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

"Didn't you make a wish in your dream that you didn't want to stay asleep forever and wanted to stay with us? ...I made it come true," Ash said with a smile. "But you slept too soundly and didn't wake up for two whole days...We've now left Farns, and the Millennium Comet is over."

Butler's instrument was a success. Using Jirachi's original body as a medium, he created a substitute filled with comet energy, which replaced Jirachi and remained in Farnes.

That stand will also continue to release energy into the Farns land, because it was created by the power of the Millennium Comet, and therefore can only exist for a thousand years.

During this time, Jirachi no longer needs to turn into stone!

However, perhaps because it made a third wish and activated the comet's energy, Jirachi slept very soundly and did not wake up until Ash and the others set off.

"This is Steel Valley. Lillie and I are here to explore. Serena and the others are in nearby Twinleaf Town. We'll head over there later."

After leaving Farnsworth, considering that Haruka was going to participate in the upcoming Green Field Tournament, Nanami specifically suggested that they go to Futaba Town.

One of the top Coordinators she mentioned to Serena lives there, which would be a good opportunity for Serena and May to meet him and learn a lot from him.

Ash saw Steel Valley on the map, which piqued his interest and led him to come here on short notice.

He wanted to confirm whether there was anything special about the geology of this place that would make it a habitat for Steel-type Pokémon.

Another possibility is whether he can encounter a Pokémon that he is particularly interested in.

"Knock!" Just then, Ash heard a painful cry.

"Is it a conflict between wild Pokémon?" Lillie asked in surprise.

"Let's go take a look."

Ash immediately led his team to the scene and found that Skarmory and several Magnemite were bullying a Torkoal.

He helped drive away Magnemite, which immediately spewed out a large plume of black smoke, choking Ash and Lillie.

"Cough...cough cough!" Lillie coughed incessantly. "Torrell, it's too hot!"

"Knock..." The Coal Turtle was a little embarrassed; it was prone to making such mistakes when it acted impulsively...

"Crack!" Just then, a deep roar suddenly came from within the Valley of Steel.

Upon hearing this, Torkoal became extremely excited and tried to rush into the valley, but Ash managed to stop it.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet, now is not the time to be reckless," Xiao Zhi advised. "If you trust me, let's work together, and I promise to help you get through this!"

"Knock-tap!" Torkoal seemed very grateful to Ash for his help, and immediately let out another puff of black smoke...

"Alright, let's go." Ash smiled and patted Torkoal's shell, increasingly pleased with it.

With its high level, fighting spirit, and most importantly, its unique characteristics, this Coal Turtle is a highly sought-after pet!

They ventured deeper into the valley, and Ash chatted with Torkoal, offering it some pointers on how to defeat its powerful opponent.

Just as they were about to leave the valley, the earth began to tremble violently, and a surge of green energy burst forth from the ground!

It's Dragon Breath's ultimate move!

Along with the energy appeared the master of Steel Valley, a gigantic steel serpent!

"Knock..." The Coal Turtle immediately became agitated. This was a formidable enemy it had challenged and failed against several times in a row, and all the wounds on its body were thanks to the enemy.

"Steelcore, this is for you." However, to the surprise of all the Pokémon, Ash's first reaction upon seeing Steelix was to offer it as a gift.

What he gave was a metal membrane, something he had prepared in advance. He intended it to use to build a relationship with the local Pokémon if the geology here was special and he needed to leave his Steelix behind.

However, it seems that apart from the Coal Turtle, there's nothing else to worry about in Steel Valley, so let's just use it as toll money... and medical expenses.

"We trespassed into your territory and want to offer this as compensation... Also, I'd like to challenge you to a duel with Coal Turtle, to settle things once and for all before we leave!"

"Cut!" Steelix accepted the item without hesitation and also agreed to Ash's request for a battle.

Anyway, it originally wanted to teach the Coal Turtle a lesson, so it didn't care about fighting another battle.

"I want to make it clear that the battle is not one-on-one, but three-on-three!" Ash said seriously. "I will send two partners to fight alongside Torkoal, and you can also call on two of your own."

That said, someone's plan was indeed shrewd; they were already rehearsing their coordination.

Steelix considered for a moment and then summoned Skarmory and a Magneton.

Although it had defeated Coal Turtle several times, it knew that its opponents were very difficult to deal with, and dared not be overconfident and fight three against one.

"Torrell, would you like to battle with me?" Ash asked expectantly.

"Knock!" The response was the coal turtle's spirited roar.

Its shell was bright red with excitement, like a charcoal stove at an extremely high temperature.

"Very good... Forest Lizard, Talonflame, go!" Ash immediately sent out his two Grass-type and Fire-type champions to confront Steelix's side.

"Ugh...it feels so hot." Lillie kept fanning herself with her sun hat as the battle officially began, and she suddenly felt that the sun had become much more scorching.

"Crack!" Steelix roared, and three Steel-type Pokémon charged forward simultaneously.

"Charge! Flame Charge, Solar Blade! Torkoal, use Flamethrower on Steelix!"

"Fierce!" The Fierce Arrow Eagle responded to the call and took the lead, transforming into a burst of flames and flying out to meet the Armored Bird, known as the Shield of the Sky, head-on!

And then... the Skarmory was gone~

"Fierce?" This result startled even Talonflame. What happened to its supposedly superior physical defense? Even without the Sturdy ability, it's still incredibly fragile.

"Eek..." The forest lizard was equally incredulous. Sunblade was a special move it had only learned recently after its evolution, and it was not yet proficient in using it.

However, under the sunlight, it felt that the blade formed by the beam of light was very easy to control, and could even be used like a blade!

With a flurry of genuine blade flashes, the Forest Lizard managed to hack the Magneton to pieces, leaving it screaming in agony.

"Kane... Kane!" Enraged by his useless subordinates, Steelix roared repeatedly.

Its strength is indeed formidable; it not only withstood the flames of the Coal Turtle but also launched a powerful counterattack with its Iron Tail.

Fortunately, the Coal Turtle was alert enough and jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

"Use Inferno!" Ash gave the timely command, and Torkoal unleashed an even more terrifying flame. Steelix couldn't dodge in time and had to use Sandstorm and Dragon Breath to withstand it.

Although this reduced the damage, it still resulted in burns!

Left with no other choice, it could only dig a hole and burrow underground.

"Iron Defense!" Ash had already prepared a plan and immediately commanded Torkoal to increase its defense.

Torkoal's physical defense is very tough, and Iron Defense is quite effective. Given Steelix's current burned state, even a super-effective attack won't cause serious damage.

Sure enough, after the Steelix broke through the ground and sent the Coal Turtle flying, the latter only trembled a few times before standing up again as if nothing had happened.

"It's time for us to fight back, Coalossal! Go all out... Burn to ashes!!"

"Knock-tap!!"

The shell on Coal Turtle's back turned bright red as it gathered its greatest power and unleashed a pure white flame at Steelix!

Even though it was no longer sunny and Steelix was protected by a sandstorm, the intense fire pillars still hit hard, even pushing Steelix's huge body backward!

"Crack... Crack!" Steelix showed a pained expression as it barely managed to raise its iron tail and disperse the continuous stream of energy.

The two Pokémon faced off like that, but Steelix soon swayed and could no longer maintain its fighting stance.

It gave the Coal Turtle a deep look, as if acknowledging its presence, and then slowly departed with its group of followers.

"Great! Ash, you guys won!" Lillie immediately clapped happily.

"Knock!" The coal turtle immediately spewed out a plume of black smoke in excitement.

But everyone is happy now, and no one cares.

"Hey, are you guys having fun?" Ash asked his friends.

"Fierce!" Fierce Arrow Eagle answered first.

Awesome! Absolutely awesome!

We haven't practiced Fire-type much, but Flare Blitz can still one-shot people, and it was even Skarmory!

"Ee!" The Forest Lizard was equally thrilled. Unrestricted Solar Blade Combos—what Grass-type could resist such temptation?

They now know that the coal tortoise, like its companion the big tortoise, possesses the ability to alter the weather.

This is the best part! With it standing next to us, our Sunny Day team can really shine!

"Torrell, would you like to come with me?" Ash sincerely invited. "You've seen it yourself, everyone likes you... The power you possess will be an important piece of my puzzle!"

"Koo~ Tass!!" Upon hearing this, Torkoal was so excited that it burst into tears, and it rammed its head into Ash's arms, expressing its agreement in every way.

It's finally found its people!

"Then please guide me, Torkoal." Ash caught this enthusiastic companion with a Poké Ball.

Sunny Day Flag Bearer, join the team!

Chapter 709 Two Twin Leaf Towns, and a New Journey

"Ash, where are we going next?"

"Let's go to Twinleaf Town and meet up with Serena and the others."

"And then what? Where are we going next?"

"We'll go back to Alola first. It's a really fun place, and I'm sure you'll love it."

"Oh... will we go back to Farns later? Will I be able to see Absol again?"