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

“We will notify you as soon as possible,” Cynthia nodded in assurance. “In addition, the Sinnoh League will cooperate with you to temporarily keep the news of Kote’s matter confidential.”

"That was a huge help!" Ash said with a grateful smile.

"I'll help my aunt too... and say a few good things about you from time to time~" Chengzi said with a playful smile, but was immediately glared at by Cynthia.

"Ash, I haven't had a chance to tell you about Xeno'jiiva." Souji stepped forward with a face full of gratitude. "I know, it was the Xeno'jiiva of the past, so it was you..."

“There’s no need to worry about that.” Ash patted Souji on the shoulder. “It’s back, and you can rekindle your old bond… That’s enough.”

Using Celebi's power to travel through time and space and revive Luxray with the power of resurrection was Ho-Oh's own decision. Ash wouldn't take credit for it, and naturally, he didn't need Souji's thanks.

"Yes!" Zongci nodded heavily, the bond and friendship were all unspoken.

"I'm leaving now. Please thank Aunt Aya for me when you get back. She really taught Serena a lot." Ash turned to Dawn at the end.

"Of course! My mom is the best Coordinator!" The girl proudly raised her chin. "After I go on my trip, I'll challenge the Grand Contest, and I'll definitely surpass my mom in the end!"

As he spoke, Xiao Guang's tone gradually lowered, and his face showed more reluctance.

Although she remained an observer throughout this short trip, she still gained something from it.

She didn't know where her familiarity with Ash came from, nor did she understand why the three lake gods called her a 'hero'... but she knew that the main reason Ash was running around so tirelessly and relentlessly chasing Team Galactic was to protect her.

If Ash hadn't done those things beforehand, Mesprit might have driven him to do them...

Thinking of this, Xiao Guang stretched out his palm with anticipation.

"Hey, do you still stand by what you said on Steel Island?" Hikaru asked softly. "If I go on a trip..."

"Of course it counts, I'll definitely come~" Ash understood and stepped forward, giving the girl a high five to make a promise.

"See you later, everyone!" After waving goodbye to everyone, Ash, Serena, and Lillie set off to board the plane.

As the jet streaked across the blue sky, the scenery on the ground gradually became smaller and smaller…

Ash has temporarily left the land of Sinnoh, but he will definitely come back later!

...

"Ash, what do we do after we get to Unova?" Serena asked excitedly during the flight.

Previously in Sinnoh, she had been in seclusion, missing many opportunities for adventure.

Upon learning that Ash was going to Unova to continue his mission, Serena said she definitely wanted to test her skills.

"We'll land in Flying Cloud City, and then wait for Kota's men to report our itinerary," Ash said confidently with a smile.

The reason he kept Kotai as a doll was to use this 'King' card to lure out the other 2s in the opponent's hand.

Therefore, Cynthia also had Sinnoh's official sources release false information. The current public information is that Kotei, with the help of Zoroark, has managed to deceive everyone and is still on the run.

This news will be deliberately spread to Unova, and Ash will then contact Kotetsu's subordinates in Kotetsu's name, and naturally they will be able to find out who these bastards are!

After a ten-hour flight, Ash and his friends successfully arrived in Lapis Lazuli City.

As soon as they stepped out of the airport, the two women were stunned by the sight before them.

"This place feels even bigger than Miare City!" Serena was even taken aback by the countless skyscrapers in front of her.

She had seen big cities before. Luna City was known as the romantic capital of the Pokémon world, but compared to Suicune City, it seemed to be a bit smaller.

"There are so many people coming and going, it feels a bit crowded... and they all look so anxious." Lillie noticed the crowd, everyone seemed to be in a hurry, unlike the relaxed Alolaans.

“Feiyun City is the business center of the Unova region. Living in such a metropolis is very stressful,” Ash explained. “Moreover, it is currently the most populous city in the Pokémon world on record.”

In the game, the city with the largest population in the Pokémon world is Lumiose City, with over four hundred people.

The hundred or so people in Feiyun City don't even rank in the top five.

However, this statistic is based on the premise that the population of Feiyun City is not taken into account... otherwise, this city would undoubtedly be the number one city!

So it's very crowded here, and almost everyone is extremely busy.

It took Ash and his friends quite a bit of effort to find a small hotel in the city to stay in.

Unfortunately, I couldn't book any decent hotels; and when I wanted to go to the Pokémon Center, they insisted on using my local Pokédex to register me.

Having visited so many regions, this was the first time Xiaozhi had ever been so speechless.

He uses only a mobile phone to get around now, and he hasn't used the encyclopedia for a long time, okay?

It's not like I'd really go all the way to Deer Town just to get a Pokédex from Professor Juniper just to go to the Pokémon Center...

What if you encounter some arrogant, country bumpkin-like noobs who keep talking about being a "country bumpkin"? Wouldn't that be even more frustrating?

After a quick night's rest, the three of them were refreshed and, while waiting for a response from Kotai's men, they began to explore the megacity.

“Where should we go first… I heard the exhibition at the Fei Yun Gallery is amazing?” Serena suggested first, while eating Fei Yun ice cream, a local specialty.

“We could also go see the Sky Arrow Bridge; it looks quite spectacular,” Lillie suggested.

"You can go anywhere, there's plenty of time anyway," Xiao Zhi said with a smile.

The three of them ate ice cream and discussed things for a while, but when it came time to set off, both women changed their minds.

They picked up a flyer on the street that said there would be a large chorus competition in the United States region at the theater today.

The two girls initially thought it was just a simple singing performance, but they were later told by passersby that it was actually a Pokémon battle.

"The two choirs take turns playing, and the Pokémon use various singing moves to perform. It's a very interesting competition!"

Upon hearing what the passerby said, the two girls immediately became interested and simultaneously took Xiaozhi's arm, indicating that they wanted to go listen to the chorus.

"Let's go then," Xiao Zhi decisively bought three... scalped tickets at a higher price.

There's no way around it; for events like concerts, if you don't buy tickets in advance, you're just waiting to be ripped off.

However, their seats were quite good; they were right in front of the stage, not too close, but with a good view of the entire stage.

The singing competition between the two Pokémon was also very interesting. Ash even thought it was a kind of gorgeous battle of sound.

When the rhythm begins, human musicians will start singing, and then the conductor will give instructions to the Pokémon to use sound-based moves to join in the harmony, so that they can coordinate with their own music while also trying to disrupt the opponent.

For example, they might use rounds to advance the beat, collective echoes to increase power, or use healing bells to counteract the hypnotic effects of grass flutes or singing tricks—in short, each method has its own unique approach.

Serena listened with great interest, discovering for the first time that a purely vocal technique could be expressed so melodiously and gracefully.

You can't blame her, after all... the sound-based moves she's most familiar with are the ones Ash's Kommo-o uses.

Sonic booms, scale noises, fiery soul dance sonic booms... in short, all sorts of ear-piercing noises.

"Next, please let the judges score the two teams on stage!" After the singing competition ended, the host focused the audience's attention on the judges' panel.

Xiao Zhi glanced around briefly and spotted a striking, energetic patch of white hair among the group of seasoned music critics…

"Homiga?"

Chapter 731 The Lecture on Plasma Clusters

It's quite a contrast that a choral competition, which is supposed to be all about melodious and graceful singing, has a non-mainstream punk judge.

However, in terms of professionalism, Homiga is fully qualified.

Looking at the entire United Music Association, she is in a class of her own in the rock music scene.

"Are there any acquaintances of Ash among the judges?" Serena asked curiously in a low voice after hearing Ash's mutterings to himself.

"Yes, it's a friend I met when I was traveling in Kanto," Ash explained. "Maybe we can meet up after the tournament is over."

The choir competition was drawing to a close, and as it was about to end, the theater seemed to have arranged a special program, inviting a group of students-looking teenagers onto the stage.

"At the end of the match, please enjoy a special performance by the students of the Hinoki City Trainer Academy!"

"Hinoki City...", "Trainer Academy?", "Their clothes are so cute!"

The host's words immediately caught the attention of Xiao Zhi and his two friends.

Ash is more interested in Hinoki City, while Serena is attracted by the fact that the other party is a student, after all, she has only left the Trainer Academy not long ago.

As for Lillie, she thought the Jigglypuff and Chatterbox outfits were really great.

By the way, the name of this group of students is "Pangding Choir".

However, the song they were going to perform was not the infamous Jigglypuff song, but a song called 'Sitting on Laplace's Back'.

This only piqued Xiao Zhi's interest even more.

Laplace is the same as Lapras, and that's basically what's called it in 'foreign' countries like Unova, Carlos, and Alola.

As for this song, Ash initially thought of the song "The Boy Sitting on Lapras's Back" from the special episode, which was said to have been written by Professor Oak, Agatha, Steel, and others as a song dedicated to the young Plum.

Unfortunately, that song failed to move Liu Bo, who ultimately became the villainous boss of the Gold and Silver Saga.

Later, this song was indeed sung by students from Higichi City...

As the song's intro began, gradually transitioning from a soothing tone to a cheerful one... Xiao Zhi paused for a moment, realizing he had made a mistake.

The style of this song seems to be closer to the ending theme of the Orange Island arc of the anime, the one that Misty and Lapras sang together.

Even without a boat, even if you can't swim, the journey begins with just a call...

Listening to the students' singing, Xiaozhi couldn't help but recall his trip to the Orange Islands.

The dragon has been migrating with its parents for a while now, and the dragon herd must have grown even larger by now.

As Xiao Zhi imagined this, the song gradually came to an end, until it won a standing ovation.