Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

The cross-bat floated motionless in the middle of the pool, its two eyes resembling mosquito coils.

The referee wiped the water off his face without expression.

That's why he hates going to work!

232. Five years! Do you know how I've spent these past five years?

"Crobat is unable to battle; Kingler Crab wins!"

It was just a little storm; as a mature adult, the referee had long since learned to swallow his embarrassment.

Adjusting his mindset, skillfully wiping the last drop of water from his face, he raised his right hand without changing his expression and announced loudly.

"All three of the fighter's Pokémon have lost their ability to battle."

"Therefore, the winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in chaos.

"A three-man squad! Holy crap, is that a three-man squad?!"

"And it evolves during battle!"

This is the kind of treatment a male protagonist in a novel gets!

"My God, that's incredible!"

The discussion in the audience grew louder and louder.

After all, this is a competition of the caliber of Quartz Convention, and the participants are all top performers from their respective regions.

Let alone a three-in-a-row.

Even just being able to cleanly and decisively exchange one for two is enough to brag about for a while.

Not to mention the boy named Xiaozhi today, who ultimately secured victory through evolution.

The imagery was so vivid that it will stay with the audience for years to come.

"I didn't expect the King Kong Crab to be so fierce... By the way, do any of you know where there are King Kong Crabs?"

"I remember there are quite a few beaches near the lighthouse in Kuroba City. I've seen them before when I passed by. You can find them by searching through the crevices of the rocks in the intertidal zone."

"Is that so?! Then it seems I have no choice but to take action!"

A corner of the audience seats.

Kona pulled the notebook that was resting on her lap closer to her chest.

She held the pen and made sure to bold Xiaozhi's name in her notebook.

To be honest, based on her years of training and experience, this match was still lacking in skill.

But to play like this at this age is already very impressive.

Moreover, she had an intuition that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

It's like how you felt he was a troublemaker the moment you met Yulongdu.

Her intuition told her that Ash probably hadn't been forced to use his full strength yet.

If that's really the case... then I've really struck gold this time.

Just thinking about how she had outshone Ash and how the other three looked on in shock made Lorelei clench her teeth, and a smile just kept creeping onto her face.

No!

Hold it in, you can't laugh!

You can't laugh yet!

Forcing a smile, Kona silently reminded herself.

Opening champagne at halftime is a major taboo in the Kanto region!

Only by completely making Ash "her own person" and leaving her mark on his trainer resume can she rightfully show it off!

........

Center of the field.

Ash rushed off the command platform after the match and scooped up Kingler.

"Are you alright, Kingler Crab?"

"Cough..."

The giant crab's voice was somewhat weak, and its pincers lifted slightly before falling back down.

Although evolution brings about a complete transformation, it doesn't automatically update one's state along with it.

Just now, with that attack.

It almost drained every last bit of its strength.

Right now, every joint on the giant crab's body is protesting.

"Pikachu!"

"Pickup!"

Pikachu, who had joined the other three, immediately pulled a light blue spray bottle from Ash's backpack without saying a word.

It held it up with two little paws and presented it to Ash.

"Thanks, Pikachu."

Ash took the spray and sprayed Kingler with it.

The medicine transformed into fine blue mist droplets that seeped into the crevices of the carapace.

The giant crab's body, which was originally covered in a dark purple hue, faded at a visible speed, and even its breathing became much smoother.

"now what?"

"Cool cough~"

The giant crab waved its pincers, indicating that it felt much better.

Xiao Gang crouched down and carefully examined the color of the carapace's edges, then nodded in approval.

It's no wonder it's Xiaoxia's custom-made antidote.

Industry specializing in surgery.

This medicine is incredibly potent!

After quickly treating the injuries, the three offered their congratulations.

"Congratulations, Ash!", "Congratulations!", "You played really well."

Xiao Zhi scratched the back of his head and smiled a little embarrassedly.

"It was mainly thanks to the Kingler Crab; it withstood so many attacks and kept going. When I yelled at it during the last attack, it was already almost unable to stand..."

As he spoke, he glanced down at the giant crab that Lillie was feeding remotely with a twig she'd somehow found.

"......."

"Alright, let's not just stand here."

"Let's go to the Pokémon Center first."

"King Crab just evolved, I need to have Miss Joy give it a thorough check-up to make sure there aren't any lasting side effects."

"rational!"

Upon hearing the keywords, Xiao Gang's expression immediately turned serious.

"Then what are we waiting for!"

.......

Return the Kingler to its Poké Ball.

The group said goodbye to the referee who had given them a bottle of antidote, and quickly left the water arena.

Before I had gone far, I heard a hurried call from behind.

"Ah Ho... no! Ash! You stop right there!"

Several people turned around at the same time.

Then, Duo Wu came chasing after them menacingly.

"Hmm?" Xiao Zhi blinked. "It's Brother Duowu! What's up?"

Duowu was holding his breath, wanting to ask, "Why didn't you even shake my hand after the match?"

After all, the loser takes the initiative to extend their hand, while the winner shakes it in return.

The situation was acceptable, with steps back from both sides, which is a customary courtesy at the Quartz Convention.

People from the Northeast, they just love noodles.

Not shaking hands is a sign of disrespect!

He was just about to roll up his sleeves and have a friendly offline sparring match with Xiaozhi, a game with a distinctly Kanto flavor.

As a result, the phrase "Brother Duowu" came crashing down on his face, effectively silencing the words he was about to utter.

...Huh? Bro?

Me, me?

Duo Wu paused for a moment, his hand that was rolling up his sleeves unconsciously loosened, and his anger subsided by seven-tenths.

He's from the Kanto region, he just loves noodles!

Since they've addressed me so politely as "brother," it would be rather unpleasant to dwell on that little unpleasantness from before.

As for why I didn't shake his hand earlier...

Dowu quickly found an excuse for Xiaozhi.

Young people are often in a rush and it's normal for them to forget things!