Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

As the group walked along the tree-lined path leading to the stadium, they could hear hurried footsteps and chaotic shouts in the distance.

"Make way! Make way! Make way!!"

Suddenly, a robust yet incredibly agile Blastoise appeared from around the corner, accompanied by a familiar figure.

"Huh? It's Ash!"

When Shigeru saw the figure standing ahead, he instinctively braked. Blastoise also slowed down in response, its thick claws leaving two shallow marks on the ground.

He raised his chin, a smirk playing on his lips, just about to boast a few words as usual.

"Hahaha! Guess who got into the eighth tier first between us..."

Before he could finish speaking, his gaze swept over the smiling, gentle figure behind Ash.

My whole body froze for a moment as if a pause button had been pressed, and then I stood up at attention reflexively.

"Hello, Aunt Hanako!"

"Oh my, it's Shigeru! He's so energetic!"

Hanako waved with a smile.

"Click!"

Blastoise also bowed formally, as if it had met some important figure.

Although it has never met the person in person, it grew up listening to the legend of Hanako the Great Demon King!

Unlike the Charizard clan, which was incorporated for its instrumental purpose, and the Bulbasaur clan, which was incorporated through kinship ties with elders in their families.

The turtle family became one of the three starter families in Kanto by living a long life, accumulating experience steadily, and passing down survival knowledge from generation to generation!

According to a secret passed down from her father's father, this seemingly gentle woman once defeated Professor Oak head-on.

Yes, dry-crushed!

It's not a metaphor; it means exactly what it says!

Hanako the Great Demon King.

On the "absolutely do not provoke" list passed down among the turtle clan, it is at the top of the list. Once provoked, it will be expelled from the turtle clan, shell and soul!

With this in mind, the water lily, mindful of its ancestral teachings, bowed even more upright!

"Small……"

Just as Ash was about to ask Gary, "Why are you running so fast?"

The commotion was getting closer, and then seven or eight burly men rushed out from around the corner.

The leader, panting heavily, pointed in Xiao Mao's direction and shouted.

"Don't run! You've got the guts to provoke me! Then stand still and don't run!"

He bowed to Hanako again, turned to Blastoise and shouted "Run!", and the two of them took off running!

Standing?

That's impossible!

With so many people chasing after you, anyone who stands still is a fool!

264. Mere Xiao Zhi!

The group stood on the tree-lined path, watching Shigeru and Blastoise grow smaller and smaller, and watching the number of people chasing Shigeru increase.

Ash silently counted, and in just a short while, quite a few new people had joined the ranks of those following Gary.

There are at least twenty now, maybe a few more...

That would probably be comparable to the scene when fans chased after Brother Du and Brother Shiba that day!

"...I can only say that he truly lives up to his reputation as Shigeru."

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but be amazed.

"They easily caught up with the Heavenly King and accomplished things that ordinary people couldn't..."

"What does this have to do with the Heavenly King!?"

As the one who always makes the sarcastic remarks among them, Xiaoxia perfectly fulfilled her role.

"So what exactly did he do this time?" Xiao Gang asked subconsciously. "The one charging at the front... seems to be his opponent, right?"

In his normal state, Teacher Gang is indeed the strongest support.

Some of the information was gathered by Brock and then relayed to Ash.

However, by the time they reached the top sixteen, not only were their appearances known, but their past experiences were no longer a secret. They had already been thoroughly investigated online, so it didn't take him too much effort.

"Provocation and foul language, I guess."

Xiaoxia made a reasonable guess.

"Given his personality, it's not surprising that he could offend so many people in a single day..."

"Yes, absolutely!"

Lillie nodded in agreement.

"Huh? Really?" Hanako touched her face with one hand. "But I think Shigeru is quite polite. Last time he came over for dinner, he even brought a gift. He folded the wrapper of that box of cookies so neatly!"

Xiao Gang: "........"

Xiaoxia: "........"

Lillie: "......."

The three of them exchanged a silent glance.

To be honest, everyone would be very polite to you, right?

Oh no.

Thinking back to the well-behaved Charizard and Gengar during dinner, even if they weren't human...

They'll still be polite in front of you!

.......

"It seems he won't be able to come anytime soon."

Xiao Gang withdrew his gaze and shrugged helplessly.

"Let's go first, so as not to delay your match, Ash."

Having received unanimous approval, the group continued walking along the tree-lined path and soon turned into the competition area.

The main arena for the Quartz convention was packed to capacity again today.

The cheers and shouts of encouragement from the audience mingled together, creating a wave of excitement.

For no other reason than that the one battling in the arena is none other than Sabrina, the tournament's strongest contender, the unspeakable being of Goldenrod City, and a being who surpasses even Psychic-type Pokémon!

And there's someone whose name nobody really pays attention to.

After all, you've already faced off against Sabrina, so what else is there to say!

Let's get ready for the next competition soon!

As soon as the group found their seats, three unusually enthusiastic announcements rang out from the commentary booth.

"Three minutes! Just three minutes!"

"Sarcasmakura completely crushed her opponent! Is this the true power of a legendary esper?! She truly lives up to her reputation as someone on par with Boss Giovanni—"

"Cough cough cough!!"

A violent cough that nearly knocked the microphone over abruptly interrupted the dangerous statement that was about to be uttered.

The purple-haired commentator was struck hard in the ribs by the black-haired commentator next to him with an elbow.

She quickly changed her words.

"—I mean someone who's on par with Gyokichi!"

"That's right, meow!"

"When did the Quartz Conference start having commentary?" Xia asked, somewhat puzzled. "There wasn't any in the previous conferences, was there?"

"I guess we're going to try something new?" Lillie said. "I think it's pretty good."

Commentary makes the atmosphere more lively...

She even felt she could copy it from Alora!

Upon hearing this, Ash raised his head and looked towards the commentary booth high above the arena.

That voice, that speed of speech, that passion with its ups and downs that almost made the voice crack.

It's hard to say about the other two wearing glasses, but the short one looks kind of familiar.

Even the voice sounded somewhat familiar!

Naturally, the commentators were the three players from the Rockets.

As for why I was chosen to act as a guide here, it was naturally due to my personal efforts and the organization's cultivation that I was given this responsibility.

It's definitely not because Damalanqi thought they had done a good job protecting him yesterday.

After learning that the three were short of money, a special position was created for them as temporary commentators for the conference, and they were given corresponding subsidies.

Well, absolutely not.

Without the slightest surprise, thanks to Sabrina's incredibly high stats, which were practically like a super-powered version of Lancelot, the battle ended quickly.

"Congratulations to Nazja! You've easily secured your spot in the quarterfinals!"

"Congratulations!"

"This is the true value of our Quartz Convention! Next time, please be sure to assess your abilities before participating, meow!"

The applause from the audience grew increasingly enthusiastic, and their words were full of praise.

Without him.