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Ash's physical fitness was already extraordinary. After acquiring S-rank Aura Power, even some Trainers who focused on physical training were far behind Ash.
For example, if we compare him to Bruno, who is currently recognized as the strongest in terms of physical fitness in the world, Ash might not lose to him in a pure physical confrontation... and this is when Ash hasn't even trained much.
So, carrying Misty's weight of less than ninety pounds was no different from carrying a backpack.
Because Ash had to carry Misty, Ash's spatial backpack was carried by Pikachu. The tiny Pikachu carrying a backpack as tall as himself looked somewhat comical.
But never underestimate a Pokémon's strength based on its size. Even a seemingly delicate Pokémon can, with one punch or one tail whip, potentially break a tree that two people could barely hug.
Pikachu was no exception. At this point, his level had reached advanced junior. Let alone carrying a small backpack, he could even lift Misty. However, that image would be a bit too beautiful, and Pikachu couldn't exert himself like that for long, so carrying Misty was out of the question... Misty lay quietly on Ash's back, her jade arms wrapped around Ash's arms, and Ash's warm palm rested on her exposed thigh. If Ash had looked back at that moment, he would have seen a face as red as a tomato.
Her parents passed away when she was young, and Misty didn't have a very deep impression of her father. So, from childhood to adulthood, in Misty's memory, this was the first time she had been so intimate with a male.
Just now, Ash had used 'goading' to make her jump onto his back without thinking. But after getting on, her mind completely crashed. So this is what it feels like to be carried by a boy? To be honest... it felt quite good.
Ash carried Misty until late afternoon before choosing to rest. Along the way, Misty often asked Ash if he was tired. Ash said that carrying Misty was no different from carrying a ball of cotton.
He wasn't exaggerating; it was just a bit inconvenient to carry Misty and not be able to free his hands. Other than that, Ash felt no fatigue at all. He could even command Pikachu and Caterpie in battle while carrying Misty.
Caterpie had finally evolved into Metapod in the morning, just one step away from Butterfree. His strength had also advanced from Novice to Normal. If all went well, he should be able to evolve into Butterfree before leaving Viridian Forest.
Ash's comment about Misty being like cotton made Misty overjoyed. Girls over ten years old are generally very conscious of their weight, and being told they are light is pretty much the same as being complimented on their beauty.
At the same time, because Caterpie had evolved into Metapod and was no longer in its caterpillar form, Misty was no longer as repulsed by Metapod. She could even accept Metapod standing beside her, after all, she only disliked bug-like Pokémon, not Bug-type Pokémon.
"Look, Misty, we walked so much in one go today. At this rate, we should be able to leave Viridian Forest in three days... How are your feet?"
Misty rubbed her toes, then shook her head, a smile appearing on her face. "They're much better. I can walk by myself this afternoon."
"Are you really sure? It's very troublesome if your feet get injured," Ash said, frowning slightly with suspicion.
He was mainly worried that if Misty's feet were injured, it would greatly affect their journey. At this moment, he was actually a bit impatient to challenge Pewter Gym.
These past few days, Misty went to bed early every night, while Ash was learning knowledge taught by various experts in the group chat.
Whether it was battling, breeding, catching, or Pokémon knowledge, there were specialists at the pinnacle of their respective fields to teach him.
Professor Oak, while also a top-tier professor, always made Ash feel drowsy during his lectures. Even though he was very interested in Pokémon, he should have been very attentive when hearing about Pokémon-related topics. But Professor Oak made him want to sleep as soon as class started and feel energetic as soon as it ended. This was a natural bodily reaction.
However, this reaction didn't happen in the group chat. Therefore, Ash learned more in these three days than he had in the past ten years.
It was precisely because of this that Ash was eager to experiment with the battle methods taught by the experts in the group. Those Bug Catchers and Youngsters were too weak and uninteresting; he needed to spar with a Gym Leader!
This was also the main reason Ash didn't want Misty to get injured.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine. It's already past one o'clock. If we rest for a while and leave after two, we'll only be walking for a few hours until evening. I can handle that distance," Misty replied with a radiant smile.
She thought Ash was very concerned about her physical condition, which was why he asked such a question. If she knew the real reason for Ash's thoughts, she'd probably hit him with a hammer.
"Alright then, let's eat first. Come out, Metapod." Ash released Metapod, then took out some universal Pokémon food from his backpack.
Regarding Pokémon food, Breeder Ash in the group had carefully instructed Ash that Pokémon are best fed specially formulated food.
While generic kibble can fill a Pokémon's stomach and provide some nutrition, it can never compare to specially formulated Pokémon food.
Good Pokémon food, accumulated over time, can significantly boost a Pokémon's growth rate. Moreover, if the Trainer prepares the food, it can also deepen the bond between the Pokémon and the Trainer, which is also a way to quickly improve a Pokémon's strength.
Ash was initially a bit skeptical, wondering if Breeder Ash was trying to get him into the breeding profession and just making things up.
But this statement was affirmed by the other Ashes.
The other Ashes stated that if they hadn't already been at the pinnacle of their respective fields when they joined the group, they might have studied with Breeder Ash. Breeding is a very profound field of knowledge, and Breeder Ash has mastered almost all the breeding knowledge in the world, making him a top expert in breeding Pokémon.
When it comes to breeding Pokémon, learning from Breeder Ash is definitely the right choice.
However, the other Ashes in the group had already raised their Pokémon in their own ways, and they had grown to their peak. They also had their own persistence and pride, so naturally, it was neither possible nor necessary for them to learn from Breeder Ash.
But the new Ash was different; he was still a blank slate. Any color could be painted on this canvas, and more than one color could be added!
The Ashes in the group had long discussed one thing: the possibility of cultivating the new Ash into an unprecedented Super All-Rounder!