Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

As if receiving some signal, the pincers suddenly detached from the body.

With the tender white crab meat still attached to the broken end, it was then held high and presented to her like a treasure.

"Tch~"

The sound and the movements speak for themselves.

The visitor was none other than the sociable, and especially fond of "treating people to meals" crab!

It stood firmly on the grass with its six legs, and waved its broken pincers.

The Pokémon tilted its head back, as if it were expecting something.

Lillie's pupils suddenly contracted.

For her, the mere thought of a Pokémon getting close to her was terrifying enough.

A Pokémon approached her carrying its own severed limb...

Let alone her, even for an ordinary trainer, that would be a scene that leaves a deep psychological scar!

"babble--!"

Before her voice could even fully escape, her body had already reacted before her brain could.

His footsteps pounded on the grass, then he suddenly turned around.

It immediately hid behind Ash.

Ash felt Lillie pressed against his back, and he could feel her rapid heartbeat even through her clothes.

Both hands gripped his left arm, their knuckles trembling.

Ash nodded secretly, sensing Lillie's unconsciously increasing grip.

That's quite a bit of force!

He's truly a promising talent for martial arts!

With that grip strength that bursts forth in a moment of crisis, he could easily make it into the top eight in an arm-wrestling tournament in Pallet Town!

"No, no, no, don't come any closer—"

Lillie cautiously peeked out, half her head hidden behind Ash's shoulder, with only one eye showing.

Her rapid breaths sprayed onto Xiaozhi's back, hot and labored.

Just by listening to her voice, you could feel that she was taut like a string about to snap.

The bewildered crab remained rooted to the spot, still holding its pincer high.

He glanced at Ash, then at the trembling golden head behind Ash.

After some thought, the giant crab was greatly alarmed.

what!

I was actually rejected!

Its foolproof methods of making friends have failed today!

There were even people who rejected my friend request despite my delicious crab claws!

Even Charizard never refused his request back then!

It suffered a heavy blow.

The giant pincer crab covers its face with its newly grown pincers and walks sideways.

The Pokémon seemed to have been drained of its soul.

He even forgot to retrieve his own crab claw, leaving it unattended in place.

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu tilted its head and looked at Krabby, then turned to look at Lillie, who was hiding behind Ash.

The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter—

Just as the mouse decided to make its move.

Ash raised his hand and pressed down on Pikachu's head, stopping it from any possible mischief.

Pikachu's ears drooped back immediately, and it let out a dissatisfied cry.

"Hmm...actually, the giant crab doesn't mean any harm."

Pikachu was ignored.

Ash turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Lillie behind him.

He spoke up for his own Pokémon.

"That's their custom; they like to give people their crab claws as gifts."

"Hug, sorry."

Although she didn't know why this custom existed, Lillie still peeked out and whispered something to the dejected Kingler Crab.

"I... I didn't actually mean that..."

"Tch!"

Upon hearing this, the giant crab immediately perked up.

Its eight legs came to a sudden stop, and its entire body made a sharp turn.

That's not what I meant. It means you want to be my friend!

It wasn't disappointed anymore, and without saying a word, it ran back, more than three times faster than when it left.

It raised its pincers high, ready to dismember more arms at any moment, and was about to detach a few more arms to entertain its new friend.

Seeing Lillie's face turn pale again, he was about to be stressed again.

At this critical moment.

Bulbasaur, a rare Pokémon among Ash's Pokémon that is a Spirit Beast, blocked Krabby.

He whispered a few words in her ear, which finally stopped her from doing so.

After Bulbasaur's words, Krabby glanced at Lillie with regret.

Its gaze held a kind of innocent loss.

I never expected that this new friend would be allergic to seafood.

Then it seems you won't be able to enjoy this delicacy. After all, this is the season when crabs are at their fattest, sweet and bouncy. Dipping them in soy sauce is simply divine... Oh well, never mind.

That's all for now, it's going to make new friends!

Distracted, Bulbasaur stopped Gengar, who was sneaking off to Charizard's side, from doing something underhanded.

Bulbasaur wiped the sweat from its forehead with its vine whip.

They're all problem children.

Being a captain like that is really not easy!

He turned and glanced at Lillie.

Lillie happened to be watching it too.

Bulbasaur blinked and gave what it thought was a very friendly smile.

"babble--!"

Sensing that it was getting too close, Lillie immediately changed position and hid on the other side of Ash.

Ash looked at Lillie beside him with a strange expression.

Mr. Mime is one thing, since it's normal to be startled when you suddenly get close to such a large Pokémon.

As for Pikachu... well, it's an electric mouse, a mouse after all.

It's not uncommon for people to be afraid of mice; after all, there are even people who are afraid of caterpillars, so it's not unusual.

Giant claw crab...

I glanced at the large crab that was playing with removing its own claws.

Well, that's not entirely incomprehensible, but Bulbasaur shouldn't be like that, right?

What a wonderful Pokémon!

He has an honest appearance, a gentle temperament, and walks with a steady gait; he shouldn't be frightening at all.

If you have questions, you should seek answers.

Ash placed his hand on Lillie's shoulder, gently straightening her posture, and then looked directly into her eyes.

Can I ask you a more direct question?

"Eh?"

Lillie was taken aback at first, then avoided Ash's direct gaze.

Her gaze darted around frantically, finally settling on the small shadow she had cast on the grass.

"Yes, yes, you can!"

Her voice was very soft, as if she had mustered all her courage to speak it.

Xiao Zhi nodded.

His expression turned serious, no longer as casual as before.

"you........"

"...Are you afraid of Pokémon?"

The question was asked very directly, without any beating around the bush.

Lillie's expression froze instantly.

Although I was mentally prepared, this is still a bit too direct.

She had expected a few more words of foreshadowing or some subtle probing.