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

“Uh…” Xiaosong was really stumped by Xiaozhi’s question.

It's true that he has been worshipping Ho-Oh, but he doesn't really know much about the Rainbow Hero. He just wanted to get closer to Ash because he discovered that Ash possessed Ho-Oh's power.

However, after some thought, he actually came up with something.

"As a hero, Mr. Ash, you probably wouldn't want the history of Ho-Oh to be altered, would you?" When he said this, his expression was clearly troubled... and also filled with righteous indignation.

"History alteration?" Xiao Zhi couldn't help but become interested.

"That's right, the new Bell Tower we're in now was built by my people after the original Bell Tower was burned down, with the purpose of welcoming back the Phoenix King..."

As Xiaosong recounted the story, Xiaozhi roughly understood the whole story.

What Komatsu believes to be correct is actually the history of anime.

Long ago, his ancestors built the old bell tower to enshrine the Phoenix King, a symbol of peace.

After that, his ancestors always claimed to worship the Phoenix King, and only their clan was able to communicate with the Phoenix King.

However, three hundred years ago, due to a dispute caused by a group of people who used Ho-Oh's power to do evil, Bell Tower was destroyed by fire, and Ho-Oh left and stopped contacting humans.

Komatsu's ancestors and the residents of Ecruteak City built another tower in hopes of Ho-Oh's return—the New Bell Tower—but Ho-Oh never appeared again.

“Although this history lacks corroboration, it exists in many legends, so it is naturally true history,” Komatsu said in a low voice. “However, the dancing sisters of the current Enoki Dance Hall have recently come up with a new program for some reason, insisting that the former Burnt Tower should be called the Bell Tower, and that it was originally Lugia’s residence!”

"Even the reason for Ho-Oh's departure has been drastically altered by them, making it completely different from the original legend," Komatsu said helplessly. "Yet they happen to be very popular in Ecruteak City, to the point that many people believe their dance performances are the true history! So, Mr. Ash..."

"Mr. Komatsu, let's stop here for now." Seeing that Komatsu was about to continue, Ash had to call a halt. "The issue you raised is too complicated. Could we discuss it again after our gym battle?"

"Well... okay." Xiaosong was a little disappointed, but he knew that Xiaozhi really didn't have time to meddle in these kinds of things.

They're just here to get the badges, so we have to meet that need first.

What he didn't know was that after hearing this historical debate, Xiao Zhi became even more interested in Enoki's dancers.

They've already won just by mentioning Lucia in the ballet.

Chapter 530 VS Dream Demon, Black Eyes Destroys Song and Destroys Himself~

"Let's begin! Ecruteak City Gym Leader Komatsu and Challenger Ash, a Pokémon battle for badges!"

"A total of three Pokémon can be used in a Gym battle. The Gym Leader must attack first and cannot switch Pokémon during the battle. The battle ends when all three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle!"

Inside the Ecruteak Gym, Ash and Matsu stood on opposite sides of the field, and the gym's referee dutifully announced the rules.

"Welcome to the gym, Ash! The first one I'll be using is this one, Mismagius!"

As Ash's sixth gym to challenge, Matsumoto will definitely need to use a more powerful one; he can't just use Gastly from the original series to fill the gap.

With its flowing robes and witch-like appearance, Mismagius is a rather attractive Pokémon. It evolves from Mismagius using a Dusk Stone and is quite common in Johto.

"Torchic, you're in charge of the first strike!" Ash sent out his spirited Speed-Up Chicken, which proudly raised its head at its opponent as soon as it entered the field.

"The starter Pokémon of Hoenn... that's quite rare." Komatsu became even more serious. "Mr. Ash, let's begin the attack!"

"Charge Flame Attack!"

Ash certainly wouldn't hold back with his opponent. Just as Xiaosong finished speaking, Torchic took off, its body enveloped in flames as it charged forward!

"Dream Demon, get out of the way and use the Power Gem!"

Mismagius is already a Pokémon with good speed, and its mobility is even better when it floats in the air. It easily dodged Torchic's attack and then unleashed a Rock-type beam that shot straight into its opponent's back!

"Kick!" But suddenly, a blue light flashed in Torchic's eyes, as if it had eyes in the back of its head, and it completely dodged the attack.

"Use the Charged Flame Strike again!"

Bang!

After a brief exchange, Torchic's speed had undergone a qualitative leap, and Mismagius was unable to dodge in time, getting headbutted in the chest!

Sparks flew, and a black spot appeared on the Dream Demon's robe. Its already meager stamina further decreased.

"It's the Speed ​​Boost ability?!" Komatsu was immediately surprised, only then realizing that Torchic's ability was actually a hidden one!

"Torchbear, keep charging Flame Slash!"

"Dream Demon, launch a stealthy attack immediately!"

Ash's Torchic was playing extremely aggressively, leaving Matsu with no choice but to have Mismagius hide in another dimension.

The opponent's speed was increasing, and he no longer dared to order the Dream Demon to dodge.

Besides having low HP, Mismagius's physical defense is also barely thicker than paper. If it were to be accidentally grazed by Flame Charge, Torchic could easily follow up with a guaranteed hit move like Aerial Ace, and Mismagius would be instantly defeated.

That's all we can do... Xiaosong thought to himself.

"Dream Demon, come out and attack!" Following Komatsu's command, the Dream Demon quietly circled around in the alternate dimension.

"See through!" However, Torchic easily saw through this attack again. It simply spun around on one leg and dodged Mismagius's long-planned sneak attack.

However, this seemed to be within Xiaosong's expectations. Just as the two pets passed each other, a strange, eerie light suddenly appeared in the eyes of the Dream Demon!

"Dream Demon, Black Eyes!"

"Turkey, Swords Dance!"

The black gaze instantly bound Torchic's body, but in response, Ash actually began to increase his attack at this moment!

"Acceleration ability, combined with Swords Dance, could it be..." Xiaosong's heart skipped a beat.

"Turkey, take the baton!"

Sure enough, just as Ash lifted the Poké Ball, Torchic transformed into a streak of light and flew back into the ball, completely ignoring the so-called 'unable to escape' state.

"Your turn next, Heartscale Baby!" "Chirp!!"

"This is bad..." Xiaosong couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Some moves can break through the inescapable state, such as U-turn or Baton Pass. But who would have thought that Torchic, which started by attacking fiercely, would actually be a relay runner?

Now that I think about it carefully, Torchic only has one attack move, Flame Charge, and the rest are all status moves?

...

"It's still the baton relay strategy after all... Is this Ash's plan for Torchic?" Misty asked, somewhat puzzled, in the spectator area.

Torchic is one of the starter Pokémon, and it's said that it can Mega Evolve in the future, so it shouldn't be purely a support Pokémon.

Moreover, Torchic has a rather assertive personality, and it won't be content to be a relay runner forever.

"The reason we fight like this is because the opponents my brother has faced recently have been too strong," Lila explained. "Gym leaders determine the intensity of the battle based on the challenger's strength, so the battles become more and more difficult as they progress, naturally leaving little room for Torchic and the others to perform."

"But as long as you fight like this, leaving a large portion of the upgrade levels for your teammates, you can help them gain the power to shake up powerful opponents. This really aligns with Ash's consistent philosophy of teamwork," Brock said with a smile.

Upon entering the arena, it inherited a sword dance and reached top speed, and Heartscale was overjoyed, jumping around wildly. Meanwhile, Misdreavus was already crying its eyes out.

...

"Since that's the case... Dream Demon, use Black Eyes again!"

Generally, a runner should be followed by a damage dealer. Since he couldn't catch the runner, Komatsu decided to deal with this Heartscale Treasure...

"Use the Dragon Claw!"

Bang!

Just as Xiaosong was making his own plans, Xinlinbao suddenly lunged forward at lightning speed, its solid claw-shaped energy slamming into the Dream Demon!

This attack caused the Dream Demon to scream in agony, and its stamina dropped drastically, leaving it almost walking a tightrope on the edge of danger.

"Use the Song of Destruction!" Xiaosong finally unleashed his trump card. The Dream Demon hummed notes filled with destructive power, instantly surrounding the Heartscale Treasure.

"Heartscale, use Dragon Claw now!" Ash's face showed a hint of feigned urgency... but it was actually an act.

"Dream demon, sneak attack!"

In battles, the strategic maneuvering between the two trainers is also crucial, and in this round of clashes, Komatsu was clearly at a significant disadvantage.

Xiaosong thought that he had already set up the Extinction Song, and all that was left was to stall for time... Little did he know that Xiaoshang had already figured out his strategy.

"Heartscale Treasure, Sword Dance!" Seeing that the Dream Demon had hidden itself, Heartscale Treasure was no longer in a hurry and leisurely completed its attack enhancement.

"This... Dream Demon, come out and attack!" The alternate dimension is good, but it can't hide forever; it will eventually have to come out.

At this point, Komatsu was no longer worried about being countered by his opponent, since there was only one round left.

"Heartscale Treasure, protect!"

Bang!

The suddenly appearing dream demon crashed hard into the light barrier, but failed to cause any damage to the Heartscale Treasure.

Immediately afterwards, its eyes rolled back and it fainted on the spot.

"The Dream Demon has lost its ability to fight!"

very good~

Hearing the referee's announcement, Komatsu, who was taking care of Misdream, couldn't help but smile with a hint of smugness.

He has successfully exchanged the pieces; now all he needs to do is…

"What's going on?" Barely snapping out of his reverie, Xiaosong was astonished to find that Xinlinbao was still standing there!

Moreover, it was completely unharmed, showing no signs of having suffered the destruction of the song!