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

...

Walking in the fields outside Goldenrod City, Ash sent out his Kadabra, who had officially joined his team, to accompany him.

"What is the purpose of doing this?" Naz asked, tilting her head slightly.

She's become quite the curious child, especially when it comes to Xiao Zhi's actions; she always wants to figure out what they mean immediately.

“This kind of journey isn’t about rushing; we should experience it properly and take it one step at a time,” Ash explained. “Kadamia doesn’t have any experience with this before, so it’s a good opportunity for it to try.”

"Let's be down-to-earth... I'll give it a try too." Sabrina thought for a moment and released her Alakazam and Sylvanas Windrunner.

"You've never taken them out before?" Ash asked curiously. "Alakazam was your first Pokémon, and you caught Hypnos and Kadabra later, didn't you?"

“Alakazam was caught by my father; it was just an Abra back then.” Sabrina shook her head slightly. “The situation with Hydra and Kadabra is similar… Although I can explain those big principles to you, I have never personally caught a Pokémon, let alone taken them out.”

"That's such a shame... Besides, as a trainer, it's best to connect with your Pokémon through battles. Using psychic powers to forcibly suppress them is ultimately not the right way..."

Ash can now easily subdue and capture Pokémon with his bare hands, but he won't do it that way.

What he wants to prove to wild Pokémon is that he can properly raise them, not simply and crudely prove that he is strong.

"I have now lost the ability to forcefully suppress my superpowers... After my second personality disappeared, you took away most of my superpowers. Now I only have a little bit of basic power left, and I don't know how long it will take to recover."

Sabrina stared intently at Ash, her ruby-like eyes flashing with an enigmatic light, making Ash feel incredibly awkward…

"I am extremely sorry for this."

Ash shrank back. He really hadn't intended to forcibly take Sabrina's psychic powers, but that's how the Pokémon management system works—it takes any power that tries to influence Ash for its own use.

“You don’t need to apologize to me. I don’t intend to blame you. On the contrary, I’m very grateful to you.” Naza gently shook her head. “I thought a lot last night. Temporarily losing most of my superpowers might not be a bad thing. At least, I can experience a life I’ve never experienced before.”

These words from Naz are exactly what she wants to say right now.

Because of her innate superpowers, Sabrina was withdrawn and friendless from a young age, and for a long time she completely closed herself off emotionally.

So after she resolved her inner conflict, what she wanted most was actually an ordinary life.

Block out those superhuman powers, appreciate the scenery around you with your own eyes, and listen to the sounds of the breeze rustling through the woods and the babbling of the clear spring.

And, as Ash said, a down-to-earth journey.

Therefore, she enjoys this state of powerlessness, and is even willing to accept that she is a weak person who can follow a powerful person and enjoy his meticulous care and protection.

Swayed by certain emotions, Sabrina unconsciously glanced at Ash, only to find that he was also secretly watching her...

"Why are you looking at me like this?"

"It's nothing, just a bit of a surprise." Caught peeking, Ash scratched his head awkwardly. "I thought you wouldn't like your current state and would want to regain your original power as soon as possible."

"I'm not in a rush to regain my superpowers; I'm more interested in you," Sabrina said earnestly, looking at Ash.

"I..." Ash was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized that Sabrina's meaning was definitely different from what he subconsciously thought.

“I used to think that superpowers were everything… but after that incident, they became my shackles,” Sabrina explained. “Then you appeared, and in you, I discovered a power far greater than my superpowers—your strength as a trainer!”

"Uh... thank you for the compliment."

Ash thought Sabrina was referring to the cheat codes on his clothes.

"You are definitely a very powerful trainer! Although you are also a psychic, you did not display any special power in last night's battle. You defeated me, who was cheating all along, purely with the strength of a trainer!"

And that's exactly what happened. Apart from helping Sabrina overcome her inner conflict at the end, Ash didn't use any special powers at all, not even the silent command through telepathy.

He defeated Sabrina's second personality entirely through the efforts of Steelix and Gengar, combined with his own command!

“I admire you so much, and I hope to start over and hone my skills as a trainer… So, can you mentor me from now on?” Sabrina asked hopefully at the end.

"Of course, no problem. Let's start with... an encounter with a wild Pokémon."

Ash smiled, turned around and pointed. There was a rustling sound in the grass behind them, and soon a... super-sized bug baby that was a meter tall jumped out.

"Fluffy... its eyes seem quite special." Sabrina looked curiously at the suddenly appearing Bug Pokémon, which swayed back and forth, seemingly eager to try its luck.

"This furry ball is special. It must have been attracted by the golden perfume... Since we've met by chance, why not try to tame it?"

To be honest, even Ash is a little envious of Sabrina's incredible luck.

Golden perfume does attract high-level Pokémon and Shiny Pokémon, but he didn't expect that Sabrina would encounter a shiny blue-eyed Pokémon so soon after starting her trip!

"To capture... I'll leave that to you, Alakazam!" Sabrina excitedly sent out her partner, "Use Psychic!"

There was no forced possession of the body using superpowers, nor was there any silent manipulation...

Sabrina observed the battle with her own eyes and kept shouting orders to her comrades.

She gets excited when Alakazam launches an attack, can't help but worry when the opponent counterattacks, and waits anxiously when the ball is thrown out...

Only when the Poké Ball stopped shaking did I truly experience the joy of successfully catching it!

"Sarcasm, congratulations on catching Pokémon!" "Pikachu!" "Brave!"

Ash and his fellow Pokémon clapped together.

"Thank you... Please take care of me from now on, fluffy ball~"

A gentle breeze ruffled the girl's hair, accompanied by a light, joyful smile, creating a beautiful scene in Xiao Zhi's eyes...

Chapter 116 Clothes Make the Man

Seeing the city of Celadon City in the distance, Ash felt a mix of relief and regret for his earlier boastful behavior...

Why bother with this "down-to-earth" nonsense? He should have just flown over here on a Dragonite!

This isn't Ash saying one thing and doing another; it's just that the distance between Saffron City and Celadon City isn't quite right... You can get there quickly by using transportation, but if you walk, you'll inevitably have to camp out along the way.

Ash and Sabrina's problem is that they only have one sleeping bag...

Of course, Naz didn't see this as a problem; as long as it was usable, it didn't matter whose it was.

The strongest psychic girl in the Kanto region is actually just a homebody who has never left the house, so naturally she wouldn't have any camping gear.

Xiao Zhi had initially forgotten about it, so by evening he was conflicted...

As a gentleman, he naturally offered to lend his sleeping bag to Naz, but she simply replied, "It's fine if we share..."

Embarrassed to back down, Xiao Zhi could only sheepishly hang himself on the tree and meditate for the entire night.

Using them together... Are you suggesting we cut them apart and use them as blankets?

So, unable to resist, Ash ignored Sabrina's desire to savor the journey and decisively sped up...

"Are you going to take Riolu to challenge the gym now?" Sabrina asked curiously after entering the city.

As they approached the city, Ash released Riolu and did a lot of synchronized training with it, clearly preparing for the gym battle.

"Let's settle in at the Pokémon Center first, and then... let's go shopping."

Although gym battles are important, Ash still plans to go shopping first, as he's really worried about encountering any more unexpected troubles... like the department store suddenly exploding or something.

If he can't buy a tent and sleeping bag soon, he'll have to sprint every night from now on...

"You can go wherever you want, I'll go with you anyway."

Sabrina's words sounded very considerate, but Ash couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly...

Why did she insist on going to the mall first? Who did she think it was for?

"Riolus, fasten this."

At the entrance of the newly renovated department store, Ash grabbed a headband he'd swiped from the Fighting Dojo and blindfolded Riolu.

"Oro!" Riolu knew Ash's request for it and readily accepted the new look that resembled the blind monk.

"Come back in fifteen minutes later. You must find me and Naz and me as soon as possible... During this time, you are not allowed to use the scent detector!"

Shopping time should not be wasted. The department store was crowded, making it the perfect place to train Riolu to identify and lock onto waveguides.

As for Ash, after browsing around, he immediately went to the camping specialty store and bought Sabrina a whole range of things, including a tent, sleeping bag, and fishing rod.

He really misses Uncle Gang terribly now; in the past, Uncle Gang was the one who managed all these things.

It's been over two months, and I still don't know if Xiaogang has continued his journey or is still in the beauty district trying to woo the older women... no, I mean, learning massage techniques...

After getting the camping gear, Ash took Sabrina to a cosmetics store and a clothing store... and then handed her directly to the shop assistant.

Unfortunately, as a boy, Xiaozhi didn't know much about these things...

However, Sabrina, being the most straightforward of all straight women, knows even less than Satoshi.

If it were Xiao Lan, she would probably know all kinds of clothes, bags, jewelry, and cosmetics by now.

However, the sales assistants at the department store are still trustworthy. These experienced saleswomen can easily tell what kind of style suits Naz.

After changing his clothes several times, Xiao Zhi couldn't help but sigh that clothes make the man.

Naza has the perfect figure to be a clothes hanger; no matter what style of clothing she wears, it looks like it was tailor-made for her.

With the light makeup applied by the shop assistant, even the slightest expression she makes seems to evoke a different kind of charm.

Wait... something strange seems to have gotten mixed in~

In short, Ash definitely had a feast for the eyes this time.

As for how to choose from so many outfits... well, of course, you should just wrap them all up.

As long as there's enough money in your card, there's no need to worry about making a choice.