Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

Xiaoxia teased, recalling how the group of Squirtle had been circling the pot earlier.

"I feel that if Xiaogang shows more sincerity, says a few nice words, and adds my beauty, the three of us might be able to each win a Squirtle."

"Squirtle, huh...?"

Xiao Gang fell into deep thought.

Squirtle drains the water, Charmeleon boils the pot.

"Not bad..."

Xiao Zhi, who was walking in front, turned around when he heard this.

"It's alright! I'll definitely invite it again next time we meet! Besides, it wasn't a complete waste of time!"

He touched the Poké Ball at his waist.

There, Gengar, who had gotten into another fight with Charmeleon while packing up, was quietly waiting.

There's nothing we can do about it if it's not quiet.

Enraged, Bulbasaur instinctively learned to use Sleep Powder and gave each of the two overly energetic creatures a handful.

Right now, they are sleeping peacefully inside their Poké Balls.

Having learned from their previous experience, the three of them avoided many unnecessary detours this time, making their journey much smoother.

It was just getting dark.

The skyline of Golden City, with its towering skyscrapers, once again came into view.

Compared to the novelty of their first visit, the three of them were quite familiar with the place this time.

They went straight to the Pokémon Center.

After entrusting the slightly tired Pokémon to Nurse Joy's care and satisfying her curiosity, the three of them sat down in the rest area and enjoyed a brief moment of peace.

However, this peace did not last long.

"They're back?! They're really back?! Where are they?! Where are they?!"

A middle-aged male voice, filled with barely concealed eagerness, even revealing a hint of anxiety and longing.

Approaching from afar, it broke the tranquility of the rest area.

The three of them looked in the direction of the sound.

Nazi's elderly father was seen rushing towards them in a panic.

"Uncle, over here!"

Ash waved at him.

This sound was like a signal, and Nazi's father's eyes instantly lit up with an astonishing light.

As a superhuman, he couldn't even wait to run over normally; his figure blurred and flickered as he used teleportation.

Approaching the three, he grabbed Ash's hand.

"It's good that you're back! It's so good that you're back!"

"I heard you arrived at the Pokémon Center, so I rushed over immediately!"

The middle-aged man's voice trembled noticeably.

God knows how he's been these past two days; it's been like an eternity, and he's terrified that Xiao Zhi will change his mind on the way and not come back.

He even had a nightmare last night.

He dreamt that Ash took Pikachu to Alola for a vacation, which startled him so much that he woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

"How is it? Gengar...?"

Ash was a little confused by his rapid-fire questions and subconsciously pointed to the treatment area behind the Pokémon Center.

"Gengar is with Joy."

"Really?!"

Nazi's father's voice suddenly rose, almost cracking.

His face instantly broke into an incredibly radiant, even "ecstatic" smile.

Even the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, as if she had won some big prize.

"Great! This is wonderful! This is wonderful!"

He shook Ash's hand hard, and slapped Ash's shoulder heavily with his other hand.

"As expected of my good daughter... cough cough! cough cough cough!"

He coughed suddenly, swallowing the rest of his strange sentence, his face turning slightly red, and quickly corrected himself.

"As expected of you, Ash! Young and promising, and you always keep your word! I knew you could do it! You're the kind of trainer who's exceptionally reliable!"

"Now that you have Gengar, it means you're qualified to challenge Sabrina!"

"Let's not delay, let's head to the Saffron Gym!"

"Now! Immediately! Right now!"

"Huh? Now?" Xiaozhi looked at the sky outside the window. "Isn't there a need to be in such a hurry? We just got back..."

"We have to hurry! Delay could lead to unforeseen problems!"

Nazi's father had a serious expression that said, "You don't understand."

"This...this is, in a sense, an unwritten...unspoken rule of our Goldenrod Gym! Yes, an unspoken rule!"

"Qualified challengers should be tested as soon as possible to maximize their fighting spirit!"

"Dojos have such 'hidden rules'?"

Ash turned his head in confusion, looking at the two former Gym Leaders in his team, seeking confirmation.

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang looked at each other, then shook their heads simultaneously, their faces clearly saying, "Never heard of it."

"Come on, let me take you there, just in case something goes wrong... Anyway, just go!"

The second half of his sentence was a bit vague.

They were afraid that Xiaozhi would hear something he shouldn't and run away again.

"Don't worry! With me here, I'll tell you on the way what Sabrina is good at and what her weaknesses are..."

Xiaoxia muttered a quiet complaint.

"Is Miss Nazja really your biological daughter? Why do you seem more anxious than the challenger..."

Xiao Gang nodded.

But then he remembered that his father had given Ash special training specifically for him...

Huh?

Looking at it this way... the museum owner's father might all be like this?

87. Hurry up! Hurry up!

Despite Naz's father's fiery passion.

The reasons are varied and numerous.

I wish I could teleport Ash to the entrance of the Goldenrod Gym immediately.

But Ash and his friends managed to get a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center.

The reason is simple and realistic—

I am a female otaku who is a seasoned collector of figurines.

As soon as it was time to leave work, Sabrina closed the dojo early.

In this situation.

The challenge had to be postponed until the next day.

Early the next morning.

Sabrina's elderly father arrived at the Pokémon Center right on time.

He pretended it was a chance encounter.

He enthusiastically invited Xiaozhi to have breakfast together.

And he began his "Naza's Big Information Broadcast".

"Xiao Zhi, let me tell you, my Sabrina is truly a one-in-a-million girl..."

The words had just left his mouth.

He himself couldn't continue speaking, so he quickly revised his adjectives.

"...Hmm, a superpowered person!"

He cleared his throat.

"Her talent has been dazzling since she was a child!"

"At three years old, she could make a spoon dance with her mind; at five, she could predict the dinner menu; at eight, she could..."

So, what Pokémon is she good at?

Xiao Zhi took a bite of bread and asked directly.

At the same time, hand Pikachu a special tomato sauce toast.

"Pikachu".

Pikachu nodded, its cheeks puffed out.

It chewed while looking up at the opposite side.

Isn't today's match a gym battle?

Why does this person keep talking about Sabrina's childhood?