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

"An afternoon isn't enough. I want Serena to spend more time with me," Ash said with a smile. "I want Serena to accompany me on my trip to Kalos, and later to Alola and many other places."

"This..." Serena blushed and lowered her head. "Of course I want to too..."

But she's still in school... Although after meeting Ash, it's really hard for her to stay in school anymore.

"That's why we need to go to the principal's office to process your early graduation."

"Are you going to take a leave of absence from school?" Serena's eyes lit up.

"No, it's graduating early," Xiao Zhi corrected earnestly. "Your boyfriend is the school board member with the largest shareholding in this school. It's easy for him to get a graduation certificate early."

"Oh...what?" Serena suddenly realized, "Ash, you...are a school board member?"

"Well, just think of it as Nanami-neechan buying the school." Ash said in the most extravagant way possible.

That's pretty much the truth. Otherwise, Serena wouldn't be able to join a class so easily, let alone get special instruction from a gym leader like Violet. Violet even specially asked someone to bring Serena a Pokémon gift from Unova.

According to Nanami, in Carlos, if you're willing to spend money, you can even get the Four Heavenly Kings to work for you...

For example, she's recently been thinking about whether to take over the restaurant of a chef specializing in water-related dishes.

"So, have you thought it through? What are you going to do next?" Ash asked tentatively.

“I…” Serena paused for a moment, then remembered what Nanami had reminded her of.

Xiao Zhi will definitely ask what you want to do in the future.

As the favored one, Ash will not mind whatever Serena answers, and will do his best to help her achieve her goal.

But from Serena's perspective, she still hoped her answer would make Ash happy.

“I don’t know yet…” Serena said frankly, “but I don’t want to ride an armored rhinoceros, nor do I want to be a runner like my mother!”

"Okay, then I'll go and explain to Aunt Sachi for you," Xiao Zhi promised with a smile.

He was happy to hear this.

Even if she hadn't fully found her goal, at least Serena wouldn't deceive herself into wasting time on something she absolutely disliked.

Serena has always shone brightly in Ash's eyes, and she will surely shine even brighter in the future...

Chapter 632 Children are not a continuation of their parents' dreams

Serena's early graduation procedures were processed very quickly. The other party printed and filled out the forms on the spot. By the time the girl had said goodbye to Violet and her classmates, Ash had already received Serena's graduation certificate and excellent transcript.

This 'efficiency' once again showed Ash how Kalos's money could make the Mill-Pushing Ghost so amazing.

It really is a paradise for the rich...

"Ash, what's wrong?" Serena, who had rushed back, noticed that Ash seemed to be feeling somewhat sentimental.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about the headmaster from earlier, he was so warm and welcoming..."

It wasn't just enthusiasm; the other party gave Xiaozhi the green light and granted his every request, practically treating him like a living father.

After all, he's the big spender...

Honestly, this is really bizarre.

Ash had never heard of any Trainer Academy in a region not receiving subsidies from the League, where the principal had to beg and plead for sponsorship.

If a league's trainer development system is like this at the beginning, how can it be expected to achieve great development?

"Let's go, let's go to your house first."

"Oh~" Upon hearing that she was going to take Ash home, Serena immediately forgot what had just happened and began to nervously anticipate her upcoming meeting with her mother.

...

Serena's hometown, Asaka Town, is a small town located in the south of Carlos. They quickly arrived at their destination after setting off from White Sandalwood City.

This small town is very peaceful, with most houses being detached houses and not many pedestrians on the streets.

"We've arrived." Serena led Ash to a rare two-story building. In the small courtyard at the entrance, an Armored Rhino was dozing off.

Upon seeing Serena return, the latter immediately greeted her affectionately.

"Armored Rhinoceros, how are you?" the girl greeted him with a smile.

"Serena, is that you back?" At that moment, Serena's mother, Sachi, leaned out from the second floor. "Don't you have class today... Oh, what's Ash doing here?"

"I apologize for bothering you, Aunt Sachi," Ash said politely.

"You two come up here quickly." Sachi waved to the two of them and disappeared through the window, seemingly going to the living room to prepare.

After Ash and Serena went inside, the three chatted for a while, and Sachi learned the whole story.

"I see. You're quite thoughtful, knowing to prepare a surprise for Serena," Saki praised with a smile.

"You flatter me."

“That’s true. You two chat, I’ll go prepare dinner.” Sachi waved her hand dismissively, leaving the young couple alone, and went to the kitchen.

“Ash…” Serena looked at Ash nervously, clearly worried about the confrontation with his mother that was about to happen.

"Don't worry," Xiao Zhi said with a reassuring smile, assuring her that he would help the girl get through this.

"Tap?" At this moment, Serena's pet Finch suddenly came over and stopped curiously in front of Ash.

"A little Fiery Finch?" Ash raised an eyebrow with interest.

This little arrow-shaped sparrow is quite interesting.

After the upgrade of the management sprite, the scanning function has been comprehensively improved, and it can now scan almost all the statuses of encountered Pokémon.

Ash remembered that Serena's Finch had a hidden ability in the game, and this one did too.

Moreover, its level is not low... I wonder who it gets the experience from fighting every day.

"Here, this is for you." Ash took out an Energy Cube from his backpack that was suitable for Finch, which immediately picked it up happily and placed it aside.

It came for this purpose. The little arrowbird has a keen sense of smell and is willing to get close to people, but in fact, it's all for food.

If it's a wild little arrow finch, it will assess its strength if you don't give it to it, and then decide whether to try to snatch it. Once it gets it, it will eat it and run away immediately. Its personality can be described as quite cunning.

"Why should we give it to it?" Serena pouted in dissatisfaction.

"What, you don't get along with it?"

"It's a lie to say we have a good relationship; you have no idea how annoying it is every morning."

In Serena's view, the little finches were her mother's 'accomplices,' responsible for waking her up every morning with their pecking attacks and forcing her to practice riding the dusty, armored rhinoceros.

Over the years, she and Little Arrow Sparrow have become absolute sworn enemies.

"It's a bit of a waste to have it do these things," Xiao Zhi said with a smile.

"Huh?" The girl was taken aback; she hadn't expected Ash to have such a high opinion of Fletchling.

...

After a sumptuous dinner, Ash sat in the living room with Kalos and her mother, and during this time he formally proposed that he wanted to take Serena on a trip with him.

“Serena is old enough to travel, but Ash, you have to do me a favor,” Sachi said seriously. “My daughter is never interested in riding Rhyhorn. You have to help guide her onto this path.”

“Mom!” Serena frowned immediately.

"Aunt Saki, I can't do that..."

"Why can't you? This girl has you in her heart now. You could just say a few words to her and she would agree to become a runner."

Sachi is right. Given Serena's feelings for Ash, she definitely wouldn't refuse if Ash really asked her.

The problem is, Xiao Zhi can't bring himself to ask.

“Aunt Sachi, I can’t do that.” Ash refused seriously. “I can’t take advantage of Serena’s feelings for me and force her to do things she doesn’t want to do… She really doesn’t like Rhyhorn Race.”

“Why wouldn’t she like it? She just hasn’t discovered the fun in the Iron Rhino race,” Sachi retorted dismissively. “Besides, she’s my daughter; her talent is absolutely unquestionable.”

“But Serena has been training since she was little. If she really found it fun, she should have discovered it long ago,” Ash continued to persuade her. “I understand your thoughts. Serena has also inherited your excellent talent, but she really doesn’t want to do this. I think she can give it up. After all, there is more than one path in life, and there are many other things she can do.”

“Most importantly, Serena is your child, but she is not a continuation of your dream. She should have her own dream.”

“You…” Saki’s expression froze. “You keep saying that Serena should have her own dreams, but what exactly are they?”

In her final words, she addressed Serena directly.

"I don't know either, but I'm willing to look for it!" Serena showed determination at this moment. "I'm going on this trip with Ash because I want to find what I want to do... Mom, I really hope you can understand me!"

“I understand…” Sachi shook her head silently, then turned to Ash, “It’s not that easy… Ash, you may think I’m unreasonable, but please understand a mother’s feelings… You’ve rejected the path I chose for Serena that was closest to success, so you should at least give me some reassurance.”

"You say."

"I'm giving Serena a year. Whatever she does, she has to show me results!" Sachi demanded seriously. "There's more than one path in life to pursue your dreams. Anyone can talk a good game, but reality is always harsh. Just look at Chaoxiang Town; you can see the gap between our family and others!"

"That's true."

Serena's family is definitely a prominent family in Asaka Town, which is largely due to Sachi being a national-level runner.

The contrast between their home and their neighbors is a microcosm of the entire Carlos.

The gap between the rich and the poor in this region is extremely large. If you can't stand out and make outstanding achievements in a certain field, you will eventually just become an unknown town resident.

"So don't think I'm being opportunistic. I genuinely want Serena to have a better future," Saki said seriously at the end. "Of course I know you like Serena very much, and are even willing to do a lot for her... but my daughter is not your appendage. No matter how outstanding you are, she can't always be your foil!"

"Of course!" Ash immediately assured her. "I really hope Serena can find something she loves, and I will definitely help her achieve great things!"