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

The scene of Xiaozhi holding her hand and saying these words was also seen by all the viewers, including everyone watching the live stream!

Suddenly, all sorts of gossip were proliferating like crazy!

"Heh, another one~" Little Blue in the stands rolled her eyes with a cold laugh.

This strategy guide is probably complete at this point.

Hua Lan's sisters, they really have become sisters now!

So, what would the other person think?

Xiao Lan glanced at the person who had come from afar and found that she was indeed clutching her clothes in a state of distress.

However, Serena, caught up in her anxiety, was unaware that she was actually invincible...

Others might not know what Ash was going to do after the tournament, but Blue knew it perfectly well.

So you know, this guy has to confess to other girls, keep himself tied down, and also win over that girl...

He also had ambiguous relationships with the other two museum owners.

Moreover, he has a god-sister at home, and he often acts cute and flirtatious with this older sister...

Oh, by the way, he also saved a little girl who had gone astray and then came to her senses.

Haha, he really deserves to be proven to be a scumbag!

As for Xiaozhi, he didn't really care what kind of ripples this apology would cause.

He simply felt that he should keep his promise and apologize to Xiaoxia.

Although Xiaoxia didn't make it to the top eight, she still got here through her own hard work. And if it weren't for meeting him, Xiaoxia would definitely have achieved her goal in the end...

"You...you really don't need to bring it up." Xiaoxia, having regained her composure, kept shaking her head in refusal. "I don't care about that matter at all anymore, and it wasn't your fault back then; it was all my three older sisters' fault!"

...

"What is Xiaoxia talking about? How could it be our problem?"

"That's right! That kid is clearly arrogant, domineering, and despicable!"

"We're willing to give away badges for free, what does that have to do with him?!"

Well... all I can say is that not everyone wants to work hard, and not everyone will change.

Fortunately, Xiaoxia retained her right to make her own choices.

...

Back at the competition venue, amidst the curious and teasing gazes of the audience, Zhixia and her companion left hand in hand through the same passageway.

Perhaps it was a tacit understanding, but after they were out of sight of the audience, they suddenly stopped and looked at each other, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Xiaoxia..." "Xiaozhi..."

"Uh, you go first." Following the principle of ladies first, Xiao Zhi politely declined.

"I was thinking... since I didn't make it into the top eight of the tournament, I guess I'm not qualified to take the gym leader exam..." Xiaoxia said hopefully. "So, I can't take over the gym from my sisters, so could I... travel with you?!"

She almost shouted out her last words urgently.

And then, not forgetting to add immediately, "You can go wherever you want... even if it's not just the two of us, that's fine too! Uh..."

After shouting that, she immediately lowered her head shyly.

The implication is too obvious; it's practically saying that what she really longs for is a trip for two...

Although she knew it was impossible.

There are only so many regions in the Pokémon world, and you can only bring one at a time. There aren't enough regions for everyone right now!

But she still bravely spoke up, saying that she wanted to be with Ash no matter what!

“I know you bear a lot of responsibility; it's not just a simple journey, you also have to fight against the remnants of Team Rocket… I can be your support, just like Blue… even if it's only a little bit of help, I will…”

"Xiaoxia, I really couldn't be happier," Xiaozhi said with a relieved smile. "Actually, I had been planning to invite you to travel with me for a while after this tournament, but I was worried you might find it abrupt."

"Then it's settled!" Xiaoxia finally smiled happily.

"Here, this is for you." Ash finally had a chance to take out the gift he had prepared long ago.

"Perfume?" Xiaoxia was taken aback. "Why would you carry something like that with you?"

"I bought this the first time I passed through Celadon City, and I've always wanted to give it to you in person," Ash explained.

"Oh, I see..." Xiaoxia seemed to suddenly realize, but then she suddenly looked inquisitive. "So, how many bottles have you personally given out?"

"Ah, this..." Xiao Zhi was speechless.

So speechless, was he truly being punished?

But thinking about it carefully, I have indeed given away quite a few perfumes.

This is the third bottle Xiaoxia has personally delivered, not counting the ones she's mailed...

I also accepted a bottle that Lijia gave me.

"Okay, thanks a lot~" But just as Xiaozhi was feeling embarrassed, Xiaoxia suddenly grabbed the perfume in her hand, "I would never refuse a gift."

The girl's braids swayed proudly up and down. From an angle where Xiao Zhi couldn't see, she was carefully putting the perfume bottle into her backpack, even adjusting it to the closest possible position to her body...

Chapter 202 The Top Eight are Announced

In the round of 16, Ash successfully secured the first spot in the quarterfinals, and the subsequent battles are in full swing.

Xiao Mao encountered no trouble and smoothly made it into the top eight; Lei Si, who had been the focus of attention, also had a smooth journey and became one of the eight finalists.

There's also Hiro, a character also based on Red. He didn't interact with Ash at this tournament, but like in the original story, he still earned a spot to advance...

Considering the quality of the participants in this tournament, I really have to give credit to Ahong for his luck in the draw!

The next two quarterfinalists are also well-known figures: Yoshiki and Yuri.

The former is the contestant who overturned Shigeru's car in the original work, while the latter is the one who defeated Hiro.

Incidentally, judging from the silhouette given in the original work, the yuri character ultimately won second place.

The seventh spot in the quarterfinals also has some connection with Ash; it belongs to Nurse Joy from Goldenrod City.

She is also the only trainer in this tournament who made it here using a qualification badge from the certification exam.

Her Chansey left a very deep impression; her fighting style was truly excellent.

...

At 3 p.m. that day, all the contestants who had already advanced gathered together to watch who would get the last spot.

Coincidentally, the two people currently fighting on the field are also familiar faces from the original work.

The young lady of the Pokémon Research School, a top student with direct qualification for the tournament, a representative figure against the shorts-wearing boy, and a fierce beast user named Xiaoming who opened his own gym.

The academy student team has encountered a non-professional player, and their opposing identities are one of the gimmicks of the competition, but the battle itself is really not very interesting.

As a decorative character who only appeared once in the anime, the Elite Prodigy is only good for making Ash, who is not yet a blockhead, and Brock, who is into older men, blush. In terms of strength, he is completely unremarkable.

With her skill level, she could only bully Xiaoxia from the original story.

But she is already the Pokémon Research School contestant who has gone the furthest in this tournament... It's just a pity that she encountered a truly powerful trainer - like Xiaoming, and immediately her true colors were revealed.

"Final blow! Sandslash, use Rollout!"

"Grumble grumble, quickly use the bone boomerang!"

In the clash of the evolved ace, Xiaoming's Sandslash got up, easily deflected the opponent's bone club, and then rammed into Marowak in one go!

This blow caused the opponent's body to sway continuously, and the Pangolin King took the opportunity to raise its sharp claws and slam them heavily onto the ground!

"The ground cracks!"

The fatal blow was delivered in one strike, and Crackling's body was swallowed up by the cracked ground, marking the crushing defeat of the prodigy.

With this, the final eight spots have been determined.

...

"Beastmaster Xiaoming, he's pretty strong... Stingy Green, have you ever fought against him?" In the audience, Xiaolan asked Xiaomao curiously.

"Ash, can you shut her up?" Gary complained disdainfully before nodding in agreement. "He's a good trainer, a bit strict, but his training methods are quite scientific, and the food he prepares for his Pokémon is very nutritious."

That was shortly after they set off on their trip. After being spurred on by the Mia Cha Mountain, Shigeru began challenging strangers to hone his skills. That's when he heard the rumors about the personal gym and Beast Tamer Xiaoming.

Seeing an opportunity, Xiao Mao naturally went to challenge him... and thus Xiao Ming's ninety-eight-game winning streak was ended.

Although he won, Xiao Mao didn't have an easy time; he even had to use Scyther. Therefore, he highly recognized Xiao Ming's strength.

"He definitely got here through his own hard work, and he's much stronger than his opponent." Gary's objective assessment: "However... his problem is that he focuses too much on the individual strength of his Pokémons, always trying to make each one capable of handling all battle situations, and he doesn't leave much room for maneuver when he uses his moves."

"Uh... what does this mean? Did they hit me too hard?" Serena asked, puzzled.

“It’s damage overflow and a lack of control,” Lila explained. “While Pokémon moves have a standard power, their actual power isn’t fixed. Releasing a move with lower power allows for better control and shorter intervals between attacks.”

"But if you go all out, the power of the move will increase, but you will also lack control... If you can't defeat your opponent in one move, it's easy for them to find an opening and launch a counterattack."

Lila's explanation, when applied to the game mechanics of Arceus, is essentially about the speed and power of mastering specific moves.

Real battles should be like this. No one says that Thunderbolt has to be less powerful than Thunder. How to use it depends entirely on the Pokémon's proficiency with the move.