He knows Pokémon better than me.

Follow Maga into the Battle Arena. From the outside, it looks like a classic gym of the Galar League, but the walls and floors inside look very retro, more like the same design as the Western-style buildings in the town.

Walk to the left through a long, narrow corridor, and Magua's room is at the end.

On the other side of the corridor was his mother Mei Rong's room.

"Sorry, it's a bit messy here~"

Pushing open the door, you'll find a luxuriously decorated room with a large red carpet, an old-fashioned sofa, and various gift boxes scattered on the floor.

The gifts I received for Christmas not long ago are still scattered around, unopened.

Even the Christmas tree hadn't been moved out yet, and the whole room was filled with a Christmas atmosphere.

On the computer desk next to it were professional shooting and live streaming equipment.

A typical day in the streamer's room.

Several pots, like robotic vacuum cleaners, collected some strange minerals scattered on the floor.

"Haha, don't worry about the details, your room is here~!"

Magua laughed and pushed open the door to the guest room next door. It was much cleaner there, like a luxury hotel suite, with a double bed in the middle and even a private bathroom.

Ash and Mr. Mime's eyes lit up at this. After putting down their luggage, they immediately lay down on the big bed and relaxed in a Spread-Out Flame pose.

This environment is much better than the Pokémon Center!

Although he's now quite wealthy thanks to Mr. Mime and Lucario's business, Ash still doesn't like spending money on hotels.

"Let's go, let's go, I'll treat you guys to a meal first!"

Magua leaned against the doorway, urging them on, ready to take the two of them to experience all the unique attractions of Zhanjing Town.

Upon hearing that he was going to eat, Xiao Zhi immediately jumped out of bed and perked up.

After quickly tidying up, I went out. It was snowing lightly, but it wasn't a big problem, and I didn't need to bring an umbrella.

The restaurant they were heading to was located next to the dojo; it was just down a slope.

"Old Bob's steak teppanyaki?"

Ash looked at the signboard name and the prominent logo above it—a blond, bearded man holding a shovel.

He remembered that a similar portrait of a bearded man was also hanging outside the seafood restaurant in Shuizhou Town.

This seems to be a characteristic of the Galar region, where people like to paste a large portrait of the owner or founder directly on the restaurant sign.

As soon as you push open the door and enter, the restaurant immediately feels warm and inviting.

A fiery centipede was curled up at the entrance, spreading its own heat to act as an air conditioner.

This is an open-kitchen restaurant where the cooking griddle is placed in front of the customers' tables, allowing them to see up close the scene of the chef flipping the spatula and pressing the ingredients onto the griddle, making a sizzling sound.

"Oh, look who's here!? Magua, looks like you brought a few new faces today~?"

"Yes, my old friend, three servings of the signature steak, please! I think it's time for them to taste the amazing flavors here!"

"No problem, I assure Arceus, the delicious steak will appear before you as obediently as an Alcremie!"

Clearly, Magua was very familiar with this restaurant; as soon as he entered, he leaned against the table and greeted everyone with practiced ease.

Xiao Zhi looked around the entire restaurant with curiosity.

The space wasn't very large, but there were quite a few customers, and the sounds of chatting and frying on the teppanyaki grill were rather noisy.
However, in this snowy environment, the atmosphere feels quite warm and cozy.

"Sit down, Xiao Zhi! The steak teppanyaki here is delicious!"

Magua pointed to the empty seat next to him and gave a reminder.

Don't ask too many questions about what kind of cow the steak is made from, just enjoy it! However, Xiao Zhi's attention was quickly drawn to something hanging on the wall—

Besides various restaurant certifications, awards, and large portraits of blond-haired, bearded men, the walls were also covered with restaurant credentials.
There was also a worn-out tapestry.

He approached and examined it closely. The painting had a retro fairytale style, with men wearing crowns and long robes on either side.

Behind them, the symbols of a short sword and a shield can be faintly seen.
It feels like something extraordinary was recorded.

"Oh, this is something the boss found at the treasure market in Suchuan Town a while ago. I don't even know if it's real or fake~"

Magua stepped forward, smiling as he introduced:
"It is said that these two were the two ancient kings who saved the Galar region!"

Ash blinked but didn't answer. There were too many versions of the myths and legends in the Galar region, and he didn't know which one was true.

After taking a closer look, seeing that the boss didn't seem to mind being photographed, he simply took two photos and sent them to Sonia.

The specific restaurant locations were also marked.

She must be very interested in these old-fashioned tapestries, right?

Soon, the steaming hot steak was served, sizzling on the hot iron plate, instantly whetting the appetite.

As for what kind of cow it was...
You can't taste it.

"It's really delicious!!"

"Bari~!"

Compared to Ash's hearty feast, Mr. Mime's eating style was much more elegant; he even cut off a few pieces so that Pikachu and Dragapult could also have a taste.

Restaurants and pubs are undoubtedly the best locations for intelligence gathering.

Amidst the noisy background sounds, people were talking about all sorts of things—

For example, at this year's World Championships, people were betting on who would make it into the top eight and become one of the final eight masters.

Or we could discuss who will make it to the finals of this year's Galar League and be qualified to face off against Dan.

Or perhaps it's about an ice and snow aquarium.
"Have you heard? There's a Dynamax performance going on over there lately! The Pokémon there can maintain their Dynamax form for a long time without reverting to their shrunken state!"

"How is this possible? Didn't it automatically recover after three rounds?"

"I don't know, but the ice goose show over there is quite interesting~"

Upon hearing this, Ash and Mr. Mime exchanged a glance, seemingly still actively engaged in their business.

"Can that aquarium produce Dynamax?"

Magua pushed up his sunglasses; it was the first time he'd ever heard of this, and his face was full of disbelief.

As the local Gym Leader and a construction engineer, he knew very well that the only environment in the entire Battleground Town where Dynamaxing could be performed was their Battleground Stadium.

The aquarium and the town center are located on opposite sides of the town, and the Galerite particles are nowhere to be found.

How could Dynamax be possible over there?

"Bari."

Mr. Mime nodded in agreement. In the Galar region, Dynamaxing is the biggest gimmick. If Dynamaxing were truly possible, the previous gym leader wouldn't have been replaced.

"Or is it another fake?"

Xiao Zhi said casually.

After all, if Elysium can be disguised as Prince Keleseth, it's not surprising that Dynamaxing would also involve some deception.
In short, go and see for yourself, and you'll understand what's going on! (End of Chapter)