r18novel Chapter 695 A True Account of a Date in Yingxue City, Assisting Little Pi!
Chapter 695 A True Account of a Date in Yingxue City, Assisting Little Pi!
Serena took a deep breath: "Um, Ash."
"Well, what's wrong?"
Xiao Zhi immediately turned to look at her, completely unaware of anything amiss.
"Should we go out for a stroll? Yingxue City seems to have a lot of interesting places, like ice sculpture workshops, dessert shops, and hot springs..."
As Serena spoke, her fingers unconsciously twisted the tassels of her scarf.
This was an invitation she mustered up the courage to extend, just like what Xiaoguang would do, it was practically written all over her face that she wanted to spend time alone with him.
Ash scratched his head, looking troubled: "Ah? But I have something to do. Mr. Defu said there's a Blizzard Training Ground in the north of the city, and I want to try it out with Greninja."
Serena's eyes darkened, and she lowered her head: "I see, then never mind..."
So, it still doesn't work?
Just when she thought this invitation was going to fall through again, Pikachu moved.
It jumped off Ash's shoulder, went around behind Ash, and started pushing his back hard.
"Pika pika!"
(Hurry up, Ash! Serena's been so proactive, we need to seize this opportunity!)
Ash was pushed forward: "Hey? Pikachu, what are you doing?"
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu wouldn't listen and just kept pushing.
Why are we being so proactive?
That must be the year's worth of tomato sauce that Serena had secretly promised before.
Between a year's supply of tomato sauce and Ash, Pikachu made its decision in just 0.69 seconds.
Let's do it! Aren't trainers just for selling?
Before Pikachu could react to Ash, its cheeks began to crackle with electricity.
"Pika....Chu!!"
Zizi!
Ash exhaled a puff of black smoke, seemingly enlightened by the electric shock, and turned to look at Pikachu: "Pikachu, are you saying I should go shopping with Serena?"
"Pickup!"
Pikachu nodded vigorously, its eyes showing no longing for the ketchup, only genuine sincerity that it was all for Pikachu's own good.
We're brothers in arms, would I ever harm you?
Ash looked at Pikachu, then at Serena whose fingers were intertwined, and scratched his head:
"Yeah."
Serena's eyes immediately lit up, and she instantly recovered from her disappointment, her voice filled with joy:
"How about we go to the ice sculpture workshop? I heard you can carve your own sculpture there, and even take photos to remember the moment!"
She secretly gave Pikachu a thumbs up in her heart; he did a fantastic job.
Xiao Zhi was full of enthusiasm: "Yosh! In that case, let's go to the ice sculpture workshop."
Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder, revealing a fatherly smile of satisfaction.
That's a year's worth of tomato sauce!
Can't finish it, can't finish it at all.
Being too happy can also be a problem.
When the two arrived at the ice sculpture workshop, it was already afternoon.
There weren't many people in the workshop; most were couples or tourists.
Serena immediately noticed the photos of Xiaoyun and Xiaoguang on the workshop wall, next to two ice sculptures.
The Pogaman in the photo is exquisitely sculpted and adorable, but the other one... well... what is that thing?
Is this really a living organism?
Ash also went over to take a look, carefully examining the abstract ice sculpture, and even nodded: "Xiaoyun's Rayquaza is very unique, but the proportions of its tail seem a bit off; it should be longer..."
Serena stared at Ash in shock: "You mean this is Rayquaza?"
You mean this thing that looks like a mudfish that's been run over by a car and stepped on a few times is the same Sky Dragon that was so domineering and captivating a few days ago with its brilliant finishing touch?
You're kidding me! The difference between buyer's photos and seller's photos isn't that exaggerated.
Ash nodded seriously, pointing to a part of the ice sculpture: "Yeah, can't you see?"
Serena: "...I can't tell at all."
Pikachu: "Pika..." (Whatever makes you happy)
Xiaoyun: Bro, you understand art!
"Never mind, it's not important."
Serena shook her head, drawing her attention back: "Ash, let's carve one together too? After we're done, we can take a picture together to commemorate it, just like they did."
"Great! Let's carve one then!"
Ash immediately nodded in agreement, his eyes shining. "I want to carve Pikachu, the coolest ice sculpture that looks just like Pikachu! Serena, what do you want to carve?"
Serena thought for a moment and said, "I'll sculpt the Demon Fire Red Fox."
Since we're already here, we should definitely sculpt the starter Pokémon. Nobody wants to show off by making something like Rayquaza, right?
The two paid, put on the cold-weather gloves and aprons provided by the workshop, and each chose their own ice.
Serena had an artistic background. She first used an ice knife to lightly draw the general outline of the fiery red fox on the ice, including its ears, tail, and the tree branch wand in its hand. Then she switched to a small ice chisel and carefully removed the excess parts.
Although his movements weren't as skillful as Xiaoguang's, they were still quite impressive.
On the other hand, let's look at Ash's side.
Ash held the ice pick and gestured at the ice for a long time, muttering to himself, "First, Pikachu is round, then it has ears, and its tail is curved..."
Pikachu stood on the workbench next to him, listening, and the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong.
Isn't this description too general? Is it really that simple?
"OK, let's get started!"
Xiao Zhi was confident of victory, and then he struck with his chisel.
click!
A large chunk of ice broke off.
Xiao Zhi stared at the gap, lost in thought: "...It seems like I cut too much."
He changed direction and continued, this time being more careful, but the proportions were completely wrong. The body was sculpted too long, making it look like an elongated potato.
"It's alright, your ears can be fixed..."
Xiao Zhi started carving ears.
However, Pikachu's ears are long and thin, requiring delicate handling, and Ash's ice pick trembled slightly.
pat.
The left ear... is broken.
Ash silently picked up the piece of Ice Ear and, imitating what Cloud had done before, tried to glue it back on with water.
"It's okay, it's fine if the ears are slightly bent, it's called personalized design!"
Pikachu stood beside it, and the whole mouse went numb.
What is this thing?! Is this really it? Does it look that abstract?
After Serena finished sculpting the outline of the Flame Fox, she turned to check on Ash's progress. Then, looking at the ice sculpture that barely resembled a living being, she fell silent.
Is this... also an artist?
It has a body (elongated potato shape).
It has ears (one long and one short, the shorter one wobbling precariously).
It has a tail (a crooked sickle).
There are two raised bumps on the cheeks.
The most fatal flaw is the face; one eye is sculpted as a circle, and the other as a triangle, while the mouth is a crooked slit.
The nose wasn't carved at all; only a dot was pierced.
The entire work exudes an abstract, Fauvist vibe, with a touch of indescribable lewdness.
Or, to put it another way, it's like Pikachu being hit by a truck and then stomped on a few times.
If Xiaoyun were here, she would definitely slap her thigh and shout, "Holy crap! It's Pikachu and Kizaru! The accuracy is incredible! Ash, you're practically a superman!"
Serena took ten seconds to gather her thoughts before finally saying tactfully, "Very personal style."
Ash scratched his head, looked at his creation, then at Pikachu himself, and honestly said, "It doesn't quite look like Pikachu."
Pikachu went berserk.
"It's not just unrecognizable! It's downright mental pollution! Destroy it!"
Xiao Zhi sighed:
"I'm really not good at this kind of delicate work. When I traveled with Xiaoxia before, she made Pokémon-shaped bento boxes, and they looked so realistic..."
When Serena heard the name Xiaoxia, her heart skipped a beat.
She knew Xiaoxia, the Gym Leader of Cerulean City in the Kanto region.
Ash's former partner was very beautiful and very skilled; the two shared many unique memories.
"I hope you will be my exclusive memory..."
She shook her head, trying to shake off those chaotic thoughts, and gave a gentle smile: "It's okay, everyone has things they're not good at, and..."
She looked at the crooked ice sculpture and couldn't help but laugh: "This is actually quite cute, very much in Ash's style."
Click——!
It was as if something had shattered in Pikachu's heart.
"Pica..."
(Cute? Serena, how thick is your filter?! Where's the cuteness? This is clearly terrifying!)
Just then, a staff member came over to take photos. He saw Serena's fiery red fox and praised her with a smile, "This lady has done a fantastic job sculpting it; the lines are smooth, and the expression is captured very well."
Then he turned to Xiaozhi's work, his expression instantly becoming complicated: "This guest, your work, well, it's quite impactful."
He carefully chose his words: "Since our workshop opened, we have never seen such an expressive work."
Xiao Zhi blinked: "Are you praising me?"
The staff member gave a professional smile: "Without a doubt."
It's unbelievable that two talented individuals emerged from an ordinary day. Whose subordinates are they?
Pikachu covered its face with its two little paws, it was too painful to look at.
It felt...dirty.
When they left the ice sculpture workshop, Serena received an award for outstanding work, Ash received a sticker for the most creative work, and Xiaoyun received a consolation prize.
They all belong to the "I don't know what you're sculpting, but I encourage you to keep trying" series.
Serena carefully stuck the sticker on Ash's jacket and said with a smile, "Keep it as a souvenir."
Xiao Zhi looked at the sticker and smiled:
"Yes! I'll carve it even better next time!"
Pikachu was internally ranting and raving.
Please, please, please don't let it happen again.
Just then, a couple with a child walked by, and the little boy pointed at Ash's ice sculpture and asked:
"Mom, what kind of Pokémon is that? It's so weird."
The mother looked at it and said uncertainly, "It might be a hypnotic tapir."
"..."
Xiao Zhi silently turned around, pretending not to hear.
Serena covered her mouth and chuckled.
Pikachu felt even more hopeless.
Then the two went to the dessert shop, the same one where Xiaoyun and Xiaoguang had challenged themselves with the Blizzard Parfait that afternoon.
Serena looked at the giant blizzard parfait on the menu, hesitated for a moment, and then suggested:
"Should we order a small one? The large one seems too much; we can't possibly finish it."
"Sure! I'm fine with anything!"
Xiao Zhi answered decisively, saying he didn't care as long as there was food.
Serena said to the waiter:
"Then one chocolate, one strawberry, and one plain, with ketchup on top..."
"Um, are you sure it's ketchup?"
The waiter was slightly taken aback.
Ice cream with ketchup? What kind of new, bizarre food is this? Do young people these days have such unique tastes?
"Yes, this is the one."
“Yes, this is the one.” Serena nodded, smiling gently.
You have to keep your promise to Pikachu, this is a gift for helping out.
“Pikachu........”
Pikachu was so moved that it trembled all over and covered its chest with its little paws.
"Having wandered for half my life, I only regret not having met a wise ruler. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to serve as your...."
(The following 300 words are omitted.)
"Okay, please wait a moment~"
The two found a seat by the window. Snow had begun to fall outside, and the streetlights were turning on one by one. The ice sculptures shimmered in the warm yellow light, like a scene from a fairy tale.
Serena looked at Ash across from her, wondering how to start a conversation.
They were already halfway through their date, but all they talked about were Pokémon battles and training techniques. She wanted a deeper conversation.
She spoke softly, "Shōji, what do you think of Snow City? How does it compare to the cities we've been to before?"
Xiao Zhi immediately replied:
"It's so cold! But it's perfect for training Ice-type Pokémon! Speaking of ice, I remember when I traveled with Iris in the Unova region, we visited an Ice Gym, and it was really fun..."
He began to talk at length about his travel experiences with Alice and so on.
Serena listened silently, a smile playing on her lips, but the expectation in her heart slowly turned into helplessness.
Iris, Ash's partner from the Unova region, has a lively and cheerful personality and is like a buddy to Ash.
But... she's a girl too.
Moreover, Xiaozhi spoke of these girls with such naturalness and happiness...
Ash suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Serena, why don't you also do some targeted training for Fooflame? We can use it as our main force in gym battles."
Okay, let's get back to the topic of battles.
Serena looked down and poked the parfait that had just been served. The delicate glass was piled with chocolate ice cream, brownie crumbs, and topped with a chocolate ice Eevee head.
This is a unique decoration in the store.
"so cute."
Serena looked at the chocolate decoration and forced a smile.
Xiao Zhi had already picked up the spoon, his eyes shining:
"I'm gonna start now!"
He started eating voraciously, so fast that Serena was stunned.
In less than five minutes, Xiao Zhi had finished most of the meal, and then said to the waiter:
"One more!"
Serena ate her strawberry parfait in small bites and tried to start a conversation again: "Ash, you've traveled to so many regions and met so many trainers, have you ever noticed any place where the girls are particularly special?"
She asked very carefully, but her heart was racing.
Ash, his mouth full of ice cream, mumbled, "They're all pretty special. Misty always hits me, but her Water-type Pokémon are really strong."
"May's performance was amazing, but her cooking skills weren't that great. However, her Munchlax really liked it."
"Nozomi is also very good at performing, and she's super cool when she fights, and there's Alice too..."
He counted on his fingers, recounting each girl's story one by one, remembering each girl's characteristics very clearly.
Serena's heart sank little by little.
Wow, you remember it so clearly!
Pikachu ate its tomato ice cream, listened to the two's conversation, and shook its head and sighed.
This child is beyond saving. Let's bury him and start the feast. I'll sit at the table with the child.
After a while, Ash suddenly said, "And Serena, your cooking is the best, better than Misty and May's."
Serena looked up abruptly.
Huh? Do I still have a chance?
She thought she had finished filming.