Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

In today's Pokémon world, bicycles from Hoenn are considered a luxury item.

The speed of sound is no joke!

Trembling, she took out her communicator to ask the seller if her bicycle was insured.

But no matter how she pressed the buttons, the communicator screen remained black.

I can't turn it on no matter what I do.

"...Waaaaah, it's all over, everything's gone...and my communicator too..."

"Electronic devices are easily damaged under strong electromagnetic fields; that's common knowledge." Xiao Zhi suddenly realized, a flood of knowledge rushing to his head. While vigorously wringing out his soaking wet red hat, he casually explained, "Especially near the epicenter of a lightning strike, the instantaneous strong electromagnetic pulse generated is enough to burn out most of the delicate circuitry."

"As for your bicycle, the metal frame became a good conductor during the lightning strike, and although it was burned out..."

stare--

Xiaoxia stared intently at Xiaozhi.

"...That's normal."

Ash stared at him foolishly.

Xiaoxia was the first to lose her composure and look away.

For no other reason than that.

She subconsciously looked down and quickly glanced at her slightly flat chest, then uncontrollably glanced out of the corner of her eye at Xiaozhi's well-defined, powerful curves outlined by his T-shirt.

Damn it!

She felt like she had been hit hard again.

"Let's go, we'd better get out of here before it gets dark."

Xiao Zhi put the wrung-out hat back on his head.

He spread his five fingers and grabbed Pikachu's head like he was grabbing a basketball, trying to lift it up.

Pikachu: "..."

You don't have to take it; you can simply choose not to.

I can move by myself.

Pikachu grabbed Ash's wrist with its other hand.

With its small and agile body, it climbed up and jumped onto his broad shoulders in a few quick movements.

He looked around for a moment and nodded.

This is a good location.

After finding a comfortable spot to lie down, Pikachu flicked its tail.

Great, this will be my spot from now on!

You make it sound so easy...

Xiaoxia pouted, without making any move.

"The Evergreen Forest is so vast, you can't see the end of it. We don't have navigation now, and the map is useless on our communicator. How are we going to get out?"

Looking at the towering trees around her that looked almost identical, she felt a wave of despair.

Without a communicator, she felt like a caveman.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi remained calm and composed.

He glanced at the ground and quickly picked up a relatively straight branch.

He first looked up and squinted to see the approximate height and position of the sun through the gaps in the clouds, thus determining the approximate time.

He then planted the branch vertically on a relatively flat surface, knelt down on one knee, and carefully observed the direction of the shadow cast by the branch on the ground.

A moment later, he pointed in one direction.

"If this is north, then Tokiwa City should be in this direction."

Xia stared at him, somewhat dazed.

"I didn't realize you were so knowledgeable. You seem a bit silly, but you actually know quite a lot. You can even navigate in the wild."

“That’s true, you’re from Pallet Town…” She seemed to realize something, her tone tinged with a hint of realization and envy, “It’s normal to know a lot about things when you live in the same place as that famous Professor Oak.”

In the Kanto region, Professor Oak, now in his sixties, is a legendary figure known to every household.

He is not only an absolute authority in the field of Pokémon ecology and evolution research, but also a top scholar officially recognized by the League.

There are also some old, unofficial historical rumors circulating, which are difficult to verify, that Professor Oak was exceptionally good at fighting when he was young.

He defeated so many trainers in the entire Kanto region that no one dared to claim supremacy, making him virtually invincible.

Later, for reasons unknown, it is said that he realized "fighting cannot save the people of Northeast China", so he resolutely abandoned martial arts and devoted himself to academic research for ten years. Finally, he had an epiphany and achieved his current doctoral degree.

Of course, Xiaoxia didn't really believe this wildly unfounded historical anecdote.

She grew up watching Professor Oak's TV shows; how could Professor Oak, who seemed so kind and gentle, possibly be a battle maniac?

However, in any case, being able to get up close and personal with an academic giant like Professor Oak is indeed a great honor for countless young people who want to become Pokémon researchers.

"Hmph! I'm self-taught!" Ash puffed out his chest, a hint of pride on his face, and emphasized, "It has nothing to do with that stingy old man!"

"I could have traveled when I was ten, but he wouldn't let me; he insisted I become a researcher."

“No matter how early I arrived, he would say that.”

"Ash, the starter Pokémon for this year have already been assigned. Why don't you reconsider becoming a researcher?"

He imitated Professor Oak's tone.

"He says that every time! If I hadn't spotted him with a Poké Ball hidden in his pocket this year, I wouldn't be here today!"

Xiaoxia chuckled, clearly not believing it.

"You're just bragging! Professor Oak is a highly respected figure; how could he possibly do something like that?"

That's Professor Oak, a man of great learning, high moral character, and beloved by all!

"Fine, don't believe me then!"

Xiao Zhi unconsciously drew a circle on the ground with a twig and muttered to himself.

He wasn't lying; his wilderness survival knowledge and those strange "scientific theories" in his head didn't come from Professor Oak's teachings.

Actually, he was quite slow-witted before the age of six.

He was slow to react and learned things slowly; he was known in town as a "stupid thing."

Professor Oak, who was trying to teach him some basic Pokémon knowledge, was quite annoyed at one point.

The change occurred during that high fever.

According to her mother, Hanako, that night when she got up to check if her fever had gone down, she saw a small dark figure standing in front of her bed, making a strange "hehehe" laugh.

They even said something like, "Huh! Great! I've time-traveled!"

Thinking it was some kind of Pokémon, Hanako instinctively swung a large Pokémon fan at it.

The shadowy figure was slapped so hard it was stuck to the wall—literally stuck to the wall, the kind that needed to be pried off.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that it wasn't a dark shadow at all, but rather Ash, who had been running a fever and had somehow gotten up.

It's strange, really.

After that incredibly powerful battle, Ash, who had been unconscious and feverish, seemed to have suddenly gained enlightenment, as if his meridians had been opened.

Not only did his academic performance skyrocket, but his grades also improved dramatically.

Whether it's existing or cutting-edge knowledge, Professor Oak can answer any question he asks, and with just a little thought, he can say something about it.

It was as if knowledge itself had sprung forth.

Strange and bizarre things would pop into my head from time to time.

This directly made him Professor Oak's favorite child, making his childhood friend Gary, who always considered himself a genius, extremely jealous.

Believe it or not.

Ash muttered one last thing and patted the grass clippings off his pants.

"I believe you! I believe you, okay?!"

Seeing this, Xiaoxia quickly jumped down from the rock and followed, her tone slightly mischievous.

"I'm sure Professor Oak discovered your amazing talent and begged you to do research with him on his knees, pfft!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi's expression became somewhat unnatural.

The doctor specifically told me to keep this a secret, so how did she find out?

4. Dragon Power!

The sky gradually darkened.

The last magnificent rays of the setting sun stubbornly pierced through the dense, layered canopy of trees, but were ultimately fragmented into scattered spots of light, before finally disappearing completely into the depths of the evergreen forest.

The light in the forest quickly dimmed.

Dense shadows converged from all directions.

Ash and Misty had been walking for a long time, but the road ahead seemed endless.

"Hey, Ash," Misty said breathlessly, leaning against a rough tree trunk, her voice filled with barely concealed exhaustion and growing doubt, "Do you think...we've been going in circles all along?"

As she spoke, she vigorously pounded her aching, weak legs, which felt as if they didn't belong to her.

Try to open your eyes wide and look around.

In the increasingly dim light, the surrounding scenery began to appear blurry and similar.

Even the big tree she was leaning against seemed strangely familiar, making Xia uneasy.

“Pikachu…”

Pikachu lay listlessly on Ash's broad shoulder.