Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

"Smelly?"

He tilted his head, as if carefully savoring the word.

"At first, it was a little difficult to get used to..."

"But after a while, you'll find that the taste... is actually not bad."

Ryou's words were very frank, but they made Satoshi a little unable to hold back.

Xiaozhi: “……?”

Pikachu: "Pika?"

"...?" Even the floating dream demon blinked in confusion.

Li Yong seemed lost in some kind of memory, his tone becoming somewhat ethereal: "That is... the breath of life, the traces of struggle, proof that this city is closely connected with its guardians."

“Every subtle change in scent represents different wastes being decomposed and transformed... It’s a... well, a very satisfying scent.”

Li Yong expressed his feelings.

He really thought so.

Xiao Zhi was speechless for a moment.

He looked at Li Yong's serious, even slightly intoxicated expression.

It's finally confirmed... This person in front of me is a complete and uniquely tasteful Mud enthusiast.

He couldn't understand it, but given that the other party hadn't directly harmed anyone except by secretly bringing the stinky mud into the city.

He could only manage to say, "...Okay, I can't agree, but I respect your...preferences."

Anyway, Xiaozhi can't agree with what the other party did... He'll still have to take them to the police station later.

Upon hearing the word "likes," Li Yong seemed to relax even more.

He felt as if he had found a kindred spirit, even though Xiao Zhi wasn't one.

Li Yong opened up completely: "Hmph, I knew ordinary people wouldn't understand."

"But it's alright, we members of the 'Friends of the Mud' understand!"

Li Yong seems to have no inhibitions and says whatever comes to mind.

This easily gave Ash the information he wanted.

"The Mud Friends Association?" Ash keenly grasped this new term.

“That’s right!” Li Yong said with a hint of pride.

"We are a group of people who truly understand and love the history of this city!"

"We miss the era of roaring machines, and we are even more grateful for everything the Mud Crew did for this city!"

"We meet regularly to share our experiences and explore how to better coexist with them..."

He spoke at length, clearly showing his deep affection for the organization.

"...Therefore, we firmly oppose the alliance's current plans!"

"They just want to turn this place into just another clean but unremarkable ordinary city!"

"They've forgotten their roots!"

"We demand that a special protected area be designated outside the city, with large sludge ponds built and treated waste suitable for their consumption regularly dumped in!"

"The waste treatment plant must be placed at the core of Heiyun City's planning; it absolutely cannot be cancelled!"

"This is true respect for history and a way to repay kindness!"

This is Li Yong's purpose and demand.

All other things are merely processes and means.

Whether this behavior is excessive or not is hard to say, but it is definitely a minority group in the entire city.

Xiao Zhi thinks most people probably wouldn't want to live with the Muk.

As Xiao Zhi listened, his doubts only grew stronger, not cleared up.

Nostalgia for the past is understandable, and gratitude towards the mud is also plausible, but this kind of organized behavior with clear demands, even at the cost of disrupting the city's existing order to achieve its goals... that's a bit off.

He finally found the key to the problem!

This so-called "Friends of the Mud Association" is probably not that simple.

Would an ordinary hobby club do something like secretly feeding and inducing sludge to multiply in the sewers, thus exacerbating the urban crisis?

This seems more like a premeditated and organized act of pressure.

The reason is not to listen to what they say.

It depends on what they do.

Such extreme behavior clearly indicates that the person is not a good person.

...Of course, it's also possible that they were being used.

...For example, the Rockets.

Ash thinks that Team Rocket, which Meowth mentioned coming to Black Cloud City, might be doing something similar and are the mastermind behind it all.

Seeing Xiaozhi deep in thought, Li Yong thought his heartfelt words had finally moved him, and an expectant look appeared on his face.

"How about it?"

"Do you understand now?"

"We are not destroyers, we want to save the true soul of this city!"

"Let me go! We can fight together for the rights that the Muddy should have!"

Li Yong felt that Xiao Zhi in front of him could be persuaded, and might even join his group.

It's a kind of inexplicable affinity.

Otherwise, he wouldn't normally have revealed so much.

Xiao Zhi looked up at Li Yong with a complicated expression.

This person may have his own beliefs, and he may genuinely believe he is doing the right thing, but his methods are wrong, and the organization behind him may have motives far more complex than he realizes.

...It's not entirely impossible that the Rockets might do something good.

...But the probability of the Rockets doing something good is indeed quite low.

Recklessness is indeed closer to courage than cowardice—that's what Ash has always believed.

But he also deeply understood:

"Unthinking recklessness often leads to worse outcomes."

He cannot allow actions that could endanger the safety of the entire city to be tolerated based solely on one side of the story.

"Li Yong".

Ash spoke slowly, his voice sounding somewhat muffled through the mask.

“I’m very grateful that you told me all this. I understand your feelings about this city and the mud…”

Xiao Zhi was thinking about how to phrase it.

If it's someone like Cross, a scumbag, then he really doesn't feel any guilt.

Now, in this situation... Xiao Zhi is quite conflicted.

Li Yong smiled, thinking he had succeeded.

But Ash's next words froze his smile on his face.

"But, I'm sorry," Ash still voiced his thoughts.

"What..." Before Li Yong could react, he saw the Misdreavus on Xiao Zhi's shoulder gleam with a ghostly light once again.

An irresistible drowsiness instantly overwhelmed his mind like a tidal wave, and his eyelids felt as heavy as if they were made of lead.

It's hypnosis!

It has to be said that superpower-based skills are really useful.

Even Ghost-type Misdreavus like to use Psychic-type moves, such as Psychic.

Li Yong tried to open his eyes wide, wanting to question Xiao Zhi, but his consciousness had already sunk into darkness.

With his head lolling to the side, Li Yong leaned against the wall and completely lost consciousness.

"Mama?" Misdreavus floated in front of Ash and called out as if to show off its accomplishment, indicating that the mission was complete.

"Well done, Momo." Ash patted it gently. "Partner, we need to take him to Officer Jenny."

"This matter must be handled by the police."

Xiao Zhi's identity and stance are different from Li Yong's.

Ash is a registered Pokémon Trainer in the League, and his status is passed down from Professor Oak, making him a legitimate member of the League.

He cannot possibly side with either the pure Pokémon or the pure human side.

He will only stand on the League's side, and the League's side is—the harmonious coexistence of humans and Pokémon.

Anyone who tries to stop this should be thrown into the air.

no matter who.

“Pikachu!” Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Xiao Zhi looked at the unconscious Li Yong and felt a little heavy-hearted.

He believes that the historical parts of Li Yong's words may be true, and that the Mud Clan may indeed have made contributions to Black Cloud City.

But the solution is certainly not to drag the city back into the quagmire of the past in such an extreme way, nor is it to be secretly manipulated by an organization with questionable motives.

The Rockets may not do bad things, but it's unlikely that the Rockets will never do bad things.

So how to balance history, ecology and urban development, and how to properly resettle these Pokémon that depend on garbage for survival... this is a complex social issue.

We need to work together with alliances, experts, and citizens to find a scientific, humane, and sustainable solution.

Instead of achieving their goals by creating chaos.

Xiao Zhi felt that this kind of problem couldn't be solved with a single, overt solution.

“…Really.”

"Compared to all this troublesome stuff, I think simple Pokémon battles are much simpler..."

Ash picked up the shrew and, with Pikachu and Misdreavus in tow, headed back the way he came to the upper waterway exit.

Fortunately, the other party wasn't too heavy.

Ash also took back the two Grimer grits that Riyo had.

The dim light cast long shadows of them, and their footsteps echoed in the silent pipes.

Ash knows that finding Officer Jenny is only the first step.

About the "Friends of Silt Association," about the past pollution and the difficult present of Black Cloud City...

We don't know the full picture yet.

Even if you know the whole story, you still have to come up with a solution.

In short.

big head.

Chapter 160: Make a Choice After Knowing the Truth

Under dim light.

With the unconscious Riki carrying him, along with Pikachu and Misdreavus, Ash finally escaped the suffocating sewer system.

After returning to the ground.

Although the air was still filled with the pungent smell unique to Black Cloud City, it was much "fresher" than the stuffy sewers.

Indeed, comparison reveals the difference.