with Gengar, and in the blink of an eye, the latter carried Onio and flew to the entrance of the arena.

"Geng Ga~!"

He even tugged at his eyelids and made a funny face behind him.

Then he burst into wild laughter, hoisted Onio onto his shoulder, and ran into the bustling city street.

“Ah ...

Along the way, there were also screams of agony from Onio.

"Hey Gengar, you bastard!"

Xiao Zhi cursed under his breath, "This isn't going according to plan at all!"

"Don't worry, I will ensure Onio's safety. I will bring him back to you safely soon!"

Seeing that Lai Beicha and Xun Ye Ling both looked worried and nervous, Xiao Zhi quickly comforted them before he and Marie hurriedly caught up with them.
Before long, Gengar had carried Onyx to the main road of Outland.

Although it wasn't as crowded as celebrations in other regions, the event was still lively with groups of locals and tourists.

"Geng Ga~!"

Gengar, all smiles, placed Onyx in the middle of the road.

"Oh, this, this."

This caused Onio to freeze in place instantly, as if he were rooted to the spot like a Slowpoke.
Surrounded by strangers, the sounds of footsteps, laughter, and voices all rushed into his ears at once, leaving him bewildered.

He instinctively turned around to look for his ghost Pokémon.

However, Gengar is too fast, and the other Pokémon haven't caught up yet.

"Gengga, Gengga~!"

However, Gengar nudged Onyx, giving him no chance to escape.

Most of the passersby around were also wearing masks.

He wasn't anything out of the ordinary; in fact, few people paid him much attention. When passing by, they mostly just glanced at Gengar.
What a fat Gengar!

After standing there stunned for a while, Onio's tense expression gradually eased.

It seems there's really nothing to be afraid of?

The people around him, like him, were also wearing strange masks.

Encouraged by Gengar's gaze, Onyx's heart raced, and he tentatively raised his head to look around.

I took a deep breath and gently moved my toes one step.

Well, the ground didn't explode like it had been hit by a landmine!
Beneath the mask, Onio's expression gradually softened, and his eyes began to light up.

He had only ever seen such things on television before: bustling streets, vendors' enthusiastic calls to their stalls, and the laughter and conversation of passersby.

This is the first time I've experienced something so close up.

"Geng Ga~!"

Gengar walked up to Onyx, patted its big belly, and had a smug look on its face that said, "See? I told you so."

Onio quickened his pace, looking around with curiosity, as if he wanted to experience all the new experiences he had never had before.

After a while, Ash and Marie caught up and saw from afar that Onio was already awkwardly talking to the vendor to buy a new mask. The two breathed a sigh of relief.

The two slowed their pace and did not go up immediately, but followed far behind.

"Looks like your Gengar isn't just good at doing weird things after all~"

Mary couldn't help but laugh.

Ash chuckled dryly, glancing at Gengar fawning over Onyx; he probably already guessed what was going on—

When we get back to the arena, I guess Onio will have to release his female Gengar as leverage, right?! (End of Chapter)