Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Like this! Mega Evolution!!" Ash gripped the Key Stone, and after a burst of light, the ferocious Helldrax made its dazzling appearance!

"Roar!!" Its roar brought with it a powerful aura, and the strong wind even made it impossible for everyone to open their eyes, and even the clouds above their heads were dispersed!

"This is super evolution..." Kachi was completely dumbfounded. "My great test... is it hopeless...?"

"Don't worry, when I represent Poni Island, I'll be using a Water-type Pokémon," Ash said with a smile.

"However, the situation will not improve," Shui Lian remarked with a slightly mischievous smile.

As a Fire-type trainer, Kiawe is very afraid of water, and Water-type trainers are also his nemesis... such as Lana.

Seeing that the class content was getting more and more off-topic, Kukui had no choice but to forcefully bring everyone back to the main topic.

"That's the gist of it. Your next learning activity is to find and observe those three little ones!"

Chapter 428 Fire-spotted Cat, and the Antique 'Peat Block'

On his first weekend after starting school, Xiaozhi planned to explore Melemele Island, but only Xiaoxia was with him.

"Seriously, Blue isn't coming back, and she even kidnapped Lila?" As he walked down the street, Ash couldn't help but complain. "Does the Aether Foundation not give weekends off? Are they working 997?"

"I think you're just too relaxed," Xiaoxia said, shaking her head. "You were so rushed before, but now you're completely relaxed... You're not really planning to drag it out for another week, until the month-long deadline is almost here, before challenging Hara?"

"It's not like I want to drag this out... Tapu Koko has already set a date. Even if I go to Hala now, she won't agree," Ash said with a helpless shrug.

If he could, he would certainly like to immediately complete the island pilgrimage and then summon Tapu Lele to slap her in the face.

But once the Guardian is fully involved in this bet, things become much more complicated... especially since this Guardian is Tapu Koko.

If it were Fini that Ash himself had given up, it would definitely give Ash all the green lights so he could clear the game quickly and easily.

Tapu Koko wouldn't think that way. This guy's curiosity is too strong. He came over that day to tell Ash that he also wanted to get involved in this bet, and who knows, he might even take action during the big test.

Naturally, the test could only be scheduled for the last day of the month.

Either you cross the line or you fail... Tapu Koko is all about putting Ash on the edge of his seat!

What can Little Smart do? It's a guardian deity who can control the words and actions of the island king... Besides, delaying isn't exactly a complete violation of the rules.

Then let's wait. With this week, Ash can use it to get to know his new partner's strength.

Pinsir and Steelix, one has been training in karate with Bea, while the other has been constantly consuming electromagnetic ores in the Poni Canyon. It's time for them to show some results.

...

As they strolled through the bustling market, they noticed what appeared to be a minor disturbance not far away.

"Is that... Lillie?" Ash frowned slightly. The young lady seemed to have encountered something, as she stood frozen in the middle of the market, her body stiff.

"It seems like she's been stopped by Pokémon, let's go check it out." Knowing that Ash wouldn't just stand by and do nothing, Misty decided to take him there.

What stopped Lillie was a Litten, a black and red cat-shaped Pokémon that actually looked quite cute.

It didn't do anything drastic; it just kept wagging its tail in front of Lillie and occasionally rubbing against her ankle...

But even this movement turned Lillie's entire body pale, leaving her completely rooted to the ground, unable to move.

"Fire-spotted cat, come to me." At this moment, a boy's voice, like heavenly music, saved the helpless Lillie.

Seeing that Litten had shifted its target, Lillie breathed a sigh of relief, but she soon realized that the person standing next to her was Ash!

“Uh…” Lillie’s face stiffened, and she unconsciously took two steps back.

Ash ignored her and simply squatted down in front of Litten, handing her a handful of Energy Cubes.

“Here, these are all for you… Lillie can’t interact with Pokémon for the time being, you’ll scare her if you do this,” Ash said gently.

"Meow..." Litten tilted its head and looked Ash up and down for a while, then suddenly gathered all the Energy Cubes into its arms, bulged them out with its mouth, and ran away in a flash.

"Lillie!" "Are you alright?!"

Just then, Mao and Shui Lian arrived late, each carrying several bags, indicating they had just finished shopping.

"I was so careless. I forgot that Litten might appear at the market." Mallow kept blaming herself. "The teacher said in class that we should observe Litten. Luckily, Ash and the others came."

"What's going on with that fire-spotted cat?" Xia asked curiously.

"It always wanders around the streets, and often stops people like it did just now, begging for food," Shui Lian explained. "But it usually just acts cute and doesn't force people; it's actually quite adorable."

“Yes, it always comes to my restaurant to beg for food, and the guests don’t seem to mind it,” Mao chimed in. “Lillie rarely came to the market before, so she must have been quite startled.”

"I...I'm alright." Lillie's face was still a little pale, but she was much better.

"By the way, Ash, where are you guys headed?" Mallow asked immediately.

"I plan to go shopping at the mall after I leave here."

"What a coincidence! We're going there too. Do you want to come along?" Upon hearing that Ash was going the same way, Mallow immediately extended a warm invitation.

"Mao, this might be inconvenient," Shui Lian tugged at Mao's sleeve. "If everyone's together, won't we become third wheels?"

The two couples, Zhilan and Zhixia, were already fairly well understood by everyone when they first met on the beach. It's clear that Xiaozhi and Xiaoxia are enjoying their own private time, so it's best for them not to interfere.

"You're right." Mao stuck out her tongue awkwardly. "I'm always like that, I get overheated easily~"

"Actually, it's good to be together. It's more lively with more people," Xiaoxia said nonchalantly.

"Then... let's go together." Ash hesitated for a moment, then casually agreed.

On the rest of the journey, Misty would occasionally chat with the three Alola girls, but Ash remained silent, secretly communicating with his Pokémon.

(Are you sure you didn't scan the wrong thing...? How could something like that appear in Alola?)

(Absolutely no mistake! It must have just been delivered recently; you should be able to get it easily if you go now.)

The Pokémon kept urging Ash on, so after arriving at the shopping center, Ash let Misty and the three Alola girls wander around for a while, while he went alone to an antique shop called 'Wangu Zhai'.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" The shop assistant greeted me warmly as soon as I arrived at the door.

"I'm just browsing around." Xiao Zhi didn't say much, just casually looked at the various goods around him.

This antique shop has always boasted about selling exquisite antiques, and the prices are naturally outrageous. Xiao Zhi glanced around and saw many items with four or five figures in price.

Soon, Ash found his goal.

"What is this thing?" Xiao Zhi asked calmly.

"You've finally found a treasure!" the shop assistant exclaimed eagerly, "We went to great lengths to retrieve this from Sinnoh. It's said to be a rare material from long ago, called peat moss..."

"I'll take it." Before the clerk could finish explaining, Xiao Zhi swiped his phone and paid quickly.

"You have excellent taste, sir," the shop assistant kept flattering him, but Xiao Zhi knew that the other party actually thought he was being ripped off.

For a single old-fashioned coal briquette, Xiao Zhi actually spent an entire fortune—that's incredibly wasteful!

But the premise is that what Ash bought back was actually peat moss!

The black coal ball he bought was clearly identified as a 'rock slab' in the detection records of the management sprite!

Ash couldn't explain why the so-called stone slab was actually a ball, but the Pokémon Manager would never make a mistake!

He got a treasure related to the creation alpaca for only 1 coins; he's making a killing!

Chapter 429 Rock Slabs, and the Journey to Treasure Island

In Ash's memory, the stone tablet is said to be a fragment from when the alpaca created the world, capable of bestowing different powers upon all things.

In reality, it's just an attribute enhancement item, and it's no different from regular items like hard stones or metal films; the percentage increase is exactly the same.

Its only unique feature is that it can change the properties of alpacas.

Of course, these are all settings in the game. In today's real Pokémon world... the Stone Tablets aren't as cool as the game.

The alpacas here don't control the stone tablet, but rather a life-giving substance that's N times larger than the stone tablet. That thing appears frequently, making its presence felt in both the Diamond & Pearl and XY theatrical films.

Even in the special episode of the journey, it remains a key item used by Team Galactic to restore their power.

However, the actual stone tablet only appeared in one episode of the Diamond & Pearl anime... Team Galactic used stone tablets with three attributes: dragon, steel, and water to create the Gun Key in the Random Ruins.

So... what exactly is the connection between this thing and the source of life of the alpaca god?

(Essentially, they are all crystallizations of elemental power, but the Source of Life is the origin, making it far more powerful.) The managing spirit helped explain, (The stone tablet is not a fragment from creation, but rather the shattered body of some being after creation.)

(Body?) Ash was a little confused, but the Pokémon in charge didn't intend to explain in detail, but instead focused on explaining the function of the stone slab.

(The stone tablet is indeed a type of type-enhancing item, but compared to regular items, it has greater potential for growth and works on all Pokémon. After long-term development by Pokémon, it can even reveal other amazing powers.)

Pokémon can enhance their strength through items, and Ash himself is a master of items, with many of his Pokémon carrying different items.

However, such external assistance has its limits, especially enhancement items like Life Orbs and Miracle Seeds.

They are effective because the corresponding power of the Pokémon has not yet been honed to be strong enough. As the Pokémon's strength increases, these items will gradually lose their effectiveness and will no longer provide a fixed percentage boost.

For example, one day, Pikachu will hone its power beyond its limits. At that time, even without the Electric Ball, its power will have already reached the level of the item's power-up.

By then, the light bulb will no longer be effective, and forcibly wearing it may even cause it to shatter on the spot.

Under normal circumstances, ordinary items can only support a Pokémon to reach the Elite Four level, and cannot support the boost to the next level.

This is the biggest difference between the stone slab and regular items: it can help any Pokémon improve its strength, whether it is a champion or a legendary Pokémon, its power can be taken to the next level!

Moreover, as an item that can grow, its boosting effect is not just 20% as it is in the game, but will increase as the Pokémon levels up.

In other words, the stronger the Pokémon and the longer it stays with the Pokémon, the greater the boost the stone can provide!