Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

It was not a living thing, but a huge machine with a peculiar shape.

They stand side by side, their outer shells made of cold, hard, grayish-white metal, somewhat resembling old-fashioned telephone booths, but with a more complex structure, and thick, tangled pipes at the top tightly connecting the two together.

One of the machines had its door open, revealing a dense array of colorful circuits and electrode patches inside; the other was tightly closed.

"Clang clang clang... clang..."

A faint, rhythmic metallic clanging sound came from above.

"Up there!"

Ash was the first to catch the sound and looked up at the dark, spiraling staircase.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu also pricked up its ears and pointed upstairs.

This time, the mouse heard it too!

Ash took the lead, walking at the very front, following the sound, and leading the two up the narrow spiral stone staircase.

Upon reaching the second floor, they saw the source of the sound through the increasingly dim light filtering in through a round glass window.

A Pokémon stood there.

It was a Pipi, but it was definitely not the small and cute one they remembered.

It is slightly larger than its kind, and its pink skin appears somewhat yellowish in the dim light. Its body is also unusually slender, lacking the roundness that Pipi usually has.

What's most striking is the tuft of curly hair on its head, which is a striking green!

It did not stand naturally like Pippi did, as the three people had seen.

Instead, he leaned against a machine in an almost human-like posture.

But what's most disturbing is its face!

As a mischievous creature, it doesn't even have dark circles under its eyes!

Its facial expressions are also exceptionally vivid.

But his beady eyes were not focused on the intruder at this moment. Instead, they were filled with seven parts infatuation and three parts hatred as he looked up at the gradually brightening starry sky outside the glass window above him.

Even more awe-inspiring than its appearance is the massive, awe-inspiring metal cannon beside it.

The cannon is made up of countless precisely meshing gears, faintly glowing coils, and many unnamed components, creating a strange blend of steampunk and futuristic technology.

Upon seeing that it was a Pokémon, Ash spoke first.

"Hey bro, do you know where Zheng Hui is?"

Pipi slowly lowered his head and looked at the three of them.

"Zheng Hui? Who?"

"Huh? Your accent is actually pretty good."

Xiao Zhi blinked, somewhat surprised.

He had thought that this oddly-looking Pippi would speak that incomprehensible dialect.

But Xiaogang and Xiaoxia had a completely different expression.

For no other reason than that this Pippi can speak human language!

It's simply—wait?

It seems like cats can speak human language too.

Thinking about it this way, it doesn't seem entirely unacceptable that Clefairy, a highly intelligent Pokémon from outer space, could speak a foreign language?

"Zhenghui, Zhenghui..."

Pipi murmured the name, tilted her head, and her green curly fur swayed as if she were lost in some kind of memory.

"Oh... I remember now."

"Oh, I see. Thank you."

Ash said casually,

"By the way, where is he?"

“Him…” Pipi suddenly raised her little paw that wasn’t touching the cannon barrel and gently pressed her pink belly, “Of course he’s inside me…”

Xiao Gang: "!"

Xiaoxia: "!"

Ash: "!"

Pikachu: "!"

The four faces instantly filled with horror.

"...But none of that matters."

Its hand lovingly stroked the metal cannon barrel beside it, and its voice suddenly became fervent and focused.

"The most important thing now is to get it done!"

"Once the calibration is complete and enough energy is accumulated... I will be able to... I will be able to..."

The cannon's muzzle was unconsciously pointed at the night sky outside the window, as if aiming at some unseen target.

Pipi's eyes also changed to seven parts infatuation and three parts hatred.

Xiaozhi, Xiaoxia, and Xiaogang exchanged a glance.

Without a word, they both read the same horrified judgment in each other's eyes.

This terrifying alien creature probably swallowed Zheng Hui whole!

Ash's decision was as swift as lightning.

We have to take it down!

Then pull Brother Zhenghui out of its belly!

The thought had just arisen.

sideways.

Step forward.

Ash immediately launched a surprise attack with a high-five, a move he inherited from his mother!

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap.

Pipi's crazed expression froze instantly, his eyes glazed over, and without uttering a sound, he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"So weak!"

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but frown.

I intended to subdue it, but unexpectedly, it collapsed immediately after I struck it.

Compared to its relatives in Tsukimiyama, it is indeed quite inferior.

shook his head.

"Pikachu! Help me pry its mouth open!"

Ash reached out to check if Bill was still inside him.

“There’s nothing in my stomach…” Ash murmured, then his expression grew even more serious. “And this isn’t right…”

"What's wrong?"

Xiaoxia, clutching her arm which was covered in goosebumps, approached Xiaozhi and asked nervously.

"Something seems off about this little guy. It gives me a strange, ambiguous feeling."

“It’s not like that with Pipi. It’s like… something was forcibly incorporated into it.”

Ado.

Ash looked at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, you wake it up, you know this one well."

"Pickup!"

Pikachu nodded.

You can rest assured that you can leave it to the hamster!

The claws crackled with electricity before pressing down on Pipi.

An electric current surged through.

Pipi on the ground trembled slightly, its eyelids fluttered a few times, and then it slowly opened its eyes.

At first, it was a little confused, but it quickly focused and saw the three of them, Ash and his friends, surrounding it.

A clear hint of doubt flashed in its eyes.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my lighthouse?"

"Pretending to have amnesia, huh!" Xiaoxia hid behind Xiaozhi, only peeking out half her head, waving her fist in a bluffing manner. "Tell me! Where did you take Mr. Zhenghui!"

After saying that, he quickly shrank back.

"Zhenghui?"

Pipi tilted his head.

"What are you talking about? I'm just a...!?"

Suddenly, as if it remembered something extremely important, it abruptly raised its little pink paw and brought it close to its eyes to examine it carefully.

Pink skin, tiny paws...

It paused for a second, and then an indescribable, overwhelming emotion, a mixture of ecstasy and relief, burst forth!

"Ew—Great!!!"