Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

The western clouds were burned to an orange-red by the setting sun, with a golden edge around them.

"Then we'll be going now, Doctor!"

Ash turned around and waved to Professor Oak at the door.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!"

Pikachu perched on his shoulder, raising one of its little paws.

With Ash's help, Professor Oak, looking satisfied after taking a sample from Charizard, stood on the steps of the research institute.

He nodded, his smile lines deepening slightly.

"Be careful on the road, and remember to prepare well before the Quartz Conference."

"Okay, okay." Ash waved his hand. "Professor, you can go back now."

Goodbye, Professor Oak.

"We'll be going now, thank you for your hospitality."

Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia also spoke up.

......

After having dinner at Xiaozhi's house, I rested for another day.

The three then parted ways for the time being.

Ash spent some time training in Viridian Forest before heading to the Indigo League, further improving his Pokémon's strength.

Misty, feeling ashamed but determined to improve, is going back to Cerulean City to reorganize the gym.

Xiao Gang also wanted to go back to Nibi City to see how his younger siblings were doing. He even packed several portions of rice balls made by Xiao Zhi's mother so they could try them too.

The three agreed to meet again a week before the start of the tournament at the Quartz Plateau athletes' village.

Ash originally intended to go to Viridian City to train with Giovanni.

But before he even left the house the next day, Hanako handed Ash a gossip newspaper.

The front page featured a large photograph in the background of an evergreen forest, with the ground marked by tears and explosions, and several police cars parked on the side of the road. Officer Jenny looked serious in the photo.

The title is in bold, large font:

[A mysterious Pokémon reappears at the Viridian Gym!]

Gym Leader Giovanni heroically sacrificed himself to protect a passing Trainer!

Ash's eyes widened immediately.

Skimming through the article, the report said that Giovanni encountered an accident yesterday while tracking the mysterious Pokémon that had destroyed the gym.

According to a passing trainer, Giovanni and Giovanni were originally evenly matched in their battles.

However, for some reason, that Pokémon suddenly emitted a blinding white light during the battle, and its entire body seemed to be rebuilt, unleashing unprecedented power.

In the words of an eyewitness: "It's like unlocking a completely new form. The aura has completely changed. Just standing there, you can feel how terrifyingly strong it is!"

Giovanni was protecting the trainers who were livestreaming their wilderness survival skills.

He was accidentally injured by that Pokémon's attack and has been sent to the hospital for treatment.

The Pokémon that injured Giovanni fled quickly and its whereabouts remain unknown.

Xiao Zhi was somewhat shocked after reading the gossip news.

They're all so powerful beings, yet they still have room to evolve!?

I shouldn't have let it go last time!

After greeting Hanako, Ash visited Giovanni at the hospital and then began his training in Viridian Forest.

After all, he's not some kind of demon; he wouldn't do something like bullying a patient.

......

Upon arriving at Evergreen Forest, with the help of Beedrill and Finch, Ash quickly cleared a space to train.

Here, there's no need to worry about food. Every now and then, Beedrill and Finch will bring some berries for Ash and his Pokémon.

Ash, of course, wouldn't take advantage of a free meal.

Bulbasaur, with its exceptional talent in this area, went to help care for the fruit trees.

In his spare time, Ash can even give guidance to Pokémon during their training.

Half a month passed quietly.

It can be said that the Pokémon made progress in their training in their own way, but what surprised Ash the most was Krabby.

Don't let his quiet demeanor fool you; all he does is send crab claws to curry favor.

I never expected that the past two weeks in Evergreen Forest would be like having a cheat code.

It has mastered the art of using the Crab Claw Hammer move in countless ways.

Combined with its unique features, its various operations left Xiao Zhi speechless.

As for training for Mega Evolution...

That means things didn't go so smoothly.

Although Ash and Charizard try several times a day, they have indeed made progress and have been able to successfully evolve.

However, each evolution can only last for a maximum of three minutes.

Not one second more, one second less.

After three minutes, Charizard will be knocked back to its original state, and Ash himself will feel a noticeable fatigue.

I don't know exactly what went wrong.

.......

"Those trainers in the Kalos region are really amazing!"

Having completed his daily training routine, Xiao Zhi raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, his chest rising and falling gently with his light breathing.

He looked up at the distant blue sky, and his heart was filled with respect for the trainers in the Carlos region once again.

To be able to maintain Mega Evolution for an entire battle... I really don't know how terrifying they are!

"Roar!"

Charizard stood beside him and nodded emphatically.

A low murmur of agreement escaped his throat, his eyes also gleaming with admiration.

It thought that Ash was already invincible.

I never imagined there would be people more capable than you!

Xiao Zhi clenched his fist and made a silent vow.

If he encounters a trainer from there in the future, he will definitely go all out and strike hard, and he must not let his guard down!

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu picked up a round berry from the grass and held it out to Ash with its little paw.

"Oh, thank you! Pikachu!"

Ash looked down, took the fruit, and casually rubbed it on Pikachu's fluffy head a couple of times to wipe off the peel, before taking a big bite.

The sweet juice bursts in your mouth, and the feeling of fullness quickly replenishes your lost energy.

Just as he was about to block the protesting Pikachu with one hand.

"Bari! Bali!"

Ash caught a glimpse of a familiar figure being ridden over by Beedrill and Finch.

A pink body, a clown-like appearance.

It's the Mr. Mime!

"Mr. Mime?" Ash stopped what he was doing, somewhat surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Mr. Mime doesn't usually come to him during work hours.

After all, with the Great Demon King Hanako at home, it wouldn't dare to wander around recklessly even if it had a hundred lives.

Two bee-like bees and a large-billed finch exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise.

Does this sneaky Pokémon actually know Ash?

They thought the other side was bragging.

They exchanged a glance, then put it down.

To help it forget the unpleasantness of the journey, they even thoughtfully stuffed a tree fruit into its arms.

Thanks to Bulbasaur's help during this period, the fruit tree grew incredibly lush, and the fruit on the tree was nothing special.

"Bari!"

The fake Mr. Mime, disguised as Zhiwei, shouted at those around him to leave.

Then he walked up to Ash and started gesturing wildly.

"Bari! Bali!"

It first pointed in the direction of home, then gestured a human shape, and then made a "nervous" expression.

You mean... someone came looking for me?

Xiao Zhi was taken aback.

"Still a nervous person?"

The Mr. Mime nodded vigorously, then added another gesture.

It gestured with its finger above its head, probably indicating the person's height, and then made a gesture of "holding something".

"Still carrying something? Hmm..."

Ash swallowed the last berry, frowned, and tried to recall carefully, but he couldn't remember knowing such a person.