Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

“Pikachu…”

"Ahem!" Xiao Gang tried to ease the tension by interjecting, "I really didn't expect that Xiaoxia's first meal after being instructed by the master chef would be the one that tricked you."

"Chef? What chef?"

The three Hua Lan sisters, still shaken by the experience, all wore identical expressions of bewilderment.

"Is that the expert Xiaoxia mentioned, the one who taught her how to cook when she was little?"

Xiao Zhi explained.

"She said that the master was very powerful, but you didn't agree to let her go to study with him, and she was sad about it for a long time."

"A master?"

Cherry blossoms frowned, trying hard to recall.

"Hmph! That person!"

When the topic turned to kidnapping her adorable younger sister, Peony immediately remembered it.

"Big sister, it's that secretive person who speaks in such strange and cryptic ways!"

"I could tell at a glance he wasn't a good person! I... I mean, how could we possibly let him take Xiaoxia away?"

Peony pouted.

"What 'Muji'?! You can tell it's a fake name just by hearing it! I bet even that face is fake!"

As the owners of the gym, the three of them may not be very strong, but they have seen a lot of people.

They do have some perspective.

"It's that person... wait a minute."

Sakura seemed to recall some crucial information, and her expression turned strange.

"If I remember correctly, that person... was a Pokémon Trainer specializing in Poison-type Pokémon, right?"

The air froze again.

Poisoner... Chef...

Ash and Brock's expressions froze instantly.

A picture in their minds simultaneously flashed through their minds: Xia, young and naive, who had misunderstood what they were told.

Under the expert guidance of a Poison-type Pokémon specialist, they lovingly prepared a flavorful dish that was supposedly made for Poison-type Pokémon...

Yeah, that's not surprising.

That's not surprising.

No wonder Xiaoxia's dishes are so impactful.

......

After a long while, the group that had pieced together this astonishing truth finally recovered.

They did not refuse the antidote from the peony's treasured collection.

Ash, having eaten and taken things, finally arrived at the pool where the performance was to take place.

"You're too slow!"

Xiaoxia, who had finished setting up the venue, was already waiting on one side.

The pool was a clear, azure blue, and the newly added floating platforms swayed gently with the ripples.

The audience seats were empty, with only the colorful lights used for the performance hanging forlornly, reflecting a bizarre and surreal light on the pool.

"Some personal matters took me a while."

Not wanting to continue the previous topic, the eldest sister, Sakura, confidently put her hands on her hips.

"Anyway, this is the battle arena for the Cerulean Gym!"

The overwhelming aura of the powerful being nearly caused Xiao Gang's Sage Mode to fail.

"The challenger has reached the designated position! I am now the referee!"

Sakura cleared her throat, trying her best to project the authority of a referee.

"Since that's the case, Xiaoxia, I've decided on you!"

"The rules are three against three. Trainers, please proceed to the battle area and take your positions!"

Ash and Misty stood on opposite sides of the pool, eager to get started.

"Pikachu!"

Xiao Zhi waved his hand.

"Pickup!"

The Pikachu on its shoulder understood, leaped, and landed precisely on the floating platform by the pool.

"Pikachu...?"

Xiaoxia bit her lower lip, her expression serious.

She knew perfectly well how strong Ash and Pikachu were.

Knowing their power so well, she felt even more pressured and couldn't think of a safe strategy to deal with the electric mouse.

"Come on!" Shaking her head, Xiaoxia took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and pulled a familiar Poké Ball from her waist. "This will be my starting Poké Ball!"

"Go, starfish!"

She threw the Poké Ball.

However, the expected red light did not appear, and the Poké Ball drew an awkward arc in the air.

It fell onto the edge of the pool with a thud and rolled twice.

The field was completely silent.

Xiaoxia then remembered that she had specially reinforced Staryu's Poké Ball with waterproof tape to punish it.

"Do you need my help?"

Upon seeing the Poké Ball that bound Staryu, Ash instinctively asked a question.

"No, no need! I can do it myself!"

Xiaoxia immediately became alert and rushed over to pick up the Poké Ball.

What a joke!

The starfish's affection for you is already dangerous enough!

If you were to rescue it yourself, wouldn't you immediately betray us?!

In the stands, the eldest sister, Sakura, crossed her arms, her tone tinged with emotion.

"The starfish have grown up too!"

"Twenty-nine, thirty~" Ayame, standing nearby, diligently counted the layers of tape that Kasumi had torn off, her tone light and cheerful, "The seal level has grown from the initial three layers to thirty layers~"

Peony, on the other hand, wore a proud expression as if it were the right thing to do, and she slightly raised her chin.

"After all, it was the Pokémon that I personally chose for Misty."

She paused.

"Those must all be top-notch choices."

That requires talent!

Obedience is a gift!

To be considerate... or to be talented!

Xiao Gang: "......"

He suddenly realized that there was a reason why Xiaoxia's second sister usually suffered the most.

After a difficult disassembly process, the tape was finally cleaned up.

Just as the Poké Ball returned to normal, there was a "bang".

The starfish, which had been holding back for a long time, jumped out of the pool and landed on the edge of the pool. It put its hands on its hips, held up its core gem, and looked like it was saying, "I'm finally free again!"

"Starfish~ Here, here~"

Sweet flag smiled and waved in greeting.

The starfish looked up at the sound and saw its three familiar rescuers.

The core gem suddenly flashed with a wronged light, its tentacles gesturing excitedly, as if it wanted to go over immediately and properly recount its experiences over the past period.

But Xiaoxia was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, and she caught the restless starfish.

"Let's finish the fight first!"

The starfish was forcibly turned to the right direction.

When it realized that the people standing opposite it were Ash and Pikachu.

The light of the starfish core gem froze instantly, and then began to flash wildly!

I'll beat up my older brother!

real or fake?

Sea Star turned to look at Xiaoxia.

"Staryu! Let Ash see how powerful we are!"

The starfish had its tentacles drooping.

He tugged at Xiaoxia.

He picked up the tape, as if to say, "Go ahead and stick it on," and handed it to Xiaoxia.

Xiaoxia: "......"

"Oh?" Sakura in the stands commented with interest, "It seems that as soon as she saw that her opponent was Ash, she didn't want to battle anymore."