Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

Soon, a sum of money was transferred out of Xiaozhi's account.

"Xiao Zhi, you..."

Misty was stunned when she saw the shimmering Water Stone in Ash's hand, and then her eyes slowly widened.

Then, she seemed to realize something, her cheeks gradually flushed, her eyes became a little moist, and her voice choked up involuntarily.

She covered her mouth, looked at Xiaozhi in disbelief, gently patted his arm, and her voice softened considerably.

"Hmm, I misunderstood you. I thought your emotional intelligence was only high when it came to Pokémon..." She lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting together. "I didn't expect you to have grown up so much, becoming so thoughtful..."

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she blushed and took the Water Stone from Ash's hand.

"Thank you for buying me the Water Stone!" Her voice trailed off. "I...I'll definitely pay you back someday!"

Looking at Misty's flushed face and sparkling eyes, not only was Ash full of questions, but Pikachu was also completely baffled.

What kind of emotional intelligence is that? What did they buy for you?

Puxin, you're really going to fall for me!

I bought this to give to the starfish!

"What am I doing...?"

Just as he was about to speak up to defend himself, his trouser leg was gently tugged. Looking down, he saw the starfish that had somehow gotten close to him again.

It pounded its chest with its tentacles, making a loud thumping sound.

[Ignore her, bro!]

I understand! I understand everything!

Ash nodded knowingly and bent down to grasp its tentacle.

Brothers!

I don't care what others say!

As long as you understand me, that's enough!

Stall owner: "......"

You still dare to say this isn't your Pokémon?!

This chemistry, this interaction—who would believe it's not your Pokémon!

......

"By the way, sir." After the commotion cleared up the misunderstanding, Ash seemed to remember something and asked, "Which direction is the Pewter City Gym in?"

Ash asks about the location of Pewter City Gym.

The black man was taken aback, and his squinty eyes widened slightly.

"Are you two here to challenge the Pewter Gym?"

"Yes! Uncle, do you know the way?"

Ash immediately perked up, and even Pikachu on his shoulder perked up its ears.

"Of course, I, Wu Neng, am considered one of the elders here, no matter what." The squinty-eyed, dark-skinned uncle stood up with a smile. "I'm about to close up shop anyway, let me take you there."

"Closing up?"

Xia, who had previously made a big mess of her face, subconsciously looked at the sky.

It's not even noon yet.

"Is working in Nibi City always this easy?"

She couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Wu Neng didn't explain and quickly started packing up his stall.

Leading the two westward, Wu Neng was indeed a talkative person.

From the properties of rocks to the formation of mineral veins, from evolution stones to Mega Stones, Ash quickly realized that this seemingly ordinary uncle was indeed exceptionally knowledgeable.

"Uncle, you really know a lot. You even know about mega stones."

This thing is nothing special in the Carlos region, but not many people in the remote Kanto region know about it.

Even if they know, they only know the basics, unlike Wu Neng, who knows that Mega Stones need to be used in conjunction with Pokémon.

"Of course, it's a pity. I've never found one in Pewter City. Speaking of which... I was a very strong trainer back in the day."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi's curiosity grew even stronger.

"Hey? Why are you selling stones here now, sir?"

Wu Neng's smile froze for a moment.

Then it turned into a long sigh, and his gaze went into the distance, full of a sense of story.

"Sigh...it's a long story."

His voice lowered, carrying a hint of vicissitude.

"Then let's get straight to the point!"

Misty still harbors resentment towards this person for slandering Staryu, claiming it wasn't her Pokémon.

Wu Neng choked.

But he quickly composed himself and continued speaking in that nostalgic tone.

"Back then, I was about your age. I had just debuted and made it to the top eight at the Quartz Conference!"

"Eight-way"

Xiao Zhi was somewhat amazed.

Each region has many gyms. You can obtain badges by defeating the gym leader or gaining their approval.

Only after collecting all eight badges can one qualify to participate in the Pokémon League Tournament of their region!

The top eight in the tournament were already considered the very best in the Kanto region during his year.

Of course, winning the championship is not the end.

Once you win a league championship, you can challenge the Elite Four member of that Pokémon League!

The capable rise, the mediocre fall!

If you defeat all four Heavenly Kings, you can be called the league champion and truly stand at the top of a region!

Of course, this is assuming there is no champion in the Kanto region. If there were a champion, then the champion would need to be challenged.

"Top 8? That's impressive! What happened next?"

Xiaoxia could hardly believe that this dark-skinned man was an elite trainer.

"Back then, I was full of vigor and thought this was just the beginning of my legendary career..."

Wu Neng shook his head, his tone bitter.

"I never imagined that would be the peak of my career..."

He was lost in memories.

"I was unconvinced at the time, thinking that there were too many masters in the Kanto region. So I started to look at other regions, hone my skills, and learn from their strengths."

"My first stop was Hoenn, and I could definitely feel my strength improving, but the result... sigh, I stopped at the top 16 in the tournament."

"The trainers in our Kanto region are quite strong, aren't they? Besides, aren't you even stronger now? How come your ranking is still low in Hoenn?"

Xiaoxia asked in confusion.

You know, the trainers in Kanto are famous for their fighting skills!

Wu Neng said quietly.

"Because the winner of that competition was Daigo... My opponent in the round of 16 was Daigo, Zuvchi Daigo."

Xiao Zhi: "..."

Xiaoxia: "..."

The two fell silent instantly.

Zifuqi·Dawu.

He is now the current champion of Hoenn, the young master of Devon Corporation, the rock maniac, the Diancie bounty hunter, and many other titles.

But one thing remains unchanged: its strength is like that of a monster.

If you encounter him in a match, you can only consider yourself unlucky.

"Well... it's alright now."

Xiaoxia said dryly.

Wu Neng sighed and continued.

"I thought it was just bad luck, and then I went to the Sinnoh region to compete, but this time it was even worse, and I was eliminated in the top 32."

Xiaoxia had a bad feeling.

"Could it be..."

Wu Neng nodded heavily, his voice trembling slightly.

"That's right, my opponent at the time was Cynthia."

Another heavyweight regional champion!

The one who has difficulty making choices, the Garchomp who singles out the enemy, the most annoying champion in the team, the Valkyrie of the Sinnoh region, is also an existence with overwhelming strength!

Ash and Misty synchronized again, revealing expressions of utter helplessness.

"But I don't believe in superstition!"

Wu Neng's tone became agitated.

"I went to Unova, Carlos, Alola... but my best result was only the round of 16, and I got nothing."

His voice gradually faded, carrying a final trace of resentment.