He knows Pokémon better than me.

Chapter 4253 Heading to Motogakure!

Xiao You breathed a sigh of relief. If only his first defeat had happened in the league tournament against that champion.

In a real competition, your opponents won't be like Ash just now, waiting for you to get back into the swing of things.

She will only suffer an even greater defeat!

Xiao You's eyes narrowed; there was still a little over a month left for special training.

"For special training, you can use any of the Pokémon I have here to battle and practice anytime~"

Just then, Ash strolled over slowly, carrying Shaymin, and casually chuckled.

These guys spar with each other every day, they're probably tired of it by now, it's good to have some new opponents—

These days, besides Magearna, many of his Pokémon also venture deep into the Wild Area to explore.

Of course, it's not like Gengar that neglects its duties.

Instead, it went to find a bullying Pokémon nearby and challenged it to a duel.

I had a vague feeling that I was becoming a bully myself.

Three days later, Ash was selecting his troops in the castle courtyard.

"They've finally arrived!"

He was still holding his phone, Rotom, looking excited; he had finally received official notification about the next World Championship.

The opponent is ranked 73rd in the advanced ball class, not far behind me in the rankings.

"Huh, I've never heard of this person before."

Xiao You couldn't help but come closer to take a look. The alliance card on the screen was a full-body photo of the opponent, which looked quite formal.

Judging from his appearance, he doesn't seem to be a famous trainer from any particular place.

To achieve this ranking, one must either be a regional Elite Four member or a top-ranked Gym Leader, or a Trainer who has made a name for themselves in their region.

Xiao Zhi chuckled and stuffed his phone into his pocket.

This person is someone I know well.

His strength is definitely not weak; I never expected to have the chance to fight him.

As for the venue—Mountsu City, the Mountsu Stadium!

"Did Mr. Cibaner lend you the venue?"

Xiao You said, "It looks like this will be a competition that the organizers are heavily promoting, so it should be quite exciting."

Xiao Zhi was secretly delighted; what a coincidence!

Marie had previously texted him, saying that she had finished her training on the Isle of Armor and was preparing to challenge the final Gym Leader, Chibana, in Motostoke.

Master Ma has given her a lot of guidance during this time, so she should have made great progress.

It's a perfect opportunity to join the friends and family support group and cheer them on.

Ash suddenly looked at the girl beside him and asked:

"By the way, Xiaoyou, do you want to come along?"

Xiaoyou hesitated for a moment, then finally pursed her lips and shook her head:

"Never mind me, I'll just stay here and continue my special training."

With Xiaozhi's skill level, all World Championship matches below Master Ball level are complete stomp games, with no suspense whatsoever.

That's not right either; Pikachu initially gave him the illusion that he could "win".

I'll wait until I reach the Master or the first half of the Advanced level before I go and watch it myself.

"Then I'll have to leave the house to you!"

Xiao Zhi didn't press the matter and laughed heartily:

"By the way, I'd also like to leave the Pokémon I left here with you for the time being!"

He has already selected a temporary squad from this Galar team, enough to fight against the next opponent.

The rest of you can stay here and continue training.

Speaking of which, it seems that powerful Pokémon also exist deep within the nearby wilderness—

For example, yesterday, Martial Arts Master Xiong returned with an injured arm. Truly a master!

It seems that after we get back from this trip, we can go deep into the wilderness and see what kind of creature could have injured a martial arts bear master.

Half an hour later, Ash, riding Corviknight, had entered the northern wilderness area.

The terrain gradually opens up, the most distinctive feature being the circular sand pit that sinks down in the north-central part—

Seeing the sand dunes means that Quan Guan City is not far away.

"Fly straight there."

Ash patted Corviknight's neck feathers, and the latter let out a loud cry, spread its wings, and soared straight forward.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sand dunes were still filled with yellow sand. He remembered that a bad-tempered bully, Vulture Na, was still lurking in the sky above this desert.

They specifically target outsiders who come in, and they like to swoop down from high altitudes and throw bone clubs at their heads.

—Sure enough, I actually saw it!

Before they had flown very far, a shadowy vulture suddenly appeared from the side.

The bully, the bald eagle, folded its wings and pressed down, still trying to block the way and establish its dominance.

But when it zoomed in and saw the Steelraven's dark blue steel feathers gleaming with a cold light, and its body that was almost a size larger than its own, it froze in mid-air.

not to be trifled.

Then, Vulturena's gaze fell on Ash on the bird's back and Electric Mouse on her shoulder.

"Pikachu~"

Pikachu even waved its little hand in a friendly greeting.

Bald Eagle's eyes widened instantly, and a distorted scream suddenly escaped her throat:

"Gana—?!"

Without even a second's hesitation, it immediately turned around, flapped its wings frantically, and fled in panic.

Damn it!

Why is it that electric mouse again?!

The psychological trauma from being electrocuted last time, leaving my feathers charred and unable to fly for three days, hasn't even faded yet. I can't afford to mess with them!

Ash's lips twitched. Sure enough, Pikachu was the real bully.

However, without the harassment of the vulture Nata, the Corviknight flew smoothly into the sky above the center of the sand dune.

He looked up and, beyond the undulating sand dunes, the outline of a magnificent city could already be seen on the distant horizon.

Hammerlocke City!

"We've arrived here again."

Ash sighed deeply, patted Corviknight's neck, and gestured for it to slow down.

He had actually been to this place several times before, but each time he had only passed through and had never actually gone inside.

Quanjuroku City is a town steeped in history, exuding a profound sense of weight and history even from afar.

Like its watchtower castle, the city was surrounded by towering walls.

The height of the city wall here is probably more than ten times that of my small town.

On the city wall, every ten meters or so, you could see a bluffing demon crouching down, its messy purple fur falling down, watching vigilantly and attentively.

Of course, the most eye-catching is the main tower located in the city center.

Although not as extravagant as the Prism Tower in the Carlos region, it is still extremely tall, with its top tapering like a full pink flower bud.

The tower is flanked by five-story straight city wall corridors, arranged symmetrically.

These corridors are independent of each other, with a sophisticated rotating structure at the bottom on one side that can be freely adjusted to different angles as needed.

From a distance, the layered city walls and corridors extend to both sides, like a pair of rocky wings of a tall tower.

Ash looked up, his eyes filled with admiration—

Even though I've passed through this city several times, I still find it magnificent every time I see it again. (End of Chapter)