Chapter 29: The Scapegoat King Clemont!

The next day, early morning, around 5 o'clock,

At first light, Ash, unable to wait, wanted to go challenge the gym and woke up Froakie,

Froakie pulled Ash and the listless Pikachu up, then turned to try to pull the differently colored Lurantis, but was instantly separated by a ruthless psychic force,

Froakie's slit-pupiled eyes looked toward Ash,

Ash thought, and although the shiny Shaymin had psychic typing and could rely on flying for battles and travel, it didn't need much stamina,

But… what if the enemy's attack breaks through the psychic barrier?

Its frail body would undoubtedly become a fatal weakness.

By then, the shiny Shaymin would truly become a tyrant over weaklings,

Crushing weaklings all the way, its dominance suffocating,

Against strong foes, it would be instantly killed.

How could a true strong one not develop comprehensively?

Ash immediately coaxed the shiny Shaymin to get up and start morning training,

He ran a full loop around the whole Sandalwood City,

Naturally, the shiny Shaymin, already at a disadvantage in stamina, couldn't hold up after just one-fifth of the route and wanted to quit outright,

Ash also knew you couldn't become a fat pig in one bite,

Although one could let the shiny Shaymin use psychic power to support its body, floating in the air over the remaining route, thereby exercising mental strength,

But after all, there's still the gym battle ahead,

The consumption of mental energy isn't as easily replenished as physical stamina,

Speaking of which,

Once the gym challenge is over, we could let the shiny Shaymin start trying similar training,

This would both strengthen the shiny Shaymin's physique and increase its mental power cap and recovery speed,

Two birds with one stone.

Afterward, Ash let the little guy lie lazily on his shoulder.

The reason Ash didn't recall Shaymin into its Poké Ball, but let it rest while watching his companions' hard work, was also a consideration,

Apart from the max-level Pikachu not saying,

Compared to Froakie, the rocket sparrow, and even Ash himself as a human, the shiny Shaymin would somewhat feel that loafing was inappropriate,

Seeing the shiny Shaymin's somewhat guilty reaction,

Ash's mouth corners slightly rose,

Good, this is exactly the effect he wanted; he wanted the shiny Shaymin to self-discover and self-supervise,

The effects gained through one's own self-discipline will always be far better than those prompted by others.

After finishing the lap-around-the-city training,

By the time Ash returned, it was already past 7 o'clock.

The lobby of the Pokémon Center,

Serena, worried sick and thinking Ash had lost, saw him jogging over and instantly breathed a sigh of relief,

At this moment, despite having run around the city, Ash showed no sweat, his breathing was long and even, unhurried, his expression relaxed,

Beside him, Pikachu was much the same; just this little amount didn't tire Ash, and Pikachu naturally was long accustomed to it,

In contrast, Froakie and the rocket sparrow were both drenched in sweat,

Although the shiny Shaymin didn't sweat, its fair skin still bore traces of dried sweat,

Ash briefly explained the morning training situation to Serena,

The three sweaty Pokémon went off to wash up.

Not long later, the shiny Shaymin reappeared before everyone, once again restored to a fresh, gorgeous state.

Froakie also became more moist and spirited,

The rocket sparrow was even more stalwart and upright, full of vigor.

After breakfast, he replenished some stamina for several Pokémon,

Ash also gave the rocket sparrow a charcoal replacement,

Although Fire and Flying types both counter Bug, with the mastery of intense sunshine, the Flame Body 1 enhancement was completed,

Now the rocket sparrow undoubtedly excels at fire moves.

Naturally,

Ash put away the sharp beak,

Arriving at the Sandalwood Gym, he walked down a corridor like an art gallery, admiring the enlarged, framed photos.

The gym trainee explained, "Ladies and gentlemen, these are all masterpieces taken by our gym leader!"

"Wow, you can feel the gym leader's love for Bug-type Pokémon!"

Yurie's eyes lit up, "I want, I want, beautiful big sis, please take my brother!"

Her voice arrived before she did,

Upon reaching the battlefield, they saw Violet, who had long been waiting,

Yurie slid forward, dropped to one knee, and broke the solemn atmosphere.

Violet's mouth opened slightly, somewhat at a loss for words,

"What do you mean by taking me in?"

Behind her, Clemont flushed with anger and embarrassment!

"Yurie! Didn't I tell you not to say that?!"

You can't blame Clemont for overreacting.

Honestly… the gym leader and all that gym leader stuff matched so perfectly that Clemont instinctively gave serious thought to its feasibility, which of course made him even more embarrassed.

Yurie seized the moment.

Completely ignoring that Clemont's face had turned as red as a monkey's butt.

"Because having just my brother alone is simply unreliable! If I had a wife, I'd feel at ease."

"Wife… wife?!"

Her looks are roughly an 80‑point rating, making her a beauty in the crowd, but she can't truly be counted among the top, and her violet cheeks are not visibly rosy.

Her lingering gaze unintentionally flicked toward a corner.

How unlucky, that this scene was spotted by a friend.

Recalling that yesterday after bringing someone back, she kept constantly teasing the other's behavior.

Violet had already prepared for the crisis of being teased by Xiao Ju'er for a lifetime over this matter.

She instantly displayed an expression of being born without affection.

And Clemont, whose face was now thoroughly as if coated with red paint, finally also subdued Yurie, that unbridled little wild donkey.

Ash, who had been watching the scene like a spectator, kept a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Not only did he find everything unfolding before him funny and entertaining, but also because he discovered a familiar person's waveguide.

A witch who had once cradled him to sleep, gave a pat but no food, and brought endless torment to Ash.

Now,

The young dragon has already matured; goodbye witch, it's time for revenge,

Ash's change naturally couldn't be hidden from the two girls who had been watching him all along.

Behind the flower cluster,

Xiao Ju'er displayed a "just as expected" expression, knowing that Ash would discover her the instant he approached.

At the same time,

Xiao Ju'er, with a curious look, examined Serena.

Based solely on Serena's outward condition, the girl was just reaching maturity, with a slender, slim figure and a youthful vibe radiating.

She was almost very close to the white‑young‑thin type of Xiao Xia, Xiao Yao, and Xiao Guang.

No wonder Ash likes her.

Moreover, Serena's personality and behavior gave Xiao Ju'er a very familiar feeling,

Her temperament was somewhat like a genteel lady, with tea‑colored hair bordering on golden, and she cradled a Psychic‑type spirit Lalu Lasi in her arms.

What a strong sense of déjà vu!

Isn't this literally a living Xiao Jiade Li Ya?

Xiao Ju'er: "..."

You, Jiade Li Ya, and you still claim you didn't tempt Ash?!

Silently made a note in his mind about Jiade Li Ya, intending to go back and settle the score, giving her a good knead.

On the other side, hidden by the flower cluster, Serena couldn't see Xiao Ju'er,

Thus she only felt the approaching crisis through Ash's reaction, yet she didn't know what exactly was awaiting her.

A few minutes later, the farce ended,

Thanks to Clemont and his sibling causing Violet's social death,

At this point Violet's attitude was certainly not friendly, even recalling some unpleasant details.

"Ash, I heard you arrived by plane in Mi'arei City? I didn't expect you to be the first to challenge the White Sand Gym,"

Ash, who was affected by the unexpected disaster, shrugged a bit gloomily,

"Because the gym challenge restriction in Mi'arei City requires obtaining four badges, I chose to come to the White Sand Gym.

Right, Clemont?!"

Suddenly two large pots slammed onto his head; despite Clemont feeling extremely guilty, he forced himself to stay composed, his eyes drifting around.

"Ah, right, right! It's all because of that weird rule at Mi'arei Gym."

Hmph, Yurie and the Mi'arei Gym leader's fault, what does that have to do with me, Clemont?

"Alright, your answer makes me not feel that you look down on me."

Violet neither affirmed nor denied,

"But I still have some unfortunate news for you: of my three 2‑star gym‑level spirits, one reached 3‑star yesterday, so… you still insist on challenging?"

"Yesterday?"

Ash slightly raised an eyebrow; so it means only at level 30?

Although it's hard, I had done special training before coming, so it's not without a chance of victory.

Ash finally nodded in agreement,

"Alright, let's go straight ahead!"