Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

Xiao Zhi pushed his hat up, revealing his entire face, his eyes filled with seriousness.

"It's a battle! A battle!"

"Gym Leader Sakaki looks like a really strong guy. If I don't fight him, then I've come all this way for nothing!"

"I see..." Xiao Gang nodded understandingly. "Then I support you."

After all, he's Ash Ketchum, so it's normal for him to think this way.

Having received a vote, Ash looked at Misty beside him.

Xiaoxia sighed and spread her hands.

"Alright, alright, I'll support you then!"

"But don't play too badly. You've earned your badge before."

"Do not worry!"

Xiao Zhi confidently gave a thumbs up.

"In that case... let's find somewhere to get something to eat first? My stomach is growling."

“I know a good restaurant around here. I passed by it when I came to Changqing City last time. It was very popular. There should still be seats available at this time.”

Before Xiaoxia could finish speaking, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the horizon.

"Ok?"

Xiao Zhi suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Having just gone through a fierce battle, his body still retained the tension of the previous fight. His shoulders shrugged involuntarily as he looked up in the direction of the sound.

Seeing this, Xiaogang and Xiaoxia also looked up at the same time.

As dusk deepened in the sky, a shadow rapidly grew larger.

"Again?!"

The two of them shuddered and instinctively moved closer to Ash.

Ash clenched his fists at first, but with his amazing eyesight, he immediately relaxed after seeing who it was.

"It's nothing, it's not that Pokémon." He waved his hand. "It's someone I know."

"acquaintance?"

Before Xiaoxia could react, the figure in the sky had already swooped down.

Swish-!

A sudden gust of wind swept in, stirring up dust from the ground and forcing all three to squint.

An extremely large, orange Pokémon flew low overhead.

It quickly approached Ash and suddenly slowed down at a height of about three or four meters above the ground.

The pair of disproportionately small wings spread out backward like a speed bump, and then landed steadily on the ground five steps away with a lightness that was completely out of character for its bulky body.

Dust flew everywhere, but the sound of it landing was surprisingly soft.

That was a Dragonite.

And it was a Dragonite with one person with it.

The person riding on its back flipped and landed with a swift and clean movement, their red cloak fluttering in the wind.

He was tall and slender with a cold and stern face. His dark hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

The visitor was undoubtedly the one who came.

It is none other than the Dragon King, the Dragon-Riding Crossing!

Lance's young face was expressionless, his gaze fixed on Ash from the moment he landed.

"Small--"

He reached out his hand, about to speak.

The words were left unsaid.

The Dragonite next to him immediately used Extreme Speed, taking the lead and leaping past Lance to arrive in front of Ash.

boom!

They collided squarely.

Ash winced slightly after taking that hit.

Looking down, he saw Dragonite nuzzling its round head against his chest.

"Hahaha, Dragonite! It's been so long!"

Ash laughed and put his arm around Dragonite's neck.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

Pikachu jumped off the shoulder and patted Dragonite as a greeting.

Dragonite's eyes narrowed into slits with delight, then it turned its head and glanced in Lance's direction.

Little Ferry.

Don't walk so far forward next time.

You need to understand our respective positions.

Watari: "..."

Seeing the Heavenly King was no different. Xiaoxia tried hard to hold back her laughter, her cheeks puffing out, but in the end she couldn't help it and turned her face away with a pout.

Xiao Gang was more composed; he just twitched his lips twice and pretended to cough.

Ash was the first to realize what was happening when he saw Lance still holding out his hand.

Breaking free from Dragonite's enthusiastic embrace, he strode forward and grabbed Lance's hand, which was still hanging in mid-air.

"Hey bro! What are you doing here?!"

Watari's lips moved slightly.

It seemed like he was about to say something, but then he paused.

His mind raced, several thoughts swirling in his head.

For example, “The League sent me to investigate the case,” “That mysterious Pokémon,” and “Bright’s request.”

But as these words reached his lips, they were filtered through his language system again and again, eventually condensing into two short words.

"...Just passing by."

Xiao Gang: "......"

Xiaoxia: "......"

As expected, Du Tianwang still uses this martial arts bear-like language system!

Simple, efficient, and completely baffling.

The two turned their heads simultaneously to look at Dragonite, who was acting as the "translator," and waited for it to translate.

But Dragonite turned its head away and refused to translate.

His face was full of displeasure.

Lance looked at the temperamental Dragonite with a sense of helplessness.

It's just that I made you come back a few days early last time, then made you write reports for several days, and finally made five, six, seven or eight presentations.

Surely you're not that angry now?

Ash saw Brock and Misty turn to look at him again, blinked, and tried to establish a link with Lance.

He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh! Brother Watari, you mean—you just happened to be passing by because of the Alliance, and you just happened to see us and came over to say hello, right?"

"Correct."

Yu Longdu nodded, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"They're not up to the task of the Evergreen Dojo."

"Oh, is that so!"

Xiao Zhi, who had already successfully connected, nodded.

"Because that mysterious Pokémon that destroyed the gym was too strong, Officer Jenny and the others couldn't handle it on their own, so they brought you here, Lance, to look for clues."

Yu Longdu nodded again.

That's how it is to be the league's top enforcer; you take whatever is useful to you.

This incident was particularly egregious, as someone actually attacked the League's exemplary Gym Leader, and even impersonated Giovanni to assault challengers within the gym.

This is no longer a simple dispute, but a serious public safety incident!

Therefore, the alliance decided to strike hard and send out this destructive dragon of the alliance!

"Have you found the Heavenly King of Crossing?"

Xiaoxia curiously peeked out and asked.

She was also a little curious about who was more skilled between the two.

Yu Longdu nodded and then shook his head.

"?"

Did they find it or not?

Xia looked completely bewildered.

"It's nearby, but I just can't find it..."

Xiao Zhi stroked his chin, indicating his understanding.

Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia both widened their eyes at the same time... and were both startled.