Ash, with his invincible physical body, wants to become a Pokémon Master

With the help of an apprentice from the Genzo Gym who was familiar with the surrounding roads, Ash and Misty crossed the forest and arrived at the outskirts of Orb City in just one day.

"Pikachu~"

The Pikachu beside them was exhausted and collapsed on the ground, its little belly bulging as it panted heavily, which was quite adorable.

However, Ash was as energetic as ever, as if the crazy week had no effect on him at all.

This is what they mean by unwavering strength; future generations of girls are truly blessed.

After thanking the little girl who had shown him the way, Ash stood on the edge of the cliff, full of pride, looking at the city of Orb, whose buildings were already faintly visible in the distance.

"I've finally arrived! Enju Dojo, here I come!"

"Don't be too happy yet, Xiao Zhi. We still have another day to travel before we get there."

Xiaoxia picked up Pikachu and placed it on Ash's shoulder, then went to the edge of the cliff at the top of the mountain to look at the scenery below.

"That'll be quick. The rest of the road is a straight stretch, so even we won't get lost."

Although he really wanted to set off immediately, Xiaozhi looked at the sky and saw that the sun was shining brightly at this moment.

"It's time for lunch."

As the saying goes, "Food is the foundation of life," and Ash and Misty released their Pokémon to prepare them before their meal.

Especially the two new companions.

During his week at the Genzo Gym, Ash wasn't completely obsessed with that kind of thing... well, he was a little bit obsessed.

But at least Ash remembered to take some time to go to the back of the gym with Misty and use the two new battle tickets they had acquired.

These are random battle tickets obtained from the Chigusa quest, which turn into Water-type Pokémon battle tickets after being taken out.

And the Fighting-type Pokémon Battle Ticket obtained from Bea.

After being used consecutively in the open space behind the mountain, the Water-type Battle Ticket summoned an adorable, round, blue water rat.

It has very small feet, no arms, and a large round object at the end of its tail.

"Oh my, it's Lulili! It's so cute!" Xiaoxia exclaimed excitedly as soon as she saw it.

The little guy's timid expression was so adorable that it instantly triggered Xia's maternal instincts.

However, although Lulili was timid, she was surprisingly strong. Her small feet were able to easily kick over the blue crocodiles that were surrounding her in the attack.

"It's actually the Hercules trait."

Perhaps because they were too timid, they were frightened by the overwhelming presence of Ash's entire group of villainous Pokémon as soon as they came out.

Luli ran like crazy the whole time, finally stopping only when she crashed into Xiaoxia's arms.

Seeing how much it liked Misty, Ash decided to entrust Azur Lane to Misty for training.

After all, Ash isn't really interested in cute Pokémon; he prefers more masculine ones to fit his aesthetic.

The next Fighting-type battle summoned the very same tough Pokémon that Ash had been hoping for.

Although it is a juvenile form.

Perhaps because of the reward from the quest triggered by Bea, a Galar, Ash managed to summon another Kushner with the Battle Ticket.

"Think about it carefully, how many bears do I have on me right now?"

With Moon Bear, the martial arts bear master, and this bear apprentice, Bald Qiang, the bear brothers, and the bear duo are now complete.

Just like the previous Xiong Da, the new little bear performed a set of signature punches that belonged to the bear apprentice as soon as he appeared.

However, unlike Xiong Da, this bear apprentice was clearly more gluttonous and did not show any fear when it first appeared.

He kept staring at the maple syrup in the little black boy's hand, drooling non-stop.

The process of taming Xiong Er was much easier than when Xiong Da was here. As soon as Xiao Zhi took out the honey, the newly arrived Xiong Er immediately knelt down.

It immediately ran over and hugged Ash's leg, and successfully caught it with a single throw of a Poké Ball.

"What a little glutton."

It's quite fitting that it succumbed to food so easily; it certainly lives up to its name, Xiong Er (meaning "Two Bears"). Xiong Da (meaning "Big Bear") seems much more reliable.

Originally, Xiong Da was quite happy to see a little brother of his own species arrive.

He planned to take good care of Xiong Er, just like Bald Qiang and Yueyue Xiong had taken care of him. However, Xiong Er's silly and greedy appearance made Xiong Da shake his head in disapproval.

Similarly, after Xiong Er arrived, its own special mission also began.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a new epic side quest, "The Profound Meaning of Martial Arts!": Please guide your bear apprentice to experience the true essence of martial arts!]

[Mission Requirements: Raise your Kumamon's friendship level to the maximum and defeat 100 Dark or Water-type Pokémon.]

[Rewards: Alliance Coins +5000; Attack +4; Defense +4; Rare Evolution Item: Evil Scroll/Water Scroll +1]

After lunch, Xiao Zhi combed Xiong Er's fur thoughtfully.

Previously, with the help of Team Rocket, Xiong Da was the first to max out his Dark-type Pokémon, so now Xiong Er should focus on training Water-type Pokémon.

With Xiaoxia here, I believe this mission should be easy to complete. It's so great to have you by my side, Xiaoxia!

Moreover, unlike Rinka, who is unwilling to hold back in battles, Ash has complete confidence in Misty's strength.

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something really rude!"

When Xiaoxia noticed that Xiaozhi was staring at her, she instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"I was thinking, Misty, it's great that your Water-type Pokémon is so weak."

"Hey!"

"Damn it, Ash is such a big idiot!" Misty thought to herself.

She must secretly work hard and amaze everyone, and then she must make Ash respect her as the most beautiful girl in the universe again.

The Queen of Water will be on top then!

"Hmph, I'll show you how powerful Misty is, you brat!"

"Let's cheer each other on, Pokémon Ruli."

"Pok, Bi~"

"Luli~"

Then Ash dragged her to battle with Xiong Er.

"This is all so that you can become stronger, Xia!"

"It's clearly for his own sake!"

Back when Ash was at the Genzo Gym, he accidentally lost his mind one night and, during a sprint, told Misty about his plan to have the Cerulean sisters.

"My unreliable sisters have gone too far. I won't let them get away with this easily!"

Of course, she was just saying it; when the time came, if Sakura-nee made Xiaoxia feel wronged, she would definitely soften her heart and agree.

In battles against Ash, Misty can only get beaten up now.

Even against Azur Lane with the Huge Power ability, Ash's Kumamon won in a row.

Although both of them are currently at the level of stray dogs on the roadside, there are still differences between them.

Ash's roadside is stronger than Misty's roadside!

"Yay, we won again!"

"Damn it—!"

"Be!"

[Ding! Xiong Er: Affection +2; Intimacy +1]

Xiaozhi thoroughly enjoyed beating Xiaoxia.

However, as the number of battles increased, Xiaoxia's strength has actually been steadily improving. It's just that she always seems weak when facing monsters like Xiaozhi and Rin.

After the battle, Ash and Misty quickly packed their bags and headed towards Ecruteak City.

They hadn't walked far when they suddenly spotted several familiar figures.

"How come there are so many Rock-type Pokémon in the forest?"

Ash especially recognized that giant Onix.

Upon closer inspection, surrounded by a group of Pokémon, was a desolate figure that had been reduced to only black and white.

"Oh dear, Ash looks like a dog!"

"Xiaoxia, you can't tell! You can't tell!"

Surprisingly, Xiao Gang was lying on his side under the tree, hugging his knees with both hands, looking utterly hopeless.

If you look closely, you can see that he is silently shedding tears.

"Xiao Gang, what's wrong with you...?"

At this moment, Xiao Gang on the ground remained motionless as if he couldn't hear anything.

It turns out the giant oni around them were trying to comfort Xiao Gang, but unfortunately, the black-skinned, squinty-eyed guy remained firmly lying by the roadside, refusing to move.

"What's wrong with Xiaogang this time?" Xiaoxia asked, puzzled.

Xiao Gang was so energetic chasing after the older sister when they parted ways, how come he's turned into a paramecium now?

Ash, based on his understanding of Brock as a close friend, instantly made a deduction.

"It's because of women, Xiao Gang!"

Xiao Gang on the ground suddenly trembled. Xiao Zhi was right. "The one who could hurt Xiao Gang like this must be a woman who is very important to him."

"Xiaoxue!" Xiaozhi and Xiaoxia thought of Xiaogang's crush at the same time.

Xiao Gang, who was on the ground, suddenly cried even louder.

Sure enough, Ash quickly found information about the Pokémon Breeder Beauty Contest that had just been held on his phone.

The champions of the competition were none other than Xiaogang and Xiaoxue, who had won the competition together with Liuwei.

In that photo, Xiao Gang was dressed smartly in a white suit with a bright smile; he looked so presentable that he had clearly dressed up carefully.

"It looks pretty good. So why did Xiaogang turn out like this?"

"Don't worry, Xiaoxia, there's more to come."

Immediately following the news of the champion was an even more explosive story.

"Renowned Pokémon breeder Xiaoxue announces collaboration with renowned stylist Xiaoxiang; a legendary new store is about to open..."

The two people in the news photos are very close to each other, and they look like a perfect match. The intimacy is even more evident in the photos of the two women in the thin veil and Xiao Gang.

"Hey, the dark-skinned PE student lost to the blond guy, why would I have such a dream?" Ash was wondering why he hadn't seen Vulpix in his Pokémon, but it turns out it had already been returned to its rightful owner.

"Let me guess, Xiao Gang received the news that Xiao Xue was returning from studying in other regions and was going to participate in a beauty pageant, so he immediately took the carefully nurtured Liuwei to return it to Xiao Xue."

"Then I was invited to participate in a beauty pageant, but during the competition I met this handsome blond guy."

"If I'm not mistaken, this blond-haired boy should have known Miss Xiaoxue for a long time, right?" With each sentence Xiaozhi said, Xiaogang on the ground trembled.

He was right about everything.

At this point, Xiao Gang finally spoke.

"Xiaoxiang and Xiaoxue have known each other since their school days and are rivals."

"We once announced together that we would become outstanding top Pokémon breeders."

"A formidable rival wouldn't let you do that. Judging from their close relationship, they're more like friends than rivals... to be precise, they're childhood sweethearts!"

"Ah, stop talking, Ash, please stop..."

So it turns out this handsome guy wasn't the blond guy; Xiao Gang was the one who just appeared out of nowhere.

"Sigh, he's tall and handsome, and a famous Pokémon stylist. It's not surprising that Xiaoxue would choose him."

"Okay, Xia, stop finishing him off. Xiao Gang is almost dead."

"Xiao Gang, take it easy. There are plenty of fish in the sea..."

Unfortunately, Xiao Zhi's comforting words had no effect; Xiao Gang remained lying on the ground, hugging his knees, silently shedding tears.

He was able to overcome the trauma of Dr. Neimu with the encouragement of Xiaoxue, who was also his idol.