Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

He looked satisfied, and his stomach stopped growling.

Pikachu followed beside him, its little belly round and bulging, and it walked rather slowly.

"Ash, what...where did you go to eat?"

Xiaoxia asked curiously.

"Oh, I encountered a few Pokémon nearby and 'communicated' with them."

"They were very kind to take me to several fruit-bearing areas and shared a lot of their stock."

Xiao Zhi made it sound so easy.

He even took out a few uneaten, plump fruits from his pocket and handed them to Xiaoxia and Xiaogang.

"Want to try some? It's sweet even on its own."

The various wild fruits, along with the pills he carried with him, finally satisfied his hunger.

Xiaoxia took the still-warm tree fruit, but instead of eating it, she looked Xiaozhi up and down and couldn't help but ask.

"Ash, are you... alright?"

"This appetite is too abnormal. Did he suffer some hidden injury in today's battle?"

Xiao Gang nodded with a serious expression.

"Excessive hunger is sometimes a sign of a rapid depletion of the body's energy reserves. Do you feel any pain or discomfort anywhere?"

Ash sat down again by the campfire, the firelight dancing on his face.

"I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've experienced something like this."

"After each tough battle, or after making a breakthrough in combat, my body feels extremely empty and I need to eat a lot."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoxia fell into deep thought.

So, when she first met Ash, he also had a big meal in Viridian City.

At the time, I thought he was just really hungry...

"and."

Ash clenched his fist, feeling the power returning to his body.

"Every time I have a big meal like this and then get a good night's sleep, I feel more energetic, react faster, and become a little stronger."

"Get stronger?!" "You can get stronger?!"

Xiaogang and Xiaoxia spoke in unison, their eyes widening... one big and one small.

Ash's current physical abilities and reflexes have led them to frequently wonder if he's a Pokémon in human form.

So Ash isn't even at his Ultimate level yet?

Can you upgrade your status by having a "big meal"?

Xiaoxia stared at Xiaozhi for a few seconds.

Suddenly, as if possessed, she picked up an empty Poké Ball from her waist.

I carefully touched Ash's arm with the ball.

no response.

She tentatively pressed the middle button again, pushing it up again with unwavering determination.

The sphere remained completely still.

Xiao Zhi was completely bewildered by her actions.

What are you doing?

Very disappointed, Misty recalled her Poké Ball.

Xiao Gang, who was nine-tenths disappointed, was the same.

"I'm checking your immigration records..."

"I have a feeling you're some kind of Pokémon... no, a legendary Pokémon in human form or something..."

After all, the amount of food this creature ate and how it grew was far beyond her understanding of "humans".

Ash: "...?"

......

The conversation between the three and the noise around the campfire.

This caught the attention of Gengar, who had just had a 'friendly' sparring session with Charmeleon.

"Breakthrough," "Become stronger," "Level up by having a big meal"...

Gengar looked down at its short, chubby hands, then at Ash, whose face was illuminated by the campfire.

So... he's become stronger?

I went through the same battle, so why don't I feel like I've made much progress?

It can't even suppress Charmeleon... Could it be that it's a fake Pokémon?

Gengar's inner world is filled with disappointment.

Ash was eating a berry.

But they are always very perceptive of Pokémon's emotions.

He keenly sensed the low pressure emanating from Gengar's direction.

Turning my head, I saw Gengar shrinking into a small shadow, looking as if it wanted to disappear.

"Gengar? What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Zhi swallowed the fruit and asked with concern.

Gengar didn't make a sound, but simply shrank its round body even further.

But that resentment of "I'm so weak," "I'm so useless," and "I still tied with Charizard" is almost tangible.

Xiao Zhi blinked.

When it comes to Pokémon, his IQ and EQ instantly reach their maximum.

The person's overall condition reaches its most perfect state.

Based on the conversation the three of them just had.

After a little thought, Xiao Zhi understood about 70-80% of it.

He quickly finished off the remaining fruit and casually pulled over Pikachu's back to wipe his hands.

He stood up, walked over to Gengar, and plopped down on it without a care in the world.

Stand shoulder to shoulder with it.

"Are you feeling sad because you think you're not strong enough, and you can't seem to find a suitable way to become stronger?"

Xiao Zhi asked.

Gengar raised its head slightly in surprise.

"Gag?"

How do you know that?

Mind reading...?

Xiao Zhi grinned.

"No, I was just guessing."

Gengar: "?!"

You still say you can't!

“Raising Ghost-type Pokémon does indeed have its own unique characteristics and difficulties.”

Xiao Gang's voice came at just the right time.

He also came over and analyzed the situation from the perspective of a breeder.

"Their growth is often closely related to the absorption of emotional energy, especially negative emotional energy."

"Many Ghost-type Pokémon enjoy playing pranks and scaring humans and other Pokémon, not entirely out of mischief. To some extent, it's also their instinct to gather nutrients, a way to promote their own growth."

"Gag?"

Gengar paused, then fell into thought.

Now that you think about it... it does seem to be true.

I don't usually exercise or anything, I just like to play pranks, and that's how I became so strong.

It suddenly occurred to it a crucial question.

If we follow this theory, wouldn't it be basically "malnourished" if it stayed next to Ash?

Xiao Zhi is such a positive person, with stable and positive emotions. He forgets his occasional frustration in the blink of an eye. Where does he get so many high-quality "negative emotions" to snack on?

"Negative emotions..."

Xiao Zhi touched his chin, clearly realizing the same problem.

He frowned slightly, pondering a solution carefully.

"...In that case, we can only rely on the doctor."

"You want to entrust Gengar to Professor Oak?"

Xiaoxia also came over, holding a reluctant-looking Pikachu in her arms.

"Professor Oak is experienced and knowledgeable, so he should know some methods for systematically training Ghost-type Pokémon."

"Entrusted? Not at all."

Xiao Zhi shook his head.