r18novel Chapter 298 Ash's Initiative, the Harem King's Guidance.
Chapter 298 Ash's Initiative, the Harem King's Guidance.
Chapter 298 Ash's Initiative, the Harem King's Guidance.
The reform of the Silver Conference may have already begun. The expansion of the venue started not long after the Silver Conference ended. At that time, many people were wondering why the Silver Conference venue needed to be expanded.
The original Silver venue was already large enough; the central venue could easily accommodate a thousand spectators, and there were five smaller venues around it, each capable of holding hundreds of spectators.
Under these circumstances, they still want to expand? How many spectators do they want to accommodate? Will there really be that many people coming to watch and compete?
There were many such voices at the time, but judging from the current rule change, this expansion is obviously aimed at the new rules. If people from all over the world are allowed to participate in this league competition, and it is not limited to badges, then the number of participants will obviously reach an unprecedented level.
There might be more participants than spectators, which would naturally require expanding the venue; otherwise, the preliminary rounds of the Silver Tournament alone would take an unknown amount of time.
Ash and Gary chatted as they walked back to Pallet Town. At the fork in the road, they said goodbye to each other. One of them was going to Professor Oak's lab, while the other was going home. They parted ways there.
When Ash arrived at his doorstep, the door was flung open before he could even open it, revealing Misty's pretty face: "Welcome back, Ash~"
"How did you know I was coming?" Before he even knocked, Xiaoxia had already opened the door, as if she had known he would come back all along.
"I feel like it~" Xiaoxia blinked and tilted her head playfully as she spoke.
"Actually, she's been standing here by the door all afternoon, waiting for you to come back." Wearing an apron and holding a spatula, Xiao Gang directly exposed Xiao Xia's lie.
There was no intuition involved, it was just persistence.
"Xiaoxia, you—"
"Hehe, I was just getting restless thinking about you coming back! Come in, it's almost time for dinner!" Xiaoxia said with a smile, pulling Xiaozhi into the house.
Just as she said, the thought of Ash coming back made her restless, because they hadn't even spent a week together before Ash left because of the Dragon Island incident.
To be honest, this is the longest she has ever been apart from Ash since the start of their trip. At other times, she is almost inseparable from Ash. It's ironic that they were separated for three whole days after becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.
This is one of the reasons why Xiaoxia couldn't wait to stand at the door all afternoon waiting for Xiaozhi.
"How was your trip to Dragon Island? What Pokémon did you catch?" Misty asked Ash curiously after they sat down on the sofa together.
"It's a Dragonair! Let me tell you, this Dragonair—" Ash gestured wildly, telling Misty everything that had happened on Dragon Island in great detail. For some reason, when faced with the attack on the crayfish, Ash always wanted to tell Misty everything.
When Misty heard that Ash had actually obtained a Mega Stone for Dragonite from Dragonite, she couldn't help but look surprised. His luck was truly unbelievable.
First, they found a Dragonair on Dragon Island that looked like a useless guy, but was actually being watched by a Dragonite of the God Realm. This Dragonair's talent must be extraordinary.
Furthermore, Dragonair later received the true teachings of the Dragonite ancestor and learned Dragon Breathing, which can enhance the dragon power within its body at any time. Finally, Ash also obtained the Mega Stone of Dragonite, which means he got the complete set of Dragonite in one go!
While it may be attributed to luck, it is actually closely related to Ash's own character. If Ash hadn't taken the initiative to help that Dragonair, even if the Dragonite ancestor had been watching Ash closely, it probably wouldn't have taught Ash so much.
Because Ash helped and captured that Dragonair, this outcome was ultimately achieved. To put it bluntly, isn't it all because of Ash's kind heart?
While Ash was telling his story, dinner was ready. At the dinner table, Ash briefly recounted the events he had just told Misty to his mother and Brock, and also mentioned that he was going to the Orange Islands the next day.
"So soon? Why don't you rest at home for a few more days?" Hanako said with some reluctance when she heard that Ash had just returned from Dragon Island and was about to leave home again.
Mothers are like this: when they are at home, they wish they could never see their children, but when their children have to leave, they feel a deep reluctance to part with them.
"There's no other way, because we still need to go to the Orange Islands to help Lugia find its parents, and we also need to help Professor Oak deliver a Poké Ball to someone named Professor Wood. So we have to leave as soon as possible," Ash replied to his mother while shoveling food into his mouth.
"Oh, I see. Well, there's nothing I can do then. I'll go help you pack your luggage."
"Okay." Ash didn't stand on ceremony with his mother. If he were to be polite, would he still be called his mother?
She said she was packing luggage, but there wasn't much to pack. She mainly wanted to make some bento boxes for Ash to eat on the road. Since the backpack had storage space, the food could be stored for a relatively long time. Even though Brock and Ash are now excellent cooks, as a mother, she still wanted to cook some meals for her children to eat on the road herself.
All parents in the world are like this.
Besides the bento box, there were also some clothes, toiletries, a new sleeping set, a tent, pots and pans —
Ash and Pikachu, who were eating, stared in disbelief as Hanako pulled out a huge pile of things from somewhere and stuffed them all into his backpack, whether they were useful or not, just to be on the safe side.
Hanako seemed to be carrying more things than when she first left home.
"This...this is a bit of an exaggeration, Mom!"
"What's with the exaggeration? What do you think I bought you such a big backpack for? It's just to stuff more things in it, isn't it?" Hanako said, but her hands didn't stop moving at all.
In the end, Hanako filled Ash's large backpack to the brim. Fortunately, the backpack's space could be categorized, and Hanako had already sorted Ash into different types.
"Put the bento box in the upper left corner, and then put the tent, your sleeping bag, pajamas, pillow, and blanket on the right. If possible, pitch the tent and sleep on the pillow, okay? Sleeping in a sleeping bag for too long is bad for your cervical spine."
"Below are the seasonings, pots, pans, and utensils for cooking. Remember to eat well when you're out, and make sure to eat meat and vegetables with every meal to ensure healthy growth. Also—"
Listening to his mother's nagging, if it were at the beginning of the trip, Xiaozhi would probably have replied, "Okay, I know." Then he would have gone upstairs to his room without looking back, just for a moment of peace and quiet.
But now, Ash is sitting properly on the sofa, not showing any impatience with Hanako's nagging. Instead, he answers Hanako's instructions word by word with a bit of helplessness but also with seriousness.
This surprised Hanako as she muttered to herself. When did her son, Satoshi, become so obedient? It seems that traveling really can help children grow!
In the past, Xiao Zhi wouldn't have sat here so obediently listening to her rambling.
"—I've brought everything I need. Last but most importantly, when you're out and about, be careful and don't do anything dangerous, okay?" All the other instructions are less important than this last sentence.
In Hanako's opinion, the biggest problem when traveling is one's own safety. When traveling, one can't know what might happen. Fortunately, her son Satoshi is strong and healthy, so there shouldn't be much to worry about in terms of safety. However, she still needs to give him some careful instructions.
"Okay, Mom. Are you done? I'm going to sleep now. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"Go on, Xiaoxia, Xiaogang, you two go to sleep too. I'll take care of the rest."
"Hehe~" Mr. Mime patted his chest, indicating that he would also help Hanako pack up, so Ash and the others could go to sleep peacefully.
"Okay, then we'll go to sleep first, Auntie. Thank you for your hard work." Xiao Gang originally wanted to help with tidying up, but seeing Hanako's expression, it seemed there was no room for him to help. So he apologized to Hanako and went back to his room.
Xiaoxia was in the same room, but Xiaoxia's room was also Xiaozhi's room, and they slept in bunk beds.
Before, when they slept in bunk beds, it wasn't a big deal. After all, they were used to sleeping in the same room when they were away from home. But now their relationship was different. Even though they were still sleeping in bunk beds, they both had a strange feeling in their hearts.
When the two of them walked into the room and looked at the familiar room, they both felt a little strange.
"Um—if there's nothing else, I'll go to sleep now~" Xiaoxia said hesitantly to Xiaozhi while placing Togepi on her bedside table.
Xiao Zhi stared intently at Xiao Xia, making her blush: "Why are you looking at me like that!"
I haven't seen it! Time to sleep!
"I hadn't noticed before, Xia, you're really pretty! You'll definitely grow up to be a stunning beauty who won't be any less beautiful than your older sisters!"
"Huh? What's going on? How come you're talking like that?" Hearing Xiaozhi's words, Xiaoxia's first reaction wasn't joy, but rather confusion. Did Xiaozhi really say that?
Given Xiaoxia's understanding of Xiaozhi's emotional intelligence, it's hard to imagine that Xiaozhi could say such a thing; it's like the sun rising in the west.
So, compared to being overjoyed, Xiaoxia was more puzzled. Was this still the Xiaozhi she knew who even needed her to confess his feelings?
"What?! I've always been good at talking! Goodnight!" Xiaozhi said irritably, then walked towards his bed. As he passed by Xiaoxia, he suddenly kissed her on the cheek, then quickly climbed into his own bed and covered himself with the blanket.
Misty's brain went completely blank after Ash kissed her. What happened? Ash just kissed her? On her cheek? Was she mistaken? No, no, no, she couldn't possibly be mistaken about that kind of touch.
She felt as if she had been electrocuted. Although it wasn't the same as the feeling of her body going limp when she kissed Xiaozhi, it wasn't far off.
Ash actually kissed her! What's going on?! Does this mean even wood can bloom?
While Xiaoxia was incredulous, Xiaozhi huddled under the covers, his face flushed and his heart beating much faster than usual.
"Does what the 'Harem King' taught really work? Something feels a little strange—" Xiao Zhi thought to himself, questioning for the first time the things taught by the expert in the group.
In order to improve his relationship with Xiaoxia and to maintain this first relationship, Xiaozhi consulted the most experienced relationship expert in the group, the "Harem King Xiaozhi".
Whether it was the words he just spoke or the gesture of kissing Xiaoxia before going to sleep, it was all taught by the Harem King. Just as Xiaoxia thought, how could the wooden-headed Xiaozhi be so thoughtful in matters of the heart?
There must have been a master guiding him behind the scenes, but now Xiaozhi has begun to question this master's guidance.
Xiaoxia stood downstairs for a long time before finally whispering "Goodnight" before hugging Togepi and getting into bed.
Although Togepi is Ash's Pokémon, Misty is the one who has held it the most. Ash's hands are usually too busy to hold Togepi much, so he doesn't hold it much. Togepi even sleeps with Misty when they sleep.
However—Togepi's condition seems to be fluctuating lately, as if it's about to evolve.
After Xiaoxia went to bed, Xiaozhi nodded at Pikachu. Pikachu reluctantly got out of the warm blankets, ran to the door to turn off the light, and then jumped back into the warm blankets.
It's already January, and the temperature has reached its lowest point. Unless there's something urgent, no one wants to leave their bed.
Xiao Zhi lay on his back on the bed, his eyes gently closed, looking as if he were asleep, but in reality, he had entered a chat group in his mind.
[Advanced Xiaozhi: @HaremKingXiaozhi, does the method you taught me really work? Does doing that really improve our relationship?]
Because he won the Indigo League, Ash changed his name from Beginner to Advanced. No one stays a beginner forever; he also has to level up.
[Harem King Xiaozhi: What's wrong? My flirting skills aren't working? That doesn't make sense. After this, Xiaoxia will definitely be so shocked by your actions that she won't be able to move!]
[Advanced Xiaozhi: Um, she really did seem stunned and frozen in place, why is that?]
[Harem King Xiaozhi: Hehe, because that's simply not something someone with your emotional intelligence would say or do. Don't worry, follow me, and I'll guarantee you a harem overflowing with good fortune!]
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