Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

"Don't hold back!" she urged, her voice slightly encouraging. "If you want to confess to Miss Joey, just do it! We won't laugh at you..."

"Yes, I'll try not to make fun of you."

Xiao Zhi nodded.

"Pikachu".

Pikachu, just like Ash, nodded its little head emphatically in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang frowned, a crack appearing on his calm mask, revealing a hint of helplessness.

“I’m telling you, what kind of person do you take me for?” he sighed, his voice finally showing some emotion. “Do you think I’m the kind of person who falls in love with every woman I see and stares at every beautiful lady I meet?”

Xiaozhi and Xiaoxia exchanged a glance.

Then they nodded in perfect unison, their faces clearly saying, "What else can we do?"

The frankness in their eyes was almost painful to see.

“Chansy Egg, do me a favor,” Ash turned to the pink egg-shaped Pokémon, his expression serious as if he were explaining an important medical condition. “He’s not fully recovered yet, I think he injured his brain. Give him a few more taps and check him over properly.”

"Luck~"

Chansey nodded, its round face showing a "I've got this covered" expression.

Then her little hands flew off.

Left hand: Healing Bell; Right hand: Healing Wave.

The skills flew out in a flurry, relentlessly enveloping Xiao Gang.

Xiao Gang: "..."

"Thank you." He stopped Chansey. "I'm really alright."

"nonsense!"

"that is!"

"Pickup!"

All three spoke in unison.

Xiao Gang looked up at the sky.

"You guys should know that even I... wouldn't be completely unaffected right after experiencing a breakup!"

He raised his hand and unconsciously pressed his left chest.

"My rocky heart... also needs time to heal!"

"That's not right?"

Xiaoxia caught the loophole in his words and immediately pressed, "Last time in Hualan City, didn't you recover quite quickly?"

There was no emotional foundation that time.

So, you think spending one night here creates a romantic connection?!

"Oh, I see."

Xiao Zhi suddenly realized what Xiao Gang was saying and immediately accepted his explanation, then very pragmatically pressed for answers.

"How long will it take for Teacher Gang to recover?"

Xiao Gang withdrew his gaze and gave Xiao Zhi a long, wistful look.

"At least... we need to wait a day."

Xiaoxia: "......"

Pikachu: "......"

Your Stone Heart heals really fast.

Miss Joey, standing to the side, was completely bewildered and couldn't keep up with the three people's jumping thoughts.

All I could do was maintain a polite, slightly confused smile.

However, she did confirm one thing.

"Thank goodness you weren't attacked."

Joey took over the conversation at the right moment, breaking the delicate atmosphere, and gestured to the side.

"The rain isn't going to stop anytime soon, and there aren't any other trainers in the center. If you don't mind, please sit down in the rest area over there and warm up."

The three readily accepted the good advice.

Follow Miss Joy and Chansey toward the warm and bright rest area.

But Ash's curiosity had already been piqued.

“By the way, Miss Nurse Joy,” he asked as they walked, “what kind of attack were you talking about? Are there any fierce wild Pokémon in this mountain?”

When it comes to dealing with "fierce" Pokémon, Ash is a natural expert with plenty of experience.

Miss Joey's smile faded.

"It's a long story... It wasn't some wild Pokémon, but a little Charmander."

She sighed softly and gestured for them to sit on the sofa in the rest area.

The jellyfish thoughtfully brought over some hot tea.

"Little Fire Dragon?"

Ash repeated in confusion, tilting his head in sync with Pikachu on his shoulder.

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang also looked surprised.

"Isn't this one of the starter Pokémon from the Kanto region?" Brock calmly analyzed. "They are usually rigorously selected and bred by the League, and their personalities are relatively stable. How could a Pokémon like this attack its trainer on its own initiative?"

As a former gym leader, he was well aware of the nature of the three starter families.

The sound of rain outside the window pattered against the glass, forming winding streams that flowed downwards.

The room was warm and quiet, filled with the aroma of tea, a stark contrast to the turbulent world outside the window.

Miss Joey's gaze fell upon the misty rain outside the window, as if she could see through the rain curtain to some corner in the mountains.

"Speaking of that little fire dragon, it was a pitiful child."

Joey began to speak slowly.

"It used to have a trainer, but that trainer... disliked that it wasn't strong enough, and on this mountain, under the pretext of making it 'wait,' actually abandoned it and left it to fend for itself."

Xiao Zhi frowned.

Xiaoxia also showed an indignant expression, and even Xiaogang, who was still heartbroken, looked serious.

"Does someone like that even deserve to be called a trainer?!"

Xiaoxia couldn't help but speak up, her tone intense.

"It's on that designated stone."

Miss Joey continued, her voice growing increasingly somber.

"It braved the heavy rain and waited for its trainer for three days and three nights. The flame on its tail flickered in the wind and rain, almost going out... No matter how the wind and rain blew, it firmly believed that its trainer would come back to pick it up."

"Until it was completely exhausted and had a persistent high fever, it almost didn't make it if the Pokémon from the mountain hadn't brought it over," Joy paused, her voice a little hoarse, "that's when it finally realized it had been completely abandoned."

Silence fell over the rest area.

“It changed from that day on.”

Joey continued.

"Ultimate loyalty turned into deep-seated resentment."

"It no longer trusts any trainers, especially those who seem to be of bad character or treat their Pokémon badly."

"It survived in these mountains where it had been abandoned, and became exceptionally strong and... cunning."

"It began to selectively attack passing trainers, using every means at its disposal—ambush, sneak attack, exploiting the terrain... making it impossible to defend against."

"So, was the attack on the trainer an act of revenge?"

Xiaoxia asked.

"not quite."

Joey shook his head.

"After it attacks a trainer, it doesn't directly harm them, but instead... forces them to release all their Pokémon."

"Then let those Pokémon talk and tell us the truth about how they usually interact with their trainers."

"Like...a trial?"

Xiao Gang murmured.

"Yes, the trial."

Joey affirmed.

"If the Pokémons are complaining about abuse, neglect, or unfairness, that Charmander will smash their Poké Balls in front of the trainers and release them."

"If the trainer is competent and the Pokémon have no complaints, it will silently retreat and stop bothering them."

"Over time, it established a distorted order in these mountains and gathered a group of Pokémon who were also dissatisfied with irresponsible trainers, forming a special team."

"They appear and disappear unpredictably, targeting trainers who are alone or seem unreliable."

Joey paused, his tone becoming even more serious.

"According to some trainers who managed to escape or survive the 'trial,' the Charmander... seemed to have undergone some kind of unusual change in its body."

"Its skin color is no longer a healthy orange-red, but has a faint, dull, almost ashen dark tone, and its eyes are frighteningly cold."

"Moreover, it seems to have become...particularly adept at using Dragon and Dark-type moves."

Joey frowned, revealing his confusion.

“Dragon-type and Dark-type?” Brock keenly grasped the key point. “But Charmander is a Fire-type Pokémon…”

While it is possible to learn skills of other attributes, the proficiency and power are usually not comparable to those of the Instinct attribute.