Chapter 1001

He shot forward with a whoosh and arrived before a massive rock twenty meters tall, his lightning arc instantly plunging into the stone.

With a thunderous crack, the rock shattered completely.

"……Not enough!"

Xiao Zhizhi watched the scene before him, showing no joy, his brows tightly furrowed.

Xiao Gang, holding Poké Feed, walked over to Xiao Zhizhi's side, glanced at the Pokémon training intensely, and smiled wryly as he urged,

"Xiao Zhizhi, let your Pokémon rest for now! If you want to train, wait until after you've eaten and had a break."

"Just a little longer!"

Xiao Zhizhi slowly stood up, his voice soft, "I just calculated—Pikachu still needs three more Thunder Slices! Bulbasaur hasn't defeated Squirtle yet.

Charizard's Armament Haki is close to breaking through; it might hold on a bit longer and reach intermediate level."

"……It can't be that urgent."

Xiao Gang opened his mouth, but before he could finish, Xiao Xia walked over and tugged at Xiao Gang's sleeve.

When Xiao Gang turned to look at Xiao Xia, he saw her shaking her head seriously.

Xiao Gang froze, remembering the message Master Du had sent them earlier.

He fell silent.

Xiao Zhizhi hadn't hidden anything from them when he spoke with Master Du.

So they knew that the Sinnoh region had undergone massive anomalies, possibly threatening world peace.

You should know that the Sinnoh region is extremely far from the Kanto region where they are currently located.

But even so, Master Du had sternly warned that if Sinnoh slipped out of control, the Kanto region wouldn't be spared either.

That single statement alone revealed the sheer scale of the crisis Sinnoh now faced.

Even if Sinnoh collapsed entirely and was destroyed, Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia wouldn't be the least surprised.

The Pidgeot circling above suddenly let out a piercing cry.

His expression turned grim, his talons coated in Armament Haki, his body taut as he flapped his wings, ready for battle.

"……What's happening?"

Xiao Zhizhi's gaze sharpened instantly.

The Pidgeot, evolved from Pidgey under his training, had reached intermediate level in Observation Haki—the highest among all his Pokémon.

"Xiao Zhizhi, right now I realize… I may have seriously underestimated you! You've trained 247 Pokémon to this level.

Master Du was right! You truly possess Champion-level power… and among Champions, you're not at the bottom."

Su Han's voice, tinged with reflection, sounded out.

"Give you a little more time, and you might truly become a Champion—and win this year's Kanto tournament."

The training Pikachu stiffened, then shot forward with a whoosh, leaping onto Xiao Zhizhi's shoulder like a bolt of lightning.

The red electric sacs on its cheeks were charging.

Charizard let out a low roar, its wings flapping, soaring into the sky, its mouth slightly open with flames swirling within.

Far away, Squirtle and Bulbasaur simultaneously ceased fighting, their forms flashing rapidly as they appeared behind Su Han and the others, blocking their escape route.

"Remarkable! Truly remarkable."

Xiao Zhizhi Shu clapped involuntarily.

She was astonished by the flawless coordination among Xiao Zhizhi's… Pokémon.

This silent understanding was immeasurably superior to the original's brute-force fighting style.

"After all, it took a great deal of effort!"

Xiao Zhizhi adjusted his red cap, smiled, his gaze distant.

Thinking of all the grueling training he'd endured on this journey, Xiao Zhizhi felt deeply moved.