Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

"Aaaaaahh ...

All his psychological defenses and all his excuses were shattered by these calm yet cruel words.

Lies don't kill, the truth is the sharpest knife.

He suddenly bent down, grabbed the almost immobile Charmander from the ground, and with all his might, hurled it hard in Ash's direction.

"Take it! You useless trainer!"

"Since you're speaking up for this good-for-nothing, then you're just a good-for-nothing yourself."

"You only deserve to be a trash Pokémon like this!"

Cross's voice was hoarse and cracked.

"We'll see! Next time we meet, I'll crush you under my feet! Along with this useless thing!"

Charmander's body traced a helpless arc in the air, whistling through the wind, as it flew towards the spectator stands.

Uh……

It can only be said that the people in this world are indeed not ordinary people.

Kroos's confidence and arrogance are not without reason.

With that terrifying arm strength, he himself might be able to fight even more than this little fire dragon.

Xiao Zhi's eyes sharpened, and he reacted quickly, stepping forward to catch the small body steadily.

He looked down at the trembling little fire dragon in his arms.

The little dragon's eyes were filled with fear, pain, and the confusion of being completely abandoned.

despair?

There is no despair.

It doesn't understand why this is happening.

The little dragon felt that it had already tried its best.

But why?

"Charmander?" Charmander looked at Ash—why?

Its tail flame had dwindled to just a tiny spark.

However, Charmander could only see the lower half of Ash's face, which looked very serious from below.

Ash's gaze was fixed on Cross, who looked like he had gone mad, in the center of the field.

"It caused Pokémon to suffer the humiliation of defeat."

"You are the worst trainer."

"wrong."

"You're not fit to be a trainer."

It was as if invisible electric sparks were colliding in the air.

Xiao Zhi didn't say another word, but his eyes said it all—this feud was now set in stone.

It's actually quite normal for trainers to have conflicts due to different philosophies.

As for the outcome, let's see how our abilities speak for themselves in the end.

Cross felt a strange unease under Ash's calm yet stormy gaze.

"huh huh huh huh……"

"Hahahahaha!"

Cross was so angry he laughed.

"I only lost to Miss Rika, not to you!"

"Where do you get the nerve to talk such big talk?"

Kroos lowered his head and turned away.

"Useless trainers talk a lot... and it's all just boring gimmicks."

Cross didn't linger any longer and turned to leave the Rainbow Gym.

"If you're so capable, then hide in the Rainbow Gym and don't go out."

"I've got my eye on you..."

His words were full of malice.

Clearly, they didn't have good intentions.

This is practically intimidation.

After saying that, Cross left without anyone stopping him, though his back looked disheveled.

And in the box that Ash was holding.

Phoenix's feathers began to glow faintly again.

The feather's power had been repeatedly aroused, enough to attract the attention of some being.

Especially since the power was activated without direct contact this time, its intensity was much higher and purer than before.

Two red eyes appeared in the shadows of the dojo.

A dark shadow flashed by and caught up with Cross.

Ash gently stroked Charmander's back.

“Pikachu…” Pikachu looked at Ash.

"Mahmah." The Dream Demon watched Cross leave with a dark expression, considering whether or not to take drastic measures.

Although she is mischievous by nature, she has seen some oddballs after following Millennium Gastly for so many years.

Some guys really deserve to die.

"..." Brock stroked Vulpix, and after thinking it over, decided to leave this matter to Ash himself.

Ultimately, the ideological clashes between trainers can only be resolved through personal action.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Xiaoxia muttered to herself.

Chapter 121 Sakaki's Purpose

The experience at the Rainbow Gym was like an endless, cold downpour, constantly washing over Cross's nerves.

He didn't know how he left that place, only remembering the looks he received from the people around him.

—Damn it, everyone's laughing at me!

Cross is not good-tempered and usually has a very aggressive attitude, which has offended many trainers.

So now everyone seems to be gloating over each other's misfortunes.

And the words of that guy named Ash echoed repeatedly in his mind like the most vicious curse—[Your path as a trainer is completely over...]

"Shut up! All of you, shut up!"

Cross growled at the empty alleyway, slamming his fist against the mottled wall.

A sharp pain shot through my knuckles, but it was nothing compared to the torment I felt inside.

The humiliation of defeat gnawed at him, mixed with fear of Rika's immense strength and impotent rage at Ash's heart-wrenching words, ultimately transforming into a deep-seated resentment towards that "useless" Charmander.

If it weren't so useless, if it weren't for it... a dark, self-destructive emotion fermented in his heart.

He needed an outlet, he needed power, he needed to prove to all those who looked down on him that he, Cross, was no ordinary man!

...Uh...this guy has a really bad attitude.

Just when Cross was at his most confused and his will was at its weakest, a strange sense of attraction appeared.

It is neither sound nor image, but more like a whisper from the shadows of the heart, a vague direction.

He was chosen by Marshall as a pawn in the trial.

Cross, as if possessed, turned into a more secluded alley, where shadows seemed to come alive, clinging to his feet.

Unaware that he was being guided by an invisible force, navigating through a maze of streets and alleys, his destination clear—the Rainbow Game City, a place that was brightly lit and bustling with people even in broad daylight.

...Marcado began to take action.

-

-

The underground of the arcade.

Inside the Rockets' secret monitoring room.

Tap tap tap... Sakaki leaned back in the large seat, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the armrest.

He listened to his subordinates' routine report on the recent circulation of Pokémon on the Rainbow City black market.

Sudden.

The bee that had been standing motionless in the shadows behind him, like a sculpture, reacted.

An extremely subtle mental fluctuation entered Sakaki's mind—something unclean has arrived.

"Hmm?" Sakaki paused in his tapping.

His gaze fell on one of the surveillance screens, which showed Cross walking into the arcade entrance with a dejected look and a sinister expression.

"How did he end up here?" Giovanni naturally recognized this eccentric trainer.

The Rockets also believe this player has good potential... making him a good cannon fodder for their team.

The Beedrill's warning was not directed at Cross himself.

Its senses were sharper, and it locked onto the anomalous being that was almost integrated with the normal shadow... A short shadow life form with two flame-like shadows on its head was attached to Cross's shadow, emitting extremely subtle but very high-level energy fluctuations.

Just because something is generally invisible doesn't mean it can't see anything.

“...The Guide of the Shadows...Marshado.”

Sakaki murmured the name, a hint of genuine excitement flashing in his eyes.

—I didn't expect that it hadn't been long since I sent out the feather.

—Has the trial begun?

—If I catch you…

Sakaki raised his hand to stop his subordinate's report.

He leaned forward slightly, watching Cross, who was aimlessly wandering in a sea of ​​game consoles on the screen, yet being guided to a specific area by an invisible force in the shadows.

"We have an interesting guest." Sakaki's lips curled into a smile of interest.

If he hadn't made a different choice back then, he would probably have gone through this trial too.

"..." The subordinate who reported the incident did not see anything unusual in the surveillance footage and could only sigh that the boss was indeed the boss.

"No need to interfere, just watch."

"I'd really like to see the legendary 'Rainbow Warrior' trial, and what this guide who wields 'Shadow' is up to."

Sakaki is in an unusually good mood right now.

It's like seeing yourself participating in a trial.

He always saw a reflection of his past self in Ash.

As for whether any Rockets players were injured?

They've already joined the Rockets, so what if they die?

You don't even have the awareness to die, yet you joined Team Rocket?

Then you deserve to die even more!

Sakaki waved his hand, signaling the monitoring personnel to focus the main camera on Cross and the area of ​​his shadow.

"..." Beedrill saw that Sakaki didn't care.