Inside the research institute.
Dr. Oak didn't want to delay attending the party, but an experiment suddenly encountered problems, and he really couldn't leave.
"There's trouble now..."
Dr. Oak's face was grim as he shook his head.
So busy, so, so busy.
Besides the experiment at hand, he had a heap of other things to do, his schedule was fully booked, and at that thought, Dr. Oak couldn't help but scratch his head.
Perhaps, it was time to find an assistant.
In his youth, Dr. Oak did everything himself because of his abundant energy, but as he grew older, he started to feel that he couldn't keep up anymore.
"Dr. Oak, why aren't you going to the party?!"
As Dr. Oak was feeling conflicted, Ash came running up with Misty, Brock, and Fang Yuan, shouting out to him.
"Oh— It's Ash."
Hearing Ash's voice, Dr. Oak said, "Sorry, an experiment just ran into a snag, I'll be right there."
"Hold on... Ash, you guys come here for a minute."
Upon hearing Ash's voice, an idea suddenly dawned on Dr. Oak.
In theory, he did have assistants; couldn't he just ask any Trainer from Pallet Town?
A moment later.
Fang Yuan and the others entered the laboratory.
Dr. Oak saw Ash come in and was about to say something, but then he turned to Fang Yuan, looking bewildered, and said, "Ash, this is..."
He recognized Misty and Brock, but Fang Yuan, he was seeing for the first time.
"Dr. Oak, this is Fang Yuan, my friend," Ash didn't elaborate much, being carefree, he had just fought once with Fang Yuan and had his Pikachu saved by Fang Yuan once, and that was enough for him to completely trust Fang Yuan.
"So you're a friend of Ash's, hello, I'm Dr. Oak."
Dr. Oak showed a smile and didn't mind too much.
He was always very friendly to Ash's friends.
From Dr. Oak's agreement to let Ash's friend Tracey Sketchit stay on as his assistant, one could see his amiability; after all, the number of Researchers wanting to be Dr. Oak's assistant was surely as plentiful as hairs on a cow—if not for his connection to Ash, Tracey might not have gotten such consideration from Dr. Oak.
Dr. Oak took such good care of Ash because he was also a "friend" of Ash's.
Forty years ago, because of Celebi's time travel, he had been transported to the future space-time and met Ash, together they went on a great adventure. That adventure remains his most cherished memory to this day, and because of this, Dr. Oak greatly believed in Ash's charisma. It wasn't surprising to him that Ash could make so many friends.
"Hello, Dr. Oak, I've always admired your great name," Fang Yuan greeted him, reassured by Dr. Oak's geniality.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Dr. Oak turned to Ash with an apologetic smile and said, "Ash, after the party, could you do me a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Ash asked.
"I'd like you to take a trip to Mandarin Island in the Orange Archipelago for me, there's something I need you to do," Dr. Oak replied.
"The Orange Archipelago…?" Ash was taken aback at the mention.
"Mandarin Island?" Misty and Brock were also surprised.
In their minds instantly appeared visions of the ocean, sandy beaches, sunshine, and beautiful women.
And as Fang Yuan heard this, he had a moment of realization—it seemed Ash's journey to conquer the Orange League was about to begin.
"Yes, I'd like you to visit Professor Ivy's laboratory on that island and retrieve a Mysterious Poké Ball she acquired by accident—the GS Ball—for me. The GS Ball can't be transported normally, so it has to be this way," Dr. Oak said helplessly.
"If it weren't for Xiao Mao, who missed the party to start another journey, and not to mention Miss Hilona and other mythology researchers are visiting me tomorrow, I would have gone to fetch it myself. Right now I can't leave, and after much thought, I can only ask for your help."
Dr. Oak vented his frustration over the situation.
If Xiaozhi and the others weren't available, then he would have to think of another solution.
However, Dr. Omu obviously underestimated Xiaozhi and the others.
"Ever-summer island, beach beauties..." Brock chuckled with a grin.
"There should be many Water-type Spirits, right?" Misty also stroked her chin.
"Mystical Poké Balls, I'm going!" Xiaozhi declared as he signed up.
"That's great!!" Dr. Omu laughed and breathed a sigh of relief, never expecting Xiaozhi to be even more reliable than his own grandson.
And at that moment—
Only Fang Yuan was captivated by a certain three words mentioned by Dr. Omu.
"Dr. Omu, if I may be so bold to ask, the Mythology Researcher Miss Hilona you just mentioned, is she that Champion?" Fang Yuan, clenching his fist, inquired.
"Ah yes, that Miss Hilona," Dr. Omu replied.
"Champion, who's that?" Xiaozhi wondered aloud.
Everyone glanced at Xiaozhi. Was this guy an idiot?
But considering Xiaozhi couldn't even memorize the Type Effectiveness Chart, they all let it slide.
"Hilona... Hilona..." After muttering the name twice, Brock's eyes widened.
Then, his voice raised several decibels, "What!!! The beautiful battle goddess is coming here??"
"So, who exactly is she?" Xiaozhi asked.
"Idiot, Hilona, she's the Champion of the Sinnoh League, a Trainer whose strength is comparable to your idol, Mr. Lance, and most importantly, she ranks very high in the beauty rating I compiled..." Brock said with a foolish smile.
Misty, standing nearby, was also familiar with this name. Although her objective was to challenge Elite Four Lorelei of the Quartz Alliance, she greatly admired Hilona, the youngest female Champion.
"A Champion, huh—that means, she's a very powerful Trainer, and one of the strongest, too." Xiaozhi's eyes sparkled: "What would someone like her be doing here?"
Dr. Omu smiled and said, "Besides her status as Champion, Miss Hilona is also a mythology researcher. Xiaozhi, do you remember the three Super Ancient Giant Spirits that appeared outside Pallet Town recently??"
"We remember!" Xiaozhi, Brock, and Misty responded in unison.
Giant Groudon, Giant Gengar, Giant Rayquaza; these three revived Ancient Creatures were witnessed by the trio themselves.
One could say, they were personally involved.
"Initially, the Super Ancient Relic was taken by the brilliant Miss White, who had decoded the ancient texts. After conducting research and coming up empty, she decided to invite me to join her, and Miss Hilona, upon learning of this, showed great interest in the Super Ancient civilization, so we arranged to study it together tomorrow..."
"But I really didn't expect... I thought Miss Hilona was only interested in the myths and history of the Sinnoh Region. I didn't expect her to suddenly take an interest in the Super Ancient civilization. Could there be some connection?" Dr. Omu wondered curiously.
"Ah, ah, ah... none of that matters now. Dr. Omu, why didn't you tell me sooner that the Champion was coming!!" Xiaozhi urged anxiously: "Dr. Omu, can I set out a couple of days later? I want to meet... no, I want to challenge Miss Hilona!!"
The Champion of the Sinnoh League? A stronger Trainer from the same place as Mr. Fang Yuan? Xiaozhi was fired up!
"Uh..." Dr. Omu was taken aback.
You? Challenging Hilona?
Dr. Omu remained silent. It wasn't just you, kid; even if Lance himself came, he may not win either.
After all, that woman is widely regarded as the battle genius most likely to compete for the title of "Strongest Champion."
Brock and Misty looked down on Xiaozhi, the little rascal, for not knowing his own limits again.
"That's actually fine; the GS Ball isn't that urgent, and since you just finished competing in the Quartz Conference, taking a couple of days to rest is okay. It's just that Miss Hilona herself..."
"Is very strong," Dr. Omu said earnestly.
"It's precisely because she's so strong that I want to challenge her," Fang Yuan, having confirmed his suspicions, remarked quietly from the side.
Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Fang Yuan, and in his eyes, they saw a battle spirit.
"Exactly! It's because she's strong that we want to challenge her!" Xiaozhi agreed, "Mr. Fang Yuan is right."