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

Zuvuki is from Steven's clan, but now that Steven is unconscious, he has sided with Ash, which clearly indicates that infighting has begun within Hoenn.

At the same time, this is also an opportunity for the vine.

Ordinary trainers need to win the tournament to unlock the Elite Four challenge, but Gym Leaders can challenge directly!

In other words, the vine can now take over.

Having been instructed by Ash on how to balance strength and flexibility, Vine is now a stable Elite Four member, and it directly counters two of the Hoenn Elite Four.

Even if those board members hide Huayue, there's still Bonnie left.

As an outsider and a member of Daigo's faction, Ice King clearly knew which side to choose.

As long as Fujiki dares to issue a challenge, she will definitely accept it, giving the opponent a chance to defeat her and directly reach the upper echelons of Hoenn!

...

After a period of travel, Chi and Nami finally arrived in Lilycove City, located in the northernmost part of Hoenn.

This city is known for its natural atmosphere, with many unique treehouses built in the trees, somewhat like the village that Ash visited before... the village from the Celebi movie.

However, after the previous disaster, many of the large trees in Yinyu City withered and died, and there were many bare tree trunks in the city, adding a sense of desolation.

Chi and Na first went to the Pokémon Center to stay, and then headed to the Lilycove Gym together.

"You two are looking for Miss Naki? Uh, please wait a moment, I'll go and inform her right away." After explaining their purpose to the receptionist, the latter was clearly taken aback, and then hurriedly left the front desk to go find Naki himself.

Ash was a little puzzled by this, but after using his waveguide to investigate, he quickly figured out the reason.

"Mr. Ash, Ms. Serena, you... you arrived very quickly." Upon meeting, Naki seemed somewhat surprised, her face showing barely concealed embarrassment.

"Is Miss Naki feeling unwell?" Serena asked with concern.

“I am…” Naki hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain.

“Miss Lucia is here, right? I can sense her aura.” Ash then took the initiative to clarify, “Personally, I don’t think it matters… If Miss Nakia thinks this will delay the gym battle, we can take our leave.”

"This...it's alright, it won't cause any trouble." Naki shook her head through gritted teeth. "Come with me, you two, we can have a gym battle anytime!"

She could tell that Xiaozhi really didn't care, so she decided to steel herself and carry out the plan to the end.

Zhi and Nachi were led by Nachi to the backyard of the dojo, where a battle was taking place in the practice area.

One side in the battle is Ryukia with Altaria, and the other is a tall, red-haired young woman who uses Torkoal.

She fought with great enthusiasm, occasionally waving her fists to cheer on her partner; in contrast, Rukia seemed distracted, and her Altaria movements were noticeably lacking in agility.

"The opportunity has arrived! Coal Turtle, burn to ashes!"

boom!

The scorching energy struck the Altaria's chest, signaling the end of the battle.

"Yay, we won!" The red-haired young woman excitedly flashed a peace sign. "As expected, Coalossal's Burnout was the most powerful!"

"Alright, Aysa, Lucia, stop for a moment." Naki called the two over. "We have some friends visiting, come and say hello."

"Friend... uh, Naki, you mean he's the friend you're talking about?" The red-haired young woman was taken aback. "My grandfather just told me to shut down the gym as soon as he arrived..."

The red-haired young woman in front of me is actually Aysa, the newly appointed gym leader of the Furnace Gym. Her grandfather is none other than the former Fire-type Elite Four member of Hoenn, the old man Mulla.

Ash had a significant conflict with the old man, Muller, and had anticipated some trouble in Lavatown, but he never expected to meet the Gym Leader there.

As for Rukia, she stood awkwardly in place, unsure whether to greet anyone or leave.

She roughly understood that Ash was invited by Naki, and that's why Aza came to the Lilycove Gym.

Rukia desperately wanted to know what Naki, whom she considered her aunt, was up to...

“I know Elder Mura gave you instructions, so are you going to listen to him?” Naki looked at Asha with a serious expression. “If so, we’re breaking off our friendship!”

"No...you can't do this! We were supposed to be best friends forever, and now you're cutting ties with me for him? You..." Asha seemed a little flustered and asked incoherently, "Naqi, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on this guy, would you?"

"What?!" Rukia screamed in disbelief.

"Cough... What the hell?!" Ash choked on his own words.

Serena, on the other hand, revealed a slight, barely suppressed smile.

Here we go again~

Serena is now quite used to this kind of thing, and she even finds a lot of fun in it... such as enjoying the exasperated expressions of the people involved.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" The usually dignified Nakia suddenly exploded. "I'm saving Hoenn, don't you understand? Stop talking nonsense, are you going to help me or not?!"

"I'll help you. You're in such a hurry, I have to help even if Grandpa scolds me." Aysa covered her mouth and grinned mischievously, while secretly giving Ash a thumbs up, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Don't do anything that could be misunderstood!" Naki became even more frantic, and it took her a lot of effort to calm down again.

After that, she finally managed to put on a serious face and came to Ash: "I apologize for what happened just now, Mr. Ash. I would like to explain the challenge rules of the Lilycove Gym to you... From today onwards, the Lilycove Gym will switch to double battles."

"Double match?" Ash seemed to understand something.

“That’s right, Mr. Ash will bring out two Pokémon, and Aysa and I will each bring one. It’ll be a one-round match,” Naki explained, nodding. “If Mr. Ash wins, he’ll get both the White Feather Badge and the Flame Badge!”

"Understood, thank you very much!" Xiao Zhi nodded gratefully.

Only then did he understand what Naki meant by 'not letting him down'.

To actually manage to get the Fuma Dojo sorted out through his personal connections is truly a great gift.

"Miss Naki, you...you're going to help him?!"

At that moment, Rukia couldn't believe her ears.

Chapter 890 VS Naki and Aysa... A Not-So-Serious Doubles Match

The sky is falling... That's how Rukia feels right now.

A natural disaster strikes Hoenn, leaving Champion Steven seriously injured and in a coma, while his uncle is left to fend for himself alone…

But just then, that person suddenly announced that he would forcibly take Hoenn!

Not long after, he lost to someone close to him in the Grand Contest, and was even killed in one hit!

In just a few days, she suffered more setbacks than in the past few years... although she hadn't suffered any setbacks in the past few years, at most she was once confronted in the capital.

After losing the match in Lilycove City, Ryukia didn't even know how to face that stage. But when her car was surrounded by reporters, it was that person who secretly helped her out of the predicament.

Her mind was in turmoil, so she came to Naki's place for some fresh air, only to run into that person again... and Naki was actually planning to help him?!

Why...?

Rukia always felt that Naki and her uncle were a match made in heaven.

Although they broke up, it was only a temporary conflict, and they will definitely be able to get back together in the future, and even walk down the aisle.

But now, everything seems to have changed…

"No!!" Rukia couldn't accept this at all, spreading her arms to shield Naki. "Miss Naki, do you know what you're doing? He...he wants to take Hoenn for himself, why are you helping him?!"

“Lucia, I…” A hint of reluctance flashed in Naki’s eyes. She was about to speak when Ash called out to her.

"Miss Naki, are we ready for the gym battle?"

“Okay…” Nagi nodded silently, understanding the reminder in Ash’s eyes.

Like Mikuri, Rukia is very well protected, and there are many things that she wouldn't understand even if you told her.

So let's just let it be for now, let her see more of the truth about Hoenn, maybe one day she'll figure it out herself...

With this in mind, Naki bypassed Rukia and led Chi and Naki to the official battlefield.

"Rukia, just standing here won't do you any good," Aya said with a mischievous grin, patting the girl's shoulder as she passed by. "Someone probably doesn't know yet... his ex-girlfriend is about to be kidnapped~"

“This…” Ryukia was immediately shocked.

More unacceptable to Aysa than to Ash stealing Hoenn!

That's my future aunt, how could I be with that person... Absolutely not!

Already panicked, Rukia didn't bother to stop the battle and immediately dialed someone's number... followed by a barrage of exasperated scolding and an order for the other person to come over right away!

No... Daigo is clearly not in any danger, why do you have to squat by his bedside?

Your wife is more important right now, don't you understand? If you wait any longer, it will really be too late!

While someone from Liuli City was rushing over in a panic, Naki had already made preparations.

They ascended to the high-altitude battleground above the dojo, and both sides stood on command platforms that were higher than usual.

"The battle will now begin: a joint gym battle between Lushland Gym Leader Nakia, Lava Citadel Gym Leader Asahi, and challenger Ash. This is a single-elimination doubles battle, with the gym leaders going first and then attacking!"

"Go, go, Coalossy Tortoise!" Aysa was the first to send out her partner. If she could only use one, she would naturally choose her favorite partner.

Instead of sending out her companions immediately, Naki raised her hands to the sky, as if performing some kind of prayer ritual.

"Great sky, grant us wings that can withstand any gale! Then, guide us in this vast blue world, and let us bravely spread our wings and soar high!"

...

"Yearning for the sky...?" As a sky trainer, Serena seemed to understand this feeling particularly well.

"Even though you're standing in the position closest to the sky, you still pray like this... Just like Rukia, you're a bird trapped in a cage."

She muttered to herself, but her words were overheard by Ryukia, who had just finished making the call.