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

What the ninjas of A-Ju's ancestors couldn't do, Ash might be able to do!

"If that's really the case, then I'm practically witnessing the rise of a legend..." A-Ju exclaimed.

If he had only offered up the family's secret medicine to befriend Ash before, he was now genuinely looking forward to it.

If Ash's Crobat could really survive for seven days in the secret medicine, I'd call it the strongest ever!

"Oh, everyone's here~"

Upon hearing the boy's slightly hoarse voice, everyone turned towards the door.

Ash was standing there with a small blue dragon. He looked a little tired, but he couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

"Brother!" "Ash, how's Crobat doing?"

Lila and Xia immediately stepped forward with concern.

"It has completed the trial, but it is still undergoing adjustments and it is not convenient to meet everyone yet," Ash explained with a smile.

It's not entirely about adjustments; we also need to quickly familiarize ourselves with our current strength.

After enduring seven days in the secret medicine, the Crossbat not only achieved its expected goal but also gained unimaginable benefits.

Now, even a sneeze from it can have an impact on its surroundings, so it has to spend time regaining control of its power.

"Let's get to know this little guy first. The baby dragon has already hatched." Ash didn't want to talk much about Crobat, so he used the baby dragon next to him to change the subject.

"A pseudo-legendary in Hoenn...that's a promising prospect," A-Ju exclaimed in admiration.

Young people these days are really extravagant; they can pull out Pokémon that make others drool with envy at the drop of a hat.

And it wasn't just Ash; his sister was the same.

Besides the starter Charmander, there's also a shiny Butterfree, a pseudo-legendary Beldum, and a pseudo-legendary plus a shiny Dratini...

Oh, by the way, it and Charmander have recently evolved into Shiny Dragonair.

...

"Mr. Aju, thank you for your care these past few days. We are about to take our leave." After a short rest, Ash formally bid farewell to Aju.

Before leaving, he also made a promise to Aju.

"Your help this time is of utmost gratitude to me and Crossbat... In the future, if you ever need anything, I will do my best to help!"

"You're really exaggerating," A-Ju hurriedly declined, but he knew that Xiao-Zhi wasn't just saying it casually.

He already knew Ash's character very well, and knew that Ash was capable of going to such lengths for Pokémon!

When Ash and the others left the gym, and Kikyo went to the backyard to tidy up, he found his sister and daughter standing there in a daze.

Following their gaze, A-Ju curiously looked at the bathtub that the Cross Bat had used, and was completely shocked!

"This...this is..." The liquid in the bucket showed no trace of toxicity; instead, it was crystal clear and completely transparent!

...

"We can finally set off! Shall we board the boat now?" After leaving the Fuchsia Gym, Misty regained her excitement and couldn't wait to begin her island adventure.

“Taking a boat is too slow, let’s just fly there,” Ash said with a smile. “We’ll set off in Dragonite and Charizard, and land in the Orange Sea before traveling by water to explore the islands.”

"That's great! We won't be restricted by transportation, and we'll definitely see lots of amazing scenery!" Xiaoxia immediately clapped her hands in agreement. "But... how should we allocate the time?"

The three of them only brought two flying dragons, and Xiaoxia had no experience riding a flying dragon alone...

"Of course, you two will ride Dragonite, and I'll ride my brother's Charizard~" Lila quickly proposed a solution.

"Ah... Am I going with Ash?" Misty asked, a little flustered.

This kind of treatment used to be Xiao Lan's...

“Of course we should divide it like this. Don’t you dislike fire-type items?” Lila said matter-of-factly.

Xiaoxia specializes in water-type attacks and has always kept her distance from fire-type attacks, so of course we can't assign the old flamethrower to her.

Besides, Lila has received earnest advice from Blue... As Ash's most beloved little sister, she should be more considerate of other 'outsiders'~

"Let's decide on that then." Ash nodded, took the lead in carrying his Beast Dragon and sitting on the back of Dragonite, while gesturing to Misty who was still in a daze.

"Oh..." Xiaoxia obediently reached out her hand, and the latter gently pulled her behind his back.

Seeing this, Lila also boarded the old Flamethrower and released her newly evolved Dragonair to accompany her. The group then set off towards the Orange Islands.

They flew very fast and soon crossed the Seven Islands in the middle of the islands in a straight line, just reaching the edge of the Orange Islands.

"This is... wait a minute!"

However, just as they were about to reach the port of Orange Isle, Ash's journey was halted by a sudden storm.

The storm itself wasn't a problem; Ash could easily get around it. However, he sensed a peculiar superpower within the storm, which made him take it seriously.

After quickly comparing the map, Ash knew who was behind the trouble.

"Wait for me, I'm going to meet a friend." After telling Lila and Misty, Ash teleported away from Dragonite's back.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of a kangaroo holding a giant soup spoon.

That's right, the new island is located very close to the Orange Islands, and Ash immediately guessed that Mewtwo was up to something.

"You've come," Mewtwo said calmly, looking at Ash.

"Uh... I'm here." Ash nodded subconsciously.

"You're here after all."

"What am I anyway... what am I anyway!" Ash rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Well, it almost got caught up in it just now.

Why is Mewtwo acting like Professor Oak these days, constantly throwing in bear-themed jokes?

"Hey...didn't you know my plans and come here specifically to stop me?" Mewtwo's eyes immediately turned into beady eyes.

Honestly, just a second ago, Mewtwo was feeling a pang of sadness.

It had just used its psychic powers to control the storm when it sensed Ash's aura approaching... and then the other party stopped.

In Mewtwo's view, Ash was clearly after it!

He had said before that because of the special bond between them, he understood everything about himself…

After all that musing, it turns out he had no idea!

"I stopped you... Hey, you're not planning to kidnap people to the new island again, are you?" Ash suddenly realized.

This kangaroo, it's stuck in a trap of its own making and can't get out!

"I... am." Mewtwo twitched its lips hesitantly... It realized that it seemed to have given itself away.

However, now that it had met Ash, it honestly revealed its plans: "After parting ways with you last time, I traveled to many areas of Kanto, wanting to learn more about this world and witness the beautiful bond between humans and Pokémon..."

"So you didn't witness it, right?" Ash said speechlessly.

Judging from Mewtwo's expression, it definitely hasn't encountered any kind people along the way.

“Yes, so I plan to invite some well-known trainers over,” Mewtwo said in detail. “But this time it’s not to steal Pokémon, I just want to see if they really have the kind of bond you mentioned with their Pokémon.”

"I see... If you want to do it, that's fine, I'll help you, but not now." After hearing Mewtwo's idea, Ash agreed, but not completely.

"Why…"

"Because I don't have time right now!" Ash said, simultaneously using Teleport. "What kind of comeback are you planning? Wait until I get back from the Orange Islands! Bye~"

"Ah..." Ash's sudden departure left Mewtwo completely bewildered.

However, it realized that the other party wasn't there to stop it, but rather to help it...

But what exactly is he going to do?

Feeling somewhat curious, Mewtwo hesitated for a moment before teleporting away from the new island, intending to follow Ash for a bit.

...

"The Orange Islands... We've finally arrived!" Shortly after leaving the new island, Ash and his friends finally arrived at Orange Island.

After landing, Xiaoxia stretched her budding figure with ease, feeling the comforting atmosphere of the sea breeze.

"By the way, where is the Uchimu Research Institute we're going to?" she asked curiously.

“It’s on Daigan Island in the southwest. To get there directly, you have to cross most of the sea,” Lila said, looking at the map.

"We're not in a rush anyway, so we can skip it for now," Ash said with a smile. "We'll head towards Mandarin Island from here, do a little loop, then go to the Locust Lab, and then come back from the other side to play the Winner's Cup!"

"That would be perfect!" Xiaoxia clapped her hands happily immediately.

"Let's go then... Blastoise!" "Please, Gyarados!"

After deciding to take the water route, Ash sent out his Water-type general, and Misty hesitated for a moment before releasing her Gyarados, which wasn't quite in sync with her yet.

"Let me go with you this time. I can translate Gyarados's thoughts for you on the way." Lila volunteered to travel with Misty.

"Okay." Xiaoxia agreed nervously, afraid that Gyarados would go berserk if a stranger got close.

But to her surprise, Gyarados seemed to enjoy Lyra's touch, behaving docilely like a ferocious Pokémon.

"It actually longs to be close to you too, so you need to be more patient with it," Lila said gently, stroking the Gyarados's head and horns.

"Hmm..." Xiaoxia nodded silently. She knew that this trip would be an opportunity for her and Gyarados to open their hearts to each other!