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

"I…"

Xiao Zhi asked with a light laugh, and the girl's previous energy vanished instantly, leaving only a stiff face.

Faced with the clearly expectant Nihilego, Lillie tried her best to reach out, but her entire arm trembled so badly that it wouldn't obey her commands and could only hang shakily in the air...

"Woo~" But Nihilego didn't care about any of that. It stretched out a tentacle and touched its fingertips to Lillie's, then happily pulled her into its arms...

"Ahhhh!!!"

After a high-pitched scream, Lillie, pale and stiff, fell backward and landed directly in Ash's arms.

"Oops, that was a bit too much..."

Looking at the two Lillies, one unconscious and the other weakly blaming herself, Ash shrugged helplessly.

Take it slow, it's good enough if we can clear up the misunderstanding first~

Chapter 432 Starting with taking care of Pokémon eggs

After a few twists and turns, the misunderstanding between Ash and Lillie was resolved.

But this also raises new questions... such as the heart-wrenching screams earlier, and the scene the three girls saw when they returned, with Lillie being held tightly in Ash's arms.

Although Ash explained very seriously that Lillie was accidentally frightened by a Pokémon, the credibility of his explanation was clearly not very high.

"Hmph, don't you know best how terrified she is of Pokémon?"

Xiaoxia thought that someone was just using this as an opportunity to flirt.

Ash understands Lillie's state very well, and he is even more attentive to certain things than her two best friends, Mallow and Lana.

For example, when they decided to come to Treasure Island, Ash's first thought was that they should row a boat to prevent Lillie from coming into contact with Water-type Pokémon.

When they were alone together, this guy couldn't even keep an eye on the Pokémon trying to get close to Lillie; it looked like he was doing it on purpose!

And this kind of gossip is obviously contagious; Mao and Shui Lian's gazes became increasingly teasing.

Later in class, Lillie's interactions with Ash not only confirmed their gossip, but even the two boys noticed something was off.

"Ash, it seems like your relationship with Lillie has improved quite a bit?" Kiawe asked curiously, though he phrased it tactfully.

From the moment Lillie arrived at class in the morning, she called Ash's name at least a dozen times. She had to discuss and share everything with Ash... She practically treated him like her best friend, even inviting him to go to the bathroom with her!

During their casual conversation, they would occasionally go to a corner to talk privately, and Lillie would sometimes show a knowing smile, a stark contrast to her previous tense demeanor.

"This isn't about whether they're on good terms or not," Mamane chuckled, looking like she knew everything. "Lillie now asks Ash for help with everything, but she was so distant before... Isn't that obvious enough? These two are definitely dating, they just had a cold war and are now back together."

"Ah...no, no!" Lillie's face turned bright red, and she hurriedly waved her hands to clarify, "Ash and I...we really aren't like that!"

"Hehe, I don't believe it~" The chubby boy grinned lewdly.

"Mamma, you know so much, why are you still single?" Ash suddenly said quietly.

One critical hit, and Mamane immediately collapsed onto the table ORZ~

The little incident passed quickly, and while waiting for afternoon classes, the students chatted about the upcoming lessons.

"Didn't the professor say there would be a new lesson today? The whole morning has passed, why hasn't he revealed it yet?" Mao guessed anxiously. "What exactly is this new lesson?"

"It's for hatching Pokémon eggs. Professor Kukui even borrowed a research subject from me yesterday," Ash said with a helpless spoiler, while simultaneously showing the small bag that had been brought back ahead of time.

Ash really couldn't figure out whether he was there as a student or a teaching assistant, but Kukui didn't hesitate to borrow 'teaching aids' from him.

They were the starter families of Kanto and Johto before, but now they won't even spare an egg...

"That egg's color is so strange." After observing it carefully for a while, Lillie was puzzled. "Generally speaking, Pokémon eggs are closer to the mother's body color."

“It’s not Pouch’s child; I rescued it from poachers,” Ash explained simply about the egg’s origin. “In short, it was born with a deficiency and was previously cared for by Pouch and Flippi. It’s only now that it’s barely reached the point where it can hatch.”

"It's so pitiful..." "Poachers are a bunch of bastards!"

Upon learning of Yukira's ordeal inside the egg, the girls' eyes welled up with tears, while Kachi and Mamane were filled with righteous indignation.

Just then, Dr. Kukui and Principal Oki entered the classroom together as the school bell rang.

"Ash already leaked the secret beforehand. I was hoping to give you a surprise," Professor Kukui said helplessly.

He and the principal each held an egg; one was a pure reddish-brown, and the other was pure white with light blue flower patterns, looking quite beautiful.

"These two eggs, one I had someone send from Kanto, and the other I found on Mt. Lanaaki. Plus, Ash's Kangaskhan took care of the egg, so it's definitely a great learning opportunity for Tyranitar~" Principal Oak in Alolan form said, deliberately striking a Tyranitar roar pose...

Unfortunately, no one responded.

Well... Ash thinks that the Oak family might have some issues with how to speak properly.

For example, Gary has a habit of farting, Nanami sometimes cares too much and even interrupts, and Professor Oak is a senryu expert…

However, compared to the lame jokes that always lead to awkward silences whenever Principal Oki appears, the three above are perfectly normal~

"In short, I'll take care of Kanto, and the rest is up to you." After assigning the homework briefly, Principal Oak left the classroom.

"You guys discuss it and see who should mainly take care of them... Remember to bring them home after school," Kukui reminded them.

“I suggest Lillie take care of her!” Mao immediately raised his hand in agreement. “It’s perfect to start from the egg and help her overcome the problem of not being able to touch Pokémon… Besides, Lillie is the only one who doesn’t have a Pokémon yet.”

Mao's suggestion was quickly agreed upon by everyone, but Lillie's eyes immediately turned to someone...

"Xiaozhi, what do you think?"

This girlish attitude of waiting for the other person to make all the decisions made the whole class gossip about it.

"Just believe in yourself~" Xiao Zhi saw expectation in the girl's eyes and knew that she needed encouragement right now.

"Alright, I'll give it a try! With what I know, I should be able to handle it~" Lillie immediately made up her mind to give the egg the best care...

However, she soon encountered a problem.

She couldn't touch the Pokémon egg right now, so embarrassingly, she couldn't bring it home...

"How about I give it to you? I've been wanting to find a chance to send another Lillie to your house anyway," Ash suggested.

"That's wonderful!" Lillie immediately showed a delighted expression, but quickly realized she might have been a bit rude, so she hurriedly extended an invitation in a dignified manner, "Ash, would you like to come to my house as a guest?"

"No problem~" Xiao Zhi nodded with a smile.

The two walked to the door, chatting and laughing, carrying the egg. A limousine pulled up on time, and the driver respectfully opened the door for Lillie.

As expected of a young lady from a wealthy family, her treatment is absolutely the envy of everyone.

The car drove out of the bustling city center and into the quiet suburbs, stopping in front of an extremely luxurious villa.

"Welcome home, Miss Lillie." A butler-like man greeted her. "You must be Mr. Ash. Welcome to the villa. I am James, the butler."

Lillie mentioned Ash's arrival while she was in the car, so her family must have been preparing for it for a while.

The butler led the two into the villa, where Lillie's parents were already sitting in the living room.

"Ha, Ash, you've finally arrived~" Moen greeted Ash happily as soon as he saw him.

Lusamine didn't react much, only nodding politely.

"I brought Lillie back, and I just happened to bring the other one along too." Ash threw out an Ultra Ball, and Nihilego happily went to greet Moen when he saw him.

"Father, Mother, can I go with Ash to take this egg to the room first?" Lillie asked.

"Honey, what do you think..." Mo En's words clearly revealed his position in the family.

“Go ahead,” Lusamine reluctantly agreed.

She didn't really want to see Ash, and she especially didn't want Lillie to get too close to him... but there was nothing she could do; Lillie had a legitimate reason after all.

Since I can't touch the Pokémon egg myself, I have to ask Ash to bring it back.

In Lillie's room, the girl built a cozy little nest with soft cushions and watched Ash put the egg inside. A sweet smile appeared on her face.

That smile made Ash feel a little emotional; Lillie really loved Pokémon.

She even commissioned her housekeeper to set up a special play area for Pokémon and prepare various foods for wild Pokémon that passed by.

But she simply couldn't touch the things she loved most...

Chapter 433 An Awkward Departure...and a Reunion

Actually, Ash didn't plan to stay at Lillie's house any longer.

Ash knew very well that Lusamine didn't like him.

Of course, he doesn't pay much attention to this lady now.

Since the other party has even abandoned the Aether Foundation, instead of paying attention to her, Ash should spend more time studying Zaobo's traitorous memories to see if he can pry out more good stuff.

While we're at it, let's also discuss with Xiao Lan and my dad how to plant people in the Ether Foundation in order to completely control this company that has so many cutting-edge technologies.

Compared to the game and the comics, the current Rosamund is neither shrewd and assertive nor particularly twisted; she can be neither an ally nor an enemy.

Her only important identity is probably that of a mother-in-law... uh, Ash meant Lillie's mother.

However, compared to Lusamine's coldness, Moen was very enthusiastic. Before Ash could say goodbye, he took Ash and Nihilego to his workshop.

"Xiao Zhi, come take a look at this~"

On his workbench sat a mechanical doll made entirely of metal, none other than Magiana, restored by Moen!

However, its eyes are now completely vacant, and it shows no reaction to the outside world.