Chapter 28

Xiao Ming had originally thought Xiao Zhi would become fodder for his hundredth victory, just like the challengers before, but who would have guessed that as soon as the match began, his Sandslash could no longer withstand the attacks of his opponent's Riolu.

One minute later.

Xiao Ming recalled his incapacitated Sandslash and said, his face full of dejection, "I lost."

"What? This guy isn't as amazing as he boasted. Xiao Zhi defeated him with ease." Misty had thought Xiao Ming was formidable, but now it seemed he was all talk. He only knew how to wield a whip and had no other special traits.

"No, Xiao Ming and his Sandslash are still strong; they just had bad luck meeting Xiao Zhi." Brock spoke up in Xiao Ming's defense.

From the perspective of a Breeder, Xiao Ming had actually raised his Sandslash exceptionally well. There were many trainers in Pewter City who were skilled with Sandslash, yet no one's Sandslash was as impressive as Xiao Ming's.

Xiao Zhi was also quite interested in Xiao Ming's Sandslash. After the battle, he didn't leave but instead chatted with Xiao Ming about training techniques. The two talked with increasing enthusiasm, and eventually, Xiao Ming even took Xiao Zhi to visit his secret base.

There were all sorts of training equipment, but what surprised Xiao Zhi the most was Xiao Ming's custom-made training vests.

"My Sandslash wears this vest for training every day. I've tested it; the training effect of wearing the vest is a full three tiers higher than not wearing one!" Xiao Ming boasted proudly.

Three tiers? Xiao Zhi was tempted.

At Xiao Zhi's request, Xiao Ming custom-made training vests for all the members of the trio's Pokémon. Xiao Zhi didn't just take the vests for free; as a return, he created a brand new and more scientific training plan for Xiao Ming's Sandslash. Both parties were quite satisfied with this exchange.

After bidding farewell to Xiao Ming, Xiao Zhi, accompanied by Brock and Misty, began a new round of special training in the nearby forest.

Misty: "Brock, have you noticed that we in the Black World are far happier than we are in this world?"

Brock: "In the Black World, we are students, and Xiao Zhi trains us. In the real world, we are teachers, worrying about Xiao Zhi's training every day. Thinking about it, we are quite miserable."

Xiao Zhi: "I can train you too!"

Misty, Brock: "Thank you, no need."

What could Xiao Zhi possibly train them in?

Training to be stubborn? Training for type-disadvantage battles?

Heh, better not; they still want to live a few more years.

"It's truly amazing!" After wearing the training vest and following the training plan Xiao Zhi set up for a week, Misty found her Starmie's strength had directly doubled.

"Strength doubling in one week. If I continue training for a year, won't my Starmie become completely invincible?!" Misty said excitedly.

"Stop dreaming. Only these few days will the training effect be this good. Once Starmie's strength has improved sufficiently, the training effect will drop significantly." Xiao Zhi poured a bucket of cold water on her.

"Even if the improvement speed slows down, it's still better than me training blindly on my own." At the Cerulean Gym, stubbornly dragging Xiao Zhi to join the team was indeed the wisest decision she had ever made in her life.

"It's time to catch a new Pokémon," Xiao Zhi murmured to himself.

Riolu and Pidgeot's strength had already gotten on track; he no longer needed to watch them train every day. It was time to catch new Pokémon.

With the thought of catching a new Pokémon, Xiao Zhi set out on his journey once again.

Deep in the mountains, Xiao Zhi and the others accidentally stumbled into a Pokémon research class, where they met a young girl named Sheng Dai.

Sheng Dai's appearance was sweet and cute, but her temper was somewhat hard to accept.

A fierce conflict erupted between her and Misty. After giving Sheng Dai's Cubone a good lesson with Starmie, Misty left the academy with her head held high.

After leaving the school, Xiao Zhi's luck arrived. He encountered a very warlike Bulbasaur in the forest.

After a battle, Xiao Zhi successfully caught the Bulbasaur.

When luck arrives, it cannot be stopped. Shortly after catching the Bulbasaur, Xiao Zhi discovered a Charmander by the side of Route 24.

Just as Xiao Zhi was about to make his move, an annoying voice came from behind him: "Kid, I spotted this Charmander first."

The newcomer had blue hair, with sunglasses perched on top of his head. In the middle of summer, he was wearing a neckerchief, not afraid of getting heat rash.

"If you know what's good for you, get lost. This Charmander is mine, Dayou's," the trendy young man Dayou said with his head held high.

Xiao Zhi originally didn't want to pay attention to this self-proclaimed trendy young man Dayou, but the guy kept chattering endlessly behind Xiao Zhi's back, and his words were getting increasingly offensive. Xiao Zhi really couldn't hold back anymore.

"Pikachu, show him some color." Too lazy to bring out Pidgeot and Riolu, Xiao Zhi directly ordered Pikachu to act.

"Oh ho, you want a battle? Then you've picked the wrong opponent. In this entire area, I, Dayou, am the strongest trainer!"

"Go, Cloyster! Teach this Pikachu a good lesson!!!"

Dayou: "Cloyster? Could this Dayou also be a Type-Disadvantage Master?"

Lance: "Type-Disadvantage Master? Heh, don't joke. If his Cloyster can last one second against Xiao Zhi's Pikachu, I'll count it as his win."

Bruno: "One second? It won't last half a second."

Facts proved that Lance and Bruno's judgment was quite accurate.

With just a slight exertion of force from Xiao Zhi's Pikachu, Dayou's Cloyster fell.

Having lost the battle, Dayou went completely mad.

"Useless, useless, you useless thing." While shouting "useless" repeatedly, he forcefully stomped on the incapacitated Cloyster with his foot.

Dayou displayed the word "petty" to its fullest extent.

Lance: "President, when will we arrest this Dayou? I'll go personally!"

Lorelei: "Heh, a dog never changes its habit of eating shit."

Bruno: "I really want to beat up this trainer named Dayou!"

(Today's 10,000-character update is complete. Requesting flowers, review votes, and monthly tickets! Also, thank you to the big shot Lin Youchu for the monthly ticket and the update reminder. Thank you, thank you!)

44: Misty's New Pokémon, Paul Appears (Requesting flowers and review votes)

Misty: "How dare you hurt the cute Cloyster!!! Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

If she hadn't been out of the match, she would have made Dayou experience the power of the Super Cerulean Person.

However, although she wasn't on the scene, her counterpart from the parallel world was right there in person.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Misty shouted angrily.

"Didn't you see clearly? I'm disciplining my own Pokémon!" Dayou retorted grumpily.

"You, you, you!" Misty was about to explode with anger, but she indeed had no other way, after all, Cloyster wasn't her Pokémon.

Just as Misty thought she could only grit her teeth and swallow this anger, Xiao Zhi moved.

He walked silently up to Dayou, without a single word of nonsense, and slapped Dayou directly across the face.

A slap delivered without holding back sent Dayou flying two meters.

First stunned, then shocked, finally terrified. Dayou, lying on the ground after being knocked away, clutched his swollen face and said fearfully, "What are you doing? Attacking a trainer during a Pokémon battle is a foul!!!"

"Correct." Ash nodded calmly. "I committed a foul. What do you want to do about it?"

Ash admitting it so bluntly was something Dayou had not expected. What did he want to do? Right now, he only wanted to go home to find his mother! This was a deep, remote forest far from human habitation; there was no Nurse Joy, no Officer Jenny to uphold justice for him. Facing a savage, he could only grind his teeth and swallow his humiliation.

"Can you let me go?" Dayou asked weakly. At this moment, Dayou was nowhere near as arrogant as when he first appeared; he was completely subdued by the beating.

"Release the Cloyster, and I will let you go. A person like you has no right to be Cloyster's trainer!" Ash said coldly.

What right does someone who kicks and punches Cloyster over the loss of a single battle have to be its trainer?

"Fine, fine." Dayou didn't hesitate for even half a second; after all, a mere Cloyster was not worth his life.

Releasing Cloyster as fast as possible, Dayou scrambled and crawled away in a panic.

Misty: "Yah yah yah, that guy got off too easy! Black Ash should have swollen up the other side of Dayou's face too!"

Lorelei: "Anyone who dares hurt cute Cloyster must not be forgiven. Lance, when you go to capture Dayou, call me; I will go with you!"

The moment Lorelei said this, Dayou completely fainted from fear. He, Dayou, was just a thug; what merit did he have to trouble two Champions?

Can't you just let him go like a fart?

Clearly, the answer from Lance and Lorelei was no.

Dayou would just wait at home for justice to be served.

After driving Dayou away, Ash turned and said to Misty, "Misty, are you willing to catch Cloyster?"

"Of course I am!" Misty liked any Water-type Pokémon; she was willing to catch Cloyster.

"Then Cloyster, are you willing to become Misty's Pokémon?" Ash did not decide for Cloyster; instead, he chose to ask Cloyster's opinion.

Misty began to get nervous; she was a bit worried that Cloyster would not want to become her Pokémon. Fortunately, what she worried about did not happen. Cloyster had seen her speak up angrily against Dayou's behavior, so it was very willing to become Misty's Pokémon.

The matter was resolved perfectly. The provoking Dayou was taught a lesson, Cloyster escaped the clutches of evil, and Misty caught a new Pokémon. Congratulations, congratulations.

Wait!

Charmander? Where did Charmander, the "root cause" of the conflict, go?

"Dream."

Fortunately, there was still a reliable person in the team. Mew transformed into Growlithe, sniffed the ground for Charmander's lingering scent, and then chased in the direction Charmander had fled.

"Charge! We must catch that Charmander!"

After catching Charmander near Route 24, they caught a Squirtle abandoned by its owner near a small village.

After promising Squirtle that he would take it to the highest stage and make its owner regret abandoning it, Squirtle also became Ash's Pokémon.