Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

A large yellow starfish with a ruby ​​embedded in its center appeared on the field.

"Oh! It's a starfish!"

Ash jumped in surprise when the Pokémon appeared.

Information about this Pokémon instantly flooded his mind.

The future number one seafarer!

A Pokémon with incredibly long legs!

Misty didn't respond to Ash's words, but looked at the starfish that had appeared.

Ash's profound theory involuntarily came to mind.

The strong understand each other's hearts without needing words!

She held her breath and stared intently at the starfish's pentagonal body and central core, attempting to have a "silent communication between the strong" with the starfish!

Starfish: "...?"

It looked at its trainer, who was behaving abnormally, with its body which had no clearly defined facial features.

The two stared at each other with wide eyes and small heads.

Why call it out and then just stare at it without saying a word?

Is it some new play?

The starfish scratched its head, the very top of its head, with its soft tentacles in confusion.

It really baffled Xing.

Oh, no, as a starfish, it doesn't have a brain in the traditional sense.

They stood in a stalemate for a while.

Xiaoxia, realizing that her powerful mental waves seemed to have failed to penetrate the species barrier and reach her, slumped her shoulders in frustration.

It seems that not everyone is like Xiao Zhi.

Let's stick to the most traditional way of commanding.

"Starfish, use your water gun upwards!"

Give clear instructions.

The starfish's core shimmered, and a thin stream of water shot upwards.

"Good! Well done!" Xiaoxia immediately gave her approval, and then issued the next command, "Next, use Freezing Wind!"

A gust of cold air swept by.

With a soft "crack" sound, the water droplets in the air instantly condensed into tiny ice crystals, which fell like snowflakes, covering the fruit.

"Oh~!"

"Pikachu!"

Ash and Pikachu, who were watching nearby, clapped enthusiastically.

They had never seen food prepared in such a fancy and elaborate way.

The starfish slightly bent its soft body, making a gesture similar to bowing.

Basic operations, just basic operations, nothing to mention.

But that wasn't all. Xiaoxia placed the item in the starfish's hand.

"Final step! Starfish, use high-speed rotation!"

Xiaoxia shouted with great enthusiasm, waving her arm forward.

The starfish understood immediately, hugged the large leaf, and began to spin rapidly like a top.

After a while, the spinning speed gradually slowed down until it finally stopped, and the starfish steadily presented the leaf back to Xiaoxia.

The tree fruit fragments, which were originally distinct in color, are now fully mixed with the glistening ice shavings.

Xia stared intently at the mixture, which had now blended perfectly.

After a long while, until the ice shards began to melt slightly, he shouted.

"Now is the perfect time to enjoy it!"

With lightning speed, she grabbed a piece and put it in her mouth. Instantly, she squinted her eyes and revealed an expression of pure bliss.

"Mmm~! Oh my gosh~ (Delicious)!"

She proudly handed the dish to Xiaozhi, her chin slightly raised.

"Try it! This chef's cooking!"

Xiao Zhi took it, looked at what could barely be called food, and then at Xiao Xia's face, which was practically begging for praise.

I picked up a piece of tree fruit that still had some ice crystals on it and looked at it.

"?"

No, it's already washed?

Seemingly sensing Ash's question, Staryu nodded very honestly.

Yes, young man, you're right.

That's all.

This is the result of its trainer's hard work.

After a pause, Xiao Zhi still couldn't quite believe it, his tone filled with utter confusion.

"That's... all?"

Xiaoxia put her hands on her hips and nodded confidently.

"It's over! What else can we do?"

"The most important thing about this Evergreen Forest Special Iced Salad is temperature control!"

"The taste reaches its peak only when the ice just begins to melt and the purest water droplets are released! That's the secret!"

Put it in your mouth.

Xiao Zhi chewed twice and swallowed it without expression.

Yes, it's no different from eating tree fruits raw.

If he ate this every day, he'd probably collapse on the ground in a flash.

Without saying much, he added some honey and his own secret-recipe pills, and Xiaozhi managed to replenish a little energy.

This dinner, which could hardly be called dinner, ended in a complicated atmosphere.

......

At this moment, the deep night sky, like a thick, dark velvet cloth, completely enveloped the entire Viridian Forest.

Stars twinkled through the gaps in the branches and leaves, and occasionally, the distant, unnamed cries of Pokémon echoed through the forest.

Ash quickly broke off some dry branches and collected a large number of thick, broad leaves. With Misty's slightly clumsy assistance, a simple but adequate temporary resting place was finally built.

Put the sleeping bag away.

He took two dry sticks of suitable thickness that Pikachu had somehow obtained and began to focus intently on making fire by rubbing sticks together, using the most primitive method.

His extraordinary hand speed and strength came into play at this moment.

In just a moment, a wisp of smoke rose.

Immediately, bright flames shot up, greedily licking the dry wood and dispelling the surrounding darkness and chill.

Xiaoxia hugged her knees, warming herself by the campfire that brought her warmth and a sense of security.

The orange-red firelight reflected on her face, flickering intermittently.

She felt somewhat fortunate.

Thank goodness Xiaozhi was there, otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to even start a fire...

Wait, something doesn't seem right!

If it weren't for Ash himself, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation!

However, Xiaoxia deeply understood why the league had to be so selective in the first place.

The intention behind setting Water, Fire, and Grass types as the starter family is commendable.

Fire-type fire is self-explanatory; it's practically a portable mobile fire source and a guarantee for survival in the wild.

Without Ash's superhuman abilities or extensive wilderness survival experience, a Fire-type Pokémon is almost essential for any trainer planning a long journey.

And the importance of water systems, as the source of life, is beyond doubt.

It is indispensable for drinking, cleaning, and dealing with certain specific environments.

As for the Grass type, it's an even more beginner-friendly attribute.

Not only do they have relatively low resource requirements during their growth process, but they can also survive simply by basking in the sun, making them extremely worry-free.

In some regions, the Grass-type starter Pokémon can even produce berries that quench thirst and satisfy hunger, making them a model of self-sufficiency.

Tired day.

The two did not exchange any more words and each crawled into their sleeping bags.

I drifted off to sleep to the soft crackling of the campfire and the tranquil symphony unique to the forest night.

......

The next day.

The first rays of pale golden sunlight in the early morning failed to completely dispel the milky white mist that permeated the forest, and there was still a hint of coolness in the air.

Xiaoxia slowly woke up amidst the counting chants.

"Hmm~"

Her long eyelashes trembled a few times.