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

“Chikor…” Chikorita stretched out a vine whip and carefully hooked Ash’s finger, afraid that he would be angry with her.

"Come with me to the beach, just the two of us." Ash shook his head speechlessly, turned and walked towards the beach, with Chikorita quickly following behind.

Ash wasn't angry, but he felt a little guilty, realizing he should have helped Chikorita resolve her inner conflict sooner.

Moreover, he was the one who initially promised to help the other person become stronger, but he failed to do so…

Leaf Town is a coastal town with beautiful seaside scenery. Ash and Chikorita strolled around casually and soon found a deserted beach.

Ash casually sat down facing the sea, patted his leg, and gestured for Chikorita to snuggle in his lap as usual.

"Chikor~" Chikorita, of course, wouldn't refuse, and darted in in a flash, not forgetting to kiss and rub against Ash's face.

"Of course I have a way to help you become stronger, but that comes at a price." Ash gently stroked the leaves on Chikorita's head. "If... after you become stronger, you can't act cute with me like this anymore, can you accept that?"

"Chik?" Chikorita froze.

Why can't things stay like they are now?

Am I being disliked...?

"Because the way to become stronger is through evolution. Your size will increase significantly, and naturally, I won't be able to hold you in my arms anymore."

“Chik…” Chikorita was confused when a huge wave crashed against the nearby rocks, creating a thunderous roar.

"Did you see the waves just now? The principle is actually very similar to that," Ash explained. "You practiced the Body Slam move so hard, but you could never unleash enough power. It's not because you didn't use it well enough, but because you're too small to put enough impact on your opponent."

"Furthermore, after you evolve, you can learn more powerful moves, which is also key to helping you become stronger."

Reality is not a game, much less a special episode; the plot of a little wild boar overturning Ho-Oh is destined to be nothing but nonsense.

Given the same level, training, and command conditions, the vast majority of evolved forms will be stronger; that's a fact.

There might be exceptions where evolution results in a weakened state, but Chikorita certainly doesn't include it.

evolution…

For the first time, Chicory began to seriously ponder this question.

After evolving, they will become stronger and will be able to master more special moves...

"Chik?" Chikorita's expression changed. It had only just begun to consider this when its body suddenly emitted a white light of evolution!

It has actually long exceeded the level required for evolution. Evolution is now happening so fast and suddenly that it catches us completely off guard!

"Chik!" But faced with the temptation of immense power, Chikorita forcibly resisted and began to suppress her evolution with her own will!

It hasn't even made a decision yet, so why force it like this?

Besides... even if I'm going to evolve, I should at least stay with him a little longer!

"Chikorita!" Ash was also taken aback. He could see that Chikorita was in pain and instinctively wanted to help.

(Have you thought it through?) The voice of the spirit manager suddenly came through. (Do you want it to evolve or not... and how do you plan to help it?)

(I...) Xiaozhi hesitated for a moment.

(Now that you've broken free of your shackles, don't rely too much on those abilities. Try listening to the Pokémon's thoughts... You listened to Nihilego's thoughts before, and you can do the same now.) The management Pokémon gently reminded you, (Find out what Chikorita wants, and then make a choice together with it... After that, what you can achieve depends entirely on your bond.)

(Bond... Chikorita?) Ash subconsciously looked at Chikorita, and he suddenly realized that he actually already knew what the other wanted.

You just want them all, right?

Wanting to maintain the current state and indulge in self-pity, yet also desiring a more powerful physique and ultimate moves after evolution—such greedy desires…

As a trainer, of course I have to do my best to satisfy it!

"Chikorita, can you hear me...? Tell me your thoughts without reservation!" Ash hugged the resilient Chikorita tightly. "No matter how greedy or outrageous your ideas are, I will support you and I will definitely help you achieve them!!"

“Chik…Chik!!”

As if hearing Ash's voice in the darkness, Chikorita shouted out her deepest thoughts in an almost incoherent manner.

It needs power!

We also need people!

hum~

The dazzling white light broke through Chikorita's will and began to stretch its body continuously... But at the same time, an invisible force was also quietly mixed into Ash's body.

"Beep?" When the light faded, Chikorita had evolved into Bayleef, which was taller and more handsome!

Curiously wiggling its limbs, Bayleaf could feel an even stronger power within itself, and its gaze toward Ash gradually became filled with joy.

"Beep!" Finally, unable to contain its excitement, it rushed straight into Ash's arms as usual.

Bang!

The impact was very solid, and it also brought Laurel Leaf back to her senses.

Now that I'm bigger, if I pounce on him like before, I'll hurt him...

"It's still early." Ash suddenly revealed a nonchalant smile, patting his chest easily. "You know, a Super Rookie, right? This is just the level of impact they've given me. There's no way they can shake me!"

"What?" Feeling Xiao Zhi's disdain, Consort Yue couldn't help but turn into a steamed bun face with anger.

But after it stomped its foot, its body shone with white light once again!

The leaves on its head transformed into flower-like tentacles, and the leaves on its neck bloomed into a huge flower plate... The bay leaf actually evolved again, turning into a giant geranium that was two meters tall!

"Mega... Mega!" Knowing how resilient her favorite trainer was, Meganium held back completely this time, raising its forelimbs and pressing them down on Ash's shoulders, delivering a powerful Body Slam!

"Germania, what's wrong with you... Hey, calm down... Hey!"

Bang! !

A tremor came from the soft sand, and the boy, losing his balance, fell backward. What followed was a shower of kisses and rubs, carrying the scent of pollen...

"Germania, I know you're excited, but you... wait, chrysanthemum leaf?!"

Feeling the weight on his body suddenly lighten, Ash was completely stunned, and could only let the other unleash its passion on him...

Chapter 369 Chrysanthemum Leaf or Geranium, Bond Degeneration

The incident in Leaf Town has finally come to a complete end, and Ash and his friends are able to set off again, traversing the northern part of the Elm Forest to reach Goldenrod City.

While passing through a rather dark forest area, Ash confronted a certain Pokémon.

It was a nightjar, a native bird of the Johto region, but unlike its kind, its feathers were a vibrant gold, and its body was smaller.

"Nighthawk, I've played hide-and-seek with you for so long, isn't it time to start the capture battle?"

Since Ash encountered the Shiny Noctowl from the original story, there was no reason for him to miss it.

In order to successfully win the capture battle, Ash has already engaged in a series of battles of wits with his opponent, including but not limited to hide-and-seek, setting traps, ambushes and counter-ambushes.

This golden owl was indeed very clever, but Ash's brain was not just for show. After several rounds, Ash completely neutralized the opponent's tricks, finally forcing it to confront him directly.

However, the shiny Noctowl is now quite angry because Ash told it... he caught it to give it away!

What a joke!

There's a limit to how much you can look down on birds, okay?!

“Noctowl, I absolutely did not mean to look down on you. On the contrary, I think you are a wonderful Pokémon,” Ash quickly explained. “But your strengths are not a perfect match for me, so I wanted to introduce you to someone more suitable.”

In the original story, this owl performed quite well in battles, but in Ash's opinion, Noctowl's advantage is not in battle, but in its extraordinary intelligence... and more so in its mischievous tricks.

Instead of spending time and effort training this type of Pokémon himself, Ash should hand it over to someone else so that it can maximize its strengths.

"Goo?" Noctowl paused for a moment, turning its head almost 180 degrees, as if considering Ash's words.

The reason it was willing to confront Ash was not because it was desperate or because it valued Ash's strength, but simply because it felt that Ash, who could repeatedly break its tricks, was a smart human.

At least he's better than those other fools who just randomly set up bird traps and lure people with food.

But judging from this, could it be that there is someone even smarter than him?

If he's not deceiving himself, then a battle of wits isn't out of the question...

"Her intelligence is beyond doubt, especially her clever ideas, which will definitely suit your taste." Seeing that Noctowl seemed interested, Ash hurriedly tried to sell her, "Why don't you give it a try? At most, I can guarantee you... if you don't want to go with her, I'll take you back to the Paulownia Forest and release you."

Ash was very patient with the owl's advice.

He could certainly take direct action to subdue them, but he still hoped that the other party would do so willingly.

Otherwise, such an overly clever person, if harboring resentment, might cause unrest.

"Goo!" The night owl finally nodded in agreement.

Ash's power told it that this human wouldn't deceive a Pokémon; the human had already made his intentions clear, and it would be ungrateful to keep acting arrogantly.

After all… that lurking Pikachu could be wiped out by a single lightning strike!

"Great! I'll send you out then, Chikorita!" Ash was overjoyed and immediately sent Chikorita, whom he was holding in his arms, out to battle.

After what happened yesterday, Chicory Leaf has been beaming with joy, as if she has completely let go of her worries.

Misty and the others were very curious about this, wondering what Ash had done to make Chikorita so happy.

"Goo!" The Shiny Noctowl is indeed a clever fellow. While Chikorita turned around to fawn over Ash, it launched an attack without warning, circling around and casting a Hypnosis spell!

"Use Mystic Protection!" But Ash had anticipated this move. A crystalline light suddenly spread from Chikorita, completely sealing off the abnormal status for a short time.

"Next, use the Leaf Blade!"