He knows Pokémon better than me.

Before long, Xiao Zhi arrived at an office building located in the city center, next to a subway entrance.

Go straight up to the top floor, which is where Douzi's company is located.

"Wow, they really struck it rich!"

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but sigh. He remembered that when he first saw Douzi, the latter didn't even have his own office yet.

They could only live in cramped quarters in Raven City, in a small room that had been cleared out from Miss Chrysanthemum's gym.
"Bari~?"

The magician mascot was also looking around with curiosity. It had two jobs: one was at the performance venue, and the other was at the farmhouse.
I've never worked in a modern office building before.

Upon reaching the top floor, you can see the "BW Entertainment Company" sign hanging right outside the elevator; it looks quite professional.

The view here is excellent, and the office area is spacious. However, the desks are all close together, and the computers and files are scattered around, making it feel quite crowded.

Yes, that fits his stereotype about Douzi.

Today is a day off, and there aren't many people at the workstations.

Just then, a gasp came from the side, followed by hurried footsteps.

"Ash! Long time no see! I'm so glad to finally see him alive!!"

Without saying a word, he gave Xiaozhi a warm and affectionate hug.

The visitor was naturally Douzi, an outgoing and unrestrained person.

"What do you mean by 'alive'?"

Ash could only helplessly accept the hug from the Fighting One; everyone's way of greeting each other was still so enthusiastic.

"I'd only ever seen you on my phone before~"

Douzi grinned, released Xiaozhi, and ruffled Pikachu's hair:

"Pikachu, you look pretty energetic too!"

"Pikachu~!"

Pikachu jumped onto Douzi's shoulder and greeted him.

Only then could Xiaozhi see the girl in front of him clearly—

Her clothing and makeup were not much different from before; she still wore a white tank top with a black vest, denim shorts, and ankle boots, looking youthful and beautiful.

Wearing a pink and white baseball cap, her thick, fluffy brown hair was tied up high at the end of the cap.

This woman works 400 days a year, so it's unlikely she'd change into a second set of clothes.

"Huh, what's this?"

Soon, Touko noticed the Mr. Mime next to him; the two of them had tense faces and were staring intently at each other.

then.

"Hello, I'm Touko, the president of BW Entertainment Company!"

"Bari~!"

They bowed, their manners as if by muscle memory, and exchanged business cards.

Xiao Zhi: "."

Did fate somehow sense that they were both workaholics?

By the way, when did Mr. Mime start making business cards?

Then Douzi pulled the two of them into his office and started talking non-stop, at a speed that Xiaozhi couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Alice, the new champion of the Unova region—

The general public was unaware of it, but she worked in media, so she naturally received the news early on.

The lower classes of the Unova region are being slaughtered—

"Don't be ridiculous! The welfare of the people in the Unova region is the best of all regions, whether it's employment or healthcare. Even the air here is sweet!"

Douzi slammed his fist on the table, completely disbelieving the theory.

"Bari, bari!" the Mr. Mime chimed in from the side, even the air in the Galar region was sweet.

Xiao Zhi: "."

Because your two areas have the most factories!
The outgoing Douzi was even more talkative than Sonia, giving Ash a strange feeling that he was being treated like a confidante again.

Naturally, they also talked about the World Championships he is currently participating in.

This time, the scale is many times larger than the World Championships held in Fanba City in the Unova region before, and Douzi naturally doesn't intend to miss this hot business opportunity.

However, Ash left all the considerations in this regard to Mr. Mime.

beep!

So Douzi and Mr. Mime took out their phones and started exchanging chat methods.

After a long chat, their faces were flushed, and then, as if eyeing prey, they all turned to look at Xiao Zhi with gleaming eyes.

Xiao Zhi: "."

His request was quite simple.

"Just don't make me wear anything weird or strange."

Douzi grinned and readily agreed:
"Just focus on charging towards the highest point, and leave the rest to us!"

"Bari, bari~!"

Mr. Mime nodded in deep agreement, and he and Touko seemed to hit it off immediately, as if they were old friends who had just met.

"Let's go, I'll show you around Feiyun City and we can grab lunch there!"

There wasn't much to see in the office building. Since it was almost lunchtime, Douzi led the way.

However, besides visiting Douzi, Ash also plans to visit another rather special old friend in Flying Cloud City today.

After a quick lunch, the two of them, along with Mr. Mime, went into the subway station next to the office building.

Last time I came, the passengers were all like hurdlers, simply stepping over the ticket gate.

But things are much more orderly now, with everyone queuing up obediently to have their tickets checked.

The floor is much cleaner now, and the lighting is no longer as dim as in a horror movie.

"The Battle Subway has reopened since Mr. Kitao returned."

Douzi explained with a smile:
"With someone dedicated to operation, the environment of Feiyun City subway station has improved a lot."

The second old friend that Xiao Zhi was going to visit was, of course, Mr. Bei Shang, who had inexplicably traveled to the ancient Xi Cui region.

Two months ago, when he returned from the Xicui region, Bei Shang also returned with him. He was immediately taken back to the Unova region by his twin brother, Nan Xia.

At that time, Mr. Bei Shang's memory was still a bit hazy, sometimes accurate and sometimes not. I wonder how it is now?

After buying tickets and entering, there were staff members in police uniforms at the platform, but they were not the twin brothers.

However, the sign above that reads "Battle Against the Subway" is lit up, indicating that the business is operating normally.

This gave Xiaozhi a bit of an idea.

Douzi noticed this, smiled, and, supporting her slender waist, proactively sent a team invitation:
"How about it, Ash? Want to have some exercise after dinner?"

Today is her day off, so she doesn't have much work to do and can spend the whole day playing with Xiaozhi.

"OK!"

Without even thinking, Xiao Zhi immediately agreed.

I had heard of the Battle Metro before, but when I was traveling in the Unova region, Battle Metro went out of business because Kita no Sho disappeared.

He was quite disappointed at the time, as he didn't get to experience the local unique battle facilities.

Now, it's the perfect time to make up for the regret!
The two exchanged a glance, and without further ado, walked together to the platform and entered their application to challenge the subway.

Number of people: Two!
There will be a total of seven rounds, with the final round featuring two Battle Managers! (End of Chapter)