Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master...

Ash thus began his training journey in the Mystic Forest with Gengar and Ms. Agatha.

Xiaoxia was supposed to come along too, but she was too afraid of ghosts to come.

"Young girls are such a hassle. My daughter is just as useless."

“She always makes excuses when asked to join her in cultivation.”

Kikuko's training was very rigorous; she spent almost all her time in battle.

She has been training here for many years, and she knows exactly where the Pokémon are. She can catch them one by one and in large numbers at a time.

Although Ms. Kikuko's expression looked a bit scary and she had a bad temper.

Every day is spent either in battle or on the way to a battle; any slackness will result in scolding.

But for Ash, this is simply the best training partner!

He immediately decided that he must spend a few more days practicing with Ms. Kikuko.

While training their Pokémon, Ash and Agatha also encountered Gary, who was also there.

Upon seeing that he was Daiki's grandson, Kikuko immediately grabbed him and brought him along to participate in the training.

This rigorous training quickly forced Xiao Mao to wear the mask of pain.

But to Ash's surprise, Gary was incredibly obedient under Agatha's care, showing no intention of running away.

If it's just about following along for training, it can be seen as Gary's unwillingness to admit defeat and his desire to become a better Pokémon Trainer.

But even when Kikuko nitpicked and insulted him excessively, he never talked back and instead behaved like a grandson, which was a bit abnormal.

This is quite different from the spoiled, arrogant third-generation rich kid Gary that Ash remembers.

One evening, when everyone returned to the temple to rest, Ash finally couldn't help but ask Gary a question.

"Xiao Shigeru, why do you listen to Ms. Kikuko so much? This isn't like you."

Shigeru looked helpless and quietly pulled Ash over.

"I heard it from the elders in my family."

"When we were young, Ms. Kikuko, my grandfather Ōki, and Mr. Takashi were all good friends."

"Back then, my grandfather was a very powerful trainer who always helped the eccentric Ms. Kikuko."

“Every time, Ms. Akiko wanted to get rid of him, but she couldn’t beat Grandpa in Pokémon battles. Over time, Ms. Akiko and Grandpa became very close.”

"Is this the kind of close friend I'm thinking of?" Ash looked at Ms. Kikuko's current appearance; she must have been a beauty when she was young.

Xiao Mao nodded.

"However, as time went by, Grandpa later devoted all his energy to Pokémon research."

"Ms. Kikuko believes this will greatly reduce her grandfather's fighting ability, and she feels that her grandfather has betrayed her."

"Moreover, Kikuko had a very bad temper. After they had a big fight, they gradually drifted apart."

"Although they kept in touch, my grandfather later married my grandmother, and they didn't end up together."

After hearing all this, Xiao Zhi could already imagine a love story where the male and female leads regretted it for life because of a misunderstanding and the male lead's poor communication skills.

"But she was just a female friend of Grandpa's from the past. Is it really necessary for you to do this?"

“You know my grandmother passed away several years before I was born, and Ms. Kikuko is currently single.”

"I heard they've recently started communicating with each other more often again..."

Seeing the constipated look on Shigeru's face, Ash roughly understood.

It turns out that Kikuko might become Shigeru's new grandmother, so he was being so well-behaved because he didn't want to delay his grandfather's old age.

Poor Shigeru! As Akiko leaps among the branches in search of Pokémon, it looks like she's stumbled into a Naruto movie.

You wouldn't guess he's over fifty; humans in the Pokémon world are truly not to be underestimated.

Xiao Zhineng kept up easily, but Xiao Mao couldn't keep up. Physical strength had always been his weakness, and he almost fell off the tree several times.

"Aki's grandson is no good. Compared to him, I find Ash more and more pleasing to the eye."

[Ding! Kikuko, one of the Four Heavenly Kings: Affection +1]

————Shadowball————

In a secluded patch of grass in the Enchanted Forest, Ash and Gengar were lurking there rather cowardly.

Its characteristic of being timid as a mouse is activated at full power, minimizing its presence.

"Gengar used Nasty Plot!" (whispering)

This is a new skill I learned from Ms. Kikuko.

Use it three times in a row to stack up the special attack buff.

Taking advantage of the moment when the three Gastly were off guard, Ash decisively chose to ambush them from behind!

"Use Shadow Ball now!"

"Heh, heh?"

The three poor Gastlys were all defeated by Gengar's Shadow Ball before they could even react, losing their ability to battle.

"Well done, Gengar!"

"Kuji, kuji!"

Ash immediately grabbed Gengar's hand and jumped up happily.

[Ding! Gengar: Affection +1; Friendship +1]

[Gengar: Affection level has reached maximum!]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +2000; Attack +2; Skill: Shadow Ball]

"Gengar's two senses are finally full."

Ash has been training in the forest with Ms. Kiku for a full week now.

After countless battles, large and small, Gengar's strength has been greatly enhanced with Agatha's help.

Moreover, Ash's Gengar is a Pokémon that is very easy to get close to its trainer.

They already had a bond from their time together in the Orange Islands.

Now that it has completely severed ties with its former trainer, the level of affection and intimacy between them has increased rapidly.

They have all reached their maximum values ​​now.

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest "Ghostly Love, As Expected? No Need to Say More!": Please raise Gengar's friendship and intimacy levels to the maximum.]

[Rewards: League Coins +3000; HP +2; Free Attribute Points +3; Gengar Mega Evolution Stone +1]

Furthermore, after defeating those three Gastly, they have also defeated 100 Ghost-type Pokémon in the forest.

[Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest "Conquer the Enigmatic Forest!": Defeat 100 Ghost-type Pokémon in the Enigmatic Forest]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +4000; Stamina +3; Free Attribute Points +4; Trait "Cowardly" Level +1]

[Trait "Cowardly" lv2→lv3: You will have more skill in controlling your own aura (You can easily appear behind others and do whatever you want!)]

"Ash, your tactics are too insidious."

At this moment, Ms. Kikuko and Shigeru, who had been observing the battle from a distance, also came over.

"I would never stoop to winning by resorting to ambush and sneak attack."

Such underhanded tactics are not in line with Xiao Mao's personality.

"No, Ash did a good job. Using some tactics in wild battles is a wise choice. Gary shouldn't be too concerned about some unnecessary rules."

Kikuko greatly admired Ash's style; back in the day, when she and Oak were young, they were known for getting as dirty as possible.

Now that conditions are better, everyone is paying more attention to sportsmanship when playing against each other.

"It can't be said to be a bad thing."

Over the past few days, Kikuko has also come to look at Satoshi with new respect.

I originally thought he would be a greenhorn, but he turned out to be exceptionally outstanding.

Xiao Zhineng easily kept up with the intensity of her training.

Moreover, not only Ash, but even Gary, after experiencing some initial discomfort, gradually became able to meet her requirements.

"Wow! What amazing young people!"

It seems we can't underestimate the younger generation.

[Congratulations on completing the epic side quest "Please Teach Me Greatly!": You have gained guidance from all four Heavenly Kings of the Kanto region (3/4)]

"Oh right, Xiao Zhi, come here."

At this moment, Ms. Kikuko took out a small pill and handed it to Satoshi.

"This is called a Characteristic Change Pill. It's specially made for Gengar."

"Your Gengar has always wanted to change its ability, right? It can do that easily by taking this pill."

I never expected Kikuko to give him this kind of pill.

When asked how he met his Gengar, Ash casually mentioned the reason why Gengar was abandoned, and Ms. Agatha kept it in mind.

She was clearly scolding Gengar for being too weak, running away before she had finished teaching the irresponsible trainer a lesson.

She's a kind-hearted old lady with a cold exterior.

Ash handed the pill to Gengar, letting it decide whether or not to change its cursed body.

This characteristic caused it considerable harm in the past.

It can be said that its tragic fate stems from both the irresponsibility of the trainers and the direct cause of this characteristic.

Since you're not involved, you can't make the choice for it based on its own feelings.

After receiving the pill, Gengar pondered for a while and still wanted to change its ability.

Ash really likes the Cursed Body ability, which makes it easier for him to bring smiles to wild Pokémon.

However, since it was Gengar's own choice, Ash agreed.