RNP Chapter 265 It's that time of year again...
Chapter 265 It's that time of year again...
Chapter 265 It's that time of year again...
In the airship's corridor, Serena was happily jogging towards the observation deck.
She made new friends on the ship yesterday, and now it's time for them to meet again.
Although it was a bit of a shame that I couldn't find Ash yesterday, it was still a very happy thing to make new friends in a new area.
But as Serena approached the terrace, she suddenly saw a familiar figure.
"This is—"
A thought struck her, and she quickly approached to examine it closely. It turned out to be Xiao Zhi, whom she had been longing for day and night.
Ash is now in his normal, well-proportioned state, his height has returned to 1.8 meters, and his aura has become more peaceful.
It's fair to say that it looks quite different from how it appeared yesterday.
But the familiar aura made Serena recognize him at a glance, and Ash in this state looked more like him when he was a child.
Serena couldn't help but break into a bright smile.
But as she got a little closer, she finally saw Misty standing next to Ash, holding Togepi.
Misty and Ash were standing so close, chatting and laughing intimately. Serena, for some reason, quickly hid behind a potted plant to secretly observe them.
She remembered that Xiaoxia had said yesterday that she wanted to introduce her to a good travel companion.
"Could the powerful trainer partner that Misty mentioned be Ash?"
At that moment, Serena saw Ash affectionately removing the loose thread from Misty's hair, and her heart tightened.
"Why, why did it turn out like this—"
Mingming finally made it to the new area.
In a strange place, I met someone I liked for the first time and also made a new friend.
The two joys overlapped, and this double joy brought even more joy.
They should have already enjoyed a dreamlike period of happiness —
However—why—why did it turn out like this!
At this moment, Serena, for some reason, no longer wanted to see Ash and instead wanted to avoid him.
"I miss him so much, maybe he's already forgotten me, maybe he can't even remember my name —"
"Still so delusional—" Serena felt she should hurry up and leave.
But unexpectedly, Ash suddenly walked over. In fact, he had noticed the small figure in the distance a long time ago.
She was so close, how could she possibly escape Xiaozhi's beast-like intuition?
"Isn't that Serena?"
Ash was taken aback when he saw Serena's face after walking around behind the potted plant, and then he was overjoyed.
Why are you squatting here?
[Ding! Serena: Affection +1]
"Hey~, Ash, you still remember me!"
"How could I forget? Aren't we best friends?" Ash's face was adorned with his usual warm and sunny smile.
[Ding! Serena: Affection +2]
At this moment, Xiaozhi also realized that Xiaoxia's new friend was actually her. What a coincidence!
Ash quickly took Serena's little hand and led her towards Misty.
Serena blushed as Ash held her hand.
"Travel companions—they're probably just good friends," someone consoled themselves.
After the three sat down and talked for a while, they learned that Serena had come to the capital with her mother for the competition, and their final destination was also Azure City.
"Oh, so you two knew each other all along!" Xiaoxia exclaimed in surprise.
"Serena is a good friend I met when I was a child at Professor Oak's summer camp," Ash introduced to Misty.
"Hehe, yeah, it's been so many years."
For some reason, Serena always felt a little shy about revealing her relationship with Ash in front of Misty.
"We're good friends—" Xiaoxia always looked away from Serena.
Sensing there must be some hidden story between the two, alarm bells immediately went off in my head.
But it's alright, Xiaoxia and Xiaozhi's relationship has long since moved past the point where she has to be wary of any new girls.
Xiaoxia is already way ahead on the road of life!
What's more, the other party is Serena, the good girl that Xia has chosen.
With that thought, Xiaoxia immediately reverted to her usual generous self.
I had a pleasant chat with Serena about what kind of Pokémon she liked, and what the latest dress styles were like.
Seeing that Xiaoxia and the others were chatting happily, Xiaozhi suddenly interrupted because he remembered something.
Ash was surprised to see his good friend visiting Johto, and they happened to run into each other. Given the connection between Kanto and Johto, Ash was practically a local.
Serena should certainly be treated well.
"Speaking of which, Serena's destination is also Azure City."
"Starting from Azure City, you can go directly to the Whirlpool Islands to participate in the grand Whirlpool Islands Tour!"
"Yeah, and there's the Whirlpool Islands Tournament too!"
When the topic came up, Xiaoxia got excited, which startled Serena.
"The Whirlpool Islands?"
"This is a grand event for Water-type Pokémon, and many trainers specializing in Water-type Pokémon will be setting their sights on this Whirl Islands tournament!"
Xiaoxia was naturally among them, as she was incredibly excited about the pilgrimage.
"Serena, it's rare for you to come to the capital. The Whirlpool Islands tour only happens once every three years, and it's starting in a month. You can't miss such a great opportunity."
"Would you like to come with us?" Ash invited Serena.
"Hey, shall we go together?"
Serena was naturally very willing to travel with Ash and his friends.
"But I have to tell my mom about this first." After all, she didn't come to Chengdu alone, and she was worried that her parents wouldn't agree.
Seeing this, Ash and Misty went with Serena to meet Satchel and help persuade her.
Unexpectedly, Sachi, who was drinking coffee in the restaurant, was unusually easy to talk to when she saw Ash and his friends arrive.
"Oh, so you're the Ash that Serena keeps talking about." She looked Ash up and down, clearly quite satisfied with his appearance.
"Feeding Mom? You don't say that all the time! Don't talk nonsense!"
Serena blushed deeply at her mother's words, and while retorting, she kept glancing at Ash's expression, worried that he would notice something was wrong with her.
"Yes, Aunt Saki, this is a rare opportunity, please let Serena come along. We swear we'll take good care of her!"
For some reason, Ash's statement sounded strangely like, "Please give me your daughter!"
"Shall we go on the Whirl Islands pilgrimage together? I can rest assured with Ash and Misty there. Serena, go ahead."
After thinking for a while, Sachi readily agreed.
"Is it alright if I help you with the logistics?" Serena was still a little worried, after all, this was the reason she came out with her mother this time.
"Of course not, that was just an excuse to bring you out to broaden your horizons."
"Mom has her own professional support team. With your clumsy hands, how could she really let you do the support work?"
""
"I'm not clumsy at all!"
When facing her mother, Serena is noticeably more spoiled than usual, which Ash finds rather adorable.
Although Serena is only half a year younger than Ash, the age limits for boys and girls to receive Pokémon vary in different regional leagues.
Therefore, Serena does not yet have her own Pokémon or Pokédex.
Generally speaking, parents would not agree to let a child who does not yet own a Pokémon travel alone.
But Xiaozhi seems very reliable, and there's also Xiaoxia, a girl of similar age, with him.
Sachi immediately displayed the big heart typical of parents in the Pokémon world and readily agreed to Serena's request to go on a trip with Ash.
"It's always good to broaden your horizons when you're young, but don't just focus on having fun; remember to think about your future!"
"Okay~"
Seeing that her mother was about to start nagging again, Serena quickly pulled Ash and Misty away.
"Alright, it's settled then. We'll challenge the Azure Gym first, and then head to the Whirlpool Islands!"
"Okay!"
The surf ship landed in Olivine City, and Ash even made a special trip to the Olivine Gym.
But as expected, it was still closed, and the owner, Ami, was still on vacation.
"It's a pity I can't challenge the Asagi Gym at the same time." Ash thought about it carefully, being a gym leader is really a great thing.
Ash, the Philosophy Gym Leader, can take a vacation whenever he wants and is always hands-off, never having to do anything.
It's clear that both the Kanto and Johto alliances are really short-handed; no prosecutors have come to investigate these gym leaders.
Since he couldn't challenge the Oleander Gym, Ash naturally followed his old plan and went to challenge the Cyan Gym first.
After completing the Whirlpool Islands tour, we'll go back to Asagi City for a visit. After all, Ami can't possibly take a vacation for several months at a time.
The journey from Asahi City to Celadon City is short, only requiring a small boat ride, and can be completed in half a day. Serena and Ash went ahead first.
Serena's mother, Saki, will stay in Asagi City for the time being, waiting for her team from the competition to arrive before heading to Azure City.
With her mother's instructions, Serena officially embarked on her journey with Ash.
As soon as they arrived in Cyan City, Ash grabbed Misty and Serena and headed straight for the gym.
"Sigh, didn't we agree to go to the Pokémon Center first, and then to the shopping mall in Azure Plaza?"
"Xiaoxia, what are you talking about? Shopping is nothing compared to battling! Right, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!"
"Ash is still the same as always." Serena smiled.
He was still the same boy she remembered, the one who did whatever he wanted and became completely absorbed in Pokémon.
Xiaoxia was also defeated by him and could only follow along, but she suddenly remembered something important.
"Speaking of which, Ash, do you know where the Azure Gym is?"
"Of course I don't know!" Xiaozhi said confidently.
"Oh dear, I didn't know you were running in such a hurry."
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a series of deep, panting sounds from a man and Haoli suddenly came from the beach beside the road.
The movements came one after the other, and the sounds rose and fell!
"This is----"
The crowd quickly ran to the roadside to watch.
It turned out to be just a burly middle-aged man with his upper body bare, having a normal fistfight with a hog on the beach. (What else would you have thought it was?)
The two exchanged blows, neither backing down.
Haoli's strong and powerful hand struck the man's arm with a startling sound, while the man opposite him retaliated by punching Haoli in the chest.
"What a charismatic person and Pokémon!" Serena was stunned, but Misty remained calm.
"Alright, Haoli, let's use Hell Roll next!"
The blue-skinned brute immediately lunged forward and grabbed the man, and the two of them began to roll passionately on the beach.
"Wow, that's amazing! That uncle actually took the hit of that powerful Pokémon move."
Serena, who was seeing this for the first time, gaped in astonishment: "So humans can actually fight Pokémon head-on?"
"Of course you can, there are even people who can completely dominate Pokémon."
Xiaoxia sees this scene every day and is used to it.
"Really?!" Serena was shocked again. Traveling really does allow you to see all sorts of strange and unusual things.
Ash became interested in seeing the older man and Machamp below.
"There are locals here, we can just ask them for directions to the dojo!"
This intense and passionate battle made Ash instantly like them.
"It's a Stand just like me!"
There are no bad people among those who love fighting, so Ash immediately jumped onto the beach.
"Hello, may I bother you for a moment?" As soon as Ash's voice came out, the uncle and Machamp immediately became alert.
They performed several backflips in succession, assuming a fighting stance.
"What an astonishing aura! Just getting close makes me tremble. Young man, a beast resides within you!"
"That guy over there is no simpleton."
He actually saw through Ash's hidden strength in his normal state in an instant, which made Ash look at him with new respect.
"Hello, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm the Pokémon Trainer who came here to challenge the Azure Gym."
Do you know where the dojo is located?
"Trains who come here to take on this challenge—"
Upon hearing this, the uncle closed his eyes.
"Ha, come on! If you want to know, come and throw a punch at me and Haoli, and let me see your magnanimity."
"I will only answer questions from the strong!"
"Are you sure?" Not just anyone can take Ash's punch.
"Of course! Your amazing aura makes my blood boil, and I desperately want to spar with you, don't you think, Haoli!"
"Haoli!"
"Attack me and Machamp with all your might!"
This uncle's personality is quite similar to Xiao Zhi's, which makes Xiao Zhi admire him even more.
"Since you've said so, Uncle!" Xiao Zhi simply threw a punch.
Of course, he couldn't use his full strength, but his momentum was still considerable. The force of his punches blew up the sand on the shore, making it impossible for the old man to open his eyes.
"Wow, this incredible momentum! I feel like a Gyarados is charging towards me!"
With a loud bang, Uncle and Machamp were sent flying by Ash's punch.
"Ash is amazing now!" Serena was once again amazed by Ash.
Although Ash's power was already beyond what a child should have when he was young, his power has now reached an exaggerated level.
"Then what you called someone who can completely overwhelm Pokémon—"
"That's right, it's Ash!"
At this moment, Xiaoxia and Serena also quickly came down and ran over to see if the uncle was alright.
Fortunately, the ground here was soft sand, so they were not injured a second time after they fell.
"Uncle, are you alright?" Ash helped the uncle and Machamp up.
The uncle's stance was so sharp that Xiao Zhi lost control of his strength and used a little too much force.
"Wow, that was a powerful punch!"
The uncle who was helped up made a strange sound.
"Being able to experience such a move firsthand is truly moving, Gouri!"
"Haoli!"
Haoli, who was standing to the side, also stood up and responded to the uncle with tears in his eyes. The two of them hugged each other and cried in an exaggerated way.
"Is this man really alright?"
This exaggerated scene left everyone speechless with embarrassment.
"Ash, you didn't damage his and Machamp's brains, did you?" Misty quickly whispered in Ash's ear.
"I don't think so—"
"Hey kid over there with Pikachu, your name is Ash, right?"
At this point, the man finally stopped crying and stood up.
"Yes."
"A very nice name, though not as good as mine. If you want to challenge the Azure Gym, then follow along!"
For some reason, the middle-aged man immediately followed Machamp and ran away from Ash's sight.
Xiao Zhi and his friends were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Do I often encounter people like this while traveling?" Serena began to wonder about her future travels.
"It shouldn't be—not often—" Xiaoxia replied without much confidence.
"This is really interesting! Okay, Xiaoxia and Serena, stop complaining! Let's hurry up and catch up!"
After saying that, Ash immediately started running. Ash doesn't dislike hot-blooded guys like that.
"~"
With no other option, Xiaoxia and Serena had to run away as well.
After a run, everyone finally followed Haoli to the front of a large courtyard.
"We're here so fast!" Ash said, controlling his speed to keep up with Machamp.
He quickly followed it to the door, doing high knees and waiting for the people behind him to catch up; he hadn't run enough yet.
"Where is the speed? This is almost eight kilometers!" Xiaoxia, who has better stamina, followed closely behind.
Serena, who had just started following Ash today, stumbled along at the back.
Just now, when Xiaoxia was running, she deliberately slowed down to run alongside Serena, worried that she might lose her way.
"I can't go on, I'm so tired~ I can't run anymore." Serena finally reached her destination and immediately clutched her lower back, panting heavily.
Even though Serena, who is in the prime of her youth, usually trains with her mother, such a long eight-kilometer run was a bit too much for her.
"Begging for mercy after just this level of running is outrageous!"
"But it seems like you're the most outrageous one, Uncle," Xiaoxia said sarcastically without holding back.
Because the one running at the very back was an uncle who was so tired that he couldn't even stand up.
He looked like a seasoned martial arts expert on the beach, but it turns out he's not even as fast as Serena when it comes to running.
The uncle struggled to crawl to the edge of the gate and knelt down.
"But uncle, why did we run all the way here?"
Unable to bear seeing him like this, Xiao Zhi reluctantly helped him up.
"The reason is that—"
The middle-aged man, panting, struggled to raise his hand and point to the door.
Upon hearing the commotion outside, a group of students immediately ran out with their Pokémon to greet them.
"Welcome back, Teacher Si!"
"Okay, everyone practiced well."
At this moment, Ah Si had already stood up, crossed his arms, and struck a composed pose.
It was completely unbelievable that this man had just been kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
"Yes!" the trainees responded loudly in unison.
It was only then that Ash and his friends noticed that the words "Azure Gym" were written in large characters above the gate.
"So you were—"
"That's right, I am the leader of the Azure Dojo, the Johto Fighting King, Asahi!" The uncle immediately assumed a fighting stance.
"What? So Uncle Ah Si's surname is Wang?"
"He's the King of Fighters!"
That new light brown-haired girl is so rude!
But then Ash suddenly thought, "Speaking of which, this is the Azure Gym. I wonder if Bea, that little gray-haired girl, is still here."