Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

Suddenly, a furry Pokémon jumped out and blocked their way.

Its little head was tilted back, its round eyes were filled with tension, and its two front paws were tightly clenched in front of its chest, making it look like a little furball facing the end of the world.

Ash paused, looked down, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh? It's Babu Tubo! It's been so long!"

"Yes, yes!"

Lillie's eyes lit up as well.

The two, both intrigued, skillfully petted Pikachu's fur while remotely feeding it, despite Pikachu's disdainful gaze.

This completely made Babu Tubo, who was about to say something, forget the important matter for a moment.

"By the way," Xiao Zhi asked casually while continuing what he was doing, "how did you end up here at my door?"

Upon hearing this, Babu Tubo, who was indulging in a gentle embrace, suddenly shuddered.

His squinting eyes widened instantly.

It seemed to suddenly remember something terrible, its fur stood on end, and its two front paws gripped Ash's pants leg tightly, pulling it hard in the direction it came from.

run!

Run!

Don't open the door!

Beyond that door... lies hell!

But before Ash could finish giving him the warning, a voice that sounded all too familiar came from the side.

"Ah, I knew it! It's Ash!"

Babu Tubo's expression froze instantly.

It patted Ash's trouser leg, lowered its head, and made a gesture of mourning.

Sorry, I tried my best.

After comforting Babuto, Ash turned around.

Nemo was standing in her dorm room with the door wide open, her hands behind her back, tilting her head and smiling at him.

Hanako also poked her head out of the house, still clutching her apron in her hand.

"Oh dear~ I was wondering why Nemo suddenly stood up, so Ash is back~"

Xiao Zhi was stunned for a moment.

"How did you get here...?"

"Nemo came all this way specifically to see you~"

Enter the dormitory.

Hanako came out carrying a plate of sliced ​​fruit and placed it on the low table in the yard with a smile.

Xiao Gang, Xiao Xia, Lili, and Ai sat upright in the living room.

Xiaoxia's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, while Xiaogang, though outwardly calm, kept glancing back and forth between Xiaozhi and Nemo.

Lillie simply hid her face behind the teacup.

However, the expected imminent battle did not occur.

The two of them sat at the table and started chatting, one sentence after another.

We talked about everything from the nutritional balance of electric mice to the maintenance of their electric sacs, and from training intensity to rest cycle arrangements. The more we talked, the more we clicked.

The three looked at Ash and Nemo, who were discussing how to raise a mouse, with surprise, exchanging glances.

That's really strange.

Given their war-crazed personalities, did they think they'd start a fight the moment they met?

“Babu…”

Babu Tubo over there also fell into deep thought.

It tilted its head, scrutinizing its trainer with an almost philosophical gaze.

It couldn't understand it.

Could it be that Nemo held it in for too long... and something went wrong?

It had heard other Pokémon say that if you suppress your desires for a long time, your body will produce a strange stress response that will suppress your original impulses...

Of course, Nemo is not that kind of person.

The reason she was so calm was because she had already learned from the staff that her next opponent was Ash!

Although this information cannot be disclosed casually, the staff looking after Nemo are indeed exhausted.

After all, even though Nemo's stamina isn't great, her cooldowns are short!

He had barely pushed her back down when he started thinking about fighting again!

Just as everyone's relationship was gradually improving and most of the fruit platter had been eaten.

Outside the room, a furtive figure was moving in this direction.

The man had a distinctive head of blond hair and a tall, slender build, without a doubt.

It's Xiao Mao!

He kept his head down, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then crouched down and crept towards Ash's room.

Ever since he encountered that suspicious person who somehow had designs on Xiaozhi yesterday, he has been secretly investigating.

He didn't realize until he investigated, and what he found were many suspicious points—

The timing of the other party's appearance at the conference venue, their behavior, and even their private contact with certain staff members... all seemed suspicious.

Based on the information he possessed, he strongly suspected that this person was the originator of the strange tales at the conference!

Xiao Mao felt more and more uneasy.

Is this a sign that they're going to target Ash?

In order to warn Ash so that he could be defeated smoothly, Gary had Blastoise deal with the people chasing him before he arrived here!

I knocked on the door.

Who is it?

"It's me!"

The door lock clicked as it turned.

Xiao Mao dashed inside the moment the door opened.

He glanced warily at the doorway, and seeing that there were no pursuers, he spoke.

"Time is of the essence and the mission is heavy. Listen to me, Ash, you're being targeted by a pervert...!"

"Pervert? What's perverted?"

Xiao Mao's voice abruptly stopped.

This sound... is not right.

It's not Ash!

He froze on the spot, his neck turning slowly, inch by inch, as if it were rusted.

What came into view was Nemo's smiling face!

Xiaomao: "?!!"

269. Don't underestimate us!

Upon seeing Nemo open the door, Gary's pupils constricted sharply, and his knuckles instinctively gripped the Poké Ball at his waist.

In that instant, he almost threw the ball away—he nearly started fighting with it on the spot.

Then he saw Ash standing safely next to Nemo, who was even waving at him.

Behind them were Xiaogang, Xiaoxia, Lillie, and even Hanako the Great Demon King...

Oh no, he meant that the beautiful and gentle Aunt Hanako was also there, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Hearing everyone's cacophony of explanations, Xiao Mao let out a cold snort and calmly took his seat.

Sitting between Ash and Nemo, Gary coldly swept his gaze over Nemo's excited face.

what?

Is someone from Padia even worthy of being considered Ash's rival?

That's absolutely laughable!

.......

The next day.

At the tournament venue, the quarterfinals arena was scorching hot under the sun.

The audience seats were packed, colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and discussions rippled through the room.

The screen flashed, and then the matchups for today's quarterfinals appeared clearly.

The first match was between Ash and Nemo.

Off the field, in an inconspicuous corner.

Xiao Mao stood with his arms crossed, his face full of resentment.

Why?

Why is it that a mere Padia got to battle Ash before him?

Is this reasonable?!

"Kame?"