Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

The gym leader's task is to assess, not to punish. As long as the challenger can demonstrate enough strengths, most gym leaders will go easy on them.

Moreover, it is virtually impossible for a novice trainer to defeat a Gym Leader at full power.

Moreover, Onix is ​​Brock's ace Pokémon.

"So he really is your son... I guessed it."

Xiaoxia nodded, crossed her arms, and scanned Wu Neng's dark skin and squinty eyes, since they were basically cut from the same mold.

Ash and Pikachu, their mouths dry from arguing, exchanged a glance, tacitly seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.

"Since you've put it that way, then it's your fault."

"Pikachu".

Pikachu, holding its little paws, nodded vigorously in agreement.

"No, no, wait!"

Wu Neng had already prepared his next words, and even thought about how to take the blame himself to make the young man feel better.

But this sudden attempt to shift the blame caught him off guard, leaving him speechless for a moment.

No, according to common sense, shouldn't everyone be considerate of each other at this time, comfort each other, and finally let the matter pass peacefully?

That wretched brat!

"So, Ash, what are you going to do next?"

Xiaoxia tidied up the situation at the right moment, bringing the topic back on track.

She glanced at the starfish, whose face was full of expectation and whose jewels were constantly sparkling, and immediately felt a surge of anger.

"How dare you turn your back on me!"

"If you dare to turn your back on me today, will you dare to betray Guandong tomorrow? Come back here!"

I made up some excuse and put the starfish away.

After calming herself down, she spoke to Xiaozhi.

"How about you consider my suggestion?"

However, Xiaozhi firmly shook his head and refused Xiaoxia's kind offer.

"No! This is between me and Pikachu, and I will win by relying on my own strength and Pikachu's!"

His eyes were incredibly serious.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu clenched its little paws.

"So, Pikachu, let's train hard! Before the next battle, we must become stronger! Strong enough to defeat that Onix head-on!"

As Wu Neng listened to this spirited declaration and looked at the flames burning in the eyes of the man and the rat, he seemed to see his younger self in them, and for a moment he was in a daze.

He interjected.

"If it's just special training, Ash, I do know a method that might be able to help you."

......

"So... Xiaogang was your son before you went on your travels?"

As Wu Neng led the way, the group chatted idly.

Wu Neng gave a soft "hmm".

“To be precise, he is my eldest son.” He paused, “He has… quite a few younger brothers and sisters.”

“I’ve been out there making my own way all these years, and I rarely come back. Plus, their mother…” He stopped there, as if touching on some unspeakable past, which turned into a barely audible sigh, “In short, it’s normal for him to hate me.”

"Scumbag!"

Xiaoxia immediately gave her a look that was undisguised and full of disdain.

"A good man's ambition lies in all corners of the world! This is a tradition of our old Northeast!" Wu Neng blushed. "Besides, I send them a lot of money every month, so they haven't lacked anything in terms of food and clothing!"

Ash rested his hands behind his head, gazing at the clouds drifting across the sky, and replied in a calm tone.

“My dad is the same way; he doesn’t come back for several years at a time.”

Not only in the Kanto region, but in all regions, lonely young women and young husbands are abundant resources.

Of course, unless one side is exceptionally strong and defeats the other side to the point that they dare not go out anymore, trainers are all individuals who can't stay idle.

It's not uncommon for couples to leave their children behind and go on trips together.

"right!"

Wu Neng raised his voice a few decibels, then, as if remembering something, he turned to Xiao Zhi and asked tentatively.

"So... what would you do if your father suddenly came back?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi began to seriously consider it. He stroked his chin, as if weighing something.

"Hmm..."

He hesitated for a moment, then answered in a serious tone.

"Maybe we should punch him a few times to vent our anger, then send him to take the civil service exam so he won't run around anymore?"

After saying that, he seemed to remember something, carefully considered his mother Hanako's combat strength, then shook his head and revised his plan.

"Wait, if my mother is here... I think I'll skip the beating and just send her to take the civil service exam."

After all, he felt that when it came to boxing, it was questionable whether his elderly father could even survive against Hanako.

I doubt it will be my turn yet.

"Aunt Hanako is so kind..."

"The image of that lady with the warm smile always came to mind," Xiaoxia said.

Wu Neng also let out a long sigh and looked at Xiao Zhi with a complicated expression.

Instead of releasing Pokémon to attack, he thought he could at most throw a few punches himself, and even gave up because of his mother...

Xiao Zhi is really a down-to-earth person.

......

On the outskirts of Nibi, the air gradually becomes humid as you follow a path half-covered by weeds.

Led by Wu Neng, the three arrived at an old wooden house located on the banks of a rushing river.

The wooden house looked quite old; the wooden walls were weathered and had taken on a deep grayish-brown hue.

Behind the cabin, a river, though not wide, rushes down with an exceptionally rapid current, crashing against the jagged rocks to form a small waterfall with a considerable drop. The deafening roar of the water is deafening, and the spray refracts into tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

"We've arrived. This is the place."

Wu Neng pushed open the creaking wooden door.

The room was empty except for a huge steel waterwheel connected to the external water flow, which occupied almost half of the room.

The waterwheel's blades were clean and free of rust, and its main structure was quite sturdy. However, it turned slowly under the impact of the water flow, making a "creaking" sound.

"Oh~"

Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up instantly. He quickly walked to the waterwheel, circled it, and carefully examined each part.

"The force of the waterfall's flow propels this large waterwheel to rotate, which in turn cuts magnetic field lines, thereby generating an electric current..."

He observed and muttered to himself, then suddenly clapped his hands in realization.

"This is a power plant!"

Wu Neng glanced at Xiao Zhi in surprise.

Surprisingly, this seemingly reckless and unconventional young man actually knows these things.

"This is indeed a power plant. It's been over twenty years, and it hasn't changed much..."

Wu Neng reached out and gently stroked the dusty control panel next to him, a look of emotion in his eyes.

"A power plant? Is it alright for us to come here?"

Xiaoxia looked around and asked with some concern.

In her mind, such critical facilities related to the city's energy supply are usually in strictly managed areas.

“It’s alright. Nibi City has developed over the years, and hydropower can no longer keep up with people’s ever-increasing energy consumption.”

"Withdraw your hand," Wu Neng explained.

"I heard that a few years ago, the power plant introduced several giant coal mountains and converted to more efficient thermal power generation, so there are basically no people here anymore, and it's practically abandoned."

He pointed to the waterwheel that was still turning.

"However, although the power generation is not much, it still maintains a small output of electricity, which can be regarded as a memento for us old guys."

“Giant Coal Mine, thermal power generation, huh?” Ash stroked his chin, seriously considering the plan. “Using the characteristics of Pokémon to optimize the energy structure is a good idea, not bad at all.”

Wu Neng looked at the waterwheel.

This is actually the method he was referring to.

The main theory is to view Pikachu as a biological battery that needs to be recharged.

The electricity generated by this device was then used to artificially recharge Pikachu.

Although it is somewhat dangerous, the entry of electrical energy into the body can theoretically greatly stimulate its potential in a short period of time, increasing the power of its electric-type moves and its energy storage limit.

Of course, whether he can beat Xiao Gang later remains to be seen.

Electric-type fighting Ground-type? Well, that's just wishful thinking... After all, he was talking about a special training method, not a way to defeat Xiao Gang.

"Power generation, rotation, water flow..."

Looking at the slowly turning waterwheel, before Wu Neng could even explain, Xiao Zhi suddenly shuddered.

"I see, I get it now!"

"Hmm? You understand? That's good..."

Wu Neng nodded approvingly.