The Captain stood in front of a small sapling, muttering to himself, "The so-called Way of the Sword means the unity of man and sword, with a clear mind..."
He spoke at length about the key points of the "Way of the Sword" and his own experiences, which included a story about a spaceship. Xiao Zhi didn't pay attention, but the Pikachu on his shoulder listened very carefully.
'Perhaps it's laying the groundwork for Pikachu's future 'Giant Beast Slash' operation.' Li Qingfeng looked at Pikachu's current appearance, recalling how Pikachu used Iron Tail every time he watched Pokémon.
It could be said that he was majestic and grew stronger with each battle.
Immediately after, the Captain raised his hand and said to Xiao Zhi and the other person, "Watch closely! Kasaya Slash!"
The Captain's arm chopped down fiercely, and "sword energy" surged, splitting the small sapling in half before everyone's eyes!
"Pika!" (I got it!)
Pikachu mimicked the move perfectly. He slowly raised his tail, aiming at another small sapling.
His small eyes gleamed with determination, and his tail extended straight out, ready to strike the sapling with force.
Pikachu's muscles tensed, and he instantly unleashed a brilliant tail technique, chopping the sapling quickly and accurately.
His tail transformed into a silvery-white beam of light, sharp as a blade, directly cutting through the sapling's plant body.
With a dull thud, the sapling was split in half by Pikachu's single strike. The sound of the trunk breaking echoed in the air, and wood chips flew everywhere.
Pikachu stopped, his tail returning to its calm state.
Hum hum hum ~
If I, Pikachu, were not born, the Way of the Sword would be an eternal night.
"Your Pikachu's talent is arguably the most outstanding among all the Pikachu I've seen!" The Captain couldn't help but exclaim in admiration upon seeing Pikachu's chop.
As the Captain of the St. Anne, what storms hadn't he seen?
This Pikachu, with its extraordinary talent, perhaps only the Pikachu on that spaceship could compete with it. However, it might not be long before this young man's Pikachu reaches a very powerful level of strength.
"Oh, right, as a reward for your massage just now, I'll give you another piece of insider information." The Captain sat in his seat, motioning to Xiao Zhi.
Xiao Zhi, hearing this, was very curious and sat opposite the Captain, wanting to hear what he would say.
The Captain got up and locked the door, and after confirming there were no outsiders, he sat back down and began to recount his past experiences:
"It is said that there is a secluded island in the sea where a group of Dratini and their evolved forms reside. Once, someone was shipwrecked and fell into the sea, and a Dragonite discovered him and rescued him."
"After living there for some time, the Dragonite sent that person back to the city and then disappeared into the sea. Later, people tried to find the Dragonite, but it was all in vain."
"Perhaps, Dragonite only appears before Trainers with kind hearts. I hope you can encounter them and gain their recognition to capture a Dratini when you are active in the sea in the future."
Xiao Zhi listened intently, not expecting such things to have happened in the Kanto sea. He wished he could go there and make friends with them too.
"Thank you so much! Since you're fine now, I'll go explore the deck." Xiao Zhi left with Pikachu, not expecting to have such an unexpected gain this time. He was truly lucky.
As Xiao Zhi walked towards the deck, he was a little concerned about Li Qingfeng's condition and asked, 'Li Dage, what's wrong? When I heard about the spaceship just now, I felt like you were a bit off. Did something happen?'
'Nothing happened, just recalling some beautiful things.' Li Qingfeng smiled, then said to Xiao Zhi:
'Speaking of which, which Pokémon are you planning to catch next? If you don't mind, I have a small suggestion. Do you want to hear it?'
Li Qingfeng thought for a moment. According to the current timeline, that guy might not even have evolved to his second form yet. It would be better to let Xiao Zhi catch him quickly. Anyway, Professor Da Mu has already applied for the upper limit unlock, so as long as he doesn't catch too many, there won't be a problem.
'What, what?! Li Dage, quickly tell me which Pokémon it is!'
Xiao Zhi couldn't contain his excitement and asked. Every one of Li Qingfeng's suggestions made his eyes light up, which made him very curious about which Pokémon Li Qingfeng would recommend next.
'Dratini.'
As these three words came out, Xiao Zhi's heart surged. With Li Qingfeng's previous introduction, Xiao Zhi also knew that Dratini could evolve into Dragonite.
Dragonite was the ace of Lance, the head of Kanto's Elite Four.
Now Li Qingfeng was actually suggesting he capture Dragonite's initial form, and coupled with the news about Dragonite that the Captain had just told him, could it be that he knew their habitat?
'I don't know.' Li Qingfeng replied as such. He said that this Dragonite was just a passing mention, and whether they could go to Dragonite Island at that time would just be up to fate.
They would definitely get there, but when they would get there was unknown.
The path to the deck was empty. Gengar also ran out at this time.
"Gengar." (Why do I feel like you're a bit strange.)
He emerged from Xiao Zhi's shadow, a smile on his face, constantly circling around Xiao Zhi. Ever since he first saw Xiao Zhi, Gengar had a feeling that the other person was very unfathomable.
With Li Qingfeng's translation, Xiao Zhi heard Gengar's words and asked in confusion, "Huh? How am I strange?"
"Gengar!" (You should be a Rookie Trainer, right? But some of your behaviors aren't what someone your age would do, and when I used Psychic on you back then, you weren't affected at all!)
Gengar recalled what Xiao Zhi had said to him back then, and he couldn't help but blush. It was the first time anyone had cared about him so much.
However, after careful consideration, Gengar found that Xiao Zhi possessed a maturity unlike his current age. This maturity didn't come from commanding in battle, but from his care for Pokémon.
Most importantly, was Xiao Zhi's physique really something a human could achieve??
"Eh? You used Psychic on me back then too?" Facing Gengar's question, Xiao Zhi tilted his head. He really hadn't felt anything at the time.
Li Qingfeng: ...
To be honest, Li Qingfeng didn't seem to feel any mental attack either.
Was it because of his own influence that the already "Super True Rookie" Xiao Zhi had reached another level?
Adding himself... it should be called Super True Rookie Soul (not)
Hearing Xiao Zhi's answer, Gengar "lost his color," not expecting his proud Psychic to have no effect on his Trainer at all, and immediately teared up.
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Ugh... Transition chapters are really hard to write. We'll be escaping the St. Anne in a few more chapters. But since we're not heading to Lampu Luji first, you can guess where Xiao Zhi will go.
If the urging for updates reaches a number I'm satisfied with, I'll update an extra chapter the next day ~ (Hmm, shamelessly asking for more updates. (˵ ¯ ͒ ♦ ¯ ͒ ˵) )
Also, one thing to mention: when fighting at Goldenrod Gym, Li Qingfeng needs to do something, probably similar to a possession. More importantly, it's to give Xiao Zhi something you all like. (There will be limitations, Xiao Zhi will not lose consciousness. It's similar to Yao Lao and Xiao Yan. That plot is only for commanding Gengar, absolutely no body snatching. I will absolutely not write plots involving body snatching.)
This possession, roughly, is when Li Qingfeng comes online, Xiao Zhi still has control and is not pushed out. Then the aura changes a bit, letting Xiao Zhi be a spectator for a while. Xiao Zhi is not limited in what he can do, and his body is still his own. (Similar to Naruto and Kurama)
I hope everyone can keep reading. The humble author will definitely create a perfect dream-fulfilling journey! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!