Chapter 357
The Rogue-like Tree Spirit
Chapter 357 The Rogue-like Tree Spirit
Kojiro and his friends might really be Ash's lucky charm. Not only did their encounter bring a lot of good news, but they also provided clues about Treecko.
Because they had been conducting research in Petalburg Woods recently, James actually knew about Treecko's habitat when Ash and Max casually mentioned it.
"I heard from the seniors at the research institute that there is a group of wild wood geckos living in the trees deep in the southeast corner of the Orange Blossom Forest."
"Hmm, the approximate location is—" Kojiro marked the location of Treecko's habitat for Ash and his friends on the Pokémon Navigator.
Ash and his friends were overjoyed and headed in that direction, but unsurprisingly, they got lost.
"Oh, it's all my sister's fault! She should have gone to the left as I told her!"
"But there are beautiful flowers blooming on the right side of the road, and people just want to take that road."
"And ultimately, wasn't it your fault for using Pokémon Navigator, Minoru? If we hadn't gotten lost, we wouldn't have needed to choose between those two paths!"
"Pokémon Navigator has no signal, is that my fault? —" Max fiddled with the device in his hand unwillingly, but it was still no use; there was still a big red cross on the signal bar.
"Alright, you two stop arguing. It's just getting lost, it's no big deal." Xiao Zhi is now adept at mediating the siblings' quarrel.
"Anyway, we were already quite close to our destination before the signal went out. Whenever I get lost before, I always manage to find my way back to where I want to be, and this time will definitely be no exception!"
Now, Ash can handle getting lost as naturally as drinking water, unlike May and Max who panic.
This is the confidence that rich experience brings him! Why does it feel so heartbreaking?
"It's a good thing you're so relaxed, Ash. We might not even be able to find our way back now."
Although Ash is with her, May isn't too worried.
"Don't worry, maybe when we turn around we'll see a gecko staring at us from a tree branch."
"There's no such thing as a free lunch—"
Then they turned around and actually saw large green geckos peeking out from the trees behind them.
"Chirp, chirp."
"Ah, the Tree Spirit really appeared!"
"Wow, there are so many! Let's hurry up and get ready to capture them!"
The low mood caused by getting lost just now was instantly swept away, and Ash took the lead and led the group to chase after the Treeckoes in the direction they had fled.
However, the forest is the domain of the wood geckos, and these large green lizards leap nimbly between the branches, their speed of dodging and weaving no slower than a person running on the ground.
With the dense thickets providing cover, ordinary people would never be able to easily find them in the forest.
Unfortunately, they encountered Ash, who had mastered the power of aura. Through the aura, Ash could see the Treecko's movements clearly.
Of course, Ash wasn't in a hurry to battle and capture them immediately; he wanted to carefully observe the Treecko's movements as they fled.
Then, based on their agility during movement, they can determine which of the wood geckos is the strongest.
"Hmm, this one's a bit slow—this one's jumping ability isn't great—oh, this one's good, but its muscles seem a bit loose; it doesn't seem to be a very active gecko—"
"You can lack talent, but you can't be lazy!"
A lazy bum can't help Xiao Zhi complete his fitness journey; this is a bottom line that the muscular man can never compromise on, and he's very strict about it.
And so, Ash used his eyes to observe everything around him, eliminating Treecko one by one along the way.
Those Treeckoes, unaware of what was happening, inadvertently missed out on the opportunity to live a life of luxury and be taken care of by Ash.
As Ash chased after the pit, he unknowingly found himself in front of a large pit.
Ash was so engrossed in observing his Treecko's surroundings that he lost his focus and fell down the slope with Pikachu.
Only then did he finally notice that there was an enormous tree right in front of him, and Xiaoyao and Xiaosheng had already disappeared.
"Those geckos seem to have deliberately led me this way."
The waveguides scattered, and Xiaoyao and Xiaosheng were not far from him, so there was no rush.
However, the original group of geckos had all quickly disappeared without a trace.
"They run really fast."
Although a few Treeckoes could still be found at the edge of the Aura Force's detection range, the scenery in front of Ash was more attractive to him at this moment.
"This enormous crater, and the giant tree—"
The crater looked like it was formed by a meteorite impact, and the giant tree was incredibly tall.
Xiao Zhi estimated that it was at least several hundred meters tall, soaring straight into the sky.
In stark contrast to the surrounding lush forest, this large tree was completely bare, without a single leaf, and appeared to have been struck by lightning.
"This tree is almost lifeless."
Suddenly, Ash sensed a unique aura emanating from the tree.
"Pikachu, get out of the way!"
"Pikachu?"
As soon as Ash spoke, Pikachu immediately acted in perfect unison.
It leaped backward quickly, narrowly avoiding a branch that was launched from above.
"Squeak!"
Surprisingly, the creature on the tree was a gecko carrying a twig in its mouth.
However, compared to its kind with clear eyes, this gecko has a unique kind of handsomeness in its movements.
It looks cool and unconventional, especially the twig it's holding in its mouth, which gives it the look of a cigar.
"This Treecko is probably the strongest in the entire species!"
Ash looked at this cool and roguish Treecko and drooled with emotion.
He has finally found a taming partner with a strong personality and perfect muscular physique.
But those Treeckoes lured Ash and his friends here, were they going to let this Treecko take care of Ash?
"That really underestimates me and Pikachu."
Thinking of this, Ash immediately waved to the Treecko in the tree, which had a roguish yet cool look (referred to as "Roguish Eyes"), and issued a battle challenge.
"Treetree, you seem pretty strong. How about a battle with my Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!"
Upon seeing Ash and Pikachu appear, Treecko still looked somewhat puzzled, seemingly unaware that its companions had shifted the trouble onto it.
But faced with Ash's provocation, it still felt the urge to fight and chose to accept the challenge.
With a stylish leap, it tumbled down from the towering tree branch, raising its large, powerful tail to swat at Pikachu.
"That's a slap attack, Pikachu, dodge!"
Pikachu's reflexes are second to none among Pokémon; just as the slap was about to hit, it deftly rolled away to dodge the attack.
The Treekia's slap, amplified by gravitational potential energy, struck a rock on the ground.
In an instant, the hard boulder was smashed into pieces.
"The power is pretty good." Ash smiled with satisfaction.
Ash really likes this Treecko, whether it's its strength, speed, or even its temperament.
"Since that's the case, I've decided on you!"
"Pikachu is officially ready for battle! We're going to make Treecko our new partner!"
"Pikachu!"