Pokémon: Start with an Admiral Crab!

After building a stone fire with the stones in the center of the pool, the remaining tasks are naturally to make fire and boil water.

Relying on Xiaogang's knowledge of stones, he found the flint and easily ignited the collected dead leaves and hay.

The stew pot was brought by Master Sheba in advance and hidden behind the water flow of the waterfall.

"...Master Sheba...are you going to make dinner?"

Even someone as slow-witted as Xiaogang could see that this practice had an additional purpose.

"Are you going to practice on an empty stomach?"

Master Xiba asked Xiaogang a question in return.

"This……"

goooo~

Xiaogang's stomach has also started to growl.

"Don't ask so many questions... Go to the forest and find some food to cook!"

Wang Yao knew that Xiaogang had brought some compressed biscuits and dried meat, but today they were doing heavy physical work, and it would be too boring to only eat these dry food for dinner!

"I'm coming……"

Xiao Gang didn't have time to think too much. He picked up the stone axe he had made earlier and caught up with Wang Yao.

The two of them went into the forest together.

Wang Yao was not afraid of encountering any dangerous Pokémon, after all, he still had Xiaogang's Poké Ball with him.

In addition to Onix, Gang's Geodude has evolved into Rhydon during this period. As long as he trains more and adapts to the power of his new body, he can evolve into Rhydon at any time.

Even if you take attribute restraint into account, it is unlikely that the wild Pokémon in the forest can instantly kill Onix and Rhydon.

"Ayao..."

Xiaogang recalled his experience today.

"...Do you think Master Shiba is really teaching us how to practice?"

Putting the collected wild berries on a large clean leaf, Xiao Gang finally asked with his hands free.

"Of course!"

boom--!

Wang Yao hit the green caterpillar on the tree trunk with an axe and snatched a ripe fruit from its mouth.

"...Being able to turn something as simple as making a fire and cooking into a difficult test, isn't it obvious that this is cultivating us?"

After picking up the spoils, Wang Yao said to Xiaogang slowly.

"But, Master Xiba is one of the Four Heavenly Kings... His Pokémon must be very powerful, but we didn't see him release any Pokémon for training all day today?"

Xiaogang thought that as a powerful Pokémon trainer, the other party should focus on Pokémon training.

It turned out that it wasn’t just him and Wang Yao, Master Xiba himself was just exercising on his own.

"That's true..."

Wang Yao recalled that he had never seen Xiba release his own Pokémon... In the animation, there was only a freshly caught Onix.

As for the settings in the game... he had long forgotten them.

But as the king of fighting type, Xiba should have at least one fighting type veteran monster from Kanto to support him, right?

"Maybe the Pokémon was too tired from the previous exercise... Maybe it will be released by dinner time..."

Wang Yao guessed.

……

In a short while, the two of them collected a lot of natural food such as mushrooms and wild fruits.

Since Xiaogang brought a lot of dried meat, he didn't need to replenish his meat.

In order to learn more advanced cultivation experience, Xiao Gang naturally gave his all during dinner.

Using these limited ingredients in the wild, I managed to make three dishes and a soup!

……

"It tastes great... Xiaogang, your cooking skills are much better than mine."

Master Shiba served a bowl of mushroom meatball soup in a wooden bowl.

It was clearly the same size soup bowl as the ones Wang Yao and the others used, but in Xiba's hand it was like a small teacup. He picked up the large bowl of hot soup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Yes... I am very honored to receive your recognition!"

Xiao Gang said stiffly.

"I'm gonna start now!"

Wang Yao also couldn't wait to start picking up the food.

After exercising all day, everyone was tired and hungry, so they ate the meal quickly and cleanly!

After eating, Wang Yao handed the task of washing dishes to the two brothers, Giant Claw Crab and Cowardly Bug...

Because Wang Yao's Pokémon didn't do anything today, they just ate some wild fruits and were full.

"Get some rest tonight—we'll continue tomorrow!"

Master Xiba touched his stomach. Xiaogang's food tasted much better than what he cooked. It was rare for him to have such a delicious meal.

"Master Sheba, we have something to ask of you!"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xiao Gang pulled Wang Yao aside and asked.

"what's up?"

Shiba asked curiously.

"Master Sheba, please let us see your Pokémon!"

"Yeah - you must have a lot of powerful Pokémon, right?"

The two asked one after another.

"Um... I'm afraid I can't do that - I left all my Pokémon on the Seven Islands."

Hiba scratched his head in embarrassment.

"…So I don't have any Pokémon now."

"Seven Islands?"

Wang Yao had heard of this name before.

Back on Yeli Island, Kenji and the two uncles had mentioned the Seven Islands to him...

That seems to be the trial site that high-level trainers in Kanto must go through - of course, it is also a very good tourist destination, with ferries running back and forth via the Seven Islands every week.

"Aren't you known as the top trainer? Why don't you train with your Pokémon?"

Xiao Gang asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Since you have chosen to follow me in my practice, you should know what I once said..."

“…Whether it’s a human or a Pokémon, once they’ve been tempered by battle, their strength will reach its limit!”

Master Shiba did not rush to explain the reason, but reviewed what he had said.

"Yes, I have seen the video... This is what you said to the challenger in the King of Kings Challenge."

Xiao Gang replied.

"...That's right."

Wang Yao naturally didn't know about this, but he pretended to nod his head.

"I used to live and grow with my Fighting-type Pokémon in this kind of training!"

"However, as their strength increases...their strength has reached a new bottleneck that is almost impossible to break through again."

Sheba's ace Pokémon is a super strong Pokémon.

"It made me want to start traveling, change my previous training methods, and be alone... to understand the way of survival of Pokémon."

"Through this kind of understanding of nature, and the ability to communicate with Pokémon, maybe I can help the monsters grow again."

The telepathy that Hiba was talking about... is not mind reading. That kind of thing can be achieved by finding a Pokémon that can communicate with the mind to build a bridge.

His goal is to turn himself into a Pokémon and change the situation of the monsters into his own...

Then, use your human will and potential to overcome these shackles, doing what Pokémon can't do!

Then go back and guide Pokémon!

"But... after another full year of training, I still haven't experienced the feeling of strange strength."

Shiba stared at the fire and told the two about his ongoing practice.

In fact, the first step of this plan, which is to make his own strength comparable to that of the monster, has already been completed by Sheba...

But until now...Shiba's strength is still growing!

He has not yet experienced the bottleneck period, and is temporarily unable to understand the feeling of strange power...