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

"That's so sweet, so thoughtful. No wonder so many girls like you~" Nanami smiled even brighter, pretending to pat Ash's hair through the screen. "I'm doing fine here, you don't need to worry at all."

"That's good... Also, thank you so much for Serena's matter," Ash said gratefully.

He knew very well that it must have been Nanami who provided crucial guidance during this period that led Serena to confirm her goal and begin to work tirelessly at the Trainer Academy.

After all, in the anime, although Natasha was chosen as the main female character because of her unrequited love for Ash, at the beginning of the trip, she was really just a love-struck girl with no other pursuits besides Ash.

"Isn't that what I should do?" Nanami smiled gently...

Bang bang bang!

Before she could say anything more, a loud knocking sounded behind Xiaozhi.

Ash walked over curiously and saw a hedgehog-like head reflected in the peephole...

"Xiao Mao, what brings you here?"

"Of course I have something to say... Sis?" The overly familiar Shigeru entered the house and was about to speak to Ash when he caught a glimpse of his sister in her pajamas out of the corner of his eye, leaving him completely dumbfounded.

My older sister, just before going to bed... or rather, right after taking a shower, was video calling my brother in her pajamas.

"Oh, Mao's here! You two chat, bye-bye~"

Du~du~

Hearing the busy tone on the phone, Xiao Mao felt inexplicably worse.

What's wrong? You can talk to him, but you have nothing to say when you see your own brother?

"You...you're not trying to pick up my older sister, are you?"

"You...you came to my room tonight just to say this?"

Chapter 601 The Finals, VS. Shigeru, Starting with Talk-no-Jutsu

The unexpected incident just now left Ash and Gary feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Ash didn't think much of it at first, but after Gary's sharp tongue, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

Besides, the conversation just now was indeed quite unrestrained...

Fortunately, Xiao Mao quickly remembered his business and awkwardly asked, "Could you... come with me for a walk?"

"Why should I go for a walk with you?" Xiao Zhi refused speechlessly. "It's so late at night, don't you think it looks weird for two men to go out side by side?"

"So you think it's better to stay in the room?" Xiao Mao retorted irritably. "If we get cornered by those drama queen Lan and her gang of women who come to raid us at night, we'll never be able to clear our names even if we jump into the waterfall in the capital!"

“That makes sense…” Xiao Zhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

The risk of staying in the room is still too high... because Little Blue might really launch a night raid!

Given her penchant for seeking entertainment, she might just start enthusiastically promoting the Zhi-Mao couple, making it a public spectacle...

So Ash decided to go out. He and Gary found a secluded spot outside the contestant village and started staring at each other.

"Sigh, the finals are tomorrow..." After staring blankly for a while, Xiao Mao finally couldn't take it anymore and looked up at the moon in the sky with a sigh...

"Can't you just say what you want to say? Why are you hiding it from me?" Ash urged helplessly.

Honestly, it's already weird enough for two grown men to be admiring the moon together, so why are you being so hesitant to say anything?

It's like you're trying to express something...

"Ash, I hope you can give it your all in this battle!" Gary composed himself and earnestly requested, "Please, use your strongest abilities in this final battle!"

"So that's what it is..." Xiao Zhi was stunned for a moment, but not too surprised.

Shigeru is currently awakening his Cyan template, so naturally he'll want to challenge stronger opponents...

Well, Ash will soon find out just how absurd his ideas were.

"I want to settle things once and for all!" Xiao Shi said resolutely. "From childhood to adulthood, we've always been compared to each other... This tournament, we'll settle things once and for all!"

In his excitement, Shigeru even pulled out an old, broken Poké Ball!

"This is..." Xiao Zhi's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

He certainly recognized the Poké Ball; it had appeared in the anime and was considered a symbol of the bond formed between rivals, with Ash and Gary each owning half of it.

But in this world, this is just one of many toys that they found together when they were kids, and that Ash gave to Gary...

In this world, Zhi Mao and his companion shared not only toys, clothes, and beds when they were young, but also their grandfather, parents, and sister. They were even closer than blood brothers!

This broken Poké Ball couldn't possibly represent their bond... but Gary just happened to find it!

"You can keep this Poké Ball for now... Tomorrow, we'll have our final battle!" Gary rambled on, shoving the Poké Ball into Ash's hand before turning to leave...

"Wait a minute!" Ash immediately stopped him. "Explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by 'final showdown'?"

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired of it..." Shigeru said in a hoarse voice, "Traveling, battling, collecting badges, participating in tournaments... always following you around, always saying I want to compete with you, I'm getting tired of this kind of life. So I'm thinking, this might be my last League Tournament..."

"The final tournament?" Ash frowned.

"That's right, that's also my requirement for myself," Shigeru said seriously. "We'll have a full-on battle. If I lose, I'll never participate in the tournament again and will completely give up being a trainer! So..."

"Stop with the excuses!" Ash interrupted Gary's request sharply. "Gary, are you sure you're not running away?"

"What are you talking about? I didn't mean to run away!" Xiao Mao argued, slightly dissatisfied.

"You'd be wrong!" Ash continued to accuse. "Challenging the strongest me... Have you forgotten how badly Silver and Kenta were beaten? And you said you wouldn't be a trainer if you lost... You went to fight a battle you were sure to lose, isn't that just plain trying to run away?!"

"Ash, I didn't!"

"I won't be a starter."

"you…"

"Those Dragonite and the others that I caught in the game won't be used." Ignoring Gary's astonishment, Ash continued, "I might as well tell you in advance that I will only use the partners I caught on Orange Island and Johto to fight you... But even so, you still can't beat me!"

"Don't look down on me!" Gary was finally provoked by Ash. "I admit you're strong, but I'm not someone you can just bully!"

"You can try," Ash said dismissively. "You used that method to fight Bebek just to give your main force enough time to prepare... but you still can't beat me! Even if you send out an Elite Four-level Aerodactyl, even if your Blastoise can Mega Evolve... you still absolutely can't win!!"

"Enough!!" Gary roared angrily. "I won't let anyone look down on me! Ash, I'll crush your arrogance! Haven't you always thought you were invincible, never defeated since your debut, and never even had a single Pokémon lose its battle ability...?"

"But all of that is in the past! Tomorrow's battle will shatter your carefully constructed perfection! I will eliminate your Pokémon in the battle, and even defeat you completely!! You..."

Shigeru kept venting, but he soon noticed that Satoshi stopped talking and just watched him silently.

In the other person's eyes, Xiao Mao saw obvious regret and worry...

"Have you vented?" Ash asked calmly. "If you're alright, go back and rest early, and prepare well for tomorrow afternoon's match. Also..."

Ash paused for a moment, then said seriously, "The Shigeru I know, although proud and arrogant, has always had the strength to match. He comes from a prestigious family, but he never uses it to his advantage, and he has no shortage of courage to withstand setbacks! He is the kind of guy who perseveres. Even if he fails a hundred times, he will definitely stand up again on the hundred and first time!"

"You...don't give me that nice talk!" Xiao Mao pouted awkwardly. "No matter how nicely you say it, it's useless...just wait and see, I'll make you pay tomorrow!"

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you~" Upon hearing this, Ash finally smiled.

To be honest, he was really startled. He thought Shigeru was awakening the Cyan Template, but it suddenly turned back into an animation.

Thankfully, it was a false alarm...

"Oh, right, there's something else." Xiao Mao, who was about to leave, suddenly turned back. "You bastard, are you trying to woo my older sister?"

"Fuck off!"

Watching Shigeru's departing figure, Ash rolled his eyes in exhaustion.

When will this guy finally stop making me worry about him?

I have to manage whether he evolves or not, I have to manage his strength improvement, and I also have to provide psychological counseling...

With a brother-in-law like this, Xiao Zhi feels like he's turning into a "brother-supporting demon" (someone who prioritizes their brother's needs over their own).

Chapter 602 The Finals, Disadvantage, the Unbeatable Pegasus?

The following day was the final day of the Silver Tournament.

In the morning, Ye Yue and Cai Dou had a battle for third and fourth place... and then he lost to another out-of-towner.

In the afternoon, the final match finally arrived!

"Ladies and gentlemen, the highly anticipated final round of the Silver Tournament is about to begin!"

"Both players in the match are from Pallet Town. The red player, Shigeru, was the runner-up in the last Indigo League and is also a rising star trainer in recent years!"

"And Ash Ketchum from the green team is the champion of the last Indigo League! He now holds a high position in the League and his reputation is legendary. He defends the Crimson Star of Kanto and Johto with his great strength and boundless enthusiasm!"

"These two trainers, known as the unparalleled duo, will surely deliver a spectacular match for us. Please look forward to it with great anticipation!!"

The commentary was passionate and the cheers from the audience were louder and louder, but both the red and green people in the stadium and the blue people in the audience all had a speechless expression.

Red: Does the commentary have to be so awkward? But Crimson Star is definitely stronger than Red Devil.

Green: "Peerless Twins," what an awful title... and I, the great one, am the number one in the world!

Blue: Why are red and green switched again? Spreading dog food like this should get you fined, okay?

"Nidoking, here he comes!" *2

After the referee announced the start, the two players surprisingly brought out the same Pokémon, a pink and a purple Unicorn, to compete against each other!

"Roar!" Shigeru's Nidoking roared fiercely as soon as it appeared, showing considerable agitation.