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

While Cynthia was taking care of Bulbasaur, Ash's Lucario and Alakazam exchanged a glance, and a cold look appeared on their faces at the same time!

"Lucario!" Lucario's nose twitched slightly as he reminded the others before he and Alakazam continued their search along the side path.

"Lucario, let's follow them too." Seeing this, Cynthia picked up the injured Bulbasaur and followed closely behind with her partner.

They turned another corner and soon they could faintly hear voices coming from the street.

"Damn it... that guy actually dared to double-cross us!"

"They even dumped us with those monsters in the sewers, trying to trap us... Pshaw, it's just a mediocre, useless Bulbasaur~"

The two guys, who were obviously poachers, were still stomping in the dirty water and cursing each other when Lucario suddenly appeared behind them and pounced on them!

"An attack? Dark Raven, go..." "Nura, hurry..."

"Hu!"

The Alakazam that was holding back suddenly released a golden light from its eyes, and its powerful psychic ability instantly froze the two Pokémon that had just appeared!

The Eye of Miracles breaks through the Dark-type immunity, followed by psychic interference and group control!

“Luka!!”

At the same time, Lucario rushed forward with lightning speed, and his double Comet Punch broke the wrists of the two bastards!

Immediately afterwards, it unleashed a precise Aura Sphere, blasting the Poké Balls and weapons of the two poachers to pieces!

"Amazing!" Cynthia was utterly amazed as she watched the two enemies subdue with just a few punches and kicks.

Ash's two Pokémon are indeed not Elite Four level, and their raw strength is somewhat inferior to his Lucario, but their actual combat level is definitely not low!

Moreover, what they excel at is not the kind of battle commanded by a trainer, but the technique of killing the enemy in the shortest time and with the highest efficiency in random encounters!

"Hu~", "Luca!"

While Cynthia was still lost in thought, the two dog-type dogs had already dealt with the insignificant enemy, and then even bumped fists in perfect unison!

"These two... could they have become sentient?" Cynthia couldn't help but think to herself.

"You two are from the Gul Poaching Group, aren't you?" After regaining her composure, Cynthia interrogated her righteously, "Where exactly did you hide Nidoran?!"

"Hmph!" "We... um, we'll tell you everything~"

The two guys tried to be stubborn, but Hu Di's eyes flashed, and they were controlled to tell him everything.

"This is so convenient! I'm tempted to catch an Alakazam!"

Smart, powerful, and considerate—even Cynthia is a little envious of such an excellent pet.

After a brief interrogation, Cynthia finally learned the whole story.

They were indeed the poachers who abducted Nidoran. They originally intended to use the channels in Big City because the waters near Pinggan Island were blocked.

However, after they contacted the mysterious buyer, the buyer planned to double-cross them because they had separated from the main group of the Gur poaching gang!

The other side sent a Pokémon that looked like an alien to attack them, and it even stole the pink Nidoran!

"Where is Nidoran now?!" Cynthia demanded sharply.

"I don't know... It evolved into Nidorino at a crucial moment, and then broke free and ran away..."

"We're all searching for it, and it might have already escaped from the sewers."

"Escape... Hasn't that broken the trail?" Cynthia frowned deeply.

It seems their search for Pokémon has to end here. Fortunately, after some further exploration, they actually found a secret dock beneath the city's defensive dam.

There was a very futuristic-looking submarine moored there, clearly used for smuggling Pokémon!

There were no conspicuous markings on the outside of the submarine; the only symbol was a large letter.

“K?” Looking at this uniquely styled letter, Cynthia felt a strange sense of familiarity.

She felt like she had seen it somewhere before, but couldn't quite place it.

Just as she was pondering what to do with the submarine, Ash's jackal and fox had already worked together to destroy the submarine's propulsion system.

"As expected of his Pokémon, I've really seen something new this time." All Cynthia could do was give him a thumbs up.

With that, the sewer issue was settled. After confirming that there was no one else there, Alakazam led everyone to Lorelei's presentation venue!

Just then, Officer Jenny, who had just raided the mayor's office, arrived with her entourage. The timing was perfect!

"Mayor, you and your secretary are suspected of multiple crimes, including smuggling Pokémon and engaging in bribery, and the evidence is conclusive. I am now issuing a formal arrest warrant for you!"

Amidst the bewildered or gleeful gazes of everyone, Officer Jenny directly presented the mayor with an arrest warrant!

"Oh no... No! I didn't let them force me, it's all their fault..."

All I can say is that the anime adaptation was right; the mayor was actually a useless bum who was being used as a pawn. He panicked as soon as he saw the arrest warrant and dug up all his family's secrets before even conducting a trial.

He even had the audacity to try and escape from the venue, but Kona on stage was no pushover. A single Freeze Beam froze the soles of his shoes, sending him sprawling face-first into the air.

"Gemstone Starfish, Mental Interference!" "Iron Dumbbell, Thought Hammer!"

Xiaoxia and Lila, who couldn't stand this behavior, also directed their partners to give him a beating.

In the end, Cynthia's Bulbasaur also made its move. It used its Vine Whip to bind the bastard trainer and threw him into the street, smashing the statue he had built for himself!

With the mayor's arrest, all that remains are Nidorino, who escaped, and the mayor's secretary, who is the mastermind behind it all!

Chapter 275 Desert Pursuit

With this incident, Kona's presentation was naturally canceled, and it was Officer Jenny's and the police's turn to shine.

In addition to confirming that he was a complete scoundrel, officials and security personnel associated with him, as well as the news media that helped him manipulate the election, were all taken into custody.

With their downfall, Orange Island will definitely be in turmoil for some time to come... But this has nothing to do with Ash. The news has already been reported, and Lance will definitely send someone to deal with it.

The most crucial thing now is to find the newly evolved Nidorino as soon as possible.

The mayor's secretary is also looking for it; we absolutely cannot let that guy succeed!

"But how exactly should we look for it?" Xiaoxia couldn't help but worry.

"There's still a way... Lila, give me an Energy Cube made from a Mandarin Berry." Ash asked Lila for a pink Energy Cube and held it in front of Lucario's nose. "Let's smell it and confirm the scent."

"Yeah... no wonder it's Ash!" Treasure exclaimed in admiration. "A Pokémon that eats tangerines all the time must have a rather unique scent."

"Why don't I continue on this journey with you?" Cynthia immediately suggested when Ash was about to leave.

She really wanted to find an opportunity to observe Ash's unique Lucario more closely.

"Okay." Ash nodded nonchalantly. "Lyla, you guys stay here... remember to stay with Lorelei!"

Ash isn't sure how much of the mayor's influence remains in Big City. Before Kanto takes over, following Lorelei is obviously the safest option.

"You and Miss Cynthia can go without worry, I'll take care of them," Kona said with a gentle smile.

"Then I'll trouble you... If Miss Cynthia can't keep up, you can send a pet to help her."

"For transportation and such..."

call out!

Before Cynthia could finish speaking, Ash and Lucario simultaneously darted away!

"Lucario, let's hurry and catch up!" Cynthia was stunned when she saw this, and hurriedly chased after him without caring about her ladylike demeanor... only to find that she couldn't catch up at all!

"No... Tokiss, please!" Left with no other choice, she pulled out a personal transport plane...

However, they still couldn't catch up, and could only barely keep up behind the person and their pet with their Lucario.

"What's going on with that child?" Cynthia was utterly incredulous as she looked at the two figures racing ahead of her.

Is it really possible for a human to keep up with a Lucario running at full speed... and even overtake it from time to time?

Moreover, that Lucario was truly extraordinary, not only because of its amazing stamina, but also because of its exceptional sense of smell!

Using an energy cube to identify the scent of the pink Nidorino, Lucario might be able to do it with some difficulty, but finding it would be extremely difficult, let alone tracking it relentlessly like the other one!

They headed from Big City toward the central plains, and the situation was just like being in the sewers... Lucario had already decided on his destination, so he didn't take any unnecessary detours!

In this situation, Cynthia had to admit that Ash had truly developed Lucario's stamina, sense of smell, and aura perception to an astonishing degree!

The only areas where I'm stronger than them are probably the time it takes to subdue them and my level...

"Ash... how exactly does your Lucario manage to lock onto that faint scent while speeding along at high speed?"

Cynthia, piloting Togekiss, barely made it to Ash's side. She knew she shouldn't ask questions at this moment, but she couldn't resist her curiosity.

"We just need to use waveguides to amplify our sense of smell." To everyone's surprise, Ash explained it so easily, and his breathing remained perfectly steady throughout!

"Aura is a magical energy that has many other uses besides combat—such as amplifying one's senses or the power of special moves. Lucario and I are currently researching these."

“Is that so…” Cynthia glanced at her Lucario, but the latter shook its head helplessly.

It's true that the power of waveguides has wonderful uses, but certainly not all Lucarios can do such amazing things.

This discovery reminded Cynthia of Yaxuan, whose Lucario was indeed special... but unfortunately, its strength was a major weakness, making it difficult for people to pay much attention to it.

"We've arrived!" Shortly after, Ash stopped at the edge of a small basin in the desert.

Their target was inside the basin, surrounded by strange bursts of lightning...

Meanwhile, in the desolate desert basin, the pink beast, covered in wounds and black scars, had nowhere left to retreat!