He knows Pokémon better than me.

After leaving the second mine, Ash returned to Waterloo Town.

This picturesque port town has many small boats moored along the coast.

A gentle breeze was blowing, and many Water-type Pokémon could be seen peeking out from the sea, looking very relaxed and peaceful.

At this moment, a model-like, dark-skinned beauty is leaning on the railing, admiring the sea view, her long, dark blue hair flying in the wind.

Beside her lay a ferocious tortoise, guarding her like a protector.

"Lurrina~!"

Xiao Zhi quickly quickened his pace and walked up.

Although I was still wondering why we didn't go to the water canoe arena and instead had to meet at this seaside viewing platform.

"Oh, Ash, it's been a long time!"

Lulina turned around, and her usually cool and aloof supermodel face instantly blossomed into a radiant smile upon seeing the familiar figure.

They didn't seem to have any intention of leaving, so Ash could only walk to the railing as well, and they gazed at the sea view side by side.

"So, what do you think? The scenery here is just as good as Lake Yaya and Lake Minas over there, isn't it?"

Lulina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes filled with a hint of pride as a Waterborne person.

"Well, it's beautiful."

Xiao Zhi nodded, but these should be considered two completely different styles.

Yes, there are a lot of Magikarp.

Come to think of it, the Galar region doesn't seem to have any native marine Pokémon. He glanced around—

Heartfish, howling whale, and neon fish are all familiar faces.

"Messi~?"

At this moment, Dorgonmesia emerged, showing no fear of strangers. He flew to Lulina and politely nodded in greeting.

"Drowmacia? That's a very rare Pokémon!"

Lulina exclaimed in surprise and tried to hold Little Dragon's arm.

"Is this the new Pokémon you caught, Ash?"

Xiao Zhi scratched his head and explained:
"Well, I haven't caught it yet. It's kind of a Pokémon that's being fostered here with me."

He hasn't conceded a goal yet.

So currently, the little dragon stays by his side, and when it gets tired of flying, it lands in his pocket, curls up, and goes to sleep.

"I see."

Lulina wanted to rub its triangular head, but Little Dragon had already darted onto the back of the Berserker Turtle and was curiously tapping on its shell.

It had seen this Pokémon before. There was a Drednaw that tried to climb onto the island in the lake, but its mother hit it with a Dragon Tail and sent it flying into the sky like a baseball.

When did its tail become so powerful?
"亀?"

The Berserker Turtle opened its eyes, looking at the little dragon wagging its tail beside it with a puzzled expression.

"By the way, I heard from Sonia that she saw you in Suchuan Town."

During the conversation, Lulina suddenly spoke up.

"Miss Sonia? Is she here too?"

Ash looked around curiously. He was still very interested in the true mythology of Galar and wondered if the professor had made any new discoveries.

"She's not here; she went to investigate in Hammerlocke City again." Lulina spread her hands, her tone tinged with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence:
"My daughter can't stay idle. She hasn't even spent more than a few days at the newly opened research institute in Mugan Town."

"Girl?"

Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow. Is this a new term used by the Galar people to refer to their best friend?
The two then stood in front of the railing by the sea and talked for a long time.

Of course, it was Lulina who did most of the talking.

As the owner of the museum and a part-time model, she seems to have a lot to complain about. However, her best friend is overwhelmed by the Galar Myth and is constantly being blocked by people from Hisoka Company, so the two of them have reduced the number of times they talk on the phone.

Lulina could only chat with another close friend.

Xiaozhi: "."

He listened quietly, occasionally offering a sharp comment, and they chatted until dusk, when the sun was about to set below the horizon, before finally returning to their main topic.

Lurina exhaled a long breath at the sea before turning around and looking at Ash with a beaming smile:

"I feel much better! Let's go, I'll take your Kingler to get some Maxim Broth~!"

"Oh, by the way, to thank you for listening, I'll treat you to a seafood feast in Shuizhou Town later!"

Well, now that we've gotten to this point in the conversation, it's only natural to ask for invitations to dinner or overnight stays!
Ash scratched his head. As long as it's edible, it's fine. He immediately grabbed Dragapult and put it obediently on his shoulder, then headed towards the Water Boat Arena.

Unlike other gym leaders who prepare in advance, Lulina made her Max Soup from scratch, adding the ingredients one by one as if she were making soup.

Having barely cooked before, I felt a bit flustered around the stove in the kitchen.

Ash, meanwhile, stood to the side holding up his phone, Rotom, and filmed the entire incident.

He specifically asked Lulina for this, wanting to obtain the complete cooking process.

Lurina did not refuse. Although Max Soup is the signature dish of every arena, there are now several luxurious and high-end restaurants in the Galar region that also serve Max Soup.

It's no longer some exclusive secret.

Of course, these high-end restaurants are also ridiculously expensive, unlike the dojo which is a non-profit establishment.

Ash carefully filmed it; he couldn't understand the specific cooking techniques, but Lucario could!

Take it back and let Lucario observe it. With the latter's abilities, he'll probably be able to get the hang of it quickly and even learn by analogy to figure out how to make other types of Max Soup.

after all
There are only a few gyms in the Galar region, not enough to represent all 18 attributes.

For example, his Corviknight and Butterfree currently have nowhere to drink Steel, Flying, or Bug-type Dynamax soup.

Why not do it ourselves and be self-sufficient, and research all 18 of Lucario's attributes!
"Don't worry, I'll only use it myself, and I will absolutely not share the video."

Xiao Zhi smiled and assured him.

Lulina was actually skeptical about the feasibility of this video tutorial.

There were some special operating procedures that took her a long time to figure out.

Others probably couldn't figure it out just from a video, right?
"Final step: Add the Dynamax Mushroom!"

Tear the two large pink mushrooms that Xiaozhi brought into pieces, throw them into the soup, stir for a while, and then let it simmer over the stove for another hour.

Ash also pressed the pause button, which should give Lucario enough time to study.

"Let's go eat, Xiaozhi. The soup will be ready soon after we finish eating."

Ash nodded, thought for a moment, and then casually released his Kingler.

Seafood restaurants don't seem to be very friendly towards king crabs?
"Knock on the shell!"

The giant crab stood guard, its massive pincers raised, bubbles bubbling from its mouth, its eyes fixed intently on the large pot, already quite impatient! (End of Chapter)