Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

His eyes flickered, and he was already kneeling on one knee, about to step forward.

It's too late to say, then soon!

"Whoosh-!"

A bright green vine whip shot out from the side as if it had been prepared, precisely wrapping around Xiao Gang's ankle!

The vine whip coiled and lifted upwards in a smooth motion!

"?!"

Before Xiaogang could even let out a scream, he instantly lost his balance and was hung upside down!

Head down, feet up, field of vision upside down.

"You...?! Bulbasaur...!"

Just as he was about to speak, another thick and strong vine whip swiftly reached in and completely stuffed into his mouth.

It can only make indistinct "woo woo woo woo" sounds.

"Waaaah! (Put me down!)"

"seed."

Bulbasaur had somehow emerged from Ash's Poké Ball and was now sitting steadily to the side.

It shook its head.

Sorry, but its vines also have their own ideas.

Xiao Zhi was also in a bit of a dilemma.

On one hand, there was his beloved general; on the other, his logistics captain.

They're both my flesh and blood!

After a moment's thought, Xiao Zhi could only pretend that he hadn't seen anything.

......

Heading towards the communications area.

Ash skillfully operated the equipment and connected to Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town.

After the screen flickered a few times, Professor Oak's old face appeared on the screen.

"Oh, it's you, Xiaozhi. Why are you contacting me from an unfamiliar number all of a sudden?"

Professor Oak's voice came through the speaker.

He looked extremely tired at that moment.

Her eye bags were obvious, her hair was quite messy, and she was holding a steaming cup of coffee.

He leaned back in his chair, speaking weakly and listlessly.

"Doctor, are you alright? You look like you've burned out."

"Pickup!"

Pikachu was also clinging to the edge of the control panel.

"Ah... this," Professor Oak forced a smile and rubbed his temples hard. "It's nothing, it's just that lately... sigh, I've had a lot of research to do, and I've been staying up for several nights in a row organizing observation data."

He took a sip of coffee, trying to pull himself together, then glanced at the IP address displayed on his communicator.

"Have you already arrived in Yuhong City?"

"Yes, Doctor! He just arrived today!"

Ash responded with great energy.

Seeing his energetic appearance, and recalling some rumors I heard today about Golden City...

Professor Oak's heart skipped a beat.

She couldn't help but sit up straighter, her tone carrying the concern typical of an elder.

"Xiao Zhi, if you ever feel wronged in the future, you must tell me, and I'll stand up for you!"

If you think about it, you can be considered Xiao Zhi's mentor, or even a half-elder.

Xiao Zhi is a good kid in every way, except that he tends to bottle up his feelings when he's wronged.

Xiao Zhi was taken aback.

"……Wronged?"

He was a little confused; he hadn't felt wronged recently.

"Gag?"

Gengar curiously peeked out from behind Ash and blinked at him through the screen.

Originally, it wanted to study how to counter Charizard inside the ball.

But a highly concentrated, almost palpable, quality resentment attracted it.

Seeing it today, it's indeed true!

Xiao Zhicheng didn't lie to me!

Just looking at that face makes it look sweet and delicious!

"Huh, Gengar?" Professor Oak forced himself to sit up straight. "Ash, is this your new Pokémon?"

"That's right, Professor! I'm a trainer with eight Pokémon now!"

Xiao Zhi straightened his chest.

"Eight...not bad, but you need to work harder," the professor took another sip of coffee. "Shigeru has already collected more than forty."

He gave his instructions.

"While quality is important, quantity is also important."

After all, a larger number of Pokémon often means a deeper tactical reserve.

This makes it less likely for opponents to target them.

"Understood, Doctor."

Xiao Zhi nodded and then got to the point.

"By the way, Doctor, I need to temporarily leave my Gengar with you."

"Send it."

The doctor didn't say much.

He put down the cup and began operating the instrument in front of him.

He said this casually as he pressed the button.

"Speaking of which, the point you made this morning about the long lifespan of monkeys was quite interesting and gave me some new ideas."

"Right, I just thought of it this morning too."

"Sigh... I wish Xiaomao was as quick-witted as you."

The doctor sighed.

What people fear most is comparison.

Compared to Ash, Gary is really not up to par.

However, there are advantages to not being able to present something impressive.

Take what Xiaozhi mentioned this morning, for example.

He was too embarrassed to ask Ash to catch a few monkey monsters for further observation.

He had already conveniently assigned this "errand-running" task to his grandson, who was currently gaining experience nearby.

"Oh, right, Doctor, there's something else I wanted to tell you."

Ash put Gengar back into its Poké Ball and placed it on the table, then rummaged through his backpack for a while.

Then he took out a stone that shimmered with a faint light.

"This is it!"

"A Mega Stone?" Professor Oak recognized the stone. "Ash, where did you get this?"

"It was given to me by an old man."

Xiao Zhi answered honestly.

Professor Oak: "?"

This thing isn't like cabbage, how can you just give it away like that?

Could it be... that Ash has also been targeted by someone?

The doctor immediately felt a sense of unease and his expression turned serious.

"Xiao Zhi, you didn't agree to any conditions, did you? You have to be careful with these kinds of things."

No, not at all.

"That's good, that's good..."

The doctor relaxed slightly, but his tone still carried a hint of caution.

"Xiao Zhi, there are no good people out there! They're all just after you..."

"If you want a Mega Stone, just tell me. I can give you anything that someone else gives you!"

"oh oh."

Xiao Zhi scratched his head and then said.

"Professor, I just want to ask, what kind of Pokémon's Mega Stone is this? I've been researching it for a long time but I still can't figure it out."

Professor Oak refocused his gaze on the stone, examining it carefully.

"The luster and texture are indeed quite special..."