He knows Pokémon better than me.

The next day, very early in the morning.

Ash was once again awakened by the noise of his bear apprentice warming up.

In the morning sunlight, Xiong's apprentice stood up, his eyebrows raised, his state of mind already at its best, looking full of energy.

"Oh~ Are you ready, apprentice bear?"

Xiao Zhi stood up and smiled. Today was arguably the most important day for his bear apprentice.

After a quick wash, I went out. Mary was already up. She would be observing as well, which would provide her with valuable experience for her upcoming challenge of the Tower of Evil.

The two had just sat down in the lobby, ready to have breakfast, when Master Ma was already clearing away the dishes, preparing to leave.

"Alright, Ash, this old man will be waiting for you and Kubuck at the top of the Water Tower!"

Mastedt hunched over, smiled, and was ready for battle.

Xiao Zhi nodded in agreement. It seemed that the trials in both towers were the same, with Master Ma being the opponent in the final stage.

I just don't know if the Pokémon the latter uses is still Kommo-o.

Of course, the test is not to defeat Master Ma, but to discover the contents of the scroll on the wall, comprehend the profound meaning, and complete the evolution.

Ash didn't tell his apprentice this, leaving it to the latter to figure out on his own.

After breakfast, the two officially set off towards the Water Tower!

Having visited Beehive Island the day before, the first part of the route overlapped, so the two arrived at Challenge Beach quickly without much difficulty.

This is a long, narrow beach that leads to several sea areas around Armor Island. Honey Leaf gave them cool-sounding names such as "Archipelago Sea Area," "Offshore Island Sea Area," and "Honeycomb Sea."

In reality, there is no difference.

Along the way, you can see some Pokémon dens scattered on the beach or the sea. Some of the stone platforms are closed, while others radiate purple-red beams of light upwards.

However, the focus today is not on these Pokémon dens. Ash turned his gaze to the adjacent cape, where waves crashed against the shore and a tall tower stood at the edge of the cape.

Water Tower!
Its design is similar to the Tower of Evil, both being six-story wooden towers, each floor decorated with light blue wooden tiles, topped with a statue of the bear's apprentice, and flanked by stylish banners depicting flowing water.

If you avoid the Water Tower, you can also see the Beehive Island in the distance behind it.

"Bear drink!"

The bear apprentice was already standing in front of Xiao Zhi, clenching his fist and letting out a low shout, his aura high-spirited.

"Uh, speaking of which, didn't Master Ma say yesterday that we should maintain a calm mindset like flowing water?"

Beside her, Mary couldn't help but speak up.

Xiao Zhi did not answer this question, but pointed to the waves that were constantly crashing against the shore.

The surging, raging waves are also a type of water flow, and at this moment, the bear apprentice is in the best state of mind!

"Let's go, Bear Apprentice! Let's begin the trial of the Water Tower!"

"Bear drink!"

The two, a human and a bear, strode into the tower, with Mary quickly following behind.

The layout inside the tower is similar to that of the Tower of Evil, with virtually no clutter and a battle arena in the center that is half the size of the tower.

The only difference is that the floor here is blue-purple, while the floor of the Tower of Evil is dark red.

The guardian of the first floor looked somewhat familiar; she was a black-haired girl with her hair tied into two buns, whom I had seen a few times at the martial arts school.

It seems he was one of the apprentices who participated in the "gang beating" of the bear-wearing character?
".!"

Sure enough, the gatekeeper, who had been calm and collected, suddenly changed his expression upon seeing Ash's figure.

How could it be this guy?!

Didn't we already complete the Tower of Evil's test? Why are we here at the Water Tower now?!

Her gaze quickly fell on the bear apprentice next to Xiaozhi, and she immediately understood.

Now we have no choice but to go through with it. I should have just asked Master Ma for leave today!
"Yes, you know the rules, right? You can only use one Pokémon, and you can't change it throughout the entire trial." Her tone suddenly softened.

Ash nodded, and his apprentice, Kuma, walked directly to one end of the arena, ready to go.

The girl with the bun hairstyle could only grit her teeth and throw the Poké Ball:
"Never mind, let's go, Maryluri!"

boom!
As the red light fell, a Marill landed in front of the Kushner. It quickly saw Ash and immediately recalled being punched away by the Urshifu. Its previously arrogant demeanor instantly shrank back.

"Mari!"

It looked around in a panic, and only breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't see the pink monster bear.

The next second, he noticed his apprentice, Xiong, who was half a head shorter than him, lightly warming up with a jump.

"Mari!"

Mariluri's body immediately puffed up like a pufferfish, rubbing her hands together and revealing a confident expression.

As long as it's not that pink monster bear, then its strongman is going to have a good venting session today!

The battle begins!
"Mariluli, use brute force!!"

From the very beginning, Mariluri got serious, her whole body turning red and steam rising, her right arm glowing white, and her brute force punches coming without mercy.

Although not as strong as the bear-wearing creature, it still possesses the characteristics of a strongman, and the current bear apprentices would not be able to withstand its strength in a direct confrontation.

However, Xiong's apprentice was a seasoned veteran and was not intimidated.

"see through!"

Holding his breath and focusing intently, his eyes glowing green, the bear disciple ducked his head just as the powerful punch was about to land, narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Then came the broken rocks!"

Instead of retreating, Xiong's apprentice advanced, his right fist already clenched, and he jabbed at Marilulli's chest.

boom!boom!
And he threw two high-speed punches at the same spot, which instead made Marilulli fall backward in pain.

"You're in good shape!"

Seeing this, Xiao Zhi nodded in satisfaction and relief.

If the previous way the Child Bear cleared the Tower of Evil was by overwhelming strength and brute force, then...

So, Xiong's apprentice relied on his agile and swift skills, taking a skill-based approach.

"One more time, Rock Smash!"

This time, it was Xiong's apprentice's turn to take the initiative and charge forward, his right fist flashing with a white light that seemed to shatter rocks.

The girl with the bun hairstyle naturally refused to admit defeat. Just because she couldn't beat the pink monster bear didn't mean she couldn't beat the bear's young apprentice.

"Don't underestimate the power of Marill! Use Roll!!"

Mariluri understood, immediately curled up her body, and transformed into a sphere that spun rapidly towards her.

The Hercules ability makes every physical attack it uses significantly more powerful.

Furthermore, the rolling force will gradually increase, and since this is half of the arena, there is nowhere to dodge.

Let's see how many times you can see through it!

Xiao Zhi grinned and started applying the "Emerald Black Technology":

"If that's the case, then let's interrupt the scrolling the very first time!"

The bear apprentice understood immediately, dispelling the white light from the shattered rocks. His movements slowed down instantly, and even the ripples of water appeared as his hands moved.

Facing the rolling Marill, it used its momentum against it, flipping its hands backward and throwing Marill away.

Boom!
Unable to brake, Mariluli slammed headfirst into the edge of the wall! (End of Chapter)