He knows Pokémon better than me.

That evening, Ash wandered around MapleStory alone.

The town was shrouded in a thin mist at night, with lush green forests interspersed with brightly lit cabins and clusters of glowing mushrooms.

The fairytale atmosphere is absolutely amazing!

The gym battles at the Dance Arena just ended today, and the town is quite lively. Even at night, you can still find many people strolling around.

Most of the people there are couples, snuggling together. With the forest mist and glowing mushrooms as a backdrop, it's definitely a perfect date spot.

Of course, Xiao Zhi also had someone snuggling up to him tonight.

"Chirp~"

Magearna was clinging to his arm, occasionally rubbing her cheek against his. She was exactly one head shorter than Ash, falling into the category of "cutest height difference".

In the light mist, from a distance, pedestrians behind them really did look like a couple.

"Uh, wearing such a big petticoat in such a damp place?"

Many people behind him quickened their pace to get closer, curious about why the "girl" next to Xiaozhi was wearing such a big skirt.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was actually a robotic rabbit doll, and their gaze towards Ash immediately turned strange.

However, I have heard news of humans marrying Jynx and Gardevoir in other places.

It seems like it's not entirely unacceptable?

"?"

Xiao Zhi looked on with suspicion as he watched the two passersby, a couple, walk by quickly.

After strolling around for almost half an hour and getting used to this fairytale environment, I felt no particular excitement.
"It doesn't seem like there's anything special about it."

Ash had reached the northern edge of the town; any further ahead lay a dark, dense forest with no end in sight, so he decided to stop.

There were hardly any people around, and the fog had thinned considerably, making the surroundings very quiet.

"I wonder where these glowing mushrooms get their energy from?"

After all, the tree canopy above blocks out the sun, so it never receives any sunlight.

Ash couldn't resist poking the glowing mushrooms. The mushrooms immediately shook twice as if a switch had been flipped, and their brightness tripled.

"Chirp chirp~?"

At that moment, Magearna seemed to sense something and tugged at Ash's sleeve, pointing to a certain direction to the side.

"What's wrong?"

Ash followed the path out of curiosity and, illuminated by the glowing mushroom, discovered a giant tree.

Compared to the surrounding giant trees with their lush foliage and dense canopies blocking out the sun, this giant tree was quite peculiar—

The plant is grayish-brown in color and looks like it has died. All the leaves on top have fallen off, leaving only bare, forked branches.

Others might not think much of it, simply regarding it as an ordinary dead tree, but Xiaozhi's gaze immediately changed.

The enormous, withered tree also exuded a strong aura of fairy attributes; it looked very familiar.
"X God, Xerneas?!"

Ash instinctively exclaimed in surprise, "When Xerneas in the Kalos region runs out of energy, it turns into a giant, withered tree like this, right?!"

But isn't this the Galar region?
At this time, Xerneas and Princess Diancie should be somewhere in the Great Forest of Carlos, right?
"Oh, young man, you know Xerneas too?"

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from behind, along with a withered old man's soft, effeminate voice.

Xiao Zhi turned around and saw a fashionable old lady leaning on a small parasol, wearing a flashy dress and shawl.
It was Popira, Marie's former rival. Even Ash, who had seen it all, couldn't help but shudder at the sight of an "old witch" suddenly appearing behind him in the darkness.

"Oh, it's Miss Popella!"

Xiao Zhi quickly scratched his head and responded.

Shouldn't the other party be in the dojo right now, intensely training Peter?
Popella strolled over slowly, her gaze first falling on Magiana.

"Mythical Pokémon, Magearna? You've really captured an amazing Pokémon~"

As expected of a veteran gym leader, Popira recognized Magiana at a glance.

Seeing the way the latter was affectionately holding Ash's arm, Popira immediately revealed a meaningful smile.

Sure enough, there was nothing wrong with her nose; this boy was no ordinary trainer.

However, Ash was more curious about the dead tree behind him and quickly asked:
"By the way, Miss Popella, what is the connection between this tree and Xerneas?"

The aura was similar, but it was clearly not the same as what he sensed; he had not detected any life-giving aura emanating from the tree.

"Ash, it seems you're quite the knowledgeable trainer!"

Popella showed an appreciative expression, then walked up to the dead tree and tapped it with her fingers.

dong dong——!
It doesn't feel solid; instead, it makes a knocking sound, suggesting it's just an empty shell inside.

"This is just a dead tree. However, its pink energy is quite concentrated, and it is alive!"

"This is the outer shell of a dead tree left behind by Xerneas!"

Ash's gaze darkened; it was indeed related to Xerneas.

Popella, with a touch of pride, began her narration slowly:
"Long ago, the ancient god Xerneas, symbolizing creation and life, came to the Galar region, bringing vast expanses of green life to this land."

"When his power was exhausted, he transformed into a huge withered tree and took root here, secretly recovering his energy."

Unlike Yveltal the Cocoon of Destruction, when it transforms into an egg cocoon to slumber and recover its power, it will forcibly plunder the life force of everything around it.

Therefore, the places where the Cocoon of Destruction is located are basically barren Gobi deserts with no vegetation and no signs of life.

Unlike Xerneas, when it is in a withered state, it will spread its life force back to create a place full of life.

"really."

Ash nodded. The densest forest in the Kalos region is where Xerneas's "Deadwood" is located.

Loggers are probably less efficient at cutting down trees than trees that grow naturally.

In some ways, it would be quite easy for the villains to find Xerneas.

However, Carlos's X God had settled in the Galar region for a period of time, which surprised him. He wondered if he had ever met his Ghost Horse in the past.
"Having accumulated enough power, Xerneas naturally returned from its withered state to its Pokémon form and left the Galar region."

"However, before leaving, he left his withered, empty shell here."

Popella stroked the withered tree in front of her, her face filled with gratitude and longing.

Although it's not the real Xerneas, this withered wooden shell still contains some of Xerneas's abilities—

This is the fairytale-like forest of glowing mushrooms! (End of Chapter)