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

Most importantly, after that girl appeared, that guy's firepower doubled!

...

Outside the Vermilion City Gym, Ash and Blue were talking about what had happened since they went on their separate trips.

"By the way... what's this about you saying you wanted to rent Nidoran?" Ash asked, puzzled. "You've only been gone a short while, you didn't spend all your travel money, did you?"

"I'm almost out of money~" Xiao Lan nodded with a bitter face, "I passed through Yu Hong City before and browsed around the department store there, buying a lot of things..."

"Then why don't you tell me?" Xiao Zhi deliberately feigned a complaining tone. "I told you to call often, but I haven't seen you contact me at all."

"No, I've lived at your house since I was a kid, let me be independent!" Xiao Lan waved her hand with a laugh, "Besides, Silver Company will also provide me with financial aid..."

"I just don't want you to receive their financial aid."

Ash's sudden seriousness startled Blue.

After all, one is obligated to accept favors, so Xiao Zhineng understood Xiao Lan's situation and didn't want it to seem like he was the one supporting her.

But the same principle applies to Silver Company.

Xiao Lan's parents have disappeared, and Silver Company has given all the compensation it was due to Xiao Lan. That money is rightfully hers.

However, the subsequent grants had a completely different meaning.

If Xiao Lan receives this "hush money" for a long time, how will she investigate that company?

"Well, let's not talk about that now. I have something good for you~" Xiao Lan suddenly chuckled and pulled out a set of six bottles of drinks to change the subject. "Although it's not a light bulb, this should still be useful."

She opened one of the bottles, brought it to Pikachu's lips, and the latter immediately drank it happily.

"A set of nutritional drinks?" Ash was taken aback; these were precious items.

In a game, nutritional drinks are items that can increase base stats, but in the modern world, they can simply be considered supplements that can improve abilities.

Drinking HP-boosting drinks makes it easier to train and improve stamina; drinking attack-boosting drinks can further enhance physical attack power through practice.

Ash has actually been using this thing all along. In order to ensure that his Pinsir grows stronger pincers, he has been taking defensive-enhancing nutritional drinks without stopping.

Therefore, Xiaozhi was well aware of the value of this thing.

A set of six nutritional drinks is usually used as a prize in certain competitions, and it's definitely not cheap to buy it directly.

Xiao Lan probably ran out of travel money because she bought this set of items...

"Don't overthink it. I bought a lot of other things. What you bought is just a very small part." Blue seemed to know what Ash was thinking and immediately raised her little finger to refute him.

"Okay, I know~" Xiao Zhi shook his head with a chuckle. He knew that Xiao Lan couldn't explain exactly what 'many other things' meant, so he gave up on that idea.

"Speaking of which, I also have a surprise for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"Is this what you mean?" Xiao Lan smiled and took out a Poké Ball, releasing a Kabuto that was leisurely swaying at her feet.

"You've already revived it?" Ash was stunned. This girl was fast enough.

“When I was stealing fossils, I vaguely heard about how to use the revival machine. Later, I heard about Mount Tsukimi in Nibi City and guessed that it was you who did it,” Xiao Lan explained. “So I sneaked into the museum when the museum curator was away and just happened to revive the fossils.”

"You're amazing!" Ash couldn't help but give a thumbs up. Blue was as surprising as ever.

However, this should be considered a tacit understanding between them. When she heard that she was in Tsukimiyama, she knew that she would definitely help her solve the follow-up problems of the fossil.

As for manipulating the resurrection machine, it was a piece of cake for her, after all, she had inherited her parents' good talent.

"Oh, by the way, can you do me a favor?" Xiao Lan suddenly said, "I need a ticket for the Saint Anne."

"You're getting on the ship too...it can't just be for sightseeing, right?"

“I need to investigate this ship!” Xiao Lan’s tone became serious as she said this. “I found out some information before. St. Anne seems to have some improper uses, and the person behind it is very mysterious. It seems to have a connection with the Leaf Gym.”

"The Vermilion Gym..." Ash fell into deep thought for a moment.

Lt. Surge, St. Anne... if you put these two words together, it's easy for Ash to think of some settings different from those in the main anime...

“Also, you need to be careful about Maslow,” Xiao Lan continued. “He wasn’t actually angry today; he was just pretending to be angry for your sake.”

"They're trying to lower my guard, aren't they?" Ash nodded.

Blue's judgment of people is usually accurate, which is exactly what Ash had in mind anyway.

"So you... hey, what's glowing in your bag?" Blue was about to speak when she noticed Ash's backpack was sparkling.

"It's Riolu!" Ash immediately opened his bag and sure enough, he found the egg flashing continuously!

"Blue, let's hurry back to the Pokémon Center! I can't wait to hatch it!"

"Okay~" Seeing Xiaozhi's excited look, Xiaolan couldn't help but smile.

She took Xiaozhi's arm, the movement so natural, just as he had once so naturally pulled her along...

Chapter 44 Birth, Running... Riolu!

At the same time, inside the closed-door Fall Leaf Dojo, Lt. Surge was reporting the situation to someone with a serious expression.

At this moment, his expression was cold and stern, unlike his previous rudeness and irritability.

"Boss, what should we do next?" one of his men asked as he ended the call.

They have now shed their thug personas and reverted to their original, strong and capable military personas!

"The Saint Anne will dock, but the operation must be cancelled!"

"Why?" another subordinate exclaimed, puzzled. "Just because of that brat, our carefully prepared plan has to be put on hold? And those invitations have already been distributed!"

"Yeah, he's just a greenhorn who's only just started traveling. If you go all out, boss..."

"Enough!" Seeing that the others were still shouting, Ma Zhishi interrupted them with a sharp shout.

"What do you know?" He glared at his subordinates with displeasure. "That kid is very strong. I did hold back a bit, but he may not have been going all out either."

"What's more, his biggest problem isn't his strength, but his background!" Lt. Surge solemnly warned everyone, "This kid is a key protected target of the Alliance, and almost all the high-ranking members are watching him... If any of you aren't afraid of being attacked by the people of Indigo Plateau, then go ahead and mess with him!"

After this reprimand, the entire Konoha Dojo was immediately dejected.

"Alright, everyone, snap out of it!" Lance Tse said sternly. "Once St. Anne docks, the captain will issue a notice saying that St. Anne is temporarily suspended due to a malfunction, and a one-kilometer cordon will be set up around the cruise ship. You'll be responsible for guarding the area and not letting anyone in... especially not letting that kid get close!"

Waveguide power... that's definitely a rather troublesome ability.

Lt. Surge knew that if Satoshi got too close to St. Anne, he would immediately discover the secret hidden on the ship!

However, Saint Anne had to dock at the port of Kuye.

So many invitations have already been given out, and now the city of Kurenai is packed with wealthy merchants and prominent figures ready to board the ship… If they were to back out, this ship would never be able to do business again!

Moreover, the cruise ship was about to enter the port, and suddenly changing course at this time might arouse suspicion.

Maszem knew that the Alliance had never relaxed its surveillance of St. Anne, and that Interpol officers would occasionally come and go on the ship, so he had always been very careful in running the ship's 'business'.

"In short, once the ship docks, you all need to get that shipment transferred as quickly as possible. There will be too many people around during the day, so you'll have to drive around a lot at night." Ma Xueshi finally turned to one of his female subordinates, "Biseques, you'll be in charge of leading this."

"Yes, boss..." A tough-looking, strong woman answered the order with her head hanging low.

They had painstakingly planned for so long, only to be paralyzed by a ten-year-old child and forced to deal with the aftermath. No one would be happy about that.

But there's nothing we can do; that kid is a typical second-generation official.

"Ash from Pallet Town, I'll remember you!"

In the shadows of the Vermilion Dojo, a flicker of genuine anger flashed in Lt. Surge's eyes.

...

Back at the Pokémon Center, after Zhilan and Brock met up, the three of them stayed around the glowing egg.

From afternoon to evening, Riolu's egg kept flashing, but it was always just a little short.

"Could it be that it won't hatch?" Xiao Gang was getting a little anxious.

"No way!" Blue shook her head firmly. "This is the most suitable Pokémon for Ash. It definitely won't let Ash get his hopes up for nothing!"

"Riolu, wake up quickly." Ash gently placed his palm on the egg. "The outside world is wonderful, don't you want to experience it for yourself?"

hum~

Ash's words seemed to reach the egg's heart, and the eggshell suddenly burst with the most dazzling halo it had ever seen, followed by a dense network of cracks!

After that, the light began to change shape, eventually transforming into a small Pokémon that was entirely blue and stood upright on two legs!

"Oulu?"

After twitching its ears and examining its hands and body, the little blue beast finally saw this unfamiliar world clearly for the first time.

It looked up and sized up the three people who had gathered around, carefully distinguishing their faces, and finally locked onto Ash with Pikachu!

is it him?

That warm presence that awakened me…

"Welcome, Riolu." Ash smiled and extended his hand to Riolu.

“Oro…” The subconscious touch made the familiar feeling even stronger.

It's this person...

"Euro?!"

Just as Riolu wanted to learn more about Ash, its aura was suddenly drawn to something else. The restless feeling made it jump to the ground and dash out of the Pokémon Center.