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Whether it's a regular Stone, a MEGA Stone, or a Key Stone, they are all essentially a type of ore. That's why Miner Ash in the group is able to sense MEGA Stones and Key Stones.
As for Hoenn Champion Steven, regardless of whether he can sense Stones or not, his position alone means that the amount of ore he collects won't be small.
So Steven might actually collect some MEGA Stones.
Although doing so might be a bit unfair to Steven, Ash still wanted to see if he could acquire some stones from Steven before MEGA Evolution was discovered.
Ash entrusted this matter to Professor Oak.
After Aerodactyl and Pidgeot were exchanged, Ash hung up the phone, returned to his room at the Pokémon Center, woke up Misty and Brock, had breakfast, and then continued their journey... Seven days later—
Ash and the others were already not far from the pier leading to Cinnabar Island. During this time, the three of them had been searching for information about the Mysterious Garden.
But unfortunately, neither Professor Oak nor any of the Trainers they encountered had any information about the Mysterious Garden.
Just as Ash was about to give up, they arrived at a Pokémon Center by the roadside today. When Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center saw Ash, she proactively mentioned a grand event on Route 118.
"Every year around this time, a garden quietly blooms. Due to its intermittent blooming and the inability to find its exact location, we only know about its existence through Pokémon like Bulbasaur. So we call it the Mysterious Garden."
"However, no one knows where the Mysterious Garden is or what exactly happens inside it."
"What is currently known is that this Mysterious Garden is a place that blooms specifically for the Bulbasaur species."
"All Bulbasaurs that have visited it evolve into Ivysaur! And even their talents might improve!"
"So every year at this time, many Bulbasaur Trainers bring their Bulbasaurs to this vicinity and wait for the Mysterious Garden to bloom!"
After listening to Nurse Joy, Ash's face showed an expression of disbelief.
He wasn't shocked by the garden's wonder, but by the fact that the Mysterious Garden had appeared before him so unexpectedly!
He had been traveling for almost a month since Fuchsia City.
In a month, he hadn't found anyone who had seen the Mysterious Garden, or even anyone who had heard of it.
Yet, by a strange coincidence, information about the Mysterious Garden was now being delivered to him directly.
This was why Ash found it so hard to believe. As the saying goes, 'when you've reached the end of the road, a new village appears.' The place he couldn't find, no matter how hard he looked, had appeared so dramatically.
Although they still didn't know the exact location of the Mysterious Garden, as long as they released Bulbasaur and stayed here for a while, the Mysterious Garden would eventually reveal itself.
"No wonder there are so many Trainers here. They're all waiting for this garden," Misty said, scanning her surroundings. The entire Pokémon Center was almost full.
Many people were looking at them with curious eyes, as they were wearing masks, making it difficult for anyone not particularly familiar with them to recognize them.
But their distinctive features were quite obvious, so some of the Trainers sitting there were wondering if this was the recently renowned Rookie Trainer, Ash from Pallet Town.
However, because they weren't sure, they just watched from afar and didn't approach. It would be quite awkward if they were mistaken.
And even if they were right, what then? At most, they would challenge him to a battle or ask for a photo or an autograph.
The reason Ash had received such fervent adoration before was largely because people wanted to ask about his Pokémon training methods.
Although he had defeated an Elite, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that it wasn't the inherent power of Ash's Pokémon, but rather an enhancement achieved through some method.
So, compared to Ash's strength, those who came to praise him were more interested in his method of temporarily boosting power and his Pokémon training methods.
After all, even if Ash didn't use that exaggerated method of boosting Pokémon, his Pokémon were still at the Superior Professional Level. To train Pokémon to such an extent in just two months, while not unprecedented, Ash was certainly the first in at least a hundred years.
Such a rate of improvement could only be described as monstrous, and thus, Ash's Pokémon training methods were coveted by many.
However, after Ash explicitly stated that he would not reveal any training methods, and that the method of boosting Pokémon's in-battle strength was irreplicable, Ash is actually not as sought after now.
Recently, some people who recognized Ash despite his mask only wanted to battle him to gain some experience, or ask for an autograph or a photo.
Presumably, after a while, Ash and his companions should be able to take off their masks and live normally.
"It seems the Mysterious Garden is quite famous here. We asked so many people before, and no one knew about it. It must be because the Mysterious Garden is about to open, so those people have already arrived here in advance," Brock said, stroking his chin and analyzing seriously.
Logically speaking, a place so famous in this area shouldn't have been unknown to so many people, they asked. The only explanation is that all those in the know had already arrived early.
That's why they couldn't get any information.
"Anyway, let's stay here for a while. I'll release Bulbasaur and let him sense it at all times, to see when the Mysterious Garden will summon him," Ash decided to stay here until the Mysterious Garden bloomed.
According to Nurse Joy, the Mysterious Garden should summon nearby Bulbasaurs or Ivysaurs within a week at most.
Waiting here for a week, if they could obtain the power of the gods, it would be a huge gain.
However, the problem was that the Pokémon Center was already full, so they could only camp outside. At most, they could use the Pokémon Center's restroom to shower.
But for the trio, who were often exposed to wind, sun, and rain, this was nothing... After setting up their tent outside, Misty and Brock asked a question that had been puzzling them all along: how did Ash know about the Mysterious Garden?
And he only knew a name, with no specific information. If Ash had known the specifics, he would have gone straight to the place instead of asking around.
In response, Ash once again pushed the blame onto Professor Oak. Don't ask, just say Professor Oak told him.
Professor Oak told him that the Mysterious Garden contained power that could allow Bulbasaur to evolve perfectly, but he had only heard of the place and didn't know its exact location, only that it was definitely in Kanto.
That's why Ash went to such lengths to find the Mysterious Garden.
It must be said, the Professor Oak shield was quite effective. As soon as Ash brought up Professor Oak, Misty and Brock had no more questions, and instead felt a sense of naturalness about it.
In the evening, after washing up, Ash and the others went into their tent. Bulbasaur had been released outside by Ash earlier, with instructions to notify him if there was any special call.
However, the opening time of the Mysterious Garden was still uncertain; it might take several more days to open.
Ash and his companions were prepared for a long wait.
But who would have thought that in the middle of the night, after Ash and his companions were sound asleep in their sleeping bags in the tent, the Bulbasaur lying on the ground suddenly woke up with a start.
"Bulba! Bulba Bulba!!"
Bulbasaur nudged Ash with Vine Whip, calling out to him.
These cries instantly woke up Ash and the others!
"You found something?"
"Bulba!"
"It's better to be lucky than early! It's tonight!"
Ash was gradually getting used to his incredible luck. There was a reason why people in the group angrily called him a 'Lucky King'.
Not only was he lucky with draws, but his luck in real life was also unbelievably extreme.
Even when it came to the Mysterious Garden, it appeared neither too early nor too late, perfectly coinciding with their arrival on that very day.
After waking up, Ash and his companions quickly packed up their tent and other belongings, preparing to follow Bulbasaur to the Mysterious Garden.
After packing up the tent, Ash and the others noticed that the surrounding plants had grown wildly. Some small saplings that had just sprouted had now become large trees with trunks as thick as a person's embrace!
The path, which was previously faintly discernible, was now completely obscured by the rampant Growth of the surrounding vegetation.
Led by Bulbasaur, Ash and the others entered the jungle. After many twists and turns, Misty and Brock were almost dizzy. The place was too disorienting; walking in every spot felt like they had just been there, like walking through a maze.
No wonder the Mysterious Garden had remained undiscovered for so long, even though it was widely known to be in this area. Not a single person had ever found it.
Just navigating this kind of path, even following one's own Pokémon, would most likely lead to getting lost.
The reason they could still follow Bulbasaur now was because Ash had used Aura to Lock-On to Bulbasaur, ensuring they wouldn't lose him under any circumstances.
However, if it were only this level of difficulty, they could still keep up with a bit of effort. But as time passed, Misty and Brock began to feel drowsy.
Despite walking, their minds felt as if they were sinking into slumber.
"Misty, Brock, wake up!" Ash's sharp cry instantly startled the groggy duo awake. They looked around blankly, then at themselves, and after a few seconds, finally remembered who they were and what they were doing.
Misty's face showed a lingering fear: "What just happened? Why do I feel like I fell asleep? Even in the middle of the night, I shouldn't be so tired that I want to sleep while walking, right?"
Brock narrowed his eyes, looked left and right, and said: "These plants aren't just growing; they also seem to emit a strange fragrance that slowly lulls us into sleep."
Ash nodded, telling them to stay close to him as he spoke: "Brock is right. These plants release something similar to a hypnotic sleep powder. Anyone who inhales it will fall into a deep sleep and hallucinate. Even the loudest noise won't wake them; they can only wake up after the effect wears off."
There was a reason why the Mysterious Garden had never been discovered. Besides the dense, maze-like trees and grass, there was also this hypnotic sleep powder, all contributing to people's inability to find the Mysterious Garden.
If simply following Bulbasaur could lead to the Mysterious Garden, it would have been discovered long ago.
The reality is that the Mysterious Garden, to this day, has only a name, and no one has ever seen its true form.
This time, if Ash hadn't noticed that he, Misty, and Brock were not feeling right, they probably wouldn't have been able to see the true Mysterious Garden.
At that point, Bulbasaur would have had to obtain Xerneas's power on his own, but doing so without Ash's assistance would have been extremely difficult.
After Ash woke Misty and Brock, the group continued to follow Bulbasaur deeper into the area. Before long, Ash noticed that Bulbasaur seemed to have also succumbed.
Theoretically, Bulbasaur, being a Poison and Grass-type, should be immune to powder moves. However, this hypnotic technique was clearly much more powerful than ordinary powder, and even Bulbasaur couldn't resist it.
At this moment, Bulbasaur was walking unsteadily, as if drunk, his eyes showing a hazy look, his consciousness slowly fading.
Ash, following behind Bulbasaur, felt a sense of dread when he saw Bulbasaur's state.
Even the Superior Advanced Bulbasaur had no power to resist this force. The Mysterious Garden was indeed eerie.
But thinking about it, this was a place connected to Xerneas, the God of Life. If it were that easy to enter, it would be abnormal.
"Even Bulbasaur has been hypnotized! But even when hypnotized, Bulbasaur seems to be instinctively walking further in. It seems the content of the hypnosis is different for us."
"Yes, only by hypnotizing even the Pokémon entering the Mysterious Garden can they completely deter anyone trying to explore it. No wonder this place has remained undiscovered for so long," Ash said, nodding.
It must be said, the security measures of this place were indeed exaggerated. If it weren't for his arrival, the true face of the Mysterious Garden might not have been revealed for who knows how much longer.
However, Ash was only here to let Bulbasaur gain a portion of Xerneas's power. Revealing the existence of the Mysterious Garden or anything like that, he wasn't that bored or ignorant.
If such a place were exposed, no matter how well the League protected it, it would be impossible to completely fend off those with ulterior motives.
So, it's best for the Mysterious Garden to remain hidden in the shadows, just as it always has been.