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

"For Xiao Lan."

Lugia was speechless for a moment; it suddenly didn't know what to say.

Xiao Lan was the girl it first met in Kuye Harbor...

"Yes, it's all for her." Xiao Zhi seemed to be explaining, but also muttering to himself, "Of course I know this is not the right thing to do, and there must be a more suitable way... but all of that requires waiting! At this moment, she has nowhere else to turn... as the only person who has entered her heart, I have to help her no matter what!"

"Luggia, from birth I've been bound by red chains, forced to grow up according to the path of a perfect person... But stripping away all the glory, I'm just an ordinary person. I have flaws, shortcomings, my own likes and dislikes, and someone I care about so much that I'd give up everything for her!"

"Is it really possible to give up everything..." Lugia was shocked.

"Really." Ash answered casually, as if stating a truth that couldn't be more certain.

"Luggia, you once said you admired my free spirit. But I must tell you, there is no absolute freedom in this world..."

"And she is the only shackle I have in this life!!"

Ash admits he's a complete jerk, a statement that may be unfair to many, including Serena and Misty.

But the emotions in a harem are inherently unequal; one man with multiple women is unfair from the start, so Xiaozhi simply stopped spouting nonsense about treating everyone equally.

If this had happened to someone else, Xiaozhi might have tried to persuade them with all his heart, and if that didn't work, they might have broken up on the spot.

But if it were Xiao Lan, once she made a decision, there would be no need to persuade her anymore.

Ash is willing to give up his principles, his perfect persona, and everything he has achieved so far for her, even if it means turning evil alongside her!

"These... it's hard to believe these words came from your mouth." Lugia was stunned for a long time before finally coming to this conclusion.

Even if it doesn't understand human emotions, it knows that what it just said was a clear declaration of devotion.

However, Ash's gender-neutral, feminine-loving persona has remained very consistent. So far, he has managed to establish some kind of relationship with almost every reasonably attractive female human he has encountered... and in many cases, it was he who took the initiative.

"Don't even think about it if you can't imagine it. People don't necessarily have to understand each other." Xiao Zhi smiled calmly. "I'm just telling you this because I feel this way... Perhaps, I also want to add some difficulty to the upcoming trials."

“Ash…” Lugia stared at Ash, and the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed. “Forget it, I have no interest in getting involved in Ho-Oh’s trial…besides, I’m not familiar with Celebi.”

Lugia smiled indifferently, "You can make your own choices, and so can I... Let's go and see what the outcome will be."

"Alright... then I'll head out first." Ash nodded gently.

Both his conversation with Lugia and her decision to observe made him feel a little more at ease.

"Ash, if you have time, would you like to tell me about her and your story?" Lugia suddenly called out to Ash from behind before he left. "I'm suddenly a little curious."

"Maybe another time... but those are just trivial human matters, actually quite boring." Ash waved his hand and turned to leave the sea.

“Bored…” Lugia couldn’t help but chuckle and spread its wings.

Being bored yet still constantly affected speaks volumes.

Chapter 505 Asagi City, Ami's Request

Back on the beach, Ash keenly sensed that something was off about the atmosphere among his companions.

"What happened?" Seeing the different expressions on everyone's faces, Ash turned directly to Bea and asked.

The fighting girl is straightforward; she definitely won't hide anything.

"Just now…"

"It's nothing!" Xiaoxia suddenly called out, "Nothing happened just now. I was just getting a little impatient waiting. Let's get going."

Considering that Ryukia was a guest, Misty restrained her temper in front of Ash and thought it best to let the matter drop.

"Are you really alright?" Xiao Zhi raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.

Xiaoxia's face clearly showed that something was wrong.

Moreover, just by looking at everyone's expressions and eyes, Ash could roughly deduce that... the matter was probably caused by Rukia.

"What's wrong with saying this? I just criticized you a couple of times. What, you're a jerk yourself, but you won't let others talk about it?!"

However, Ryukia became stubborn and decided not to let things go, instead directly targeting Ash!

“But you’ve got the wrong person in mind, and you’ve made Xiaoxia uncomfortable,” Lila retorted, frowning, and then casually told Xiaozhi about what had happened earlier.

"I see..." Ash nodded silently, then approached Rukia with a calm expression. "Rukia, do you know that it's important to maintain boundaries in interpersonal relationships?"

"What…"

"It's okay if you don't know." Ash ignored Rukia's surprise and continued, "Of course, it's fine for you to make fun of me. Brock and the others often make fun of me too... After all, I'm the one who did it, and I'm not afraid of being talked about. But why can't you just come at me like they do?"

"I..." Ryukia was speechless for a moment, and she was gradually realizing the problem.

Ash isn't the type to get angry when someone criticizes him; on the contrary, he's quite casual about it.

Xiao Gang and his friends often complained about him, calling him a scumbag, having multiple relationships, and constantly showing off his love. But he just laughed it off.

It was only then that Rukia recalled that the only person her fellow travelers complained about was Ash himself, and they never extended the complaints to Misty or Ash's other girlfriends.

So, did I cross the line...?

Ash didn't pay much attention to these thoughts, and simply took Misty's hand and stood next to Alakazam.

"We should get going."

With the power of teleportation activated, there was no time for Rukia to think. Soon, she felt a lightness all over her body…

The next second, everyone was back on solid ground, having accurately arrived near the Asagi Gym.

Not far from them, Xiao Lan, Miss Li Jia, and another quiet-looking young lady with flowing clothes were waiting eagerly by the roadside.

"Ha, Blue was right, Mr. Ash arrived right away." Seeing Ash's figure appear in the distance, Rika couldn't help but smile gently.

"I'm confident in myself," Xiao Lan said proudly, her face beaming with joy.

Summoning Jutsu: Summoning Ash Ketchum – this is a skill she mastered without any instruction.

After sending a message to Ash, Blue knew he would come immediately.

She had never asked Xiaozhi to do that before, but Xiaozhi was willing to do it and take the initiative to do his best in everything related to her.

“Lucia, this is Asagi City on the Johto Continent. Mr. Wallace’s request has been completed.” Ash said, while typing a message on his phone, “I will notify Mr. Wallace immediately and ask him to come and meet you.”

Ash was planning to end their partnership, and Rukia naturally realized this. But before she could think of a reply, Ash had already gone to meet up with Blue.

Lila, standing beside them, glanced over and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

This Hoenn idol is just too outgoing.

During their trip to the Whirl Islands, Ash and his friends introduced Rukia to Lugia, helped her become friends with Silver, and took care of all her needs...

Whether as entrusted parties or casual acquaintances, their efforts were all appropriate.

However, Ryukia was drawn to those gossipy things, and in the end, she even went beyond Ash's scope and started gossiping about Misty, which was indeed a bit too much.

...

"You came so fast! Luckily I came out to meet you beforehand." Ash had already met up with Blue. The girl giggled, her joy mixed with a familiar teasing.

"You've got quite a group this time. Not only did you pick up Ayaka, but I heard you also traveled with Hoenn's idol before?"

"It wasn't really a trip; it was just fulfilling Mr. Michael's request."

"Huh?" Xiao Lan was taken aback for a moment, and didn't say anything more teasing.

She's incredibly shrewd, especially when it comes to Ash. She can pick up on something from just a single sentence.

After quickly glancing at the various expressions on the faces of the people behind Ash, Blue quickly guessed the situation with a high degree of accuracy.

"Hua Lan's sister, how are you doing?" She pushed Xiao Zhi in front of Li Jia, and then casually put her arm around Xiao Xia's neck, giving her a barely perceptible comforting half-hug.

"Not bad, you've taken things a step further with him." Xiao Lan's words were definitely effective; as soon as she came over, Xiao Xia's mood immediately calmed down, and she casually mentioned her progress with Xiao Zhi.

"That's great!" Xiao Lan's eyes lit up. While congratulating them, she asked about the others, "How are you all doing? We haven't seen each other since Alola."

Ryukia witnessed Xiao Lan's reminiscing scene... To be honest, she had never seen anyone with such strong social skills before.

In their brief reunion, she showed off her affection for her boyfriend, then comforted Xiaoxia, and also made sure to check on her other companions…

She even had time to nod and smile at herself!

...

"Miss Rika, it's so nice to see you in Asahi City too." Ash started catching up with the young lady. "Have you finished things up in Saffron City?"

“Yes, after Sabrina finished her reception duties, I didn't need to stay and assist her. It just so happened that Miss Amy encountered some issues, so I rushed over immediately… Of course, I also hoped to wait for Mr. Satoshi here.”

Rika remained as dignified and quiet as ever, her eyes fixed on Satoshi as she spoke.

"Luckily I didn't disappoint you~" Xiao Zhi smiled gently, naturally appreciating the beautiful sight of the girl's blushing face.

After that, with Rika's introduction, he formally greeted Asagi-kan-shu, who was waiting there.

"Miss Ami, it's a pleasure to meet you."

“Mr. Xiaozhi, I’ve heard so much about you, and today I’m finally meeting you in person.” Ami was very enthusiastic.

"You can just call me by my name. Oh, by the way..." Xiao Zhi smiled modestly, then suddenly remembered something, "Xiao Gang, the medicine."

"Ah...that's right!" Reminded by Ash, Brock darted over in a flash. "Miss Amy, my name is Brock, and I'm the trainer of the Pewter City Gym! Please accept my love that has traveled across the ocean...and an important secret medicine!"

Well, Xiao Gang said that Xiao Zhi really is a true friend; he would never forget his older sister when he has her around.

"The secret medicine of Azure City...this is wonderful!" Ami was overjoyed. "With this, Guang'er will recover quickly, and then I can prepare properly for the competition!"