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

But after traveling for a while and experiencing the Alola crisis, May understood the principle that there is always something beyond the sky after seeing a wider world, and she would no longer blindly worship Qianli like those brainless fans.

My father was strong, but there were people stronger than him.

Xiaoyao understands this principle... but Xiaosheng may not.

Chapter 901 The Victim's Family Should Not Feel Psychological Pressure

A few moments later, in the living room, the Senri couple had officially met with Ash and his friends.

The little boy looked restless; he seemed to want to say something, but dared not speak due to his father's authority.

On Ash's side, Serena and May sat together like sisters, while Sidgara sat in the corner with a face as cold as ice.

"Xiao Zhi, we apologize for our poor hospitality." Qian Li apologized first.

"No, it's our arrival that was too abrupt," Ash said, shaking his head. "Besides, given my current status, it's normal for Max to mind."

"On this matter, I happen to have a suggestion." Qianli suddenly put on a serious expression and asked Xiaozhi, "I hope to have a pure gym battle with you... I will use all my strength as a gym leader, and I ask that you also give it your all!"

"Gym battles... I understand." Ash was taken aback at first, but quickly understood what Qianli meant.

Normally, whenever Petalburg Gym is mentioned, the topic of Senri being able to rival the Elite Four with his Normal-type Pokémon is bound to come up.

Not only the original anime, but also various fan fiction novels that Ash read in his previous life would repeatedly emphasize this point... In the end, they still fought against Slaking's family.

Now that Qianli has proposed a gym-level battle, it's quite refreshing for Xiaozhi, but he also understands the other party's considerations.

Ash is determined to get the Libra Badge, and Senri is happy to use it as a pledge of allegiance. In addition, he hopes that Ash will use a crushing victory to shatter the false reputation that the Hoenn League has built for him, and then formally surrender to Ash's side.

And most importantly, he wanted his son, who blindly worshipped his father, to understand that there were people in the world who were far more capable than him!

It's true that parents always have the same heart... Xiaozhi just feels that it's actually a bit late to start educating children now.

If Qianli hadn't been so zealous in his approach to free growth, and had allowed his two children to witness dojo battles from a young age, Xiaosheng wouldn't have been limited to fantasizing about his father's awesomeness based solely on hearsay.

Come on, being a Gym Leader is a profession that often results in losses. If Qianli were truly as invincible as people boast, the Hoenn League's Gym Inspectors would have been investigating him long ago.

"Great!" Qianli immediately asked excitedly, "When do you want to fight? I can arrange it anytime."

"Let's do it tomorrow, and get ready properly," Xiao Zhi replied with a smile, giving Qianli a knowing look.

Ash needs to decide on the team to compete, while Senri needs to prepare her child mentally beforehand.

After a brief chat, Ash declined Senri's invitation to stay overnight and took Serena and Sissana to the Pokémon Center.

...

That night, while Higanbana was wandering around outside because she couldn't sleep, Ash suddenly appeared behind her.

"Are you worried about things at home in Qianli?"

"How did you know?" Higana was taken aback.

“I noticed something was off about you during the day,” Ash said softly. “And I asked May, and when you passed through Petalburg City last time, you didn’t challenge the gym, and you didn’t even go home with her.”

“I don’t like this place, and I don’t know how to face Xiaoyao’s father… He’s one of those people too, but his daughter is my comrade.” Xijiana’s tone was very suppressed, with an unconcealable bitterness.

"You can't do this." Ash shook his head slightly. "If you're this nervous in front of Chiri, how are you going to face President Devon when we get to Rustboro City?"

“Zufuki…” Higanbana suddenly looked up, her face full of confusion as she looked at Ash. “Why did you bring him up?”

"What else can you do... Steven is still seriously injured, isn't this your only chance?" Ash remained calm. "Shyana, I told you... I won't stop you from taking revenge, as long as innocent people aren't involved."

"I...revenge and stuff..." Higanbana stammered, she had to admit that Ash's words had a fatal attraction for her.

With Larus on the verge of destruction and the Hoenn League in decline, the main culprit of that incident back then is now only Zuvki Hibiscus!

Daigo is currently recovering from his injuries in Ryukyu City. With Higanbana's strength, she could wipe out the entire Devon City by herself!

Without a doubt, this was the closest she had ever come to revenge!

But she couldn't help but hesitate, because if she really touched Hibiscus rosa-sinen, it would definitely affect Ash's subsequent strategy for conquering Hoenn, and Steven would also become Ash's enemy.

"In short, I'm leaving the choice to you," Ash said softly. "I'm not an official member of Hoenn yet, so I'm not qualified to make up those high-sounding words to stop you... Besides, from an outsider's perspective, you've done nothing wrong; a life for a life."

"If... I mean if, I really did it... what would you do?" Higana asked tentatively.

"I'll hold off Steven for you, then take you away from Hoenn so he can never find you," Ash replied without hesitation; he had already anticipated this scenario.

He never intended to stop Higana from seeking revenge, and after accepting the identity of the successor, he was even willing to shoulder some of the hatred.

While conquering Hoenn is important, the people around him and the responsibilities on his shoulders are even more important and cannot be neglected!

"Um... Anyway, thank you." Higana paused for a moment, then said gratefully.

"Then get some rest, and don't be like that tomorrow," Xiao Zhi casually advised. "You're a victim's family member, why put psychological pressure on them?"

"I understand... Uh, wait a minute!" Seeing Ash about to leave, Shizana quickly called out to him, "You're helping me like this... just because of Shizana's legacy, or... is there another reason?"

"What other reason do you want?" Xiao Zhi turned around and asked, raising his eyebrows.

The moonlight illuminated his questioning face, and Higana lowered her head in disappointment, suddenly at a loss for words.

Yes, what other reason could there be?

In the Alola stands, she also shouted those embarrassing words; later at Sky Pillar, she couldn't take her eyes off Ash and Rayquaza because of their bond.

But those were ultimately just a temporary joke, and wishful thinking...

"If there's another reason, please think it through before you tell me," Xiao Zhi suddenly said gently, his tone extremely serious. "I will give you a straight answer then."

"Huh?" Higana was taken aback. When she looked up again, she found that there was no one in front of her.

...

Silent all night.

The next morning, Ash and Serena looked energetic at the entrance of Petalburg Gym, while the other had huge dark circles under his eyes.

Higana rolled her eyes at him resentfully. Now that she thought about it, that guy was just teasing her last night!

However, thanks to him, when I stepped into the Orange Blossom Gym again, I didn't feel that suffocating feeling I used to have.

On the battlefield of the dojo, Senri was already on high alert.

Haruka and Kakeru sat on the sidelines with their mother, Mitsuko, while everyone wore expressions of tension and anticipation.

Without much small talk, the apprentices at the dojo, following instructions from Qianli, quickly announced the start of the training.

"Ash, let's go all out! My first one is this, Slakoyaki!" As expected, Senri's first one was indeed a lazy-looking common-type sloth.

Ash's expression gradually turned serious. Even as a Gym Leader, Senri's strength was not to be underestimated, especially his use of the Slaking family, employing rhythmic shifts to disrupt his opponent—it was truly...

Sorry, I really can't make this up anymore.

The fighting style that Senri uses in the anime is only good for beating noobs in practice.

As the Gym Leader, he is irreplaceable. The entire Slaking family has almost no anti-boosting methods except for yawning, and the first Slaking's ability is also Sloth!

With all these factors combined, any challenger who knows even a little bit of enhanced tactics can take off immediately.

Ash had previously predicted that if he used Blaziken, he could boost its Attack and Speed ​​to +6 when facing Slaking.

So what if Hyperactive Apex is very energetic? So what if Slaking's base stats are comparable to a legendary Pokémon? It can't stop Turkey's punches and kicks at all, easily taking down three in one go.

Looking at it this way, using Speed-Up Turkey is really unfair, so Ash has a more suitable option.

"I choose you! Let's have a good battle!" Ash casually tossed a Poké Ball, a flash of white light, and a small figure appeared on the field.

"Wow!"

"A... a little chimpanzee?!" *N

This choice stunned everyone present except for Serena!

Chapter 902 VS Master Qianli: Overwhelming Requires Science

They agreed before the match to give it their all, but Ash suddenly threw a baby Pokémon at them...

Qianli's family couldn't understand this choice, and Xiaosheng found it even more difficult to accept.

"Why this one? It did appear at the Manaro Conference, but it only fought against Eevee... Does it really think it can compete with Dad with just Power Pound and Cat Paw?!"

"Xiaosheng, shut up!" Qianli scolded impatiently, immediately silencing his son.

While feeling indignant, this kid was also revealing information from outside the arena, allowing Qianli to prepare in advance for Xiaozhi's moveset.

Of course, Xiao Zhi wouldn't care about such petty thoughts.

"Mr. Senri, I'm about to attack!" Ash reminded Senri, instantly switching to serious mode. "Chimchar, Taunt!"

"Waaaaah~" Chimchar took the lead and directly sealed Slaking's transformation move.

"Lazy Old Man, use Rock Slide!" Qianli immediately retaliated, commanding Lazy Old Man to throw a huge rock forward.

"Dodge while using Cat's Paw!" Such an attack could not harm Chimchar. It easily dodged the attack path, and the subsequent Cat's Paw made it even faster. In just a few breaths, it rushed to Sloth's side.

"They actually drew High Speed... their luck is too good." Xiao Sheng, who was watching the game, was a little indignant.

Meanwhile, the little fire monkey in the arena had already thrown a heavy punch at the lazy man!

"Boost Fist!"

Bang!