Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

Professor Oak spoke casually.

But back then, Yukinari Ohki... could even be described as an invincible powerhouse.

His ease... doesn't necessarily mean he's truly at ease.

"And then?" Ash asked, engrossed in the conversation.

This kind of domineering spirit of single-handedly defeating the entire world.

It sounds really cool.

"Croak—I want to do that too!"

Ash: I want to conquer all the regions, win all the tournament trophies, and defeat all the Elite Four members and champions!

"And then?" Professor Oak raised an eyebrow, a bright smile that was almost arrogant on his face.

That smile was filled with the absolute confidence and power that belonged to his era.

"Then I beat them both up."

"There's nothing I can do. I was going all out at the time and couldn't stop myself. Maybe... I really did beat it a bit too badly?"

"It probably left a psychological scar."

"Hahahaha!"

Professor Oak laughed after he finished speaking.

He spoke of it casually, as if he had merely dealt with two unruly troublemakers.

But Ash could imagine what an earth-shattering battle it must have been back then.

Professor Oak, young and ambitious, faced off against the combined forces of the Ghost Elite Four member Agatha Christie and a Millennium Gastly, and emerged victorious with overwhelming dominance.

This is just...so cool!

"So that's how it is..." Ash suddenly realized. No wonder that thousand-year-old Gastly acted like a mouse seeing a cat when it heard Professor Oak's name.

"That's all old news," Professor Oak waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual gentleness.

"That old ghost isn't inherently bad; it's just that it's lived a long time and has become a bit mischievous, enjoying playing pranks on people."

"It's good that it's keeping up with that legend and the temple fair; it's a kind of... well, cultivation."

"The lifespan of Ghost-type Pokémon is closely related to the strength of their conviction."

"Have fun over there, just be careful."

"If it tries to trick you again, just mention my name, hahaha, and it'll probably avoid you then."

Although Maiden Gorge seems to be a bit far from Pallet Town.

However, Professor Oak does have Dragonite.

Dragonite takes about 16 hours to circle the Earth.

It doesn't take long to fly from Pallet Town to Girls' Gorge.

If a Millennium Gastly were truly ignorant, it would definitely be chased relentlessly by Professor Oak until it had nowhere to run.

After exchanging a few more casual words about our recent situations, the call ended.

Ash put down his Pokédex and lay down in the darkness.

The memory of Professor Oak's casual yet domineering past was still lingering in my mind.

This is what a man should do.

-

(I wanted to add one last word, but I forgot how to say it... something like—"He can be replaced. If the enemy can go, so can I..." How to put it... it's like I've suddenly forgotten something...)

(Is this because I have a poor education or a bad memory...?)

(Could this be the kind of amnesia that comes with Alzheimer's disease?)

(?.?)

Chapter 87 It absolutely cannot be a [cowardly] personality.

The sun generously shone on the coastline of Maiden Gorge, quietly sweeping away the mystery and hustle and bustle of the previous night, leaving only a lazy and leisurely tranquility.

The daytime temple fair is indeed not as brightly lit and bustling as the nighttime fair, and there are far fewer stalls, but this spaciousness adds a touch of leisurely charm.

Anyway, the "St. Anne" has already sailed away.

After discussing it, Xiaozhi and his two friends decided to take the opportunity to fully experience the different charms of this port town at different times of the day.

You can walk to your next destination.

Who knows, you might even get a Ghost-type Pokémon here?

Although Xiaogang and Xiaoxia weren't very interested, Xiaozhi was.

You need at least 6 Pokémon to participate in the Indigo League.

Furthermore, all six Pokémon need to be trained to a sufficient level.

Therefore, in order to give Pokémon enough training time, you definitely can't wait until the last gym to catch a Pokémon.

In theory, you need to prepare 6 Pokémon before the 4th Gym.

Otherwise, when participating in the Indigo League, the difference in strength between the Pokémon they bring will be too great.

After all, in the early stages when everyone is not stuck on a bottleneck, it's impossible for the first Pokémon you catch to be as strong as the last Pokémon you catch, right?

However, when you're stuck in a bottleneck period, it's easy for newcomers to catch up.

Ash found a wide, shallow spot and threw the Poké Ball with all his might: "Come out, everyone!"

With a flash of golden light, the enormous golden Gyarados roared as it plunged into the sea, creating a splash of jubilant waves.

Although it can now barely fly, it still prefers to swim in the water.

With a clear cry, the Pidgey bird flapped its wings and flew into the azure sky, circling freely.

"Come out, everyone!" Xiaoxia smiled and released her companions. The starfish nimbly leaped into the water and spun around.

The rescued seahorse nuzzled her finger affectionately before happily swimming towards its new friend.

Although Gyarados's size makes it appear exceptionally small, the atmosphere is surprisingly harmonious.

Pikachu happily ran around on the beach, occasionally splashing water with its little paws or chasing the foam pushed up by the waves.

Amidst all the sounds of playful laughter and frolicking.

Ash's extraordinary senses, along with Pikachu's constantly perked-up ears, allowed them to vaguely detect the faint, elusive gaze cast from the edge of the distant forest.

That gaze wasn't malicious; it was more like pure curiosity.

Mixed with a hint of inquiry, like a child peeking at a guest from behind a curtain.

Xiaoxia seemed to sense something as well, and glanced somewhat uneasily at the grove of trees that still appeared somewhat deep in the sunlight.

Xiao Gang, who was skillfully setting up a makeshift stove and preparing lunch for his picnic, didn't even look up.

As he washed the tree fruits, he calmly spoke, breaking the subtle tension: "Don't worry about it too much."

"This forest is their 'home' during the day."

Xiao Gang picked up an orange and skillfully cut it into small pieces.

"When we play here, it's like interesting guests have come to their doorstep, and it's normal for them to come and watch the fun."

"As long as we don't show hostility or try to intrude into their territory, they usually just watch."

Xiao Gang put the chopped tree fruit into the salad bowl, his tone as reassuring as ever, "After all, that 'old man' tacitly allows us to operate in his territory."

This is Gastly's territory; whatever it says goes.

Although it seems very unreliable.

But if anyone dares to really disregard him...

Hehehe... You'd better have the strength to defeat it.

Otherwise, the outcome would be quite tragic.

Hearing Xiaogang's explanation, Xiaozhi and Xiaoxia both relaxed.

Ash even deliberately waved towards the forest, giving a friendly smile, though he wasn't sure if the other person could see him.

Pikachu imitated it and made two "Pika Pika" sounds.

The distant forest was silent, but the curious gazes seemed to soften a little.

A gentle sea breeze carries the warmth of the sun and the saltiness of the ocean, mingling with the aroma of food wafting from Xiao Gang's place.

Gyarados rolled over comfortably in the shallow water, while Pidgey's shadow occasionally swept across the beach.

Everything seemed peaceful and beautiful.

This is life.

Why do people live?

The purpose of life is to be happy!

People don't live to suffer and harbor deep resentment.

After enjoying the lunch that Xiao Gang had carefully prepared, the leisurely time at the beach did not end, but instead entered a more energetic phase.

"Alright, time for digestion!" Ash clapped his hands, stood up, and glanced at his friends. "Pidgeotto, Gyarados, get ready to train!"

Pokémon's strength increases more through daily training than through temporary power spikes.

In other words, if you want to have something to unleash when you need to, you need to accumulate more foundational knowledge through daily training.

The name of the Trainer profession also illustrates this point.

"Pip-!" Pidgey let out a clear cry in the sky and quickly descended.

The golden Gyarados in the sea raised its head and responded with a deep roar, its massive body slightly adjusting as if in preparation.

"Pidgeotto, use Low Power Swift!" Ash commanded.

In an instant, a series of dazzling but clearly restrained star-shaped energy blasts flew out from under Pidgeotto's wings, like a gentle meteor shower, streaking across graceful arcs as they shot toward Gyarados.

This is completely different from games.

Pokémon can control the power of their moves within a certain range.

The damage is not fixed.

Pikachu has demonstrated this before, firing a single high-speed star.

Gyarados's enormous golden body now displayed a level of agility disproportionate to its size.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, it used its newly acquired flight ability to hover and twist at low altitudes, trying to avoid these slow but extremely agile light projectiles.

Some light projectiles flew past, grazing its scales.

Some gently bumped against its thick back, turning into tiny specks of light and dissipating.

The training caused almost no real harm; it was more of a reminder and motivation.

Of course, it was ultimately a beating.

It will still hurt if you get hit.

However, as a ferocious and violent Pokémon, Gyarados is actually quite enthusiastic about daily training.

The slight pain was actually a pleasure for him.

fighting!

Cool!

For trainers.

Pokémon's intelligence and fighting spirit are more important than its individual stats.

Innate weaknesses can be overcome through training.

But without a heart that can endure hardship and train... even with good talent, it's hard to really become strong.

For trainers, the most important thing is the compatibility between themselves and their Pokémon.