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

"My secret..." Silver asked in surprise, but Ash didn't give him a chance to hesitate.

"If you understand, stand up now, don't dawdle!"

"Yes!!" Little Silver sprang up from the ground as if by reflex, staggered a few times, and barely managed to steady himself.

"Very good~" Xiao Zhi finally regained his calm expression.

To be honest, this was a complete accident.

He only prepared countermeasures against the deadly poison because he admired Xiao Yin and believed that she would be able to make the right judgment in a critical moment.

Unexpectedly, I may have been too enigmatic in my reading, which frightened Xiao Yin instead.

"Raven leader, go fight!" After calming down, Little Silver sent out the fifth one, the Night Gentleman wearing a top hat.

Upon its first appearance, Crow Leader displayed its magnificent flying skills, spreading its wings and circling around the field, searching for possible opportunities to attack.

"Use the black mist!" Finally, Little Silver decided to launch an offensive. The raven leader opened its beak and blew out a cloud of ink-like mist, completely obscuring the view of the scene.

"Confirm Alakazam's location, use the Divine Bird!"

Upon receiving Silver's instructions, the Crow Leader immediately began gliding at low altitude to gather strength, while simultaneously using its superhuman eyesight to lock onto Alakazam's location.

As a nocturnal Pokémon, it is obviously like Crobat, adept at fighting when its vision is obstructed.

"Use mental interference as a defense!"

"Switch to a surprise attack immediately!" Ash's command made Silver's face light up with joy. He immediately changed the command, and Crowhead also canceled its charge and swooped down, intending to launch a preemptive attack on Alakazam!

However, after waiting for a while, Xiao Yin still couldn't hear the sound of hitting the target.

"Chief Crow, what's wrong?" The black mist also obscured Little Silver's vision, preventing him from seeing his companion's condition. "Trying to test a knife on the street..."

"It's under control." Ash shook his head slightly, and all the black mist rapidly contracted under the influence of his psychic powers, allowing Silver to see the controlled crow leader.

"Why..." Xiao Yin was completely confused.

"The Raven Leader's surprise attack failed. As for why, you can figure it out yourself when you get back." Ash casually waved his hand, and Alakazam unleashed its wide-area battle power, successfully taking down the Raven Leader.

Little Silver's crow head is quite interesting. Because it is often held by the feet and flies, the crow head's wings are very strong. When using the divine bird, it does not need to charge for too long and can cancel in time to switch to other moves.

However, Silver, the trainer, only has a superficial understanding of the effects of certain skills.

Do you really think Ash had Alakazam set up Psychic Terrain just to increase the power of Psychic-type moves?

In a Psychic Terrain, ground-based Pokémon are immune to priority moves and status effects, rendering Crowbar's Sucker Punch completely ineffective!

"I can only ask you for help in the end... Feraligatr!" At the end of the match, Silver took out his first Pokémon, "Use Dig, then Dragon Dance underground!"

Ash was still waiting for Silver to attack, but the latter made an unexpected choice, sending Feraligatr underground.

It must be said that this was indeed a smart choice.

While Alakazam can tear apart terrain with its psychic powers, it lacks control over the underground, making hiding to strengthen itself a viable option.

"Alakazam, rise to a higher position and be on guard." Ash's eyes changed slightly as he commanded Alakazam to fly into the air, seemingly to guard against a sneak attack.

As Hudi rose higher and higher, a hint of joy finally appeared in Xiao Yin's eyes.

"Mighty Crocodile, launch yourself with a water jet!!"

Without using the powerful Waterfall, the Alligator bursts out of the ground with the fastest speed, like a water column shooting straight into the sky!

Xiao Yin has already discovered the problem.

Every time Alakazam uses its wide-area attack, it needs to stay close to the ground, just like when it was defending against the raid by the crow leader.

It seems that the effects of the spiritual field only work on the ground!

But now that Alakazam is flying in mid-air, it is no longer considered a Pokémon on the ground, so Feraligatr's priority move will naturally be effective!

Alakazam, get out of the way!

"Follow me!"

Ash calmly gave the command, and Alakazam, who was prepared, dodged the attack of Feraligatr. But Silver did not intend to give up. He actually made Feraligatr change direction in the air and relentlessly clung to Alakazam's back!

"Use Crunch with all your might!" For Silver, this was the last chance of the entire match.

The crocodile was closing in on Alakazam, its gaping jaws ready to pounce!

Combined with the dragon dance performed underground, if it hits...

"Dodge upwards...and then use that!"

Bang!

The situation suddenly changed. Alakazam leaped into the air at the crucial moment, but in front of Crocodile, a huge stone ball flew at great speed!

That ball was specially made by Alakazam to block the poison, but now it's being controlled by Alakazam and thrown at Crocodile!

In an instant, pebbles flew everywhere, and the venom contained within the stone sphere completely stained the body of the Mighty Crocodile, instantly putting it into a highly poisonous state!

"Mental interference!" Alakazam had already flown above Crocodile, and with a flick of its spoon, it slammed Crocodile and the rubble heavily to the ground!

This completely unpredictable attack severely damaged Feraligatr, even causing it to activate its Torrent ability.

But Alakazam didn't give it another chance to show off; a spoon was already pressed against the crocodile's forehead like a pistol.

"I... lost!" Xiao Yin lowered her head helplessly.

Perseverance is important, but when defeat is inevitable, we should not let our partners suffer more harm because of stubbornness.

This choice would also be approved by Xiaozhi.

"Match over! Since Silver has conceded defeat, Ash has advanced to the quarterfinals!"

"I lost... Mighty Crocodile, the opponent was indeed very strong. We can only try again next time..." Despite losing the battle, Silver didn't feel particularly frustrated.

After settling his Pokémon in, a resigned expression gradually appeared on his face.

This battle made him realize the gap in strength between himself and Ash, and also made him understand that the other party had seen through his secret.

Since there's no way to escape, let's face it head-on...

"Silver, is this the result you expected?" Ash asked seriously as he led Alakazam forward.

"I don't think so..." Xiao Yin thought for a moment and said, "The defeat was too crushing; they couldn't even use their full set of special moves."

"But some of your responses have been quite good, and... all the choices you've made all along have made me feel that I haven't misjudged you."

"Ash..."

(Stop worrying about those unnecessary things.) Ash didn't say anything more, but instead used his psychic powers to send his voice into Silver's ears, (Your surname, your background, none of those things matter, and you can't choose those things... But you can choose your path!)

Ash witnessed Silver's growth firsthand, from a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) teenager who initially stole Pokémon to someone who shared life and death with Pokémon in the illusion and refused to collude with Team Rocket.

Even now, I dare to challenge myself and can put aside my fear in battles to complete the competition as a trainer!

He has grown into a trainer with the right goals and a bright future!

(Little Silver, I can assure you... you will always have a choice!)

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Ash secretly made a promise.

Xiao Yin can choose for herself what kind of person she wants to become!

"Ash... thank you!"

Chapter 590 During the Conference, the Four Heavenly Kings' Resolution

After a round of 16 battle, Ash, unleashing his full power, showed everyone his current strength.

For a time, the entire Baiyin Mountain area, and even the Kanto and Joto regions, were abuzz with discussion.

People are endlessly discussing just how strong Ash is now, and whether he has surpassed the Elite Four level...

Did they even reach a higher social class?

In particular, the Johto League recently announced the complete list of the Elite Four, but Ash, who has a great reputation, was not selected. Will he feel it is unfair and want to face the Elite Four after the tournament?

Various rumors and speculations abound, and people can't help but wonder whether Ash will exercise his Elite Four challenge right if he wins the championship.

Meanwhile, on Silver Mountain, another group of people being discussed were also having a detailed conversation about this matter.

"In short, this is my proposal... What are your opinions?" In a secret office, Lance asked his Four Heavenly Kings.

"After this tournament ends, I'll battle Ash alongside you all and help him establish his reputation as an absolute powerhouse!"

Ever since the Dragon Sanctuary held the Broth Feast, Dragon Ferry has been wanting to do this.

Gather the strongest forces in the Johto region and challenge Ash, the champion, after the tournament, and defeat him!

It was precisely for this goal that Yulongdu was so eager to gather the Four Heavenly Kings of Johto.

He was certain that Ash was absolutely capable of defeating the five of them, as long as that kid was willing to go all out in the battle, beyond what was required in a standard battle!

Such a grand event will undoubtedly attract everyone's attention, and Ash's reputation will be pushed to its peak, surpassing Lance and becoming the new representative of Kanto and Johto.

This is the reward that Yulongdu can offer, and it is also the scene he hopes to see: a young, peerless powerhouse ruling over the two alliances!

Now, the champion needs to hear the response from his four kings.

“Of course we can fight this match, and given his performance today, even if we go all out, we might not be able to win,” Shiba said thoughtfully. “However… five people are too many. The four of us will be fine.”

Yu Longdu frowned; Shiba clearly didn't want him to show his face.