Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

"Say yes! Say yes!"

Ash opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again—

"...That's fine."

He sighed and scratched the back of his head helplessly.

"But we've agreed, let's stop here, don't take it too seriously!"

249. Let me see where your limits are!

After saying goodbye to Makoto and Benjiras, the four of them turned into a lively alleyway along the stone-paved road.

I found a restaurant I frequent and started to solve the problem of dinner for the day.

The boss was a burly man. When he saw Xiao Zhi enter, he immediately greeted him with a smile and was extremely enthusiastic.

It's not just about being busy serving food.

Even after the four of them finished eating, they kept asking Xiaozhi if he was full. If he wasn't, they would personally cook more for him.

"I'm full, really full." Xiao Zhi smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "Boss, your portions are really generous!"

"Pickup!"

Pikachu patted its round belly, looking quite content.

"Hahaha, that's normal, we only use a normal amount at home!"

The boss chuckled, his wrinkles deepening around his eyes.

However, when Xiaozhi first arrived a few days ago, the boss wasn't this enthusiastic.

Especially when Xiao Zhi sat down for the first time and ordered ten dishes in one go, the owner looked at him with disdain.

After all, as a perk of the Quartz Convention, participants generally don't have to pay for meals during the convention.

Although he didn't say anything, he clearly regarded Xiaozhi as the kind of player who would take advantage of any free opportunity to the fullest.

The first two dishes were served, but the owner watched coldly.

It wasn't until the fifth dish was finished that the owner leaned against the counter, his expression softening slightly, and the disdain at the corner of his mouth lessened a bit.

When the seventh dish was completely finished.

The owner had already quietly come out of the kitchen and personally carried the eighth plate to the table.

When only the soup base remained of the ninth dish, the owner stood by the table, his eyes glued to it.

After all, as a native of Northeast China, the traditional concept is to eat well!

Being able to eat is a blessing!

When all ten dishes were completely cleaned and the plates were sparkling clean, the owner was filled with admiration.

Only one sentence can express his feelings at that time: "Brave warrior, can you drink again?"

........

After eating and drinking my fill, I studied King Connor's notes and rested for another night.

The next day.

As soon as it was dawn, Xiao Zhi got up and started his morning exercise as usual.

With a strong foundation and rapid progress, Lillie did more than a dozen sets of push-ups and stretches.

I ate breakfast again.

Ash then began his daily Pokémon lessons.

Seeing that it was almost time, after giving Charizard a good talking-to, I caught Mr. Gang, who was volunteering to help organize the materials at the Pokémon Center.

Finally, we spotted Xia, who had just gotten up groggily under the bright sun, back in the athletes' village.

The four people gathered together and headed towards the grass field.

Before we even got close, the sound waves were already overwhelming and filled our ears.

When the group finally stepped onto the perimeter of the venue, they found that the stands, which had seemed quite spacious the time before, were now packed with people.

Even the steps of the walkway were filled with trainers and spectators who were eagerly waiting, holding up all sorts of support signs and flags.

"There are so many people today..."

Lillie subconsciously moved closer to Ash, her voice unconsciously lowering a few decibels.

She has always been a little socially anxious and feels uncomfortable when there are many people around.

"Ha~ Ah~"

Xiaoxia, standing to the side, let out another long yawn, pointed vaguely toward the stands with the half-eaten piece of bread in her hand, her tone carrying a hint of languidness that she had expected this all along.

"What's so surprising? Today is the last day of the preliminaries."

"Those who rely on luck or lack skill have been mostly eliminated."

"Who among those remaining standing on this spot isn't a tough nut to crack? The audience isn't stupid; of course they chose this time to join in the fun and watch the show."

As soon as she finished speaking, a loud and impassioned male voice suddenly rang out over the loudspeaker.

"The winner—the winner is Xiao Shigeru!"

"Congratulations, Xiao Mao! You have completed all four preliminary rounds and officially qualified for the main tournament of this year's competition!"

Upon hearing this, the four of them looked up at the field.

In the center of the field, the blond-haired boy, whom we hadn't seen for days, was wearing a purple jacket and had his head held high, his hands in his pockets, with an air of arrogance that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"No, no!"

"Your strength is completely inadequate!"

Xiao Mao tilted his head, shaking his index finger as he gestured and nodding at the burly player opposite him.

"You couldn't even defeat one of my Pokémon... Tsk tsk, it's really hard to believe we're standing in the same tournament!"

The burly player opposite him blushed immediately.

The veins on his forehead throbbed, and his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked.

What does it mean that not a single Pokémon was defeated?

You make it sound like you beat me three times in one go! Don't you know how many Pokémon you switched between in the middle?

Putting everything else aside, the way you played with that Umbreon with Moonlight, Toxic, Protect, and Black Gaze was so dirty... No wonder there are people secretly offering a bounty for you to "teach" a lesson!

Under the stimulation of Xiao Mao's sincere words, the burly contestant's blood was boiling.

A fierce offline battle is about to begin.

Blastoise quickly popped out from behind, covered Xiao Mao's mic with its arm, then bowed apologetically to the opposing player and dragged Xiao Mao off the field.

After being dragged out of the area, Shigeru finally broke free from Blastoise's grip.

He straightened his torn coat, a lingering sense of regret still visible on his face.

"Blastoise, why are you dragging me? Dragging me away is one thing, but why are you covering my mouth?"

"As is customary at the tournament, the competition is followed by a friendly exchange between the two sides. I haven't even finished giving my remarks yet!"

Blastoise: "......."

You call that friendly exchange?!

The opponent's fist was clenched so tightly it was rounder than a Poké Ball, it was practically ready to be swung at him!

"Oh, it's just an offline battle!"

Xiao Mao waved his hand dismissively.

"Isn't it because you're here? He's just a defeated opponent! I'm not afraid of him!"

The Blastoise, now silent, looked up at the sky, its eyes filled with a sense of vicissitude.

Even turtles aren't omnipotent!

To be fair, it's remarkable that it evolved into its ultimate form so quickly and has such rich combat experience.

It's all thanks to his innate talent for taunting as a trainer!

Just by standing there, Xiao Mao's temper flares up! He's definitely not short of fights!

Thinking of this, Blastoise sighed softly, deeply missing the boy who could easily overpower Gary...

"Hey! Blastoise, Gary!"

Before it could even finish its sentence, Xiao Zhi squeezed out of the crowd and waved at it.

Pikachu perched on his shoulder and raised a little paw to greet him.

"Pikachu!"

Blastoise: "!"

Arceus above! Turtle loves you dearly!

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Mao struck a pose, turned around, straightened his chest, and raised his chin even higher.

"Hmph! Who do we have here!"

"It's Ash!"

"So, you saw my fight, right?" He raised his chin. "Three to zero, isn't that amazing!"

"Wow, that's amazing..."

Xiao Zhi scratched the back of his head and said honestly.

"I just arrived and didn't see the whole thing, but congratulations anyway, Xiao Mao! You've made it to the main competition!"

Xiao Mao's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, but he quickly suppressed it.

He coughed lightly, feigning nonchalance.

"Cough! Of course, who do you think I am? Taking down a bunch of weaklings is a piece of cake!"