At this moment, he felt utterly relaxed, body and mind.
It had been a long time since he last played a battle as easy as this, especially one with such a huge difference in strength.
His Pikachu hadn't faced off against a weak opponent in quite a while, especially of this level...
It was simply refreshing.
"If your strength can't beat the boss, then I'm afraid no one in Team Galactic can…"
Rei hugged his Pikachu, saying with a wry smile.
Before the battle—Why do you look down on me?
After the battle—Sorry, I couldn't make you try harder.
This turnaround came pretty quickly.
"My Pikachu is my trump card, losing this round isn't something to be disheartened by."
Ash stepped forward, comforting him.
"Lost this round, just win the next one."
Saying this, Ash gently placed his hand on Rei's Pikachu.
The Power of Viridian quietly surged within.
In less than a second, the Pikachu that was originally covered in bruises and unconscious completely recovered to its original state!
Rei widened his eyes, looking incredulously at the scene.
Then, as if seeing a ghost, he quickly looked up at Ash.
"This… you… just now…"
"Don't be so surprised, it's just a small special ability."
Ash waved his hand casually.
The recovered Pikachu slowly opened its eyes.
It discovered that the guy who had been playing with it just now was right in front of it, and the piercing pain in its body had vanished without a trace.
This… what happened?
It blinked blankly, looking dazed.
"Alright, we should get to our own business, see you again if fate allows!"
Ash patted Pikachu's head, waved goodbye to Rei.
In the future, their interactions would surely not be few.
After all, Team Galactic was still counting on them to teach the skills of communicating with Pokemon.
Professor Laventon, standing nearby, nearly popped his eyes out at this miraculous scene.
He wanted to ask what kind of technique this was but feared it might be Ash's secret, afraid asking would be too abrupt.
In the end, he hesitated for a moment and swallowed back the words.
After saying farewell to Rei, the two followed Professor Laventon and began to head for Obsidian Fieldlands.
Ancient Sinnoh evidently couldn't have any advanced transportation methods.
Moreover, those with riding Pokemon were basically not in Jubilife Village.
So the three had to rely on their own legs to get there.
Fortunately, Obsidian Fieldlands wasn't too far.
Walking on the road, Ash activated Aura Power, quietly transmitting to Cynthia.
'Cynthia, the Pokemon in the Hisui Region seem no different from those in modern times?'
'I thought there would be many fossil-type Pokemon here...'
Startled by the voice suddenly in her brain, Cynthia turned to look at Ash with a questioning look, seemingly asking if he was the one speaking.
'It's me speaking, Cynthia.'
Ash blinked.
'We can't let Professor Laventon know we're from elsewhere.'
'This is the Aura Power's transmission function, just hold onto my hand, and you can reply in the same way.'
Hearing this, Cynthia's eyes lit up, her eyes curved into crescents, and without hesitation, she held Ash's solid hand.
'Can you hear me, Ash?'
'I can hear you.'
Trying this telepathy-like thing for the first time, Cynthia was having fun.
'We might not have seen the exclusive Pokemon of Hisui yet.'
'A thousand years have passed, surely some things are different, don't worry, we have plenty of time in Hisui.'
Cynthia comforted Ash in her mind.
A thousand years, compared to fossils, isn't actually that long.
Those fossils underwent thousands to tens of thousands of years of time, eventually forming their current form.
If the Hisui Region was merely a world a thousand years old, it wouldn't be impossible for there to be no fossil Pokemon.
But a thousand years surely wouldn't go without any changes.
This place must have Pokemon that don't exist in modern times.
'New Pokemon... I just can't help but feel excited!'
Cynthia glanced at Ash, whose expression was gradually becoming more excited, and shook her head with some amusement.
Even burdened with the task of returning home, Ash couldn't hide his passionate heart for Pokemon.
Just the thought of meeting never-before-seen Pokemon made Ash's emotions surge uncontrollably.
However... this is actually a good thing.
As long as Ash can maintain this pure spirit, it's enough.
Perhaps it is this kind of simple-mindedness that is the fundamental reason why Ash can improve himself so quickly.
Then, as if recalling something, Cynthia asked Ash why his expression changed so visibly when he heard about the "Mysterious Tablet".
Ash then told Cynthia about the strange phone he discovered by the seaside and the information that appeared on it in detail.
Cynthia's expression slightly changed.
She didn't expect that Ash would encounter such a situation just while helping to find a Pokemon.
Moreover, this matter was related to the legendary supreme Creator God, Arceus.
According to the hints of information on the phone...
Their time traveling to this era becomes rather intriguing.
[Arceus is awaiting your arrival.]
This sentence doesn't seem like a mere coincidence.
'Could it be that being swept into this era was a certain arranged destiny from the start?'
A heavy and indescribable feeling arose in Cynthia's heart.
Still, thinking too much would be of no use at this point.
'In any case, let's take it one step at a time,'
She gently said to Ash in her heart.
'For now, the urgent task is to obtain that Mysterious Tablet first.'
'Perhaps once all those tablets are collected, we'll naturally encounter the so-called Creator God, and by then, all mysteries will be solved.'
'Mm!'
Ash nodded firmly, reigniting his fighting spirit in his eyes.
No matter what awaits them ahead, whether it's the road home or the legendary Creator God, he and Pikachu will face it together!
If they can meet Arceus, even better; he's long wanted to battle with Arceus!
(Pikachu: You fight, don't drag me in~)
As the three of them chatted, the scenery ahead gradually opened up.
A vast field filled with black rocks appeared before them.
"We've arrived."
Professor Laventon stopped walking and pointed to the vast land ahead.
"This is Obsidian Fieldlands."
This place is just like its name.
Looking around, the terrain is filled with mountains and plains, with peaks and valleys, scattered with pieces of pitch-black rock, exuding a sense of grandeur and ruggedness.
After arriving at the Obsidian Fieldlands, the trio saw a woman dressed in blue at the entrance.
The woman was leisurely leaning against a large rock.
Beside her, a Munchlax was sitting, constantly stuffing food into its mouth.
The little fellow's face was covered with food, cheeks puffed up, looking utterly adorable.
"Oh?"
Professor Laventon showed a hint of surprise when he saw the woman.
"Mai actually came to the entrance of Obsidian Fieldlands to wait for you personally."
"It seems you do have quite a bit of significance!"
The woman in blue was Mai, the commissioner of the mission, from the Diamond Clan.
From her appearance, she seemed to be quite a charismatic woman.
However, her heavy clothing concealed her physique completely.
Her hair was styled with one side in long bangs, yet it didn't cover her eyes like Cynthia's.
Seeing Cynthia and the others arrive, Mai stood up from the rock.
A gentle smile appeared on her cold face as she addressed the group.
"Welcome to Obsidian Fieldlands. You must be Ash and Cynthia?"
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mai from the Diamond Clan, also the Warden stationed at the Obsidian Fieldlands."
"Hello, I'm Cynthia."
Cynthia nodded gracefully.
"Hi, I'm Ash!"
Ash grinned, cheerfully greeting.
After introducing themselves to one another, they went straight to the main topic.