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

"I don't know what nonsense you're spouting!" A-Yi snorted indignantly. "And do you think I'm stupid, asking such a simple question! Xiaoxia is my friend, that's the answer!"

"Wrong!" Ash shook his head without hesitation. "The correct way to read this sentence is..."

"Friend, Xiaoxia is mine!"

Chapter 281 Southern Cross, Just a Name~

Once again, Ash stunned the entire arena into a state of shock.

Moreover, he didn't even use his superpowers this time; he only used one sentence!

The Yuzu siblings are now starting to question their existence, and Lila, who brought it up herself, is also wide-eyed.

She was just saying it casually, hoping to discourage the other party, but she didn't expect her own brother to actually admit it!

As for Cynthia, she was reminiscing about how wonderful it is to be young, and wondering if she could also run for her lost youth...

"You..." Xiaoxia opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Logically, she should have argued back, but why was she feeling this secret joy inside?!

"Don't worry, this farce will be over soon~" At this moment, Ash suddenly whispered in Misty's ear.

The gentle voice inexplicably reassured Xiaoxia, but the warm breath it exhaled made her cheeks flush slightly...

"Hey, when did I become yours?" Xiaoxia asked, sounding like she was complaining, but there wasn't much doubt in her voice.

It was more like...flirting?

"I'm just stating a fact... and even if it's not now, it will definitely be in the future."

"Huh?" Xiaoxia was taken aback.

Was what he just did a confession?

"Xiao Zhi, you..."

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Xiaoxia wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Ayi's roar.

So, first came the domineering declaration, followed by whispering in each other's ears and various girlish expressions of surprise and shyness... Zhixia's performance in front of Ayi could easily be mistaken for openly showing affection while also being provocative.

"I challenge you to a duel, and the bet is on Misty!" A-Yi angrily challenged Xiao-Zhi. "If you can beat me, then I'll acknowledge you as Misty's boyfriend! Otherwise, Misty has to stay and marry me!"

"Are you sure this is a bet a normal person could come up with?" Xiao Zhi shook his head noncommittally. "Who Xiaoxia wants to marry is her own choice, and no one can make that decision for her! To use her as a wager... the moment you proposed this bet, you had already lost!"

"Stop babbling! If you're a man, just agree already!!" Ah Yi was basically ignoring Xiao Zhi's words.

“I think I should just accept it,” Xiaoxia suddenly said. “When I’m looking for a boyfriend, I won’t choose a weakling who’s worse than me. If you’re so capable, then beat me. I’ll stay if you can.”

“Okay, it’s a deal!” Ah Yi was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"Xiaoxia, you don't need to get involved. I can handle this myself," Xiaozhi said, frowning.

"What, you think I can't win?" The girl proudly raised her chin, revealing a playful smile.

"Of course I know you can win, I just don't want you to have any contact with him, even if it's just a bet that can't be fulfilled!"

"Winning is all that matters~" Xiaoxia smiled and took Xiaozhi's arm, whispering in his ear, "Besides, if we lose, we just break the contract... He's not you, why should I keep my word to him?"

"Heh, I'm truly honored~" Hearing Xiaoxia say that, Xiaozhi's brows gradually relaxed, and a doting smile appeared on his face.

Fine, if she likes to make a scene, then let her make a scene!

"Oh my, so you're already showing off?" Cynthia, standing to the side, looked on with great interest.

Since they had decided to travel together, she had also learned some things about Ash from the Kanto authorities... some of the parts were quite interesting.

Cynthia was initially just curious, but seeing how skillfully these two kids could flaunt their affection even though they weren't officially a couple yet, it seemed some of the rumors might be true.

"I have a feeling that Ash has already won without even having to fight." In fact, even Jian could tell who would win in this situation.

However, just because Ash's side won a great victory in terms of momentum doesn't mean that Lyra will let these disgusting people off the hook.

"Hey you over there, how about we make a bet?" Lila challenged Ayi directly. "You're going to use Xia as a wager, aren't you? Then bet your important person on it too! I'll fight you, and if you lose, you'll hand your sister over to my brother!"

"Damn it... I won't agree to such a condition!" Ah Yi immediately bristled and refused.

That's just how he is. He can mess with other people however he wants, but when it comes to himself, he immediately gets furious.

"I agree!" But his sister was clearly more excited than him. "My brother definitely won't lose! Xia-jie will stay and marry him, and then become my older sister!"

"I don't want to agree~" Ash pursed his lips speechlessly, "As for sisters, Lyra is enough. No one can compare to her."

“Brother…” The girl’s eyes immediately became watery.

With just that one casual remark, yet another young girl has fallen for him.

...

In conclusion, the farce surrounding the challenge and bet has finally come to an end.

After learning that Ash and his friends were going to challenge Yuzu Gym, Ayi reverted to the arrogance typical of the gym leader there.

His confidence was not without reason. The rules of the Yuzu Gym were three-on-three battles of the same type, and the specific types of battles to be fought were chosen by him, the gym leader.

"What kind of rule is this?" Lila frowned. "So we have to show all our hands and then let you choose?!"

“That’s the rule of Yuzu Dojo. Only in this way can the challenger’s level be tested to the greatest extent,” Ayi said, trying to justify his argument. “If it weren’t for the fact that you are Xiaoxia’s friends, I would have made you do a special move test.”

"hateful…"

"Alright, just let him have his way," Ash said, trying to smooth things over. "Lyla, you have to be understanding. He can't raise Pokémon with all types... If we were to choose, and he picked a type he doesn't have, he'd lose face!"

Ash wasn't entirely trying to belittle Yi. He only has a limited number of Pokémon in his gym. If Lyra really sent out Dragonair, he wouldn't be able to fight at all... because he doesn't have any Dragon-type Pokémon.

So of course he gets to choose, and then he has to give his actions a high-sounding reason.

Arrogant and petty, these are the typical characteristics of the owners of the Orange Island museum.

One thing Ash remembers vividly is that in the Pokémon encyclopedia before he transmigrated, it was clearly mentioned that... of the four trainers from Southern Cross, only Aunt Rumi, who ran a restaurant, never said anything arrogant or unpleasant to Ash.

Look, even the official stance has been set.

The same rule applied during the previous Shagan Gym event: challengers could only use Water-type Pokémon and the Water Gun move. This requirement was imposed because Atsumi was only good at this move.

Typically, a dojo master uses their preferred fighting style to test the challenger's strength by pitting them against their own preferred fighting style.

However, in the Orange Islands, challengers are required to win in the area where the gym leader excels.

Under such rules, the average challenger will definitely lose more than they win, while the masters will win more and more, and their noses will naturally become more and more arrogant.

The audience surrounding the club owner were also satisfied, as they were most pleased to see their club owner beat up outsiders.

That's how the name "Southern Cross" came about.

As for the final result of the attribute battle, after much deliberation, A-Yi reluctantly made a decision.

Lila's weapons were too unique, and A-Yi didn't want to face the Pink Dragona and the Crystal Onix, so he finally chose the Psychic, Fire, and Flying types.

This means that Lila's team can only field Iron Dumbbell, Charmeleon, and Pink Butterfree.

Of these three, one was an unevolved pseudo-legendary larva, another was an incompletely evolved starter Pokémon, and the third was clearly an ordinary butterfly from Hiragana Island. A-Yi felt that his chances of winning were quite good.

Xiaoxia is in a difficult position, since she is a Water-type trainer, and Ayi can only face off against Psychic, Ice, and Water types.

At least Starmie and Dew Lion are guaranteed to be in the match. As for water-type battles, A-Yi is most worried about Gyarados.

Finally, it was Ash's turn.

"How about Poison and Ice for the first two types?" A-Yi said after glancing at Ash's exposed team composition. "The last one is Electric!"

"Hehe, whatever makes you happy~" Xiao Zhi shrugged indifferently.

Bullying the two children, Lapras and Nidorino, shows he has no character...

But to pick Pikachu? That's a bit blind!

Chapter 282 With your skill level, you can't even bully a child.

To be honest, the challenge rules at the Yuzu Gym do somewhat limit Ash's performance, especially the fact that challengers cannot freely choose their Pokémon.

Ash had roughly estimated the level of the Pokémon that Ayi kept at the gym during the day. If the challenger could choose, Ash would definitely send out his Bagon to take on three in one go, just to gain experience.

However, now, two of the three Pokémon that A-Yi is targeting are not Ash's Pokémon, and the remaining one is Pikachu, which is a bit of an awkward situation.

Lapras is alright, since it promised to battle for Ash, the problem is Nidorino…

"Hey, you're not resting?" When Xiao Zhi was getting ready for bed at night, he noticed that the little guy was squatting by the door, as if he had something to ask him.

"Nido...Nido!"

"I knew it, you're unhappy too, right... feeling looked down upon~"

Nidorino came to volunteer for the battle.

After experiencing a kidnapping, it seemed to have matured a lot and could probably sense that A-Yi's choice of poison attribute in battle was aimed at it.

The opponent's gym has one of its own kind inside, so they must be certain that I can't beat them...

This is extremely frustrating!

"Not bad, that's quite ambitious." Ash nodded approvingly. "It's not impossible for you to fight in my place, but I have one condition."

"Nido!" Nidorino immediately sat up straight, waiting for Ash to continue.