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

After thinking for a while, Xiao Zhi decided to give up.

"Ah, the system stuff is too complicated, whatever."

The super brain has already told Ash that whatever problem he encounters, he can solve it with super power; thinking too much is not suitable for him.

They immediately pulled Xiao Yao along and continued on their way, as they had to reach Guchen Town before dark.

But before they could travel for long, Xiaoyao was already exhausted again.

"Slow down, Ash."

"No, Xiaoyao, if you keep moving so slowly, we won't reach our destination by dark!"

"Ah, I wish I still had my bicycle at this moment."

"Uh." Ash and Pikachu paused in their steps.

"Oh, you're right. We should really slow down our journey."

"Pikachu".

"Hehe, that's right~" Xiaoyao skipped and hopped ahead again.

Ash then began to notice something unique about May.

This girl is quite independent and very self-centered.

Even if Ash activates his handsome form, using his charm and orator abilities to tempt her to hurry up, May will never easily change her mind.

"She was clearly a girl with very ordinary, even somewhat vulgar, hobbies, but surprisingly, her charm was completely ineffective against her."

If I say I'm going for a walk, I'll go for a walk, without wavering.

However, Ash doesn't dislike May.

After all, although she is self-centered, she is not domineering. She is very kind, optimistic and cute, and can get along well with Pikachu. She is much gentler than Misty.

Thinking of this, Xiao Zhi quickly stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder.

"Xiaoyao, since we've met by chance, I, as your senior, will give you some guidance."

"Since we'll have to take it slow anyway, let's do something meaningful."

"Oh, what is it?"

"That's of course catching Pokémon! The most important thing for a trainer is to capture new partners!"

This is what Ash was most looking forward to when he came to the Hoenn region; he still doesn't know where his new partner is.

After looking around, Ash successfully found a Pokémon that was perfect for a novice trainer.

"Take that Lulili for example."

"Ah, so cute!"

Following Ash's pointing finger, May saw an adorable blue water rat with a round, plump tail.

Faced with such adorable creatures, Xiaoyao, whose mentality was not quite right, finally began to have the will to fight.

"Alright, I must subdue it!"

Then Xiaoyao failed.

She first made Ash's vision go black, causing him to pull out a Poké Ball and throw it at Azur Lane, and unsurprisingly, he failed to catch it.

It was only after Ash reminded her that May remembered she needed to weaken the opponent's HP through Pokémon battles before she could catch it.

After that, Torchic was completely overwhelmed by Azul.

May, being a novice and lacking an advantage in Pokémon types, also had questionable command skills.

"No, May, we can't use Ember now, it won't be effective. Let Torchic use Peck!"

"No, no, no, we can't attack now. We need to make Torchic hide..."

"Oops, I made a mistake again. Torchic shouldn't act on its own; it should follow May's orders..."

May's first battle made Pikachu shake its head in disbelief.

"Pikachu~"

Ash felt that this was much more difficult than battling himself.

In the end, May still couldn't catch Azulli. Torchic ignored her commands and chased after Azulli all the way through the forest, unexpectedly ending up at Azulli's nest.

It was instantly killed by a water gun from its parent Marill, and only managed to escape safely thanks to Pikachu's help.

"Don't be discouraged. Remember how this battle felt. Everyone starts out in a mess like this."

"You've done a great job. Your teamwork with Torchic will only get better and better. Keep it up, May."

"Yes~"

Ash comforted May as he led her out of the forest and back onto the main road.

At this time, Ash always seems incredibly reliable, not only coming to the rescue in time but also helping May and the others analyze the shortcomings in the previous battle.

[Ding! Xiaoyao: Affection +1]

However, at this moment, the Torchic suddenly collapsed with a "Chama!" and Haruka quickly picked it up in concern.

"Turkey, are you alright?"

Seeing the flustered Haruka, Ash immediately comforted her and told her to calm down.

"If the trainer gets anxious at this time, the Pokémon's situation will only get worse."

"Don't worry, as long as you use a healing item on Torchic or take it to a Pokémon Center for treatment, it will be fine."

"Ah."

Under these circumstances, May finally agreed to take the plunge and ran alongside Ash all the way to the Pokémon Center in Old Town, where she handed Torchic over to Nurse Joy.

"Don't worry, there's no problem. Just let the Torchic rest here for the night."

"I'm counting on you for everything, Miss Joey."

After learning that Torchic was really alright, May finally felt relieved.

Then she tugged at Xiaozhi's sleeve.

"This is my first time at a Pokémon Center, Ash, you lead the way."

"You really know how to order people around."

However, since Ash decided to help May, he would see it through to the end. He personally showed May around the layout of the Pokémon Center.

Ash showed May around everything, from the free rooms for trainers to the all-you-can-eat restaurants and the lobby lounge where trainers could exchange information.

Ash used the Pokédex to open the glass door to the hall, and led May inside.

"A lounge for exchanging information... Will someone here tell you about nearby shopping spots, hot springs, restaurants, and the like?"

"Oh no, it's information limited to Pokémon!" Ash was immediately embarrassed and poked the little head of the person next to him with his finger.

This girl always seems to have such strange interests.

However, he suddenly noticed that two trainers talking in the rest area seemed to be discussing something important.

He instantly transformed into a social media addict and teleported over to eavesdrop.

"Did you know that a new gym leader has arrived at the Petalburg City gym?"

"Citrus Garden!"

"Yes, and I heard that trainer is quite strong..."

"And then what? What was that trainer's name?"

When the two trainers were completely bewildered by Ash's sudden interruption, it was May who hurriedly came over and pulled him away.

"What are you doing, Xiaoyao? We haven't gotten the important information yet!"

"Haha, I'm hungry, Ash, let's go eat quickly."

Stare—something's not right.

May's expression became noticeably unnatural whenever Petalburg Gym was mentioned, and Ash felt as if he had seen this scene somewhere before.

However, at this moment, May started clutching her stomach and acting cute, so Ash had no choice but to take her to the cafeteria for a meal.

"Wow, this place is amazing! It feels like they have everything. The Pokémon Center is fantastic!"

A plate of omelet rice was brought over, and Xiaoyao ate it heartily without any ladylike demeanor, looking quite adorable.

I didn't expect May to be such a foodie. Ash really likes girls who eat a lot, but he still put on a senior's air.

“May, you can’t say that. The Pokémon Center is a place for us to take a break during our rigorous training as trainers.”

"But theoretically, anyone who's a trainer can come and stay, right?"

"That's right."

Young lady, your awareness and understanding are quite lacking.

Just as Ash was about to give another lecture, all the lights in the center suddenly went out.

Is there a power outage?

"No, the circuit was deliberately cut off." Ash quickly spread his wave power outwards.

Unexpectedly, this sensation led him to discover that the Pokémon Center in Ancient Town was now surrounded by a group of mysterious people.

Not only that, this group of mysterious people also split into a small team, broke through a window and entered a room inside the center, where they forcibly abducted one of the people dressed as a scholar.

"There are more than twenty people, and a few pretty strong Fire-type Pokémon..."

They're so audacious as to attack the Pokémon Center directly! Who are these people?

Chapter 348 Let's Go Find Groudon, Boys and Girls!

These thugs were well-trained, each carrying a weapon that looked extremely lethal, and they were often accompanied by a ferocious Black Rhino.

They skillfully locked all the trainers resting in their rooms in the dormitory, while the rest were detained and gathered in the dining hall for safekeeping.

Ash and May happened to be inside the restaurant when they ran into them.