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

"You brat, shut up right now!!" Dank was absolutely furious.

“You can’t escape.” Lila shook her head coldly. “This ball of mine is empty… guess what’s inside?”

boom!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the ground beneath Dank's feet suddenly cracked open, and a majestic Charizard leaped out, delivering a hook punch right into his chin!

"Roar!" After taking down that bastard, Charmeleon evolved into Charizard and roared with glee as it trampled Dank!

"Damn it... Ugh!" Giving the opponent no chance to retaliate, Lila threw out a pink Butterfree Poké Ball, which directly sprayed a cloud of sleep powder.

Without any instructions from beginning to end, Dank, who was known as one of the strongest hunters, helplessly fell into Lila's hands.

"Thank you..." the girl said, still a little shaken.

"It was nothing," Lila waved her hand dismissively. "Are you from the island too?"

"Um, my name is Flora, and I'm the island's shrine maiden," the girl introduced herself. "But since there's no flute to play now, I don't know what to do about the festival... Huh?"

"What's wrong with you?" Lila inexplicably felt that the other person's eyes were a little dangerous...

"You seem to be quite the controller, handsome young man~"

"Small...what?!"

"Then, as is customary, let's give each other a welcome kiss~"

"Please allow me to refuse!!" Seeing that Flora was really going to approach her, Lila immediately fled with her Pokémon.

"Oh dear, why is he shy?" Flora looked amused as she watched Lila's retreating figure.

The hippo king, who had been silent until now, seemed to be deep in thought.

Flora is right, Lila is indeed a formidable controller...

Aside from the fact that she's a 'handsome young man'~

Chapter 312 The Expected 'Punishment': The Halo Stripped Away!

Once again diving into the deep blue seabed, Ash seemed somewhat absent-minded, completely oblivious to the surrounding scenery.

His situation now appears to be more complicated than anticipated.

When he was commanding X-Beat to beat up the three idiots, his power was actually reduced again... This shows that his bizarre recovery underwater was indeed unrelated to the protagonist's plot armor.

Lugia said it was because of the planet's approval. Ash had seen the concept of a planet's will in a special episode... It should be something similar that approves of him.

In addition, there's the management Pokémon, whose little antics also bother Ash.

Ash noticed that it had secretly contacted Mewtwo, asking it to follow him in secret.

Why would it want to give itself an extra boost?

The AI, which is supposed to exist because of the protagonist's halo, is now trying to help its host break free from the system's constraints?

If that's the case, then could this trip to the bottom of the sea be the opportunity I've been waiting for?!

"Controller, we've arrived." Lugia carried Ash to an underwater reef. Looking at the scattered, broken stone pillars around them, Ash roughly knew that they had arrived at the altar on Asia Island.

The sea god stirred up a current, carrying away the scattered debris. After the reefs were cleared away, Ash finally saw the tomb of the hero that had appeared several times in the prophetic visions.

It was actually just a bare stone slab, without even a name on it. There was a groove on the base of the slab, which was obviously used to hold the GS ball.

It's estimated that because too much time has passed, the power originally used for protection has been exhausted, which is why the GS Ball was lost... but now Ash has brought it back here.

Ash put the GS Ball back into the groove, then silently lowered his head.

The hero did try his best to save the world, so it's only right that Ash, as a junior, should mourn for him.

But at this moment, a golden light suddenly emanated from the golden part of the GS sphere, and the previously empty tombstone gradually revealed writing.

"If you, a future generation, can see this text, it means you share the same identity as me, and are also a Rainbow Hero chosen by Lord Ho-Oh..."

I was a failed predecessor; not only could I not stop the catastrophe in the Orange Islands, but my impulsiveness also caused an even greater disaster…

I really want to make up for all of this, but it's too late now, so I can only ask you... please fulfill my last wish and reverse the disaster of the past!

Sealed within the Poké Ball before you lies the power to foresee the future, and it too can capture time… Future generations, seek out Celebi! Only it can reverse time and completely avert the calamities of the past!!

The inscription ended there. Ash didn't say anything, but simply put his GS Ball back in.

"I can't believe he still hasn't gotten over what happened back then," Lugia said with a touch of emotion.

When did that disaster occur?

"By your human calculations, it should have been over a decade or so ago," Lugia said after a moment's thought. "It's also our fault; if Ho-Oh and I had discovered it sooner..."

“That’s not your fault. Nobody can just keep an eye on one place all day.” Xiao Zhi shook his head silently. “If we have to say, those guys who knew but didn’t report it and disregarded lives are the real bastards!”

Ash had no reason to criticize Lugia and Ho-Oh, but he genuinely looked down on Marshadow, and of course, those three rascal birds as well.

This isn't about 'it's your fault if you don't help me,' but rather that these guys enjoy their legendary status while completely disregarding the safety of the entire world!

The world belongs to humans, and it also belongs to Pokémon. Doesn't it also belong to the world of these legends?!

Relying on one's ability to avoid natural disasters, one can act as if it's none of one's business, or even deliberately cause natural disasters, completely disregarding the lives and deaths of others. This is blatant selfishness!

The most ridiculous thing is that the protagonist's halo forces him to serve such a god, and he will be punished if he rebels!

Pooh! !

"Controller, what are you going to do?" Lugia asked softly. "Are you really going to do as he says and subdue Celebi?"

It was just curious and had no intention of stopping it; otherwise, it could have rendered the silver feathers that make up the sphere ineffective right now.

"I don't want to." Xiao Zhi shook his head decisively. "I did feel indignant for him before, but then I realized that both my and his thoughts were too one-sided... Besides, whether it's the present or the past, the disaster has already happened. Hoping to change history might just cause even more serious problems!"

Time is a force that can affect everything, and changing the past is an extremely dangerous act. At least for now, Ash is absolutely unwilling to make such an attempt!

Moreover, he also felt that people shouldn't dwell on the past.

The past is just an experience. Learning from it, seizing the present, and striving to prevent similar events from happening again in the future—that is the true embodiment of personal growth!

“You are indeed extraordinary,” Lugia said with an approving smile. “Unlike any controller we’ve ever had, or any of the heroes we’ve chosen.”

"That's because I don't place my hopes on your legends. In my eyes, you and I are both part of the united effort on the island of Asia, not saviors of a different status! This time, it wasn't us who saved those humans and Pokémon, but rather everyone working together to save themselves from disaster, and they even saved us in return!"

Such words were far from respectful, and the protagonist's halo was causing trouble again... But Lugia always wore a faint smile on his face.

At this moment, Ash's thoughts and the emotions he conveyed through his words were in perfect harmony with Lugia's long-held pursuit.

It saw Ash's steadfast and pure soul as a human... though it lacked the freedom that it valued most.

“Controller, come over here.”

Lugia gently flapped its wings, scattering the shallow sand on the seabed. A huge magic circle, glowing with a faint green light, gradually appeared before Ash's eyes, its patterns exactly the same as those carved on the altar on Asia Island.

It led Ash to the center of the magic circle... and the managing spirit suddenly sent the same mechanical prompt as before!

'Attention! A powerful aura of Neptune's power has been detected nearby. The protagonist must proceed immediately to retrieve it!'

'Warning! Failure to acquire power will strip you of the protagonist's aura, as well as all abilities granted by it!'

The power of Poseidon... this name really made Ash's thinking go a bit astray.

However, he quickly came to his senses and realized that this was the power Lugia was going to use to restore the sea to life, and it seemed that it also intended to let him benefit from it.

"I'm about to unleash the power here, and you can bathe in it; it will benefit you..."

"No!" Ash refused decisively before Lugia could finish speaking.

He wasn't doing this to Lugia, of course; he was just sure he'd found an opportunity to break free from the constraints of the protagonist's plot armor!

"Uh...why?"

Lugia was immediately puzzled, and the warning from the protagonist's halo became increasingly sharp.

"Warning! The protagonist must acquire power immediately, or the protagonist's halo will be stripped away!!"

Ash's internal power dropped drastically in an instant, but he didn't care at all.

"I'll say it again, I don't want that power! If you're so capable, then strip away the halo around me completely!!"

"Who is he talking to, and why are you getting weak again?" Lugia frowned in confusion, finally noticing the strange condition on Ash.

The protagonist's halo was angered by the continuous disobedience, and Ash's Aura and psychic abilities were reduced to only what he had trained, and the power of Viridian was almost gone!

However, unlike before, although Ash was extremely tired, he did not fall asleep!

(Are you really sure?) The voice of the Pokémon manager rang in Ash's ears, sounding somewhat hesitant.

"What do you think?!" Xiao Zhi retorted through gritted teeth.

The management sprites stopped speaking, and in their place came the cold judgment of the aura.

'Given that the protagonist ignored the warning, immediately strip away the halo!!'

"Ugh..." In an instant, Xiao Zhi felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if something was pulling at his body...

No, it felt like his soul was being torn apart, and it even made him feel like he was in unbearable pain!

It felt as if an invisible chain had shot out from his chest, dragging him away and forcibly stripping away the power that didn't belong to him...

But just as he was trying to endure it, a hand suddenly grabbed the invisible lock!

Mewtwo?!