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

"Lastly, it's Ayaka's turn... Did you enjoy the battle just now?"

“Yes!” Ayaka nodded immediately. “Although I lost the battle and felt a little unwilling, I was still very happy overall… to be able to challenge such a powerful opponent as you alongside Mighty!”

"It's my pleasure."

"Ash, thank you!" Bea suddenly said earnestly, "I'm starting to like it here... You're right, traveling really helps me."

"I took the initiative to invite you, so I definitely won't let you down," Ash said with a smile. "Now, as the sole challenger, accept the reward for passing the great test. I'll give you a Dragon Z."

"Dragon Z?" Ayaka was taken aback.

"That's strange. Shouldn't it be Water Z?" Jasmine was also puzzled.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Ash retorted immediately. “I decide what my tests are. What Z Crystals the challengers get as a reward doesn’t depend on what they need, but on what I have.”

As a hastily appointed island king, poor Ash is nothing like the other rich guys who have a stable and consistent source of Z-Crystals.

Aside from the Z-Crystals he obtained by robbing Guzma, he had only collected one Z-Crystal of each type. It was only recently, after getting to know the dragons better, that he managed to get a few more Dragon Z-Crystals.

"That's how it is. Anyway, just keep the Dragon Z." Ash said with a nonchalant attitude.

"Then thank you very much..." Cai Dou accepted it with some hesitation.

She felt a little awkward. She was supposed to be a fighting girl, but the Z-Crystals she had obtained had nothing to do with fighting.

Rock Z-Force is barely usable, but Dragon Z-Force...

"Chirp~" Just then, a small gray dragon suddenly ran over and affectionately rubbed against Cai Dou's trouser leg.

"Is that the Heartscale Treasure from before? What brings you here?" Cai Dou asked, puzzled.

Cai Dou recognized the little dragon by the chocolate stain on its mouth.

"Chirp~ Chirp~" Heartscale Baby excitedly danced around Rainbow Bean, its eyes shining brightly.

It originally came along because it was greedy, but it was completely attracted by the magical strength of the colorful bean.

That kind of brutal, hand-to-hand combat is undoubtedly very appealing to the dragons, and so is Heartscale Treasure.

This is why it's difficult for Ash to change the fighting style of the dragons, because the entire race, from the oldest to the youngest, is used to solving problems with their fists.

“Dragon Z, here it comes in handy~” Ash said with a smile. “But we still need to tell the Dragon Pack before we can catch it.”

“I know.” Cai Dou nodded seriously. “Then please guide me, little one.”

"Wow!" Little Dragon seemed excited too, and pulled Cai Dou to head back.

Ash watched this scene with a mix of happiness for Bea and a touch of regret.

Ash was also very interested in Kommo-o and had considered breeding a powerful one to help remove the label of "shame of pseudo-legendary".

However, he did not encounter any compatible individuals, and his breeding philosophy also conflicted with the consistent style of the dragon group.

When it comes to raising Pokémon, Ash is happy to take into account the Pokémon's own opinions, but there's a condition: that they've already been caught by him.

Steelix can play a speed-based style if it wants; Chikorita can transform into a volatile physical attacker if it likes.

Ash can explore all sorts of breeding methods as long as the Pokémon likes it.

But all of this is based on subjugation. If there is a conflict of ideas from the beginning, the subjugation cannot even be achieved, let alone the subsequent cultivation.

After Bea left, Jasmine and Happou also took their leave, leaving only Ash and Tapu Fini at the Sun Altar.

Perhaps seeing that Ash had finally fulfilled his duties as the king of the island, the guardian spirit of Poni Island seemed very excited, constantly throwing out balls of water containing a bunch of 'treasures' in front of Ash.

Ash was completely disoriented by the mysterious water droplets and beautiful scales that hit him.

"Fizz, there's no need for that. I already said I'll fulfill my duties as the King of the Island from now on!" Ash said helplessly, but his hands honestly accepted everything.

This is a gift from the guardian deity he worships; wouldn't it be a disgrace to his superiors if he didn't accept it?

Besides, Tapu Fini just picked it up casually while wandering around in the sea. It would just gather dust if left there, so it's good that Ash uses it to make a difference.

"I'm leaving Pony Island soon, so I'll leave the little bags in your care."

After this great test, Ash had to go back to deal with the Aether Foundation's affairs. Before leaving, he entrusted Pocket and Dragapult to Tapu Fini.

He won't stay in Alora for long, so he'll be constantly on the go, which isn't very stable for a young child.

As for things like Qirajira's eggs and baby Dragapult, it's better to just entrust them to Tapu Fini for care, since this guardian deity is known for her kindness and maternal instincts.

Tapu Fini readily agreed; it loves coaxing children and would be perfectly happy to keep them at the Other Shore Ruins for a long time.

"Oh, right... I have another question," Ash suddenly asked, "If they are souls from another world, can your mist summon them here?"

“The mist is just a medium. The souls of the dead are actually summoned by the obsessions of the living, so it doesn’t matter if it’s another world,” Tapu Fizz explained, but his expression also became serious.

"But... are you sure you want me to release the mist? There might be other risks involved."

"I'll think about it..." Xiao Zhi was just asking casually and hadn't really thought it through.

He wasn't even sure if he should ask Xiao Lan and Lila for their opinions on this matter...

Chapter 420 VS. Rosamund, one charge after another~

Ash's actions on this last-minute Alola trip can only be described as 'fast'.

On his second day in Alola, Ash successfully passed the Akala Island challenge and made a bet with Tapu Fini to conquer all the islands in a month.

A week later, Ash defeated Team Skull, captured two key figures, Guzma and Gladion, and also passed the great test on Ula'ula Island.

Now, just ten days later, he has successfully passed the great test of Pony Island as the newly crowned island king and has gained the support of the other three island kings!

Oh, I almost forgot… his surveillance team at the Po Town police station also captured a Foundation mole who looked exactly like a Pokémon!

Now, he is fully prepared and about to engage in his first... and last confrontation with Rosamund!

There's absolutely no need for delays or detours; he'll play all his cards and decisively resolve the Ether Foundation issue!

...

When Ash arrived at the special conference room of the Tingtao Hotel with Blue and Lyra, the staff of the Aether Foundation were already waiting there.

A stunning blonde beauty with a voluptuous figure and unparalleled charm sat in the center, radiating an aura of quiet authority. She was none other than the president, Lusamine.

Moen sat down next to her with an embarrassed look on his face. After reuniting with his wife, he was obviously beaming with joy... but at the cost of losing all his say.

Beside Lusamine was a woman who looked dignified and gentle, wearing glasses; she was probably her capable assistant and vice president, Biko.

As for the remaining one, he is naturally an acquaintance of Ash's, Professor Barnett.

The group was quite complete, but it was a bit of a pity that Xiaozhi didn't get to meet a certain blonde girl.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. In Lusamine's eyes, Ash's place is probably no better than a den of dragons and tigers, so there's no reason for her to bring her daughter along for an 'adventure'.

"I was held up a bit by something, please forgive me." Ash greeted casually. "This must be Mrs. Lusamine, the chairperson of the Aether Foundation?"

“Mr. Ash, you’ve delayed us by more than a little bit.” Lusamine shook hands with Ash with a cold face. “We’ve been waiting here for days already, and you’ve probably kept Moen under house arrest for even longer!”

"But compared to the years he spent wandering the Crown Snowfield, these few days are just a fleeting moment for you."

“You…” Lusamine’s expression froze.

Regardless, Ash found Moen, and she now owes him a huge favor!

"I have to thank you for this!" Lusamine composed herself and bowed slightly to Ash. "Thanks to you for finding Moen, our family was able to reunite."

"No need for thanks, I was just showing my sincerity." Ash shook his head and casually pulled out a document. "Mrs. Lusamine, do you remember this agreement?"

“This is…” Lusamine’s expression turned noticeably worse.

"This is the agreement my father signed with you back then, entrusting the research of the Aether Foundation to Kanto for supervision. It still bears your signature and fingerprint..." Ash threw the agreement in front of Lusamine, his face suddenly turning cold!

"But later, you continued to conduct experiments on the Ultimate Hole in secret, and even caused a series of uncontrollable incidents!"

“We didn’t!” Lusamine immediately denied. “I admit that our research on Ultra Holes hasn’t stopped, but it’s only been theoretical analysis. Besides, haven’t we been under Kanto’s surveillance ever since that girl came to Alola?!”

"You mean Blue?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think she's from the Kanto League... just because she's my girlfriend?"

"Isn't that right...?"

"Of course not!" Ash categorically denied. "Why do you think that my relatives should also be affiliated with the League? If that's the logic, then your son Gladion should also be a member of the Aether Foundation, right?!"

“Of course he can be,” Lusamine said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, it seems you're admitting it outright... that your Aether Foundation secretly colluded with Team Skull, funding them to carry out a series of illegal activities in Alola!" Ash immediately slapped the accusation on Ash.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Rosamund's expression changed slightly. "How could we possibly be colluding with that kind of thug group?!"

"Yes, you must be mistaken!" "Xiao Zhi, you can't say things like that."

Bick and Barnett also denied it, and judging from their expressions, they genuinely didn't know anything about it.

"It's no use denying it. I've already crushed the Skull Team and captured all members from Guzma down... including your son Gladio! According to that kid's confession, he was the Skull Team's bodyguard."

"What did you say?!" Lusamine screamed in astonishment, while Moen's jaw dropped in disbelief.

He probably anticipated that his two children might also lack maternal love after he disappeared, but he never expected that his son would become a hoodlum!

But there's nothing we can do about it; this whole family is just obsessed with being immature and delusional.

There's a girl who watched Ultra Beasts and dressed herself up like a Pheromosa, and even dressed her daughter up like Nihilego's mother; naturally, she'll raise a son who, in order to become stronger, hangs out with Team Skull.

"Mrs. Lusamine, I now have reason to suspect... that you knew about this and were trying to cover it up!" Ash continued, "The Pokémon I left at the Pokémon Police Station to guard captured Zaobo, one of your men... You sent this guy to kidnap him, didn't you?"

“Zaobo, he…” Lusamine panicked even more. She really had no idea that someone had acted on their own initiative.