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

Of course, it doesn't really matter if it's not true.

Anyway, that kid had traveled to the Orange Islands with Cynthia before. If we make a little fuss about that, we can definitely arouse the suspicion of Hunter J and her employer!

Then we'll see how that brat handles wave after wave of probing and attacks!

No... that's not enough!

"Wait a minute!" The businessman gritted his teeth, still seething with anger, and called out to the bodyguard who was about to leave. "The guy who caused trouble earlier is still locked up."

"Yes, we guarded him very closely. After his Poké Ball was confiscated, he had no power to resist at all," the bodyguard Gunn reported solemnly.

“Bring him here and tell him I want to discuss a deal with him.”

That idiot young man with the nightmare god... Yes, that's how the entrepreneur described someone.

That guy from unknown origins is not only mediocre in his thinking, but also in his ability to command battles. The only thing he has that deserves our respect is his Darkrai.

Given that he only has this one Pokémon, it's clearly not from any legitimate background...

But this is exactly what the entrepreneurs wanted.

The more illegitimate the origin of that guy's nightmare god and the more complicated his background, the more valuable he is to exploit.

He just wants a prediction, right? The entrepreneur doesn't care if he gets one... anyway, he can't tell if it's right or wrong.

Let me make a prediction: the one who's always standing in his way is Ash Ketchum!

...

Meanwhile, in the Hoenn region, after receiving news from Asia Island, two idle young men sat together and chatted idly.

"Things are really complicated. I didn't expect Gilluta to get involved too, and he's even been detained by Kanto." The Prince of Water shrugged helplessly. "Larus has been trying to reach out to me lately, hoping I can mediate... Do you think I should give it a try?"

He really didn't want to get involved in this mess, but Larus was a crucial high-tech city in Hoenn, and they provided most of the Hoenn League's high technology... including one particularly important technology!

Now that Larousse's eldest son has committed a crime in another city, he, as the champion, cannot turn a blind eye.

"You can go to Guandu if you want; it's a good opportunity to make some connections."

"To befriend... Yulongdu?" the Water Prince asked, puzzled.

"It's Ash!" the Steel Prince said seriously. "Don't let Lance's status as the champion fool you. In Kanto today, Ash is the one whose word truly carries weight! As for Gilluta, if he doesn't agree, you can talk until your lips are sore, and the Kanto League will never release him!"

"I see…"

"Besides, if I were you, I would simply ignore this matter and just try to befriend the other party! Believe me, the power of that little Satoshi alone is definitely greater than that of the entire Larus... If we can get help from his power, we won't even need to develop that kind of technology!"

"I see... then I'll go." The Water Prince had made up his mind. "Conkenstein has been asking me to reopen the Grand Contest in Kanto and Johto, so I'll use that as an excuse to pay them a visit."

"I hope everything goes smoothly," the Steel Prince couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Compared to his best friend's naive and romantic nature, the eldest son of the Zvuch family is very realistic... If the rise of Kanto is inevitable, then we must make sure that the situation develops in a direction favorable to Hoenn!

For example, helping Hoenn resolve some potential problems.

Therefore, the Hoenn League must not offend a rising power that is more important than the championship just for the sake of a few bad apples!

...

On the island of Asia, after several busy days, the cleanup work following the disaster has finally been completed.

Ash is now an absolute celebrity on the island, with countless people praising the miracles he created—not only successfully resisting natural disasters, but also ensuring that no one died in the disasters!

To be honest, even Ash himself finds this strange.

In the face of disaster, everyone is equal. No matter how hard he tries, there should be casualties. There is no reason why everyone should survive, or even that few people should be seriously injured.

Furthermore, Lapras and the others also said that the Pokémon in the sea did not seem to have suffered too much damage!

"Could it be that someone is helping us behind the scenes?" That's all Xiaozhi can think right now.

Maybe Lugia and Ho-Oh will arrive one after the other... Anyway, it's definitely going to be good news!

By the way, Lance also kept his promise. Ash hadn't even left Asia Island yet when the Indigo Plateau sent him a letter of appointment... and there were three of them!

Ash has been promoted to Senior Investigator, Intermediate Gym Inspector, and Intermediate Pokémon Investigator!

The letter of appointment also specifically emphasized that Ash would be fully responsible for the defense of the entire Kanto League—namely, the Kanto mainland, the September Islands, and the Orange Islands.

This means that, apart from the Champion Elite Four, Ash is the highest-ranking official in the Kanto region!

He had the authority to dispose of prisoners like Gilluta and Dank on his own without having to ask for permission from his superiors.

Then there's no need to be polite. Completely read their memories, seize their technology, and see if we can drag other fish into this mess—Ash knows this strategy inside and out!

After all these matters were settled, Ash was finally able to say goodbye to the enthusiastic islanders and a certain priestess who insisted on serving the controller, and set off to leave Asia Island.

However, there was an unexpected surprise at the end: Hippowdon, who was originally responsible for guarding the altar, decided to go out for a stroll with Ash and the others.

However, it did not become Ash's Pokémon, but instead decided to follow Lyra.

“You are the chosen controller of Lugia, and also the king of the sea. It is only right that I serve you... but I cannot become your partner.”

In essence, what Hippowdon said was that he knew he couldn't become an absolute core like Pikachu or Charizard, and he wasn't willing to just be an ordinary handheld character, so he joined in this way.

After all, Lila was also a powerful controller, and she even cooperated with it to capture the blasphemous Dank.

And so, the group set off again, their destination the last Rukan Gym in Southern Cross!

Chapter 319 Rukan Dojo, Team Doubles

"Welcome to Dragon God Hotel. I am the manager here, and also the Northern Star of the Southern Cross."

After a long journey, Ash arrived at Rukan Island and was greeted with an almost overwhelming welcome before checking into the island's largest and most luxurious hotel.

He was greeted by his very opponent, Ruri.

The other party was a woman who still retained her charm. Perhaps because she ran a restaurant, her attitude was undoubtedly much warmer than the other three.

Not only were accommodations arranged for them, but they also enjoyed everything from gourmet meals to hot spring baths, allowing Ash and his friends to experience a vacation-like experience.

During this time, Xiao Zhi also encountered many people who asked him for autographs or even photos.

Compared to his initial obscurity when he first arrived in the Orange Islands, Ash is now an absolute star player. Almost everyone in the area knows that he is the champion of the Indigo League, the youngest investigator in the Kanto League, and that he just saved the world on Asia Island!

However, Ruri's warm hospitality towards Satoshi wasn't solely due to these reasons...

"The situation must have been very dangerous. You were just a child, yet you did something like that. Your mother must have been terribly worried..."

Before the gym battle began, Rumi chatted with Ash for a few minutes, but unlike the others who were just curious about the big event, she always showed maternal care.

"Sigh, I wonder how Koji is doing now..."

Ash looks a lot like her son, Koji, who is also a trainer who takes Pikachu on trips. When Ruri sees Ash, she can't help but miss him even more.

"Don't worry, he'll definitely take good care of himself during his trip," Ash comforted him. "Besides, he's probably thinking about you all the time, and he might be back soon."

“That would be great… By the way, if all three of you want to take on the challenge, how about trying some special rules?” Ruri composed herself and suggested, “The Rukan Gym battle is a single-elimination doubles match, but doubles is divided into singles doubles and doubles team battles, so let’s draw lots to choose.”

"How do we draw lots?" Xia asked, puzzled.

"It's simple. If any of you three draws a singles draw, you'll have to battle me in a doubles match. The other two will automatically become partners and team up for the challenge. Also, if you're teaming up, neither of your Pokémon can be out of battle."

"If you are eliminated while in a team, your teammates will also not receive badges... right?" Lila pointed out the key points of the team rules.

“That’s right!” Ruri nodded with a smile. “In double battles, in addition to testing the Pokémon’s teamwork, the trainers’ synergy also needs to be considered.”

"These are good rules, let's give them a try."

Adjusting the rules according to the challengers' situations is also one of the gym leader's tasks, and Ruri is clearly more adaptable than the other three.

The next draw resulted in Xiaoxia drawing a single-person lot.

"So, am I going to team up with my brother?" Lila was taken aback. While she was secretly pleased, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the gym leader on the other side.

This draw was like Ruri drawing a hellish difficulty number...

Ruri may not know that Ash and Lyra, as siblings who grew up together and have similar battle styles, have such good teamwork that they can even communicate with each other through eye contact!

"Let's get started now. I'll start with these two... Poliwrath and Raichu!" As the Gym Leader, Ruli was the first to send out her partners, a Water-Electric duo.

"Let's start with a team challenge, please, MetalGreymon!" Lyra and Ash stood on the field together, and she chose Hoenn pseudo-legendary Champion-level Pokémon.

"Snorlax, this is your first official battle, fight well!" Ash sent out the gluttonous genius, which was also its first official battle after being caught!

"Game start!"

"Snorlax, Belly Drum!" Upon hearing the referee's announcement, Ash and Lyra exchanged a smile and immediately had Snorlax perform a powerful boost.

"Metallo, stand in front of Snorlax and defend!" Lyra's Metallo also quickly moved to position itself, intending to act as a shield for Snorlax.

She didn't fight using telepathy; that would be too unfair.

"Don't let it succeed! Poliwrath, use Haze! Raichu, activate Electric Terrain!"

Ruri reacted quickly. After discovering that her opponent was using Snorlax as the core of their attack, she immediately commanded Poliwrath to spread Black Mist across the entire field, while Raichu also began to add amazing electricity to the field!

"How about it? You probably don't see this kind of attack very often in Kanto, do you?" Ruri said with a smug smile. "When I run a restaurant, I meet a lot of tourists. This is a move taught to me by a traveler from out of town."

"That's really surprising," Ash nodded in approval.

Raichu's use of Electric Terrain was truly brilliant. It not only boosted the power of Electric-type moves but also prevented Pokémon on the ground from falling asleep.

In this way, Snorlax can no longer recover its stamina by sleeping, nor can it boost its attack by using Belly Drum again!

"However, now it's our turn to fight back! Snorlax, Earthquake!"