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

No matter what, it will stay here and strive to forge its own path to becoming stronger!

Of course, there must be some resentment... After all, it was once just one step away from becoming an absolute mainstay.

Each special power that Ash possesses has a specific partner that corresponds to it. This perfect match can maximize the Pokémon's ability, and even without using any special powers, they will definitely be ahead!

Pikachu, the most representative of these, is now far ahead of the rest, and can even rival the Guardian Deities!

To be honest, Blastoise was quite excited when Ash received the power of Poseidon.

It was Ash's first Water-type Pokémon to capture and is also the most powerful of its kind. Blastoise once believed that it would be the perfect match for the power of Kyogre.

Even after it achieved super evolution, it still couldn't feel any support from the power of Poseidon.

Only then did it have to admit that it wasn't, after all, a special being...

"Blastoise, I'm sorry." Ash gently patted his partner's shoulder. He knew what Blastoise was regretting, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Viridescent power is best suited for Pikachu because Pikachu is exceptionally gifted; Aura power is best suited for Lucario because Jackal is the quintessential Aura user; Psychic power is best suited for Alakazam because Ash's Psychic power and Alakazam itself originally came from Sabrina…

The compatibility of the powers he wields with different partners is largely a matter of chance and luck, and is not something he can control.

And Blastoise isn't the only one making this kind of compromise; Crobat and Pinsir have done the same thing...

"Kame!" Blastoise shook its head violently, pounding its chest!

Admitting you're not qualified is indeed difficult... but it's the truth, and you have to admit it!

The road must go on, and it must turn these regrets into motivation to forge its own path to strength!

Blastoise resolutely stepped out of its protective shield, exposing its entire body to the turbulent currents!

boom!

In an instant, terrifying pressure slammed its body directly to the ground, and the ensuing vortex began to relentlessly slice through its body.

Fortunately, Ash managed to spare some of his power and send it into Blastoise's body, which made things a little easier for it.

That was the power obtained from the Sea Soul Pearl. The energy of the scales that originally belonged to Lugia was absorbed into Ash's body and has now been transferred to Blastoise.

With the blessings of the gods and this uniquely blessed training ground, Blastoise is sure to have a bright future if it can persevere!

"Keep it up, train yourself to become a strong one!" Seeing Blastoise quickly get into the zone, Ash waved goodbye to his partner with peace of mind.

Their next stop is Azure City!

...

After leaving the Whirl Islands, Ash and his group of five are crossing the ocean with the help of Water-type Pokémon and will soon arrive in Cyan City.

That's right, there are five people.

After seeing Lugia and participating in the tournament, Rukia was supposed to go back and reunite with Michael... but this girl seemed to have skipped work and decided to join the team as if she were already familiar with them.

In her opinion, it's too dangerous for someone to drift at sea alone, and Ash should at least take her to the Johto continent first.

If you calculate it that way, she'll have to follow her all the way to Asagi City.

As evening approached, the group finally landed on the beach in Azure City. After a long voyage at sea, everyone looked travel-worn and wished they could immediately set up tents and rest.

But not long after they went ashore to rest, Ash's Rockruff suddenly jumped out of the ball and started frantically digging at the ground and chasing its tail...

"Woof...woof..."

"Rockdog, calm down." Ash stepped forward and patted Rockdog on the head, which calmed the little guy down a bit.

"Rockdog... Is it about to evolve?" Lila's knowledge of Pokémon is quite extensive, especially her understanding of Ash's Pokémon.

Before Rockruff evolves, it becomes more restless, and some may even leave their trainer on their own, only to return after evolving on their own.

Of course, everyone knows that Ash would not allow such a thing to happen.

Aside from exceptional cases like Shellder, Ash definitely wants to witness important moments like evolution firsthand.

"Yes, there were already signs before, but I didn't expect it to come out so quickly." Xiao Zhi nodded silently.

Ash noticed Rockruff's unusual behavior as early as during the Whirl Islands Tournament, but after some consideration, he decided to let things take their course.

What else can you do? Are you going to fly back to Alola and then do nothing but sit on the shore of Akala Island waiting for the twilight green flash?

Rockruff does have the potential to evolve into the special Lycanroc, but Ash will not deliberately suppress its evolution for this reason.

It now shows signs of evolution, so it can evolve naturally. No matter what it evolves into, Ash will still do his best to nurture it!

"Rockdog, you...hey, come back here!" Ash wanted to gently pat the dog's head, but Rockdog darted away and plunged into the bushes next to it.

"Oh dear! Whose puppy is this?!"

After that, a middle-aged man's scream came from the bushes...

Chapter 499 Azure Dojo, the Young Lady Can Be Fed

Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Ash immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly led his friends to the scene.

On the clearing opposite the bushes, a burly, shirtless man sat there, tenderly wiping the cream off his pants.

Ash's Rockruff was not far from him, facing off against a Machamp that was also covered in muscles.

"Rockdogee, stop right now!" Ash rushed forward and forcibly restrained Rockdog, which was about to bare its teeth.

"I'm so sorry, my Rockruff has caused you trouble." Ash pressed down on Rockruff's neck, apologizing to the man along with it. "You... wait, aren't you Mr. Si?"

After carefully examining the man in front of him, Ash realized that he had actually encountered the Gym Leader of Azure Gym, the renowned fighter A-Si from the Johto region.

"You... Haha, it's Ash! You've finally come to Azure City, I'm so happy!" Ah Si recognized Ash at this moment, immediately showed a hearty smile, stood up and gave Ash a bear hug.

Bang!

His arm slammed against Ash's back with a loud thud, even reminding Ash of being hugged by a bear...

However, he also knew that this was Ah Si's way of greeting people, and since Ah Si was considered an elder, it was okay for him to be a little overly enthusiastic.

"Good! Haha, you're very strong." Ah Si smiled with satisfaction. "Your little dog is also very well trained, it looks quite spirited when it's being defiant."

"I'm so sorry," Ash quickly apologized again. "Rockdog is about to evolve, so it's a bit agitated. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"It's okay, the process of raising Pokémon is always accompanied by all sorts of unexpected events... It's just a little bit of a shame about my cake, I haven't even had a bite yet~"

Ah Si waved his hand magnanimously, but his eyes unconsciously drifted to the spilled cream cake on the ground...

"Uh...so you were sneaking a bite just now?" Ryukia bluntly exposed Ah Si's secret.

"Hey, don't tell anyone!" Ah Si scratched his head awkwardly. "It's embarrassing to admit, but I was really craving this, and it wasn't convenient to eat it in the dojo, so I came out to sneak out with Gollum for a snack."

"Why isn't it convenient inside the dojo?" Xia asked, puzzled.

"Because the young lady is here~" Ah Si covered his face in despair. "She's temporarily staying at the Azure Dojo to train, so I have to watch my words and actions. I can't eat these things in front of her... After all, sweets are a major taboo for fighters!"

Haha~

Ash secretly thought to himself... "A major taboo?"

If that's the case, why are all the fighters I know addicted to sugar?

Of course, Ash himself is pretty much the same; he's now developed the habit of always carrying chocolate in his pocket.

Maybe someone will need to be fed!

...

By sheer coincidence, Ash ran into Aya on the beach in Cyan City and learned that Bea was currently at the gym. However, when Aya warmly invited Ash and his friends to return to the gym for dinner and then stay overnight, Ash repeatedly declined.

"Ash, why don't we stay at the Azure Gym for a while?" Rukia asked, puzzled. "I've always been curious about what life is like at a gym."

"Because I have to stay with Lugia tonight... but that's not all it's for!" Seeing his companions' teasing expressions, Ash quickly changed his tune, "The Azure Gym isn't an ordinary place. If you don't get up before 5 a.m., something really scary will happen!"

"What's terrifying...?" Ryukia was completely bewildered.

"I just heard that someone was thrown headfirst into a water tank just because they woke up a minute late."

Ash wasn't exaggerating; he was describing Gary's 'tragic' experience.

Ah Si was definitely a strict master. Given Xiao Mao's annoying personality when he was a child, he was disciplined quite a bit.

"Would they treat guests like this too?" Ryukia suddenly felt scared, realizing that setting up a tent on the beach was definitely more suitable for them.

The little incident with Ash passed, and the group settled down in Cyan City to rest. Ash also began to sort out his lineup and strategy for tomorrow's gym battle.

The others were also very curious about this, and they all brainstormed ideas.

“Mr. A-Si is good at Fighting-type attacks, and it won’t be difficult for Ash to counter it with his weapon,” Brock said, calculating. “Even without using Crobat, Pelipper will have a great advantage.”

That's true, but Xiaozhi has his own considerations.

"We have to send Rockruff out tomorrow, even if it's a type that's against us, we have to let it fight," Ash said, shaking his head. "The little guy is really restless and needs an outlet to vent, preferably it can evolve on the spot."

Ash has figured it out now. Even if he feels sorry, Rockruff's health is definitely more important.

Especially since it also carries a rock slab, it can't even exchange it for an Everstone. Forcibly suppressing evolution would put a great burden on its body.

"As for the other one, I think we should use it to see how Mr. Si can cut through the invisible blade."

A certain pseudo-legendary creature, now at maturity, has been raising its offspring ever since it was captured. Now that its cubs have finally grown up enough to fight alongside their mother, it's time for them to officially make their appearance!

...

The next morning, the group, fully prepared, arrived at the entrance of the Azure Dojo.