Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

And the courage to break free from the cocoon and be reborn!

Chapter Seventeen: Nibi City, Before the Challenge

The next morning, Ash packed his bags, settled his Pinsir, whose condition had stabilized, and then hurriedly left Viridian City.

He didn't get a good night's rest last night, not only because he had to continuously release the power of Viridian to heal Pinsir, but also because there was no bed available for him at the Pokémon Center.

Sometimes Ash can't help but feel that Viridian City is somewhat incompatible with him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unconscious the first time he came, and wouldn't have had to camp at the Pokémon Center the second time...

So he didn't want to stay any longer; he just wanted to get to Nibi City immediately and catch up on some sleep.

However, no matter how anxious he was to get on his way, he couldn't help but slow down when he passed through the Viridian Forest.

This is where he obtained the power of Viridian. Ash walked through the slightly dark forest, recalling his experiences from a few years ago, and unconsciously came to the battlefield of that year.

Years have passed, and grass has grown back on the ground. Many of the destroyed trees have also sprouted again. Nature is trying to restore everything to its original state through its powerful self-healing ability.

But Ash will never forget that day. He still remembers the location where the Ultra Cave opened and the terrifying gaping maw of that Guzzlord!

The strength is still too weak...

Despite being hailed as a genius in Pallet Town and having previously captured a powerful giant Onix, Ash knows he's still far from being as good as the three people who fought here that day!

But no matter what, he will definitely defeat that Gluttonous King himself!

At that time, he will no longer borrow other people's Pokémon, but will fight alongside his own partners!

"Pikachu~", "Karuru!", "Li?"

When he came to his senses, he found the three little ones surrounding him, looking at him with concern.

They seemed to sense his feelings and expressed their own emotions to him in the same way.

No matter what happens, they will stay with him!

Even the Poké Balls of Onix and Pinsir, which hadn't yet emerged from their balls, were trembling slightly...

"Thank you all." Ash patted the three little ones on the head. "Let's not think about those irrelevant things now... Let's go to Pewter City."

Having composed himself, Ash decided not to linger in Viridian Forest any longer and headed straight for the new city.

...

Nibi City—also known as Dark Grey City—is a city characterized by its rock formations.

This place is home to Kanto's famous science museum, which, in addition to fossil exhibitions and space research, is said to be able to revive Pokémon fossils dug up from all over Kanto.

The entire city was developed based on the mineral resources of Mount Tsukimi, and gray tones are the absolute mainstream. Vendors selling stones can be seen everywhere along the streets, and many people can even easily pull out various evolution stones.

Of course, Ash had no interest in any of this, including the man selling rocks—Brock's incompetent father. Ash ignored him and rushed to the Pokémon Center in Pewter City.

After checking into his room and taking a shower, Xiao Zhi dialed his home phone.

Although he can communicate directly using the Pokédex, he didn't do so during the journey... It's not time for Porygon, the Pokémon he's in charge of, to be exposed yet.

"Hello, this is Xiaozhi's mother."

As soon as the video call connected, Xiao Zhi saw a pale... face mask~

Applying face masks is definitely Hanako's biggest hobby, and it is thanks to this diligence in beauty that Hanako has been able to maintain her youth through each generation, and even achieve reverse aging in Alola.

Having finally received news of Ash, Hanako immediately gave him a long lecture.

"Ash, you finally called! You've already arrived in Pewter City? That's amazing! You're much faster than your dad... He got lost in Viridian Forest for a whole month back then!"

"What did you say... you separated from Xiaolan and Xiaomao? How could you do this? Didn't I tell you three should support each other?"

"Especially Xiao Lan, she wanted to leave, couldn't you have tried to stop her? Honestly, how can I trust you with such low emotional intelligence! Look at Xiao Mao, he has several girlfriends already, when are you going to bring a few home?"

Xiao Zhi could only remain speechless in the face of his mother's nagging.

By the way, Gary's so-called girlfriends were actually cheerleaders hired by his uncle, who was the town mayor—the son of Professor Oak's older brother.

Of course, it eventually turned into a real relationship...

"Mom, is it really okay for you to say these things in front of Lila?" Ash scratched his head awkwardly, his gaze passing over Hanako to find the girl who had rushed over after hearing the news. "Lila, how have you been lately?"

"I'm fine... it's just that I miss Ash a little..." Lila said, hiding behind Hanako with a blush on her face.

"I'll call more often," Ash promised. "By the way, does Lila have any favorite Pokémon? I can catch them for you in advance."

"Um... I don't know either." Lila bit her finger, looking thoughtful. "Anyway, I'll definitely like anything Ash gives me~"

"Lila, he won't care if you keep doing this!" Hanako immediately leaned in and lectured her, "Don't you know what kind of Pokémon Lila likes? Girls should choose the cute kind, of course! If you don't know what to choose, just ask Blue!"

"Yes, yes, I will definitely do as you say~" Xiao Zhi nodded immediately like a chick pecking at rice, and then respectfully took his leave from the old lady.

After hanging up, Ash thought for a moment and then called Professor to report back.

Professor Oak had already heard from Gary that Ash had encountered a magical Pokémon and obtained a feather, so he discussed borrowing it for research over the phone.

Ash readily agreed, saying that Professor Oak could look around freely once he returned to Pallet Town.

To be honest, he didn't really care that much about his identity as the Rainbow Hero.

He's only been traveling for a short time. Even if some world-saving mission were to fall into his lap in the future, it's not something he can handle right now.

His proper role as a trainer is to travel steadily, diligently capture and train Pokémon, and first and foremost, secure victory in the Indigo League.

Thinking about the rest is just needless worry and might even disrupt his otherwise smooth trip…

After talking with the professor, Ash chatted with Nanami for a bit. She said that if Ash's Pokémon collection exceeded the limit, he could send them back to the lab, and she would take good care of them.

"Especially that huge onyx snake, it will definitely give me a lot of new breeding experience!"

"Understood, Nanami-neechan. Once I've caught the seventh one, I'll send Onix back first."

Some things are best left to the right people to say.

Given Professor Oak's impatient manner, if he asked Ash for Onix, Ash would definitely hang up the phone.

But if it's a gentle request like Nanami's, and she seems completely devoted to Ash's well-being, then it's impossible to refuse!

In short, after a period of rest, Ash finally regained his energy and was able to fully focus on the upcoming gym battle.

In recent years, the overall level of Kanto has improved significantly, and Ash is really looking forward to seeing what surprises the Pewter City Gym will bring him...

Chapter 18 This Xiao Gang is a bit weak.

"Excuse me, is anyone there?"

Pushing open the door to the Pewter City Gym, Ash asked a question into the dark room.

"who are you?"

With a question uttered, the gym was instantly illuminated, revealing a field made entirely of rocks to Ash.

The person who asked the question was sitting on the high platform opposite Xiao Zhi. With his spiky hair and squinty eyes, it was undoubtedly Uncle Gang.

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, here for a gym battle." Ash stood directly in the challenger's position on the sidelines.

However, Brock didn't act immediately. Instead, he gave Ash a quick once-over: "Is this your first time in a gym battle? You look like you've just started your trip. You'd better figure out beforehand that gym battles are different from roadside battles..."

"But you always have to take the first step, don't you?" Ash didn't take this slight disdain to heart and simply took out his Poké Ball.

"He's quite a confident young man... Alright, as the gym leader, I can't refuse a challenge." Seeing this, Brock finally got up and went to his battle position.

"The rules of the Pewter Gym are that two Pokémon are used in the battle, the challenger attacks first and has the right to switch at any time, understand?"

"Understood, please begin." Ash gestured for them to proceed.

In gym battles, the gym leader must send out their Pokémon first and give up the initiative, which is actually a rule that benefits the challenger.

"My first one was this, Geodude!"

"Geosphere?" Ash was slightly taken aback, but still threw out the Poké Ball. "Sack, I'm counting on you for the first gym battle. Do your best!"

"Crunch!" After landing, the little bag clenched its fists, clearly full of fighting spirit.

Ash had told it before that gym battles would be a good test, and it could even go all out!

"Is that kangaroo still a child?" Xiao Gang immediately noticed something was wrong. Not only was the baby kangaroo small, but it hadn't even grown a pouch yet, which meant it had only recently left its mother.

"Don't underestimate it." Ash smiled confidently. "Go, Pocket, let's high-five!"

The battle officially began, and with Ash's command, Pocket immediately unleashed its full power and rushed to its opponent's side!

"Geosphere, use Round Up!"

Xiao Gang made Geodude curl up and take a weak attack, but this also put him in a cowardly state, preventing him from launching a counterattack.

"Opportunity! Pocket, Power Up!" Ash seized the opportunity and forced Pocket to use its killer move!

Bang!

The powerful fighting techniques caused Geodude to tumble and roll, while Kodak's attack power suddenly increased!

In the game, Power-Up Punch was undoubtedly the strongest boost move for Mega Kangaskhan in Generation VI, but it was precisely because its effect was too overpowered that it was removed in the next generation.

But in this real world, theoretically, any move that can be learned in any generation can be mastered by Pokémon through training!

However, after the first exchange, Ash frowned even more deeply as he watched Geodude grimacing in pain after being beaten.