He knows Pokémon better than me.

The two looked at the extra thing in their hands—

Seven or eight experience candies were given to Ash, but since Marnie didn't need them, he kept them all.

A green mint, identified by the Pokédex as a Cheesy Mint, +Speed, -Special Attack. He also has quite a few mints he brought from the Galar region, so he's not short of them.

"Perfect, either my Vulture Naga or the Slashing Commander can use it."

Marie accepted the Cheesy Mint; neither of her two Pokémon needed to use special attack moves, but their speed was a plus.

Two Dynamax mushrooms, but it seems like Dynamax mushrooms grow in the wild on the Isle of Armor, so it's better than nothing.

Finally, there were some small pink minerals, which was the first time he had ever dug them up. Mary shook her head blankly. Were they a specialty of the Isle of Armor?
"Okay, I'll take it back and ask Master Ma later."

Xiao Zhi put it away; as a local, he should know more about this.

Since it was still early, the two of them, dressed in the uniforms of Master Ma's Martial Arts School, found two Pokémon dens in the Cool Wetlands and engaged in Dynamax Raid Battles.

This time, they also encountered a team of other students from the martial arts school, making it easier to gather four people.

I obtained quite a few pink ores during the process, so they don't seem to be rare items.

However, so far, the highest level he has ever challenged is a five-star den—that is, it is recommended that trainers of the Elite rank team up to challenge it.

"I really want to try a six-star lair!"

Ash couldn't help but sigh, while the martial arts students beside him pointed towards the back of the Isle of Armor.

"A six-star den? There's a six-star Pokémon den at the northern end of the Isle of Armor, but Master Ma forbids any of us from challenging it until we've cleared the Twin Fist Tower."

Looking in the direction the finger was pointing, it was roughly located to the side and behind the Tower of Evil, still some distance away. Ash could already vaguely see a beam of deep purple light.

Five-star nests are challenged by Elite Four level trainers, so six-star nests must be for League Champions!
His eyes burned with fervor; he was determined to destroy that six-star lair sooner or later.

If all else fails, we'll just pull in Master Ma and form a temporary team!
As it grew dark, Ash and Marie decided to return to the gym. After all, they were close by, and the gym offered food and lodging, so there was no need to camp outside.

"Let's go back, Bear Apprentice, Puppet Bear!!"

Following the two bears' waveguide, Ash quickly found them in a corner of the cool wetlands.

In front of the bear apprentice was a large, but now incapacitated, competitive hairy crab with its long, fist-shaped arms and lower limbs curled up in a ball.

"Bear drink~!"

The apprentice wiped his sweat, clenched his fists and put them at his waist, his expression showing a hint of smugness.

This is the valiant hairy crab. It used to always mock itself for being weak, but now it can finally vent its anger!

After training alongside Ash for several months, his appearance may not have changed much, but his combat power is now completely different!

"Did something happen?"

Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a sense of awe and disbelief. It seemed to be Xiong's former enemy.
After retrieving the two bears, the two returned to the martial arts school, where a long table had been set up in the main hall, laden with a sumptuous meal.

Dinner was prepared by Miye, with most of the ingredients sourced from Kai Island, making it inexpensive and healthy. All the trainees lined up in several rows to eat together.

Xiao Zhi counted, and there were about a dozen people.

There are more than that number of students at the martial arts school; it seems they've all gone out.

After all, Master Ma's martial arts school doesn't restrict going out, so they can return to the main continent of Galar to challenge the Dojo League Tournament or the World Championship.

After dinner, Mary went back to the girls' dormitory to get some rest, planning to start Master Ma's second test the next day and unlock a new activity map.

She's also really looking forward to seeing what Ash's two bears will look like after they evolve!

As for Xiao Zhi, he had just stepped out of the lobby when Master Ma hurriedly dragged him to his room. He had thought there was something important going on, but as soon as he entered the room, he was tossed a controller at him.

"It's too late, Xiao Zhi! Hurry up and play a game with this old man!"

Looking at the otherworldly game on the TV screen, Ash's lips twitched. Helpless, he sat on the sofa, picked up the controller, and started playing.

I think I did hear that Master Ma is now addicted to video games and can't break free; he's an old man addicted to the internet!

He's not very interested in games; he'd rather go out and have some fun.

Ash randomly pressed the controller a couple of times, then looked around and noticed a lot of trophies and medals on the wooden table next to him, all of them gold trophies symbolizing the champion!

On the wall above the television, there was a huge gold belt that looked somewhat familiar.
"Oh right, the abandoned monkey also has one."

Ash realized that it must be the P1 World Fighting Championship belt.

The previous P1 Fighting Champion was Masde, who defeated his hometown king, Mr. Shiba.

Unfortunately, Mastedt didn't participate in the previous edition, and his abandoned monkey didn't even challenge the strongest opponent, directly winning the championship belt—

The gold belt still contains moisture.

"By the way, Master Ma, what is this thing?"

Thinking of the pink ore he obtained from Pokémon dens during the day, Ash took it out.

Master Ma, still focused on the game, glanced at it sideways and quickly replied:

"Oh, it's armor ore. It doesn't have any special uses, but quite a few people collect it on our Armor Island."

You can think of it as our Isle of Armor's exclusive currency.

After saying that, he quickly immersed himself in the adventure in the game world.

Masde's face was flushed; this was undoubtedly the greatest game ever!
"Exclusive currency?"

Ash was still wondering about the ore in his hand when he heard the sound of a door opening behind him.

Then a boy wearing a pink knitted sweater walked in, about 10 or 11 years old, with blue headphones on his ears.

She was short, with short brown hair, and wore a pink knitted sweater with a playful panda pattern on the chest.

Behind them followed a polygonal beast.

He seemed to have overheard their conversation and casually remarked:

"Armor ore? It is indeed the currency of the Isle of Armor. Many people in the martial arts school collect this stuff and give it to the people who specialize in mining Watts. They can even help you mine it."

Xiao Zhi was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up:

"Hello, I'm Xiaozhi!"

"Are you the Ash from Pallet Town that my father mentioned? Hello, my name is Hyde."

Hyde couldn't help but look Ash up and down. Was this the legendary trainer who could go toe-to-toe with his father, Champion Leon?

It's unbelievable that she doesn't look much older than me.

"Father?"

Xiao Zhi turned to look at Ma Shide, who was engrossed in playing a video game, and then at Haide, who had casually sat down at the computer desk next to him and skillfully started playing a computer game.
Although they're quite far apart in age, their internet addiction is exactly the same! (End of Chapter)