Chapter 137

"White, use Iron Head!" Xianglian took the initiative.

Because she had the help of her mother, Ailian, during the training process, the level of Xianglian's Mareep was quite high; it had even learned Iron Head.

Just by looking at the momentum of White's attack, Nana knew it couldn't be met head-on, so she immediately chose a roundabout battle strategy.

"Rattata, dodge it, circle to the opponent's side, then use Quick Attack."

White's battle experience was nearly zero. Rattata dodged White's attack with ease, then changed direction to White's side and immediately launched Quick Attack.

Shi Ying: "Black Ash shouldn't be a full-time trainer. He should be like me, working part-time as a teacher at a school in between training; his ability to cultivate students is simply too strong."

Erika: "Agreed. Black Ash is indeed a good teacher. How long has Nana been with him? Now, when she battles, she's become quite capable and has started to understand how to be flexible."

Misty: "Flexible? They should hand Ash over to Black Ash for a few days. If he could make Ash learn to be flexible, then Black Ash would truly be impressive."

Gary: "Make Ash learn to be flexible? Heh, impossible."

Gary understood Ash too well; even if the world were destroyed, Ash would never change his battle style.

Ash: "I don't think there's anything wrong with my battle style."

A real man's battle should be head-on; there shouldn't be any fancy tricks.

"Mareep!"

Quick Attack successfully hit Mareep. Fortunately, it was protected by thick wool; otherwise, this hit alone would have been enough to make Mareep lose its ability to battle.

A common problem for newcomers is that they become flustered once they encounter a predicament. Xianglian was the same; when White encountered trouble, Xianglian became even more chaotic than White. In this situation, it was impossible for her to win the match.

"I told you, Xianglian, you still have a long way to go before becoming a true trainer."

After Xianglian lost the match, her mother, Ailian, stepped out and said sternly.

"Yes, I know, Mother." Xianglian lowered her head, her spirit vanishing along with the failure of the match.

"There's no need to be dejected." At this moment, Ash stepped out to cheer Xianglian on. "No one succeeds overnight. Even the strongest trainers experience a massive amount of failure during their growth process."

Ash's encouragement made light appear in Xianglian's eyes once again. She looked at Ash with expectant eyes and asked, "Then, has Ash also lost many battles?"

Even though it was a scorching, bright noon, suddenly, the whole world went quiet.

Ash opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Steven: "Hahahaha, hilarious. Black Ash has tried to be clever but ended up with a blunder. Do you think Xianglian will become even more decadent after learning about Black Ash's record?"

Misty: "Words of comfort for Xianglian shouldn't have come from Black Ash; they should have come from Brock. Brock's experience with failure is far too rich."

Brock: "..."

Drayden: "I recalled it carefully; whether it's wild battles on the road or official matches, Black Ash hasn't lost a single one so far, right? How hateful!"

Cynthia: "This record is even more exaggerated than Leon's!"

Alder: "There's still a gap compared to Leon. The opponents Black Ash faces are definitely not as strong as the ones Leon faces."

Diantha: "How old is Black Ash? By the time Black Ash reaches Leon's age, who will still be his opponent?"

"Alright, it's my turn to face you now, Ash."

In the end, it was Xianglian's mother, Ailian, who rescued Ash from the awkwardness.

After watching the battle between her daughter and Nana, Ailian could no longer suppress the fire of battle in her heart.

"I choose you, Raichu!"

Ailian had absolute confidence in her Raichu.

Raichu had been with her for over a decade. When she was still a Pokémon trainer, it fought east and west for her. Although the frequency of battles had decreased over the years, its daily training hadn't stopped. Moreover, because it had to charge the Mareep, its electrical power was even more ferocious than before.

Ten minutes later.

"How could this be?"

Looking at the fallen Raichu, Ailian began to doubt her life.

Elesa: "Well, this master and apprentice are truly not acting like humans. The apprentice, Nana, beat the daughter, Xianglian, until her Dao heart shattered, and the master, Black Ash, broke the mother, Ailian. They really are birds of a feather."

Volkner: "You can't blame Black Ash; it was Ailian who requested the battle and told Black Ash not to hold back. Black Ash was just doing as he was told."

Lt. Surge: "Black Ash's Pikachu is becoming increasingly incomprehensible. This strength is definitely at the Elite level."

"What? You want to travel with Xianglian?" Misty looked at Nana with a surprised expression.

Nana nodded forcefully. "Yes, because following everyone, everything goes too smoothly."

She, Nana, was a person with pursuits; she pursued a journey full of ups and downs, but by staying with Ash and the others, she had no chance to experience them.

"That's quite good. A fledgling bird that is protected will never be able to fly into the blue sky." Erika actually agreed with Nana's choice.

"Then, thank you all for your care during this time." Nana bowed deeply, expressing her gratitude.

After saying goodbye to Xianglian, her mother, and Nana, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Erika set off on their journey again.

A few days later, the four arrived at a dense forest.

"Wow, we're finally going to reach Azalea Town." Erika stretched vigorously.

She had been traveling in the wild the whole time and hadn't had a proper bath. Once they reached the Pokémon Center in Azalea Town, she would definitely have a good soak.

"Look, everyone, so many people have gathered." Misty pointed to the entrance of the forest.

After going up to ask, everyone learned that the reason people were gathered here was that they heard someone had seen a Cyndaquil nearby.

"Cyndaquil?"

Upon hearing the word Cyndaquil, Ash's interest was immediately piqued.

Since Charizard was left at Charicific Valley, he happened to be lacking a Fire-type Pokémon.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity absolutely could not be missed.

With the help of the Aura, Ash easily found the exact location of the Cyndaquil.

Having found the Cyndaquil, the rest was simple. Pikachu stepped up, and in a few moves, took down the Cyndaquil.

After capturing the Cyndaquil, Ash and the others didn't linger in the forest; they crossed it at the fastest speed and arrived at Azalea Town.

After arriving at Azalea Town, Ash had originally intended to go directly to challenge the Azalea Gym, but who knew the gym would be closed? Helpless, Ash and the others could only turn to Kurt's house to complete the task entrusted by Professor Oak.

Their luck was bad; Kurt wasn't home either. From his granddaughter, Maizie, they learned that Kurt had been staying at Slowpoke Well recently to collect spring water used for crafting Poké Balls. Maizie didn't know exactly when Kurt would return home.

With no other choice, the group had to change direction and head toward Slowpoke Well.

The correct name for Slowpoke Well should be Slowpoke Cave; this was the habitat of the Slowpoke in Azalea Town.

Following the map's guidance, Ash and the others easily found the famous landmark of Azalea Town, Slowpoke Well.

"Then let's hurry inside." Misty, holding Togepi, immediately wanted to enter the cave.

"Wait." Ash stopped Misty, his expression becoming solemn.

Something was not quite right. The Aura inside the cave was chaotic; there were at least a dozen people inside.

This didn't match the information they got from Maizie. According to what she said, her grandfather went to Slowpoke Well alone.

Brock: "Could it be other people from town?"

"Not very likely." Ash shook his head.

Along the way, Ash had seen how much the people of Azalea Town worshipped Slowpoke; they treated them like totems, so how could they enter their habitat so casually?

More importantly, what Ash felt was that the Aura inside the cave was mixed with an evil aura.

Lance: "An evil aura? Could it be those three guys, Jessie, James, and Meowth, causing trouble in Slowpoke Well?"

Ash: "Do I even need to think? It must be Team Rocket!!!"

Perhaps, just like in their world, Team Rocket was using Diglett robots to frantically capture Slowpoke.

Malva: "No, do you guys think the Team Rocket trio deserves the adjective 'evil'? A comedic trio doesn't fit 'evil' at all."

Jessie: "Meowth, James, is this guy mocking us?"

James: "It's a bit like he's mocking us, and a bit like he's speaking up for us."

Meowth: "Damn it, we are Team Rocket, traversing the galaxy! A white hole, a white tomorrow is waiting for us!!! We are the most evil!"

"Let's go, let's go in and see." Ash said with a solemn expression.

Something must have happened in Slowpoke Well.

"Should we notify Officer Jenny?" Misty trusted Ash's words implicitly. Since Ash said something happened at Slowpoke Well, then something must have happened.

"Officer Jenny won't be able to help either. Even if she comes, we'll still be the ones who have to solve it," Erika said.

It wasn't that she looked down on Officer Jenny, but the fact was just that. If they couldn't solve the trouble in Slowpoke Well, Jenny coming wouldn't have any effect.

"That's true." Misty nodded as well.

The strength of an ordinary Officer Jenny, let alone compared to Ash, might not even be better than Erika's.

Black uniforms, bright red 'R's. Just after entering the cave and walking a few steps inside, Ash and the others encountered two Team Rocket members, a man and a woman.

"Ha, it's a group of wet-behind-the-ears brats," the man said.

"Sigh, curiosity killed the cat. Isn't it better to stay outside the cave? Why come in here to die?"