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

"Ash, can you please stop being so aggressive?" Mikuri said, frowning.

"That depends on what Hoenn has done!" Ash retorted sharply. "The Rarus City Defense Robot is essentially a product of the Rayquaza capture plan. Do I really have to spell that out for you?!"

“You?!” Mikoli was completely shocked.

He was now certain that Ash knew everything about Hoenn!

"That's quite a grand plan. All the high-ranking members of Hoenn, your family and Steven's family, the Elite Four, most of the Gym Leaders like Senri, other families, companies like Grand Mauville Holdings, and Larousse City all came up with this plan, fantasizing about capturing Rayquaza!"

"Unfortunately, your actions were not discreet, leading to the plan being leaked and forcing its abrupt termination. After that, you actually started fighting amongst yourselves like dogs, each faction trying to minimize losses and ensure the utter destruction of others..."

"In the end, the Grand Violet Holdings Company's capital chain broke and the company went bankrupt, leaving Tie Xuan with no choice but to become a down-on-his-luck gym owner; the Yuantian family's assets in Larousse were forcibly seized, and Ashida had no choice but to withdraw from Hoenn with the remaining funds!"

"The Kozfouche family and Devon rose to prominence, successfully transforming from a coal mining company into the most sophisticated enterprise in the Hoenn region; along with Larousse, they also built a reputation as a high-tech city by taking advantage of the remaining benefits of the plan."

"But that's not all. Do you know what consequences you've caused?" Ash's voice was filled with obvious contempt. "Since then, the Mossdeep Space Center has become completely useless. No rocket in Hoenn or even the entire world has been able to launch into space!"

"You yourself, as a Citizen of the Glass, have now lost the ability to break the seal on the Pillar of the Sky! Because, although you were not directly involved, your family betrayed the allies of the Meteor Village... and thoroughly angered the god they worship!"

"Also, do you know why Team Magma and Team Aqua are so arrogant? ... Because they completely look down on you high-ranking members! The only threat they care about is currently sleeping soundly in the ozone layer and will absolutely not care about the life or death of the land and sea anymore!"

“Mikeli, I’m telling you this right now… within a year or two, Hoenn will definitely suffer a disaster, and a major one at that!”

"Do you know what this is called? This is called retribution!!"

Chapter 510 Even if they're bad guys, none of them will be spared

"Thank you so much, Ash."

After the Asagi Tournament ended, Ami held her first ribbon badge, her face beaming with joy.

To win the Grand Contest on your own doorstep for the first time—you can imagine the joy and excitement.

"Please accept this steel badge." She took out the badge and solemnly handed it to Ash.

"Thank you." Xiao Zhi certainly wouldn't be coy with her.

The hard work he's put in these past few days as a sparring partner is no less than what he'd put in for a dojo match.

“So, Miss Ami, you’ve officially become a disciple now,” Rika said softly with a smile.

"That's true, but I still feel there are many things I don't understand," Ami said, still somewhat unsure. "Anyway, I will continue to work hard and strive to come up with that kind of beautiful and glamorous performance!"

"Performances can be arranged appropriately, but the focus should still be on Pokémon training and battles," Ash offered a brief suggestion, but didn't give a definitive answer.

The judges of the competition kept emphasizing the charm of Pokémon itself, but if they really judged according to this standard, then the competition was actually about the skill of the breeders.

The better a Pokémon's fur color, the healthier its physique, and the shinier its scales and shell, the more advantageous it is.

Just like Ash's Milotic, he can easily get a high score on the first stage by using any special move.

If you calculate it that way, Ami's Steelix is ​​definitely attractive... but after it enters the field, if it blows up a sandstorm or an earthquake, can it pass the level?

Even a fool would know it's unlikely to succeed.

"I understand. I still want to thank Ash for his help again." Ami seemed to understand and thanked Ash again.

"In any case, everyone is happy now, and I'm going back to the Rainbow Gym." Seeing that everything had settled down, Rika also prepared to take her leave. "I will wait for news from Mr. Ash at the gym, so please keep in touch."

"Definitely." Ash nodded silently. He really wanted to ask Rika to stay longer, and even considered taking her on a trip...

However, considering the upcoming schedule, Xiao Zhi ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it.

...

After leaving the Asagi Gym, the group chose a quiet place, and Ash's expression gradually became serious as they talked about their upcoming itinerary.

"I'm thinking that you guys shouldn't come with me for the next Phoenix King Trial. Just Xiaolan and I will go."

"Why?" Xiaoxia asked first.

Xiao Lan stood there dumbfounded, only then realizing that Xiao Zhi had actually guessed her intentions!

"Because... I'm likely to be the bad guy this time."

"What?!" Ash's answer left everyone except Blue puzzled.

"Suicune told me about a trial, hoping I could protect Celebi... but I might have to break the rules." Ash sighed softly, then looked at Blue seriously, "Because I plan to catch Celebi!"

"But...why?" Xiao Gang asked, puzzled.

As a fellow traveler, Xiao Gang prided himself on knowing Xiao Zhi well.

Ash doesn't mind catching a legendary Pokémon, and he doesn't mind using force... Back in Alola, he said more than once that he wanted to catch Tapu Lele.

Even so, he wouldn't risk ruining the trial and going against Ho-Oh for the sake of Celebi!

"Actually, it's because I want to capture Celebi," Blue suddenly spoke up. "The evil villain that Suicune mentioned is probably me... I want to capture Celebi and even try to use its power to travel through time!"

Everyone was shocked again, but Ash remained calmly smiling, looking at Blue with gentle eyes.

"Xiao Zhi, when did you find out?" Xiao Lan asked with a sigh upon seeing this.

“In Alola, when I learned that the research on Ultra Hole would take several years to make progress, I had a vague idea... I took you and Lila to try Fini's mist to confirm my guess.”

"Then why didn't you stop me back then?"

"Why do you ask that? That's a really unnecessary question." Xiao Zhi shook his head with a smile, not intending to answer at all.

Why should he stop her? That's what Xiao Lan wants to do!

Since the Ultra Hole is a dead end, all Blue has left is to return to Johto and use Celebi's power to travel through time and find her parents!

She could even travel back to the night before the incident and change everything from the source!

Even if Celebi is useless, Ash even made other plans for her... such as going to Sinnoh, stealing a Red Chain from Team Galactic, and then bringing back a Time Warp.

"Anyway, that's the situation." Ash bowed apologetically to everyone. "Blue is not only my girlfriend, but also my most important family member. I have to stand with her... but I also don't want you all to make this difficult choice, so it's best if you don't get involved..."

"I want to go with you!" Xiaoxia suddenly declared unequivocally. "I don't care what you're going to do there, I said I'd be with you on this trip, and I'm going to see it through! Besides..."

She turned to Xiao Lan, her expression immediately becoming more determined.

"Blue is your family, but I'm your girlfriend now... and also her friend! If you don't mind that I'm weak, I can fight, even... stop Suicune, no problem!"

"Hua Lan's..." Xiao Lan was completely stunned!

Suicune is regarded as a totem by Misty, and the fact that she would bring it up and swear an oath undoubtedly touched Blue deeply.

There was a time when, apart from Ash, no one could truly understand Blue's heart.

Even when facing childhood friends like Shigeru and Lila, Xiaolan always observed their expressions and wore a fake smile, leaving the fun for others while bearing her loneliness alone...

She did take exceptional care of Misty, but that was because she had seen Ash's curiosity about the original characters in his eyes before.

Xiao Lan mistook that curiosity for appreciation, which is why she was so helpful to Xiao Xia and even jokingly referred to her as 'Hua Lan's sister'.

Ultimately, it all comes down to Ash.

But now, she has broken down.

Before she knew it, this strong-willed and proud orange-haired girl had already occupied a very important place in her heart...

“Sister Xiaolan, I’ll help you too,” Lila said firmly. “Brother is right, we’re family, we have to face this together… If we have to make a mistake together, then we’ll both be the bad guys!”

Another breach of defense.

However, the joy her companions gave her continued.

"I'm not really suited to being this sentimental... But Ash, I'm rooting for you!" Brock patted his chest vigorously. "Take me with you!"

Brock is a man who never gives up on his older sister and never gives up despite repeated failures. He admires Ash's willingness to do anything for his beloved.

"When do we leave?" Cai Dou asked succinctly at the end.

"You... alright, I'll leave right away." Ash reluctantly changed his mind. He had originally wanted to tell Bea to stay and finish the Asagi Gym battle first.

But he had a vague feeling that if he actually said that, the girl might drag him into another real-life fight...

And so, everything was ready.

The entire Johto team was present. They set off north from Asagi City, crossing mountains and rivers, and even going upstream along waterfalls, until they finally arrived at the northernmost point of the continent, in a remote forest!

Gonomura.

This is what Suicune told me; before Celebi lived in the forest, it was the only place inhabited by humans.

Chapter 511 An Encounter in Time and Space, Young Snow City

Kano Village is located in the northwestern corner of the Johto Continent, surrounded by dense forests hidden among the mountains.

The village is nestled deep in the forest, and the villagers have built many small wooden houses in the towering trees, which look very elegant and peaceful.

Ash and his friends traveled below the village and soon arrived at the end of the village, which was also the entrance to Celebi Forest.

It was as if the place was blocked by a huge wooden wall, the mottled 'wall' covered with dense vines and branches, with only a small path in the middle that shone with a faint light, its destination unknown.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers that this is actually a colossal tree of immeasurable size, blocking the road like a natural barrier, isolating the forest from the outside world... yet preserving a slight possibility of intersection.

"Wait a minute!" Just as Ash and the others were about to enter the forest, an old voice suddenly called out to them.

It was an old woman who lived in a treehouse nearby, and she looked very serious.

"You are all unfamiliar faces. Are you going into the forest?" the old woman asked.