Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

—The mountain you rely on crumbles.

—The sea dries up.

Ultimately, you still have to rely on yourself.

Ash put away his Pokédex, took a deep breath, and suppressed his chaotic thoughts.

His gaze became firm.

“Anyway,” Ash said, breaking the silence.

"Relying on others is not a solution in the long run."

"We were lucky this time."

"But what about next time?"

"What about next time?"

He looked at Xiaoxia and Xiaogang:

"After Miss Nazzi left, the waters of Golden City ran much deeper than we had imagined."

"The Rockets... that executive named Biesias, and that strangely behaving Cross... they won't let this go."

This is almost a foreseeable future.

The reason trainers can become stronger quickly through travel is because travel is truly dangerous.

They were able to overcome numerous difficulties and obstacles.

In the end, the strong will always be the ones who stand out.

Those who aren't strong enough will be eliminated in the process.

What a simple and unpretentious mechanism.

It's just that the difficulty is a tiny bit high.

True adventures are never smooth sailing.

The path to becoming stronger is destined to be fraught with thorns.

"Mama..." Misdreavus was also a little down, and she lay on Ash's head.

The Dream Fairy really wants to evolve because it will become stronger immediately after evolving.

But she's still a bit conflicted.

Unlike at the beginning when they completely resisted evolution.

The ratio of evolving to non-evolving ideas is now 1:1...

The little one's mindset has also been constantly changing.

Xiao Gang nodded in agreement: "That's right... It's better to strengthen yourself than to rely on the protection of others."

He was pleased that Xiaozhi had thought of this, and that was a good attitude.

The existence of friends and allies is essential.

And having strong personal power is even more essential.

Xiaoxia clenched her fists: "Once Pikachu and the others recover, we'll leave here."

"Shall we target Asaka City next?"

"Before that, we must be prepared so that we never make a fool of ourselves like we did today again!"

Xiaoxia plans to teleport two more Pokémon from the Cerulean Gym later.

While it may not be a top-tier Pokémon at the Gym Leader level, it is at least a decent one.

Chapter 143 Pikachu: Who can't fly?

The morning sunlight gently shone on the wide road connecting Golden City and Rainbow City.

Compared to the almost insane "shrimp catcher" race on the way to Golden City last time...

This time.

Xiao Zhi and his two companions rode around much more leisurely.

The wheels rolled over the smooth asphalt road, making a regular and light rustling sound.

However, this leisurely atmosphere was mixed with an indescribable novelty that attracted the attention of all passersby.

Xiao Zhi rode on a bright blue bicycle, his eyes glancing around from time to time under the brim of his hat.

Xiaoxia's orange bicycle ran alongside him, while Xiaogang's dark gray bicycle followed steadily behind.

But what truly draws attention is not the three trainers themselves, but the "luxurious" mobile team that surrounds them.

For example, that giant golden dragon—Golden Gyarados.

This would be really cool to take out.

If Gyarados's flying ability weren't still somewhat questionable, Ash would have loved to stand on its head.

That would undoubtedly be a scene of Dior's cool, arrogant, and domineering style.

Although gold is a bit tacky... it's really precious.

"Roar--!"

A powerful roar, though clearly tinged with panting, rang out.

A Gyarados, its body entirely golden and gleaming in the sunlight, is struggling to fly low along the side of the road.

Clearly, such continuous flight is also a considerable burden for it.

But a glint of excitement shone in those fierce eyes.

Being able to fly freely like this, even at low altitudes, is always better than being stuffed into a Poké Ball.

on the ground.

The robust, fierce-looking Charmeleon is moving its legs, running in sync with the bicycle.

On its tail, the blazing flames leaped with the rhythm of its running, leaving a scorching trail in the air.

This was a physical training session specially arranged by Ash.

And in the higher, more distant blue sky.

Pidgey spreads its large wings, its sharp eyes constantly scanning the area ahead and around to ensure a safe journey.

It occasionally emits a crisp "bi-bi" sound, signaling to its companions on the ground that everything is safe.

But all of this pales in comparison to the astonishment brought about by the yellow figure at the very center of the group.

quack!

The mouse can fly!

"Pica-"

"Pica-!"

Pikachu didn't perch on Ash's shoulder as usual, nor did it run on all fours at its amazing speed.

At this moment, it is suspended in the air about half a meter above the ground, surrounded by extremely fine, almost invisible golden arcs of electricity.

Its little face wore an expression that was a mixture of focus and tension. Its body leaned slightly forward, and it swayed and floated forward in a swimming-like manner.

This posture is just like that of a novice who has just learned to swim but can only do the dog crawl.

Ok.

Using electricity to generate magnetic force to float in the air is much more difficult than swimming.

"Mama! Mama mama!" Misdreavus excitedly circled around the floating Pikachu.

Its small body would sometimes lean close to observe the leaping arcs of electricity, and sometimes try to gently touch them with its Ghost-type powers.

Misdreavus was very curious about how Pikachu managed to do that.

For a dream demon, flying is something it knows from birth.

However, the question of how to learn to fly was completely unknown to them.

The dream demon's initial low spirits due to leaving Goldenrod City had long been dispelled by this novel scene.

Xiao Gang touched the six tails curled up in the basket.

My gaze finally settled on the floating Pikachu, and I couldn't help but let out a heartfelt sigh:

"It's amazing... In just a few days of rest and training, Pikachu has not only fully recovered, but it seems to have improved its control over electric energy even further."

"This force appears more concentrated and controllable than when it erupted in front of the Shiruff Company."

He recalled the dazzling golden thunderstorm that Pikachu unleashed that night, as bright as a miniature sun.

That destructive force still haunts him to this day.

In comparison, the precise hovering control shown before us, though much less impressive, reveals Pikachu's growth in power control.

This is already at the level of the Quartz Conference elites, right?

This Pikachu is truly beyond the realm of common sense.

Upon hearing this, Xia carefully maneuvered her bicycle to avoid a small pebble on the road, and turned her head to say:

"This... is it electromagnetic levitation?"

“I remember Mr. Lt. Surge’s Raichu also used this last time, and it can levitate in the air.”

She paused, a look of reminiscence crossing her face.

"This move is quite difficult to execute."

"Using Pikachu like this for long-distance travel... it suddenly becomes so much stronger."

Xiaoxia's tone carried a mixture of certainty and surprise.

As a water-based expert, she is not unfamiliar with skills of other attributes, but to be able to use electromagnetic levitation to such an extent is clearly beyond the realm of the ordinary.

This Pikachu...emm.

Xiaoxia: It seems like Ash's Pokémon aren't quite normal either?

Ash heard his companions talking and a smug smile appeared on his face.

He slowed down his pedaling speed and moved closer to the floating Pikachu, looking tenderly at his partner who was struggling to maintain its levitation.

"yes……".

"It really works hard, partner."

His thoughts drifted back to those days at the Pokémon Center in Saffron City.

After waking up, Pikachu was not discouraged by its physical weakness and Nurse Joy's warning. Instead, it was as if that extreme burst of power had turned on a switch, and its desire to explore its own power became stronger than ever before.

However, with so many people watching, it was clearly impossible to let Pikachu practice high-intensity moves.

Since we can't train at a high intensity, we'll train at a low intensity.

The main focus is on practicing the control of electricity.

So Pikachu learned how to levitate.

Miss Joy was encouraging about this.

—If you don't want to be harmed by your own powerful strength, then improving your control over your own power is also a very effective solution.

—You say the power will get out of control, then I'll just increase my control.

In the next few days, make sure not to put too much strain on your body.

Pikachu devoted almost all of its waking hours to practicing "electromagnetic levitation".

Initially, it could only stay a few centimeters off the ground for a few seconds, and it would even fall on its backside due to unstable current.

From being able to float steadily to now being able to maintain suspension while moving slowly...

Xiao Zhi is the most direct witness to all these arduous processes.

This technique doesn't consume a lot of power, but it requires a high level of electricity.