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

Ash immediately sent Chikorita to retaliate, sending sharp leaves flying into the air. However, Noctowl used its flight maneuverability to evade the attacks and occasionally unleashed air slashes in response.

"Go Chikorita, give it your all!" Seeing that Noctowl was putting up a good fight, Ash stopped holding back. Chikorita, who was in the middle of the battle, suddenly emitted a white light and jumped two levels to evolve into Meganium!

"Ash's Chikorita... evolved twice?" This scene left Brock speechless.

Meanwhile, the geranium was also going all out. It no longer flung out its leaves, but instead sprayed out a terrifying number of petals at once, almost taking over the entire battlefield!

"Petal Blizzard!"

Bang! !

Countless petals swept towards the night owl, each petal carrying a powerful force. The night owl was unable to withstand the onslaught and was quickly engulfed by the petals from all directions.

"Goo!" However, the geranium's special move did indeed arouse its competitive spirit. It suddenly flapped its wings and soared into the sky, diving with all its might at a height that ordinary moves could not reach!

The most powerful basic move in the Flying type, Divine Bird!

"Giant Geranium, Iron Tail!" "Mega!"

Bang!

Facing the golden owl descending rapidly from the sky, the geranium accurately locked onto its trajectory, then rotated its body with its forelimbs, channeling all its power into its tail, and instantly sent the night owl flying!

Ash's Poké Ball had already been released, and just before Noctowl was about to crash into a big tree, the Poké Ball caught it first!

"Well done, Geranium!" Ash praised, and Geranium immediately returned the compliment with an excited "Mount Tai pressing down."

"Now, Sister Lan will be very happy," Lila said, clapping her hands with a smile.

This shimmering nightjar is definitely for Little Blue.

Previously, when Xiaolan caught a pink Butterfree for Lila, she complained and asked Xiaozhi to give her a shiny one as well.

Although it was a joke, Ash always kept it in mind.

After hearing what Lila said, Ash was also quite curious about Blue's reaction... Of course, he was even more curious about what Blue would do in return.

"But what will happen to Meganium after this?" Brock asked, puzzled. "It used to love hugging Ash and acting cute, but it probably won't have that chance anymore."

"Who says there's no chance? Just you wait and see~" Ash said with a mysterious smile.

After spending some time cuddling with Ash, Meganium ran off to have some fun on its own. It used all its powerful moves, including Earthquake, Iron Tail, and Petal Blizzard, and soon, to everyone's astonishment, it reverted back to being Chikorita!

"How did it turn back?" Xiaoxia covered her mouth in astonishment.

"This is the power of bonds." Ash's smile held a hint of indulgence. "Chikorita is greedy; it wanted to stay in my arms but also desired great power. So, during its evolution yesterday, this strange change occurred. I call it... Bond Degeneration~"

"This is acceptable?" Looking at the two of them embracing each other again, Xiaoxia's thoughts gradually became complicated.

She used to just take the intimacy between chrysanthemum leaves as a joke, but after things became complicated, she inexplicably started to feel jealous!

"Pikachu~" Pikachu, who had been watching from the sidelines the whole time, yawned meaningfully.

Roll it up, the harder the better.

I love watching women fight over a man; race and such are completely irrelevant!

Chapter 370 Departure, and Movements of All Parties! (Middle Chapter of this Volume)

"We've finally arrived in Manjin City."

After leaving the paulownia forest, Ash and his friends finally arrived at Goldenrod City, the central city in the western part of the Johto region.

Similar to Goldenrod City in Kanto, Goldenrod City is also the commercial and technological center of Johto. The entire city is filled with high-rise buildings and has a modern atmosphere, which is very different from other cities we have visited.

This city is perfect for purchasing supplies. Since everyone is about to embark on a long journey, it's a good opportunity to replenish their supplies here.

"There's a gym in Goldenrod City too, Ash, do you want to challenge it?" Misty asked, referring to the guidebook.

"Let's skip the challenge this time. Let's buy our plane tickets first, and then split up." Xiao Zhi shook his head. "You guys go buy supplies, I need to go to the police station to assign tasks."

Ash is leaving Gantto publicly this time, so he has to create the impression that he is leaving in a great hurry for those who are following him. Therefore, he cannot leisurely challenge the gyms.

After buying the plane tickets for that evening, the group split up. Xiao Gang took the two girls to buy supplies they would need, the most important of which was winter clothing to keep warm in the snowy plains.

Ash rushed to the police station immediately and, using Officer Jenny's network, issued a series of instructions to the police and investigators in Kanto and Johto!

Effective immediately, the security level in the Guan and Shinobi regions has been comprehensively raised. All police officers have received orders to intensify their crackdown on evil groups and poaching organizations, especially against Team Rocket, which is suspected of resurfacing. Once discovered, they will be dealt with without leniency!

It wasn't enough for Xiaozhi to just issue a strict order to his own people; he also emailed Interpol, asking them to send skilled agents into Metropolis to assist the League in eliminating terrorists!

Such a large-scale operation would naturally frighten ordinary henchmen, making them hesitant to act rashly in the short term. However, Xiao Zhi believed that any villain with a modicum of influence would be able to see that this was actually a defensive strategy.

Xiao Zhi's sudden departure means that the Great Gate has temporarily lost its most powerful protective force, which is a good opportunity for them to run rampant!

And this is exactly the idea that Ash wanted them to have... especially Giovanni!

So Ash immediately contacted Mewtwo.

He made a promise with Mewtwo that once he had established himself in Alola... though to outsiders it would seem like he was held up by other things, Mewtwo could then officially start hosting his own trainer gatherings.

If we can use this opportunity to lure Giovanni out, that would be even better!

After finishing his business, Xiao Zhi reported his itinerary to his relatives and friends and reminded them to be careful during this time.

Hanako already knew about this, but she didn't show much reluctance. She just said that she could go to Alola if she had the chance.

As for Gary, he interrupted Ash's instructions with a single word: "You're so long-winded."

"I don't care where you're going, but if you dare to delay this year's Silver Conference, I will never forgive you!"

That one sentence is enough.

As a proud and conceited person, Gary's words, translated, mean he will protect the Johto region and wait for Ash to return safely.

In this way, Ash has explained everything.

He finally contacted Rika and asked her to draft a document, instructing her to have Lance sign it and then send it directly to Rose—the chairman of the Galar Pokémon League!

He intends to formally hold the Galar Alliance accountable for the fact that the Gur poaching group was instructed by Galar nobles!

In short, they made a big fuss and used all sorts of methods to stir things up, letting everyone know that Xiaozhi was leaving!

...

"Passengers, check-in is now open for the flight bound for Gongmen City."

"Let's go." Hearing the airport announcement, Ash led his companions to the check-in counter, ready to embark on a new and unknown journey.

Xiao Gang reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the older sister, Xiaoxia imagined all sorts of Water-type Pokémon in the new region, while Lila was a little worried... whether MooMoo Milk could be brought on the plane~

All these thoughts, accompanied by the roar of the engine, were carried into the clear sky!

...

Not long had passed; before Ash's plane had even landed, news of his sudden departure from Johto had already spread like wildfire.

The rats, who were living in constant fear, were initially very excited, but they soon discovered that the Alliance's crackdown on crime had been significantly strengthened, and many of the underlings were beaten so badly that they screamed and howled on the spot!

Meanwhile, in a very secluded base, the Team Rocket Boss, who had been missing for a long time, was deep in thought.

"You left in such a hurry, just to go to Galar to hold someone accountable?"

Giovanni felt there must be something fishy going on here. Even if Ash was the most righteous person, he wouldn't go and argue with the Galar authorities over a failed pseudo-legendary kidnapping case.

But when he thought about some recent events, Giovanni suddenly understood Satoshi's intention.

“That’s right… his destination isn’t Galar, it’s Alora!”

Ha, wouldn't you call this an unexpected surprise?

Giovanni was very confident that Ash would be stuck there and that his investigation would yield no results!

Because Giovanni knew the inside story of this ultimate energy rampage perfectly well!

In today's world, the Aether Foundation is not the only organization researching the Ultimate Void... and certainly not only Giovanni.

The Aether Foundation's research was only superficial; Ash's trip there yielded no real results, ultimately just a waste of time and energy.

However, those guys in Galar were still too careless in their actions.

They've already said that as long as the two sides cooperate, they'll eventually get what they want. Why do they have to covet the quasi-gods of other regions for the sake of so-called glory?

Now look what happened, that kid caught you by the tail!

"Shin-chan, notify the Matrix Force to be on standby. There may be an operation soon." After petting the cat boss beside him a couple of times, Sakaki gave the order to the people behind him.

"Yes!" The bespectacled secretary saluted reflexively. "Everyone in the True Bird Matrix, from myself down, is ready. Domino and Götz, who were out, have also returned to the base."

“Very good.” Sakaki nodded in satisfaction.

His secretary and the elite squad under the other party were still somewhat useful, which is why Giovanni abandoned almost all of Team Rocket members, but kept them alone.

“But Boss…” Masahiro hesitated, “If you want to rebuild Team Rocket, why not call back those who are active outside the organization… like the female thief sisters, and Bishas…”

Aside from the True Bird Matrix, Giovanni has virtually no one else available. Even if True Bird is jealous and resentful, he wouldn't naively believe that he can handle everything for the boss.

Giving everything is no problem...

“No need.” Sakaki shook his head with a cold smile. “Those guys, whether weak or eccentric, all lack self-awareness. Let them fend for themselves.”

As the leader, Sakaki certainly knew which of his subordinates were traitors.

For example, the highest-ranking official, Bishas, ​​was always plotting to overthrow him.

But now that the Rockets are in this state, let those guys do whatever they want... In any case, they'll just end up ruining themselves anyway, and Giovanni doesn't need to get involved with them.