Chén Nuò's current strength was still not quite enough, and his Pokémon were not yet sufficiently trained. To brazenly charge in and rescue people from Team Magma would be exceedingly difficult, and would very likely result in both him and Lillie being captured as well.
For now, they could only tail the group stealthily, making sure Dr. Meizi remained safe. If Team Magma dared to harm the doctor, Chén Nuò and Lillie would step in immediately to rescue him and then escape.
Although it felt somewhat humiliating, it was a highly practical approach!
To be honest, if it were convenient, Chén Nuò would have preferred to leave Lillie behind, but staying back alone was clearly even more dangerous. Therefore, he had no choice but to bring Lillie along with him as they tracked the group.
Chén Nuò roughly guessed their destination, so he didn't follow too closely. Instead, he took a shortcut around to the other side, watching as the members of Team Magma entered the ancient ruins.
"Those guys have gone into the ancient ruins."
Lillie watched with a solemn expression as the Team Magma grunts forced Dr. Meizi at gunpoint to place the stones in place one by one, thereby opening the door to the ancient ruins.
"Don't worry about them, we just need to keep an eye on Dr. Meizi."
Chén Nuò peered intently through the newly opened doorway, barely catching sight of Dr. Meizi inside. As long as the doctor was safe, that was all that mattered.
Afterward, the Team Magma members didn't actually harm Dr. Meizi. Once the doctor had finished taking a huge stack of photographs, they left with all their subordinates in tow.
"Those guys actually have some professional courtesy."
Watching them leave, Chén Nuò quickly hurried over toward Dr. Meizi. At that very moment, Ash Ketchum and the others came rushing up as well.
"Chén Nuò? You guys are here?"
Ash Ketchum and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Chén Nuò and Lillie.
This crisis had thus passed safely, largely because Team Magma had no intention of attacking them.
Even at the Pokémon Center, the intruders had merely cut off the power and locked everyone inside while leaving Dr. Meizi completely unharmed.
They had even been polite enough not to vandalize the ancient civilization's ruins, merely taking a few photographs.
Moreover, they had conveniently brought the stones that helped Dr. Meizi open the instrument's door, which made Chén Nuò feel that they weren't entirely evil after all.
This crisis also gave everyone a chance to witness a brand-new scenery within the ruins, as well as an ancient fish species—Relicanth.
Looking at that grayish, rather homely fish, Chén Nuò had no desire to catch it. After all, this Pokémon wasn't particularly suited for battle; it had some collection value, but it was simply too ugly.
After resting for the night at the Pokémon Center, everyone gathered outside the entrance.
"Ash Ketchum, are you planning to head toward Petalburg City?"
Chén Nuò asked Ash Ketchum.
"That's right, I'm going to challenge the Petalburg Gym."
Ash Ketchum replied with a smile.
"I plan to challenge the Rustboro Gym directly. Rustboro City has a Rock-type Gym, which is much more suitable for these two kids. I'm saving the Petalburg Gym for later; after all, the Trainer at the Petalburg Gym is very strong."
Chén Nuò voiced his own thoughts. With his current strength, challenging the Petalburg Gym would probably be a bit too difficult, so he intended to travel for a while longer, head to Rustboro City, and start with the easiest Rock-type Gym.
"Oh, is that so?"
Hearing this, Ash Ketchum could tell that Chén Nuò wanted to part ways. Although he felt a tinge of reluctance, he didn't dwell on it too much.
"In that case, shall we part ways here?"
Ash Ketchum said with some reluctance.
"Though we part ways a thousand miles, all good things must come to an end; on our journeys, we're bound to cross paths countless times again, since we're friends after all."
In the end, Chén Nuò chose not to accompany Ash Ketchum, knowing that the Petalburg Gym battle was a three-on-three format, and the Pokémon he currently had on hand were clearly insufficient.
Ash Ketchum would most likely have to undergo a round of training, but Chén Nuò didn't want to waste that time.
He wanted to lead his current companions directly through Petalburg Woods. If they didn't detour to Petalburg City first, the journey would be considerably faster.
He planned to search for some reliable partners in Petalburg Woods. After all, he currently only had these two kids on hand, and he needed a larger roster of Pokémon while gaining more battle experience through rigorous training.
Otherwise, if they ran into Team Magma again, his current two Pokémon wouldn't even last a single blow.
After leaving Oldale Town, the two groups parted ways. Their bond would continue to grow in the future, but now it was time to begin their respective paths of growth.
Because Chén Nuò and Lillie had taken a shortcut, they quickly arrived at Petalburg Woods. This was the eastern side of the forest, and traveling straight through from the east would lead them directly to Rustboro City.
Compared to going to Petalburg City first and then heading to Rustboro City, this route was naturally much shorter.
Along the way, they naturally encountered various Trainers. Case in point: Chén Nuò was currently battling a Pokémon Trainer.
This Pokémon Trainer was a Bug Catcher. Trainers like this Bug Catcher were essentially walking experience bundles scattered along every path, and Chén Nuò certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.
"Alrighty then! Go, Zigzagoon!"
The Bug Catcher tossed his Poké Ball, and an adorable Zigzagoon made a dazzling entrance.
"Chén Nuò, you can do it!"
Lillie sat on a nearby tree stump, cheering Chén Nuò on!
"Okay, leave it to me!"
Chén Nuò gave a thumbs-up, then summoned his own Pokémon.
"This battle, I choose you, Treecko."
Looking at the opponent's Zigzagoon, Chén Nuò summoned Treecko.
"Zigzagoon, use Tackle."
The Bug Catcher made the first move.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge."
Chén Nuò gave his command calmly and unhurriedly.
The speed of Quick Attack was naturally much faster than Zigzagoon's Tackle. The moment Zigzagoon lunged forward with Tackle, Quick Attack activated and instantly bypassed the attack.
"Pound!"
Seeing Treecko dodge, Chén Nuò issued the next command without missing a beat.
The delivery speed of this command was practically instantaneous. Treecko was momentarily stunned, but out of trust in his Trainer, he subconsciously executed a Pound attack against the opponent.
Enhanced by the speed boost from Quick Attack, this blow packed a tremendous punch.
Treecko used the speed of Quick Attack to dart back and forth between two positions, utilizing the gaps created by the flashes of movement to evade skills and launch counterattacks.
This was a tremendous test of a Trainer's command abilities, and at the same time, it required a high level of tacit understanding between the Pokémon and its Trainer.
This was all thanks to the training they had put in recently.
"Zigzagoon, are you alright?"
The Bug Catcher looked anxiously at the Zigzagoon that had been sent flying; that blow had definitely hurt.
"Zig-za!"
Zigzagoon shook its body and got back to its feet. Although it was in a lot of pain, it refused to let down its Trainer's expectations.
"What a persevering little one!"
Watching Zigzagoon's determined appearance, Lillie couldn't help but praise it.