He knows Pokémon better than me.

That night, Ash rode Corviknight to a small town in the northwest of the Galar region.

The wind swept in from the Gobi Desert in the south, carrying fine sand that drifted back and forth between the streets and eaves.

Ash didn't linger. He patted Corviknight's neck and flew straight towards the Stellar Arena.

"quack--!"

The Steel-Armored Raven let out a loud cry, its silhouette cutting through the night as it flew low towards the Legendary Arena.

—He had already made plans with Cai Dou during the day.

This match was actually arranged a long time ago. Now that he has officially advanced to the advanced ball level and is ranked 96th, he can finally come and keep the appointment!

When I received his call during the day, Cai Dou's voice on the other end of the line became noticeably excited.

Without even pausing, he immediately agreed.

The battle will take place at the Legend Arena!
As night fell, the outline of the arena gradually grew larger, and the Steel-Armored Raven landed at the entrance.

"Good job, Corviknight~"

Ash put away his Corviknight and looked around—

There were hardly any people around, as there was no competition being promoted. Most of the residents and tourists in Suchuan Town were concentrated in the treasure hunting market in the center of the town.

He didn't care and walked straight in through the main gate.

The Su Chuan Arena was only partially open; the front desk staff had already left work, only a few lights were on, and it was quite deserted with no outsiders around.

But as soon as Ash walked in, a sneaky figure was already waiting there.

Its short, stout body, resembling a chimney, and its single red eye gleamed slightly under the light.

"Hey, aren't you that wandering Night Elf referee?"

Xiao Zhi blinked and recognized him.

When Mary challenged the Arena of Resurrection, it was this wandering Night Spirit who served as her guide and referee.

He had just stepped forward to greet him when his gaze suddenly shifted, and he noticed another figure behind Wandering Night Spirit.

He was short in stature, wore a black and purple racing suit, and had long, black hair.

The most striking feature was the pale white mask she wore on her face.

It was Onio, one of the two gym leaders of the Eternal Stadium.

"Onyo, you're here too? Long time no see!"

Xiao Zhi greeted him with a pleasant surprise, his tone familiar.

Onio paused slightly, then replied softly and shyly:
"Long time no see, Ash, and Pikachu too!!"

Just as Onio relaxed his gaze a little, he was startled by the flying Bictini and screamed, quickly hiding behind the Wandering Night Spirit.

"Bick?"

Of course, Victini was also startled and quickly landed back on Ash's shoulder, staring wide-eyed in an innocent manner.

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but smile, lowered his voice, and introduced:
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, this is Victini, and now it should be considered my Pokémon, right?"

He scratched the back of his head, even though he hadn't caught it with a Poké Ball yet.
However, he is temporarily considered a member of the Galar team.

After slowly calming down, Onio let out a soft breath and apologized in a low voice:
"I'm sorry, Victini."

After a brief greeting, Onio spoke somewhat stiffly:
"By the way, Miss Cai Dou is already waiting for you inside."

"Hmm~!"

The wandering night spirit also drifted slightly and echoed in response.

Without saying a word, he pushed Ash and Onio inside—

The way these two talk is so superficial!
Only then did Xiao Zhi realize that Onio was there to guide them, and he casually thanked him.
"Oh? Thank you so much for your help today~"

Then, the Wandering Night Spirit led the way, and the two walked together into the narrow corridor of the arena, leading directly to the arena stage. At first, Onio was a little reserved, speaking haltingly.

But after walking for a while, he gradually got used to the rhythm and took the initiative to introduce himself:
"That...Travel Arena, by day it belongs to Miss Rainbow Bean, by night it belongs to me."

Ash tilted his head to listen and nodded. Although they were both Gym Leaders, this place was different from the Battle Arena.

After all, it was a mother and son living there, and both dojo masters lived in the dojo at the same time.

When someone comes to challenge someone, the person who is chosen will accept the challenge.

Unlike the Battle Arena, Onio usually lives there all by himself.

Bea has an ancestral Fighting Arena in Souzen Town, where she usually lives with a large group of her Fighting Pokémon.

For gym challenges, Bea's reservation time is only during the day, while Onio can only choose to challenge at night.

"I see."

Ash listened attentively, but then thought, "Bea has a big house too, why don't we just battle her at her dojo?"

"Well, Miss Ayaka has her reasons for doing this."

Seemingly having guessed Ash's thoughts, Onio spoke up.

The reason is simple—Dynamax!

Only the Stellar Stadium in Stellar Town has a Dynamax environment.

It seems that Bea is taking this battle very seriously and is determined to defeat Ash with all her might!

Soon, the light at the end of the corridor gradually intensified, and the view suddenly opened up—

The battle arena of the Tracing Arena is now fully unfolding before your eyes!
All the lights were turned on, illuminating the entire stadium as if it were daytime.

The high seating area stretched out in concentric circles, enough to hold thousands of people, but at this moment it was completely empty, so quiet it was unsettling.

Ash's gaze quickly fell on the front, where someone was already waiting.

At this moment, Cai Dou is sitting cross-legged in the center of the arena, her back straight, her eyes closed in meditation, trying to get herself into the best possible condition before the match.

She and Ash had a brief sparring session in the Wild Area before.

Despite being regarded by many as a genius of Galar, she was completely dominated by the latter, causing Ayaka to experience a sense of defeat for the first time.

But soon, the sense of defeat turned into an even stronger fighting spirit.

Her idea was simple:
"If I can defeat Ash, my training will definitely take another step forward!!"

Hearing footsteps, Cai Dou paused, then took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes.

coming!

Ash and Onion have already reached the sidelines.

She stood up and stood still, her gaze falling on Xiaozhi. Her entire aura instantly shifted from stillness to seriousness and sharpness.

Compared to Bea's nervousness and caution, Ash's tone was much more relaxed, and he greeted her with a smile as he walked over:
"Yo~ Rainbow Bean, long time no see! I've come to keep our appointment~!"

"Yes, Ash."

Cai Dou nodded and gave a brief response.

Both she and Onio are quiet types; of course, the latter is due to social anxiety, while Ayaka simply doesn't like to talk because of her personality.

Xiao Zhi looked around at the empty stands and asked curiously:
"By the way, are there no spectators today?"

Cai Dou withdrew her gaze and explained in a calm tone:

"Because this is a private duel, we can choose not to hold a public match."

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
The sound of propellers spinning filled the air as a Rotom drone hovered above the three of them.

Of course, an official recorder from the Galar Alliance is still necessary. (End of Chapter)