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

Xiao Zhi joined the other audience members in clapping; the final performance was clearly very well received.

The students were all very excited, and one female student even rushed to the judges' table, grabbed Homiga's hand, and jumped up and down.

It seems that Homiga helped them get the chance to perform in the special program, and now that the performance has been a great success, the students are naturally very grateful to their mentor, surrounding her with a huge crowd.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhi also gave up the idea of ​​going up to reminisce.

Since we're in the same city, we'll definitely have a chance to meet again.

...

"Where do we go next?"

After leaving the theater, seeing that it was still early, the two women began to worry about their next plans.

At that moment, they saw many people hurrying by.

"I heard there's a protest speech in Central Park, saying they want to liberate Pokémon or something."

"They seem to still be condemning the choir competition, saying that Pokémon shouldn't be used for these kinds of things..."

The conversation of a few passersby caught the attention of the three. Serena and Lillie had never seen such a gathering, protest, or march before.

Ash, on the other hand, had already figured out who the main person protesting was.

The three set off for Central Park to investigate. When they arrived, they found that a large stage had indeed been set up, and a group of staff members were surrounding an old man who was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Pokémon deserve freedom and to live in the world on an equal footing with humans! Using them to fight or for singing competitions is simply treating them as servants!!"

The old man in the long robe was shouting energetically on the stage. Xiao Zhi was worried that he might suddenly pass out.

As expected, it's Team Plasma... Ash has already learned from some related Pokémon that the person talking nonsense is named Smurf.

One of the Seven Sages, he appears to be hiding in Feiyun City at the beginning of the Black and White storyline.

"Is there something wrong with what they're saying?" Serena frowned as she listened to Team Plasma's presentation. "Trainers grow up alongside their Pokémon, so how did that turn into them enslaving them?"

“But it seems to have a real audience; quite a few people are already supporting them.” Lillie looked around and noticed that there were quite a few people responding positively.

Even worse, some people, filled with shame, pulled out their Poké Balls and released the Pokémon they had painstakingly raised!

"People who lack independent thinking skills are indeed easily misled by such clumsy rhetoric," Xiao Zhi said calmly.

In Xiao Zhi's opinion, Plasma Group's move is similar to pyramid schemes and telephone scams.

I am King Pokrandice. I perished alongside Ho-Oh in our battle, but I have finally been resurrected. However, all my wealth is frozen, and I need a little pocket money to unfreeze it… Stranger, send me some money, and I will reward you with a vast fortune, plus a Ho-Oh that will obey your every command and even warm your bed!

This kind of lie, which sounds like utter nonsense, actually fools some people. The Plasma Group is targeting these kinds of people.

Of course, their rhetoric was much more sophisticated when they actually started their deception... after all, it was a widely circulated founding legend in the Unova region~

"Hey, what nonsense are you guys spouting?" A familiar voice suddenly reached Ash's ears.

He turned his head and saw that Homiga had also arrived at this place at some point.

The white-haired girl casually braced herself against the edge of the podium, then nimbly leaped onto the stage, hands on her hips, and unleashed a barrage of attacks on Smura.

"I'm telling you, old man, what you're saying is utter nonsense! How does keeping Pokémon in a Poké Ball and battling alongside them constitute enslaving them?"

"You actually want everyone to release the companions we finally managed to tame... If you keep lying, believe me, I'll break your teeth!"

It must be said that Homika's personality is indeed a bit fierce. The last time Ash saw her, this girl attacked without warning and directly took over the Dark City Gym.

However, in this kind of situation, she could easily give the other party room to make a fuss.

"We are speaking the truth and will not be swayed by power." Sure enough, Smura used only one sentence to characterize Homiga as a villain who came to cause trouble: "You keep saying that Pokémon are partners, but you lock them in Poké Balls, ignore their wishes, and make them fight, and even participate in choral competitions to please humans."

"Hey, I didn't ignore their wishes..."

"Do you know what they're thinking?"

Well, Homiga is out of words again.

"We would like to reiterate that we simply want to state the right principles here. As for those who are willing to give Pokémon their freedom, that is their own right choice."

After this incident, Smura's words clearly gained a wider audience.

Many people started pointing and whispering about Homiga, and some even recognized her.

"Miss Homiga, please come down quickly..." A girl with an anxious face appeared below the podium. She was the first female student to find Homiga and was now at a loss for what to do.

Xiao Zhi was a little surprised by this person's appearance. Her classic bun and twin ponytail hairstyle perfectly revealed her identity.

I just don't know if her name is Mei or Shiro Ci...

At this moment, a hint of pride quietly appeared on the old man's face as he spoke.

The time is almost right; it's time for him to deliver the final blow…

"Sorry, my friend was a bit impulsive. She was just saying it casually and didn't mean to interfere with you." Ash seized the opportunity and stepped in front of Homiga. "We'll leave now, and you can continue."

"Hey, why should we let them keep lying?!" Homiga retorted relentlessly. "Besides, who's your friend? You... wait, aren't you Ash?!"

Upon suddenly seeing an old acquaintance, the white-haired girl instantly forgot about the group of swindlers.

Chapter 732 Togepi: I despise you, you idiot!

After helping Homiga out of the predicament, Ash took her and the twin-tailed girl to an alley near Central Park.

Homiga was still furious when she recalled what had just happened.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'm so angry! If he weren't so old, I would have slapped the bass in his face!"

“If you had really done that, he would have collapsed right then and there,” Xiao Zhi advised. “The other party has been stirring things up. He already knows who you are and is deliberately trying to provoke you and make things worse.”

"Uh...is that so?" Homiga's bewildered eyes widened.

“That’s how it is, Miss Homiga.” The girl with pigtails next to her nodded helplessly. “You’re a rock star and a gym leader, so they’ll definitely use those two identities to their advantage… We originally wanted to stop them from discrediting the chorus competition, but instead, they’ve become the ones making trouble because of their status.”

Xiao Zhi's eyes lit up; this girl's analysis was quite insightful.

"Damn, that old man is so mean!" Homiga pouted unhappily, then casually hooked his arm around Ash's shoulder. "Anyway, thanks a lot... By the way, what's up with those two next to you? Are they girlfriends?"

"Salina is my girlfriend, and Lillie is my travel companion."

“I understand~” Homiga winked mischievously, clearly ignoring Ash’s ‘unnecessary’ explanation. “This is Mei. Don’t let her being just a student at the Trainer Academy fool you; she’s incredibly talented and skilled.”

"Miss Homiga, please don't say that." The girl with pigtails was clearly a little embarrassed.

After introductions, they became acquainted. Although Homiga had only met Ash once before, he treated him like an old friend and spent a long time catching up.

Upon learning that Xiao Zhi had crossed borders to apprehend criminals, he patted his chest and made a grand promise, stating that he would assist Xiao Zhi throughout the entire operation and beat the criminals to a pulp...

"Sigh, if only I were an investigator, I could investigate those swindlers and arrest them all!" Homiga said indignantly as they chatted.

“An investigation is fine, but you have no grounds to arrest them now. They were just holding a rally to protest, which is perfectly normal behavior in Unova; as for encouraging others to release Pokémon, didn’t the old man just say that it was all voluntary?”

Ash would find Team Plasma a bit difficult to deal with because their current actions are not illegal in Unova.

They don't steal, they don't rob, and they haven't planned any sabotage activities. They just hold various protests and give speeches. So why do you call them an evil group?

Only after reaching the next stage, when there are actual facts of extortion and robbery, will the United States authorities have a reason to take action against them.

"So for now, we can only observe and wait. It's best not to confront them directly, otherwise it's easy to give them an opportunity to take advantage," Ash advised. "After all... most people don't know what their Pokémon are thinking, so these kinds of questions are hard to answer."

"Pokémon's thoughts...wait, can't you understand them?" Homiga suddenly remembered, "You're an Aura Master, you can talk to Pokémon, so you must be able to understand their thoughts, right?"

"I understand, but not everything is acceptable..."

"Can you understand what Pokémon are thinking?" Before Ash could finish speaking, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came.

Everyone turned to look, and across the alley, a mysterious young man had appeared.

He wore a baseball cap, a clean white T-shirt, and a polka-dot sponge around his waist as an accessory.

Alongside them was a black-eyed crocodile that looked like it was from the wild.

The expressionless face and the all-seeing gaze that seemed to know everything made the newcomer's identity obvious!

"This person..." "They seem so strange..."

Serena and Lillie frowned simultaneously. The person in front of them had a very special aura, giving off a feeling that strangers should not approach, but at the same time, it made people want to stop and want to find out more about him.

Lillie also noticed that the stars and clouds in her backpack were acting strangely, but Ash quickly quelled it.

(Ash, he seems to be able to communicate with Pokémon.) Zoroar, who was with Ash, also had a strange feeling.

Although the other party did not speak, they were able to transmit their voice directly into the Pokémon's mind, an ability very similar to Ash's.

(You can listen, believe it or not, it doesn't matter.) Ash doesn't care about this kind of persuasion; the Pokémon around him won't be easily fooled.

However, the person in front of me is indeed very unique. His aura, which is a mixture of human and Pokémon characteristics, is very blurry to sense and it is difficult to detect his presence immediately.

His mental strength is also extraordinary; in addition to being able to communicate secretly with Pokémon, he seems to be able to see through some things.

Natura Harmonia Gropius, N…

To be fair, this guy is really good-looking; no wonder he's popular with both men and women in games and comics.

Even though he has the green hair that Ash dislikes the most, it's hard for people to feel any ill will towards him.

"Can you really understand what Pokémon are thinking?" N asked again when Ash didn't answer.

"This is my personal matter, it has nothing to do with you." Xiao Zhi directly refused to talk.

He's already had enough of this trip and doesn't want any more complications, especially not involving N.