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

Not long after he left, the entire warehouse collapsed completely in the raging flames, burying all traces of the incident.

"Ash...I..." Rika, who had been shaken, seemed to have regained some of her senses. She tried anxiously to speak, but she couldn't make a sound at all. She could only look at Ash with helpless eyes.

"The fire at the department store has been brought under control. Your employees are all safe and sound, and Gloom and the other two Pokémon have been rescued as well." Knowing what Rika was worried about, Ash kindly explained the current situation.

Rika looked up at Ash's profile, listening to this child who didn't seem like a ten-year-old at all constantly comforting her, and gradually felt as if she was surrounded by a huge sense of security.

Finally, she lay peacefully in the warm embrace and fell into a deep sleep.

...

When Rika woke up again, she found herself lying on a hospital bed at the Pokémon Center, and she had been changed into clean clothes.

"Oro!" Sensing that Rika had woken up, Riolu, who was waiting in the corner, immediately released a waveguide signal.

A moment later, Ash pushed open the door to the ward and brought two Grass-type Pokémon in a trolley.

"Miss Rika, how are you feeling now?" Xiao Zhi leaned forward and asked with concern, while also adjusting the headboard of the bed for Rika.

"I feel a little weak, but I should be fine." Lijia wasn't actually injured; she was just affected by the toxic gas in the fire and now felt weak all over.

"That's good. I was just treating Nurse Joy, and Bellsprout and Oddish are both fine." Ash pulled over the stroller, and the two little ones immediately jumped to Rika's side, happily snuggling up to her.

"Thank you... By the way, the Stinky Flower..."

"It's here." Just as Rika asked anxiously, Ash handed her a Poké Ball. "Its injuries have healed, but it seems to have developed a mental block. It keeps hiding inside the ball, and even when it's released, it immediately runs back inside."

"It's all my fault..."

Lika choked back tears as she reluctantly reached out and took the Poké Ball, holding it close to her chest, her face filled with self-reproach.

"If it weren't for my impulsiveness, Gloom wouldn't have turned out like this..."

"It's all in the past now, you should get some rest," Xiaozhi comforted him softly. "Besides, although Ms. Rika's decision was impulsive, no one has the right to criticize her, and you don't need to take it too hard."

“Mr. Ash?” Rika was stunned.

"Everyone gets impulsive and acts on emotion sometimes, because people always encounter people or things for which they would risk everything and then act without considering the consequences." Xiao Zhi smiled gently, a smile that seemed to have a magical power, soothing the knot in Rika's heart.

"But isn't such an impulse also a rare and precious emotion?"

To be honest, Rika's behavior was indeed impulsive, and perhaps it went against her usual perfect young lady persona, but Ash understood her.

Because of the constraint of 'perfection', he also possesses it.

In particular, the superpowers he's currently learning have given him a lot more interaction with the spirits he manages.

His cultivation progress is indeed very fast. He can now easily move objects with his mind. It is estimated that in a while, he will be able to advance to instantaneous teleportation.

However, his power was reduced several times during this period.

Superpowers are the power of wisdom. If Ash wants to increase his power, he must act like a wise person, planning carefully before acting and always doing the right thing...

But that's simply impossible.

No one can be right all the time. People will always want to do stupid things impulsively for all sorts of reasons, and Ash and Rika are no exception.

So let them deduct it. Ash doesn't need to make himself like Sabrina, forced to seal his emotions, just for that 80 cents of power.

As for the idea of ​​completely removing them, Ash already knew it was just the Pokémon management worrying about being too lax and making empty boasts.

He'd only be completely stripped of his superpowers if he turned into a complete brute and idiot.

The management spirit wants to mold him into an all-rounder. If he is willing to hold himself to the standards of a perfect person, he can gain the corresponding power; conversely, if he becomes a villain, he will be unable to acquire those abilities.

It's just an equivalent exchange; it's never complicated.

"Mr. Ash, thank you so much for your guidance." Rika looked at Ash gently, her pretty face filled with sincere gratitude.

She hadn't expected that a boy she was supposed to be investigating would instead save her and now patiently comfort her like this.

"As expected, you are as gentle as the rumors say~" Rika couldn't help but say, recalling some of the comments she had heard before.

"Miss Rika, I'm curious... are there any strange parts in the rumors you've heard?" Ash asked, rolling his dead fish eyes speechlessly.

"Oh, Mr. Ash, what do you find strange?" Hearing Ash's question, Rika couldn't help but smile, her expression becoming more playful.

Well, judging from her appearance, she must have heard about it before.

He's just bored... That guy from Quartz Plateau is just plain bored.

Although Xiao Zhi could understand that the other party might be paving the way for him, hoping that he could use his status as a second-generation official as a springboard to become a true core member of the league as soon as possible.

But what Ash really hopes for is to gain some 'good reputation' in the League.

For example, stories like the heroic adventures at Mt. Tsukimi, the night raid on Koba Port, and the heroic tales of the Yucho Wharf, instead of the deeply ingrained lecherous, one-woman king, and centrally-loving character archetype we have now.

"Oh dear, I almost forgot." Thinking of the Indigo Plateau, Rika suddenly realized and quickly called over an assistant waiting at the Pokémon Center, instructing her to go back to the gym to retrieve some items.

A while later, people from Yuhong Dojo delivered a briefcase.

"This was delivered by someone entrusted to me. It was supposed to be given to Mr. Xiaozhi immediately after the inspection, but it was delayed because of what happened before," Rika explained apologetically, while unlocking the combination lock on the briefcase.

And she seemed to be secretly anticipating Ash's reaction after he opened the suitcase...

"Suitcase... I get it, this must be the reward the Alliance owes me."

Ash weighed the box in his hand and knew that his reward had finally arrived.

It's been delayed from Kurenai City until now; it's really late!

Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Great Harvest... But No Badges

To get the reward, he actually has to let Rika evaluate him; Ash thinks this is completely unnecessary.

Of course, Xiao Zhi doesn't yet understand the 'good intentions' of that high-ranking member of the league.

Working together as a team is actually similar to dating. If you want men and women to work together without feeling tired, the prerequisite is that you must establish a basic level of mutual understanding.

Having Rika observe Satoshi was meant to build that kind of mutual respect... but after the fire incident, Rika's level of affection for him has really gone a bit too far!

Returning to the reward itself, Ash was immediately dazzled by the dazzling array of items upon opening the box.

The first things to be affected are naturally the two electric lights, which are Pikachu's treasures.

Ash immediately handed them all to Pikachu, letting it eat one and wear it.

In this way, as long as Pikachu continues to hone its skills and masters the remaining two partner moves, it can evolve into its partner version...

Who knows, we might even be able to continue enjoying the amplification from the electric bulbs, and those electromagnetic cannons will be awesome!

Incidentally, Ash has always been positive about carrying items.

In his eyes, the Electric Ball, Z-Crystal, and even the Mega Stone are all the same kind of thing.

You said that Mega Evolution requires the two stones to complement each other and a connection of minds. Does that mean that if you don't Mega Evolve, you don't need to build a bond with your Pokémon?

Increasing the power of special moves and raising base stats by 100 are essentially just enhancement methods; the most crucial element is always the Pokémon itself.

After giving a Pokémon an item, instead of worrying too much about it getting caught up in the false power, trainers should spend more time guiding it and helping it adapt to the new power as quickly as possible!

Perhaps it was because of Lorelei's help, or perhaps someone had truly learned their lesson, but Ash's rewards were clearly carefully selected.

Besides the electric orb, he also saw a life-bound item... This thing could be given to both Xiao Lan and Xiao Gang, since they both have Clefairy and both have the magic defense trait, this thing would definitely be very useful.

Then there was a metal membrane that looked like it was specially made for the giant Onix, and a cursed symbol that was bigger than Ash's hand and face combined...

"What's going on with this thing?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"Mr. Ash has been through Maiden Gorge before, right? This is a cursed symbol made using the resentment energy of Maiden Rock. The League has decided to give it to Mr. Ash to use."

"Thank you for the alliance's generosity!"

The little AI sensed that the effect of this cursed talisman was extremely powerful, possibly even exceeding the level of a normal item that increases power by 20%.

I wonder which fortune teller is so amazing that she can make something so incredible.

However, what's a little embarrassing to admit is that this thing is like a super-sized overnight diaper; with a few modifications, it could even be used as a diaper for Gengar.

After temporarily piling up the enormous curse rune, Ash quickly discovered another artifact among the pile of items…

Learning device.

Ash, who is familiar with the game's mechanics, naturally understands the power of this thing... As long as it's activated, even Pokémon that haven't participated in battles can still gain experience and base points.

Of course, in this world, its effect cannot be so data-driven.

The learning device is essentially a chip attached to the Pokédex. Once the learning function is activated, all the Pokémon you hold can share experiences through Poké Balls, achieving an immersive battle experience.

Although it doesn't actually train the body, it can truly accumulate combat experience, making it an invaluable resource.

Especially someone like Ash, who cheats to keep all his Pokémon with him, he wouldn't trade that for ten Mega Stones!

Besides item rewards, money is also a welcome bonus, roughly equivalent to several of the bounties offered by Granny Jin.

Ash didn't care about this. He was already rich, and now that he was living off Silver's salary and shares, this little bit of money was nothing to him.

Finally, the most important of all the rewards, and the one that Ash values ​​most besides the light bulb and the learning device, is a letter of appointment.

The Kanto League has given Ash the title of Junior Investigator, and from today onwards, he has officially been promoted to a government-funded member.

Although it's only a beginner level, Xiao Zhi's authority is by no means small.

His current rank is equivalent to that of a military commander, allowing him to coordinate operations with Officer Jenny in major cities and even directly command police forces in secondary towns and villages.

In addition, he has the right to freely enter and exit various places and wildlife reserves in Kanto and Johto to conduct investigations, and can temporarily recruit forest rangers or patrolmen to assist in the operation.