Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

But now, both the League and Ash have chosen to let it go.

Xiaoxia wasn't a narcissistic person, but she did know that the reason for this lay with herself.

It's because I've developed a special relationship with him...

"Alright, let's talk about the rest of the trip. I've wanted to go to the Orange Islands for so long!" Xiaoxia casually tossed her head and put on an excited expression.

"I'm glad you like it, but Ash has a mission this time. He needs to help deal with those people in the Orange Islands," Blue reminded him.

"Oh yeah...that's a tough problem." Xia frowned.

She simply couldn't think of any way Ash could bring that place back under the League's control.

"Let's hear what Xiaozhi has to say."

To be honest, Xiaolan is very satisfied with Xiaoxia's current state; it's just the way she is, with her whole heart devoted to Xiaozhi.

Xiao Zhi could certainly solve all the problems on his own, but it's always good to have more people around to help him.

"The solution is actually quite simple. Just do what I do best," Xiao Zhi said confidently.

"Ah... are you planning to seduce the girls of the Orange Islands? Are you going to add all the female guild masters of the Southern Cross to your harem and get their support to join the alliance?"

Blue immediately made an exaggerated expression, successfully leading Misty and Lila astray, making them question Ash's motives for this trip.

An island with perpetual summer must have many beautiful women...

"What I excel at is Pokémon battles!!" Ash roared irritably, and casually ruffled Blue's hair into a bird's nest.

Honestly, she completely ruined the serious atmosphere!

Ash's trip to the Orange Islands doesn't involve much politics; he just needs to stick to one principle.

beat!

His mission was complete once he had thoroughly defeated the local criminals and Rocket Remnants, and left the island's trainers, Southern Cross, and the top trainer completely bewildered!

In short, he overturned the entire archipelago with his overwhelming military strength, and the alliance will naturally help him resolve the aftermath.

"In that case, you can all go and challenge them!" Little Blue immediately came up with a clever idea. "Just think about it, if Southern Cross is forced to give up three badges in one match, the top trainer will have to lose three matches in a row, and each one will be worse than the last. The entire archipelago will lose face!"

"Yes, that's indeed a good idea." Xiao Zhi nodded silently, but inwardly he gave a helpless, bitter smile.

This is a slip of the tongue...

It should have been expected that the reason the trip to Orange Island would be a three-person trip was because this girl was missing.

That's actually where she wanted to go...

"So, are we going to Fuchsia City next?" Lila asked.

“No, we’re going to Vermilion City…and then we’ll wait for a long-distance ship.” As he responded, Ash kept looking intently into Blue’s eyes.

"Hmm..." The girl was taken aback. She realized that Ash had guessed her plan.

...

At night, in a guest room at the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City, a girl leaned against the balcony railing, wide awake.

"Have you bought the ferry tickets for tomorrow?" Ash's voice drifted from behind, but the girl wasn't surprised.

"I was still struggling with how to tell you, but I didn't expect you to find out beforehand." Blue gave an apologetic and helpless smile. "I'm sorry, Ash, I can't go to the Orange Islands with you this time..."

"What you should apologize for is why you didn't tell me sooner!" Ash's tone was tinged with reproach, but mostly with self-blame. "If I had realized it sooner, I wouldn't have taken this job, and I would have gone to Alola with you instead!"

Little Blue would definitely prefer Alora to the Orange Islands.

She initially fought Team Rocket to track down her parents, but now that her parents have disappeared in the Ultra Cave and Team Rocket is on the decline, she certainly doesn't need to care about this evil group anymore.

In contrast, her most pressing desire right now is to travel to Alola and investigate the people there's research on Ultra Pods...

"I didn't want to trouble you to come with me, that's why I haven't said anything," Xiao Lan shook her head. "It's very likely that my efforts this time will be in vain, but I just can't resist going over there to see..."

“Ash… I know you’re willing to come with me, but I don’t want to interfere with what you’re doing… Luckily, Cerulean and Lyra are with you now, so I can leave with peace of mind.”

"You..." Xiao Zhi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Xiao Lan was clearly determined to go, and she was determined to go alone; I was afraid I couldn't stop her...

"Anyway, I was being willful this time... To express my apology, I have a gift for you~" Xiao Lan bit her lower lip lightly, as if she had made a decision, "Close your eyes first."

"Little Blue, you..."

"Oh, listen to me!" The girl waved her little hand wildly in front of Ash's eyes, finally forcing him to obediently close his eyes.

Soon, he felt the other person's breath getting closer and closer, followed by a soft, warm touch...

He froze, as if all his senses had vanished, leaving only the clearest sensation on his lips; he instinctively wanted to raise his hands, wanting to respond eagerly, but worried about ruining the atmosphere, so he could only silently enjoy the slightly clumsy stirring…

"Huff...huff~" The alluring sensation dissipated, and Xiaozhi slowly opened his eyes, only to find the girl in front of him covering her lips, panting with a flushed face.

"This... is a parting gift, but it's also a stamp to mark progress~" Xiao Lan forced a smile. "I don't care if you take the girls to the island... but they can only catch up to you, they absolutely cannot surpass you!"

"No problem, I guarantee you'll be the fastest, okay~" Looking at the girl's cute appearance, Xiao Zhi readily agreed and couldn't help but hug her.

"However... your stamp was a bit dry with too little ink, why don't you make a few more?"

Under the moonlight, the two figures, who were about to separate, were now tightly intertwined...

Chapter 249 The Cross-Bat, The Beginning of the Trial!

After seeing Blue off at Vermilion Harbor, Ash and his friends hurried to the Fuchsia Gym.

The training and improvement of his companions must not be delayed. Before leaving Kanto, Ash must first find out the path for Crobat to become stronger!

"Mr. Ash, you've finally arrived." When they arrived, A-Ju was already waiting at the gym entrance, familiarly leading the three of them inside.

"Mr. Aju, you're too kind. I already told you to just call me Ash." Ash smiled politely. "Besides, you're already one of the Elite Four. If we're being honest, I'm still your subordinate."

In terms of rank, the Elite Four are indeed one rank higher than Ash, who is a mid-level investigator...

"Please don't say that!" A-Ju waved her hand frantically. "I'm where I am today because of your reminder."

He now truly regards Xiao Zhi as a benefactor and dares not put on any airs of superiority in front of him.

After truly entering the league's upper echelons, Ah Ju realized just how terribly wrong she had been before!

He joined Team Rocket initially hoping to revive the ninja lineage by gaining Sakaki's favor, but in reality, it proved that there was no future in rebelling with Team Rocket!

With Ash now a powerful weapon in the League, Giovanni has no hope of turning the tide.

"It was just some small talk, I'm glad you don't mind." Xiao Zhi smiled politely, then got to the point, "Mr. Aju... how are the preparations for my previous request going?"

"Everything is ready. Please follow me."

A-Ju led Ash and the others to a quiet room. In the middle of the room was a bathtub the size of a water tank. The medicinal liquid inside was steaming with purple mist and occasionally bubbling with bubbles of different sizes, which looked very eerie.

"This tub contains the ninja's secret medicine. All we need to do is let Crobat soak in it," A-Ju explained. "The medicine not only softens its bones, but also enhances its toxicity after being absorbed... The principle is similar to how Poison-type Pokémon remove Toxic Spikes, only the process is very painful~"

"How long does this medicinal bath need to last?" Ash pressed, as this concerned Crobat, and he wouldn't let his guard down on any detail.

"It varies from person to person. My Crossbat lasted for three days. The longest record in the clan is five days. It is said that it was only with the help of some ninjutsu and tools that it barely lasted that long. Moreover, it is said that more than half of the secret medicine at that time was absorbed."

"Five days... and you've only absorbed a little over half?" Xiaoxia was shocked.

"This is a very harsh trial for Pokémon. They not only have to endure excruciating pain, but they also can't eat at all, and they don't even have time to rest," A-Ju said with emotion. "Fortunately, the secret medicine itself is not life-threatening. When the Pokémon can't bear it anymore, the ingredients of the secret medicine will cause them to faint, and the medicinal bath will end."

"Crobat, did you understand? Are you willing to accept this trial?" Ash looked at the purple bat hovering beside him, asking for its opinion one last time.

"Ha!" The Crossbat didn't hesitate at all; it was determined to accept this trial no matter what!

And... become the world's strongest Crossbat!

"Then give it your all! We'll all be with you during your trial!" Ash solemnly promised, then turned to Kikyo, "Please prepare a large enough yard for all my Pokémon activities."

“You can use the training area behind the dojo,” A-Ju replied, somewhat bewildered.

"Thank you." Ash nodded in thanks, used his psychic powers to take the large tub for the medicinal bath, and went to the gym's backyard with Aju.

After Ash put down the bathtub, he handed Ash a bodysuit made of a very special material.

"This is something similar to a forced exerciser. After the medicated bath, it is worn on the cross-bat to help it better adjust its body shape."

After giving some more instructions on the details of the medicinal bath, A-Ju took her leave, leaving Xiao-Zhi alone in the courtyard.

"Crobat, get ready and go in... Good luck!" Ash encouraged his companion beside him.

"Ho!" The cross-bat let out a sharp screech, and it rapidly flapped its wings to shoot into the air, crashing straight into the bathtub like a meteor falling at high speed!

"Ho!!" The cross-bat let out a muffled scream as soon as it immersed itself in the potion, and the potion in the bucket was stirred up into a chaotic mess by its wildly flapping wings!

"Crobat!!" Ash's heart skipped a beat; he was relieved that a single wave missile had shattered the bathtub.

"Ho..." But the crossbowman quickly quieted down. It was unwilling to wail like the weak, and even curled up its wings and sank its whole body to the bottom of the bucket to stop itself from making a sound.

It will only float to the surface to breathe when it can no longer hold on, but even then it will only be a slight panting.

"It seems we've passed the first hurdle. You can all disperse now. We can't waste these next few days."

Ash sent his Pokémon to train separately, while he sat in front of the bathtub with his newly acquired Pokémon egg, carefully watching Crobat's progress.

Once he notices that Crobat is about to give up, he will immediately use the power of Eternal to heal it... and be ready to terminate the trial at any time!

...

"Is Ash's Crobat alright?" Misty was heartbroken upon hearing the screams from the backyard. "Why does he have to undergo such a trial..."