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

Moreover, although Ash and Giovanni have different stances, and may even be at odds with each other to the point of no return, they have always adhered to the bottom line of not harming each other's families!

Giovanni was indeed a shrewd and ambitious leader. Apart from a group of small fry during the chaos in Kanto, he almost never allowed his men to get close to Pallet Town, nor did he ever plot anything against Ash's family.

Ash certainly wouldn't mind reciprocating. He wouldn't exploit or directly harm Silver; if Silver suited his tastes, offering him some assistance was even acceptable.

"Little Silver, let's leave it at that. Since Dr. Kongmu entrusted Blue Crocodile to you, you must take good care of it from now on, understand?"

"I understand!" Silver nodded quickly upon hearing Ash's warning.

Although he has a sour face and social anxiety, and doesn't want to interact with anyone, he still knows right from wrong.

Ash saved him at Bellsprout Tower and helped him resolve the issues of his Torkoal and his identity as a trainer. Now, Ash is giving him only good advice, so of course he has to listen carefully.

"Also... don't forget to go to the Kikyo Gym and return the stolen Wing Badge to Mr. Asahi!"

"I will." Xiao Yin readily agreed to this request.

He stole the badge hoping to resolve his identity issue or simply find a loophole to participate in the Johto League Tournament. Now that he has official trainer status, he naturally no longer needs to engage in such petty theft.

If all else fails, I'll just have another match with Asu. Little Silver is confident he can win!

"That's settled then. Take care of yourself from now on." Having dealt with Silver's problem simply, Ash didn't plan to have any more contact with him for the time being, and took his leave to rest.

"Uh... wait a minute!" Little Silver suddenly called out to him, "I don't understand... shouldn't you be someone who hates evil? Why are you helping someone like me?"

Xiao Yin's feelings were complicated. He had heard a great deal about the person in front of him.

Kanto's rising star, Indigo League champion, youngest senior investigator, legendary trainer, savior of the Asian island catastrophe…

And, I once defeated that person head-on!

Although it was an alliance with the three Heavenly Kings, it was indeed that person's defeat!

On the other hand, Xiaozhi's zero tolerance for criminal behavior is also widely known.

It's no secret that he has a huge bounty on his head in the underworld and is known by many criminals as the 'Red Devil of Kanto'.

So Silver really didn't expect that Ash would lift her up high and then gently put her down, and then even lend a helping hand...

“I’m not helping you, you’re helping yourself.” Ash shook his head. “Besides, you should be grateful for Totodile’s trust in you and for your good deed today… If it weren’t for these, you would be in jail by now!”

"Am I helping myself...?" Upon hearing this, Silver fell into deep thought, unaware that Ash and the others had walked far away.

...

Ash didn't really care much about Silver's incident. Silver was a decent trainer, but we'd have to see how things develop in the future.

What he cares about more now is the guy who set the fire.

Ash was a little confused about the other party's behavior pattern and didn't know what his strange actions in the Great Forest and Bellsprout Tower were trying to achieve.

The management sprite said that this incident would affect both Ash and it simultaneously, but that was absurd.

He wasn't bragging, but anything that could affect Ash now would have to be done by someone at least a top-tier player; small-time stuff is really low-level.

In addition, there are those bizarre nightmares. Ash is now wondering if there really is a Darkrai roaming around Johto and committing crimes.

The first thing that comes to mind for a trainer with Darkrai is a particularly disgusting, deus ex machina guy who tried to stop Ash from winning the championship by using a random number to crush legendary Pokémon!

Hmm... If Ash had super hearing, he could probably hear some young man's painful wails.

Stop overthinking, stop meddling in everything, please just stay still...

As chosen rivals, every action of Ash and the young man will affect each other.

For example, Ash solved the crisis at Bellsprout Tower and gave the Pidgey a new lease on life, which disrupted the original timeline, so the young man's side would have points deducted.

As Ash's 'wild thoughts' lead him closer to the truth, the youth's points will be deducted again.

For this game to continue, the young man's identity must not be exposed prematurely, so his system keeps reminding him in some way... such as deducting points.

Having a mountain of exchangeable treasures but being restricted from using them freely must be incredibly frustrating!

...

"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about it for now." No matter how hard he racked his brains, or even used his precognitive abilities, he couldn't get a definite conclusion, so Ash simply stopped worrying about it.

What's meant to happen will happen, and if it's aimed at you, the other party will definitely try to cause trouble.

And to be honest, in Ash's heart, the one he cares about the most is always Giovanni!

Even if that mysterious guy really does have Darkrai, he can't possibly be more dangerous than Giovanni!

Chapter 342 My Dragon Can Fly, My Nidoking Can Instantly Kill People~

"Let's begin! The Gym Leader of the Violet City Gym, Frye, and the challenger, Ash, wager their badges in a gym battle!"

"Each player may use three Pokémon. Only the challenger has the right to switch Pokémon. The match ends when all three of a player's Pokémon are unable to battle!"

Skipping over the complicated and lengthy preliminaries, Ash and Frost stood on opposite sides of the open-air platform at the very top of the Violet Gym, ready for battle!

Lila and the others were already seated in the stands, while the apprentices of Kikyo Gym were also lined up on the sidelines, filling the entire venue with a solemn atmosphere.

"Mr. Ash, it's a great honor that you've come to challenge the Violet Gym. I'll show you the power of bird Pokémon!"

Asahi, the gym leader of the Violet City Gym, is a sharp-eyed young man who seems to have an extraordinary obsession with bird Pokémon, and he appears to be full of fighting spirit at this moment.

"My first one is this, Dodori!" As the gym leader, A-speed sent out the vanguard first, which was Dodori, a three-headed creature with its own independent thoughts.

"Oh... Doesn't Duduli not fly?" This choice surprised Xia.

Asu kept emphasizing his desire to fly into the blue sky, but the first thing he brought out was an ostrich... No, Duduli is different from an ostrich; it doesn't even have wings!

"Dodrio shares the same vision as me. It's the starting point for bird Pokémon, and we'll definitely be able to soar side by side in the sky in the end!" Asu said with anticipation.

"As for me... I'll use Lapras!" Ash decided to let Lapras go first. It had been staying at Professor Oak's lab to train recently, and Ash specially brought it back to test its progress during the gym battle.

"Mr. Ash, I have to remind you... While Ice-type is super effective against Flying-type, in a waterless environment like this, such Pokémon will just become sitting ducks!"

Asu is somewhat arrogant, but what he said is indeed the usual situation.

"Then please witness our power, Mr. Asu! Dragon Rider, Blizzard!"

The battle officially began, and Ash immediately commanded Lapras to attack, unleashing a powerful blizzard that swept towards Dodrio.

"Use high-speed movement to dodge!" Blizzard's normal hit rate is not high to begin with, and Duduli's speed is not slow either, so it is easy to dodge the attack by accelerating.

"Charge! Use Drill Peck!" A hint of smugness flashed across Asu's face, and Doduri immediately went full speed ahead, slamming its steel-drill-like beak heavily into Lapras's body!

Bang!

This attack was quite powerful, but with Lapras's stamina, he could easily withstand it.

"Hail!" Taking advantage of the moment, Chenglong also blasted an extremely cold ice ball into the sky, which instantly exploded into tiny ice fragments scattered all over the field!

"The weather's changed... Oh no! Dodori, fly up now!!"

"snowstorm!!"

boom!

Amplified by the hailstorm, Lapras's blizzard expanded to cover the entire arena, creating a smooth ice mirror on the ground with a single strike!

However, Asu reacted quickly, and Duduli used his powerful legs to jump extremely high into the air, barely dodging the attack.

"Strange... Shouldn't a blizzard on a day with hail be a sure thing?" Xiaoxia asked, puzzled.

"It should be the Flying Move," Xiao Gang said after thinking for a moment. "Don't underestimate Duduli just because it doesn't have wings. It can jump to the height where the Flying Move takes effect. In that state of suspended motion, Blizzard can't hit it."

"But precisely because it has no wings, no matter how high it jumps, it will eventually fall down," Lila continued in a deep voice. "Then, it will only become a target for dragons!"

"Duduli, unleash your full power and use the Triple Attack!!" Asu clearly understood the current situation and decided to let Duduli go all out!

As the three-headed bird fell within a dangerous distance, its three heads simultaneously began to gather energy, eventually transforming into a giant energy triangle that slammed down on the dragon below!

"Use Blizzard with all your might!" Ash also chose to meet the attack head-on, unleashing a barrage of blizzards that crashed against Dodrio's signature move!

Boom!

The intertwined energy in mid-air triggered a violent explosion, but the blizzard that followed from Lapras continued unabated, not only dispersing all the smoke and dust, but also hitting Doduri's body with pinpoint accuracy!

The severely injured three-headed bird crashed to the ground in a sorry state, its body covered in countless ice flowers.

"Final blow, Blizzard!" It was the same move again, and Duduli had no way to dodge it. He was frozen into a block of ice and lost his ability to fight.

"A very powerful Ice-type move... but can you handle it?" After recalling Dodrio, Asu sent out a second one, "Go, Skarmory!"

This is a well-known Pokémon, and it has a place in the infamous Team Pokémon, making it a true shield of the sky.

Ash used to be very interested in Skarmory... until Corviknight appeared in Generation VIII.

"Blizzard!" Even with hail still lingering, Ash certainly wouldn't hold back with Sasuke, unleashing another powerful attack.

"Armored Bird, stay away when the weather clears up!"

Asura seemed to be anticipating this move as well. He commanded his Skarmory to unleash a scorching fireball, and after seizing the weather advantage, he quickly made an evasive maneuver, easily dodging the blizzard's onslaught...

"Mental interference!"

"What?!" Just as Asu was about to retaliate, he discovered that Lapras had used its psychic powers to fly into the air and simultaneously restrained Skarmory's body!

"You don't necessarily need wings to fly; you can use superpowers too," Ash said with a smile. "No matter the location, my Lapras will never be hindered in its movements!"

"This... Skarmory, break free quickly! Use Steel Wings to break free from its control!" Asu urgently commanded Skarmory to begin struggling.

"It's too late, Lapras, sing!" Lapras began to sing a melodious song. As the sound waves continued to act, Skarmory's eyes closed involuntarily, and it was forced to descend to the ground with Lapras, where it began to fall into a deep sleep.