Ash's physical fitness was already beyond that of ordinary people. After acquiring S-class Aura Power, even trainers who focused intensely on physical training were far behind him.
Take Bruno, the world's acknowledged strongest in terms of physical prowess, as an example. Ash might not necessarily lose in a pure physical showdown… and that's even when Ash hasn't done much training.
So carrying Misty, who weighs less than ninety pounds, was no different from carrying a regular backpack.
Because Ash had to carry Misty, he let Pikachu carry his Space Backpack. The small Pikachu, with a backpack almost as tall as himself, presented a comical image.
But don't underestimate the power of a Pokemon because of its size. Even a seemingly petite Pokemon can, with a punch or a tail whip, possibly break a tree as thick as two men hugging it.
Pikachu is the same. By now, he has reached the Advanced Junior Level. Don't mention carrying a small backpack; he could even lift Misty. However, the imagery would be too much, and Pikachu shouldn't exert himself like that for long, so carrying Misty is out of the question...
Misty lay quietly behind Ash, her arms wrapped around his, her exposed thigh covered by Ash's warm palm. If Ash were to turn back now, he would see a face as red as a tomato.
Her parents passed away when she was young, and Misty didn't have much of an impression of her father, so this was the first time in her memory that she's been this close to a male.
Just now, she was tricked by Ash's 'provocation' into jumping onto his back without thinking, and once there, her mind went completely blank. So this is what being carried by a boy feels like? To be honest… it actually feels quite nice.
Along the way, Ash carried Misty until nearly the afternoon before deciding to rest. During the journey, Misty often asked Ash if he felt tired, to which Ash replied that carrying her was no different from carrying a bundle of cotton.
He wasn't exaggerating, but having his hands tied up while carrying Misty was slightly inconvenient. Other than that, Ash felt no fatigue at all, and he could even command Pikachu and Caterpie in battle while carrying her.
Caterpie finally evolved into Metapod in the morning, just a step away from becoming Butterfree, advancing from Newbie Level to Ordinary Level. Before leaving Viridian Forest, it's likely to evolve into Butterfree without any surprises.
Ash's comment about Misty being as light as cotton made Misty overjoyed. After all, most girls over ten are very concerned about their weight, and being told you're light is almost like being complimented on your beauty.
Moreover, with Caterpie evolving into Metapod and no longer having that caterpillar form, Misty found Metapod much less repulsive and could even stand it being nearby. After all, she just disliked bug-like Pokemon, not bug-type Pokemon.
"Look, Misty, we've covered quite a distance today. At this pace, we should be out of Viridian Forest in three days. How are your feet holding up?"
Misty massaged her toes and then shook her head, breaking into a smile. "They're much better now. I can walk on my own this afternoon."
"Are you sure? If your feet get hurt, it could be quite troublesome," Ash questioned with a hint of doubt.
He was mainly worried that an injury would severely affect their travel, and he was already eager to challenge the Pewter Gym.
These past few days, Misty would fall asleep early every night, while Ash studied the teachings of various experts in the group.
They covered battles, nurturing, capturing, and Pokemon knowledge, with each subject taught by specialists at the pinnacle of their fields.
Although Professor Oak was also a top-tier expert, Ash would find himself dozing off every time Professor Oak started his lectures. Though Ash was very interested in Pokemon, he would become alert as soon as classes ended, which was an innate bodily reaction.
However, this reaction never occurred within the group, allowing Ash to learn more in these three days than he had in the past decade.
Thus, Ash was eager to test the battle techniques taught by the experts in the group. Those Shorts Boys and Bug Catchers were too weak and offered no challenge. Practicing with Gym Trainers was necessary!
This was also the main reason Ash didn't want Misty to get hurt.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. It's almost 1 PM now; after resting for a bit, if we leave at 2 PM, there'll only be a few hours of walking left by evening. I can handle that." Misty replied with a bright smile.
She thought Ash was genuinely concerned about her health, which prompted such care. If she knew Ash's true thoughts, she might have given him a bonk on the head.
"Alright then, let's eat first. Come out, Metapod." Ash released Metapod and then took out some general Pokemon food from his backpack.
Regarding Pokemon food, the nurturing expert in the group had specifically coached Ash, advising that Pokemon are best fed specially formulated food.
While generic feed could fill a Pokemon's belly and offer some nutrition, it could never compare to customized Pokemon food.
High-quality Pokemon feed could significantly speed up a Pokemon's growth over time. Additionally, preparing the food themselves could deepen the bond between a trainer and their Pokemon, which is also a method for quickly strengthening Pokemon.
At first, Ash suspected that the nurturing Ash was just trying to recruit him into the nurturing field by making things up.
But these views were validated by other Ashes.
Other Ashes noted that, if they hadn't already been at the peak of their fields upon entering the group, they might have learned from the nurturing Ash. Nurturing is a profoundly complex field, and the nurturing Ash had mastered almost all nurturing knowledge, making him an expert in Pokemon cultivation.
Following the nurturing Ash for learning about nurturing Pokemon was the right choice.
However, other Ashes in the group were already nurturing Pokemon their own way and had reached the summit, each with their own pride and commitment, making it neither possible nor necessary to learn from the nurturing Ash.
But the new Ash was different; he was still a blank slate, a canvas onto which any color could be painted, and not just one color!
The Ashes in the group had already discussed one thing: the possibility of developing the new Ash into an unprecedented, super, all-rounded champion!