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

Chapter 909 Protagonist: A Champion is Like Me

Higanbana disappeared into the sky aboard a Salamence, while Shiva was also controlled by Ash and thrown into the Ring, where she was temporarily detained by the Kanto authorities.

Everything seems to have finally settled down...

But Steven could not accept this outcome. He forcefully broke free from Cuckoo and Bonnie's support and stood in front of Ash without regard for anything else.

"Xiao Zhi, are you really going to lock my father up in the sea violet?"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, what's wrong with that?" Ash said matter-of-factly. "And it's not just your father, the Sea Violet will be transformed into Hoenn's underwater prison, and all those involved, including Kusnogi, will eventually be imprisoned there!"

"But there's a Rockruff there!" Steven argued anxiously, trying to persuade Ash to change his mind. "That Pokémon has been subtly influenced by natural energy and has become extremely difficult to deal with... If you stay in contact with it for a long time, you'll really go crazy!"

Daigo was genuinely scared.

Solans Raizo was driven mad by his schemes, and Daigo would feel sorry for him and would be willing to apologize and atone for his father's sins.

But he absolutely could not accept being punished in the same way as his father.

There's nothing wrong with that; it's just human nature. Even Xiao Zhi would have done the same.

Back when Blue tried to forcibly capture Celebi, Ash didn't even mind going against his principles and joining her as the villain...

However, Daigo did misunderstand Ash.

"Mr. Daigo, I can't do any better," Ash sighed wearily. "Haven't you figured it out yet? Once it's decided that Mauville will be turned into a prison, that Rockruff absolutely has to be captured..."

“This…” Daigo’s expression froze.

In a flash, he immediately understood what Xiaozhi meant!

The other party did act very angry and cold-hearted, but from the beginning, he never intended to really drive his father crazy!

"Ever since I learned about Raizo Solence, I immediately had Sabrina take Nihilego, which I had captured, to Mossdeep City," Ash explained in a low voice. "They are very good at dealing with that kind of mental damage, and they confirmed that Raizo Solence could be cured... In this way, I can say that I have given Dr. Solence an explanation."

Daigo listened silently, and only now did he understand... just how much Ash had intervened for his family's sake.

"This is the last concession I can make. Zivchi Hibiscus has committed too many crimes and cannot escape life imprisonment. Afterwards, the inmates in the Sea Violet will be assigned work according to their circumstances, such as mining for minerals on the seabed, and you can visit them regularly."

“I understand… wait, mining ore?” Daigo was taken aback again upon hearing this.

If that's what Ash said, then life imprisonment doesn't seem so unacceptable.

His father's passion for all kinds of stones far surpassed his own.

If the work weren't so arduous, I'd love to live in the mine every day... These were my father's exact words.

So he has realized his dream, no longer having to worry about company affairs or backstabbing, and can now focus on digging stones without distraction every day.

It seems pretty good, I'm even starting to think about going to prison... No!

Steven seemed to wake from a dream, and soon met Ash's dead fish eyes.

This guy is hopeless! He actually fantasizes about prison life just because he wants to dig for rocks!

“It seems that’s all we can do for now…” Daigo, who had just come to his senses, scratched his head awkwardly. “I will try to persuade my father to formally apologize to Higanbana later.”

Clearly, after Ash's twist, Steven had reluctantly accepted the outcome.

Ash has indeed made the best arrangement at this stage; neither he nor Solans can find fault with it…

But it was only Xijiana who suffered injustice.

As the victim's family member, she has witnessed the situation unfold so far, and not a single one of the main individuals involved has apologized to her.

"You don't need to worry about Higanbana, I'll handle it myself." Ash shook his head noncommittally. "Besides, at this point, there's no point in apologizing."

In the special manga, it seems that Zuvchi Hibiscus made a dogeza (a deep bow)... but the situation cannot be generalized.

In the comics, he has few responsibilities, so even if he kowtows and admits his mistakes, it won't cause him any loss to his reputation or interests.

Moreover, if Higana refuses to listen to advice and stubbornly refuses to accept the apology, she may be criticized instead.

We finally averted the meteorite crisis, people can't be brought back to life, he's already apologized, what more do you want...

But things are different now.

Malicious business competition drove people mad, extracting Pokémon's life energy for personal gain, using methods other than trainers to imprison legends... and even caused the death of the Meteor Dwellers' inheritor!

Each of these is undoubtedly a serious crime, and multiple offenses combined would absolutely result in a death sentence in prison.

He no longer needed to apologize... Besides, even if he really wanted to apologize, it wouldn't be just for the last thing.

To voluntarily admit to all the crimes is tantamount to denying all his life's efforts!

For someone who once held a high position, the fact that everything they had done has become worthless is absolutely unacceptable and something they cannot admit.

Even if he had to hypnotize himself, he had to believe that it was Xiaozhi's intervention that led to his failure.

Everything he did, and all the harm and sacrifices he caused, were for the sake of peace in Hoenn!

"Sigh, maybe you're right..." Daigo sighed and shook his head, not knowing what to say for a moment.

He couldn't apologize on behalf of his father, and besides, Higanbana didn't need it, so in the end, it was left for Ash to handle...

Just as he was about to leave to have some peace and quiet, Xiaozhi called him back.

"George, do you understand now?" Ash asked with a straight face, pointing to his chest. "The way to become a champion is like this."

“Um…” Daigo immediately blushed.

He couldn't refute this; Ash's recent actions really made him seem more like the Hoenn Champion than he did.

Others planned ahead, fought against the legends, and mediated with all parties, finally getting the Hoenn ship back on track; in contrast, I only held firm during the Battle of Hoenn before being overwhelmed by the waves.

Before that, I was just like the Four Heavenly Kings, either slacking off or on my way to slacking off.

"As a champion, you are the face of the trainers to the outside world, and you must maintain the harmony of the league internally. While ensuring that you are the strongest, you must also grasp the direction of the league's progress, predict possible risks, and protect the humans and Pokémon of a region in times of crisis!"

Cool~

Xiao Zhi finally felt completely comfortable; he had wanted to say these words for a long time.

Champions all have side jobs, but Yu Longdu is stuck with two jobs... This has even become a joke.

But frankly, isn't that just irresponsible?

Champions and superstars can have side jobs, but the most important thing is that they absolutely cannot neglect their main job!

Even Ash never neglected Alola's situation during the Hoenn event.

Since you've enjoyed the fame and benefits that come with this position, you should also shoulder the corresponding obligations... Otherwise, please think carefully about what you really want to do and then make a clean decision.

“I was really lazy before…” Daigo nodded with shame. “I will try my best to stabilize Hoenn during this last period of time.”

"And there's Devon and the Crypt of the Netherworld," Ash said in a deep voice. "Hoenn can't afford to descend into chaos any further, and you yourself must stabilize the situation... If you fall, not only will Devon suffer heavy losses, but the Wallace family will also be in trouble!"

“I know.” Daigo nodded silently.

Ash isn't exaggerating; the entire Wallace clan has come to join him, and the Crypt Clan's situation is truly dire.

Even in Kanaz City, they dared not let any of their people be left alone... Wait!

Thinking of this, Daigo's heart skipped a beat.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Zhi frowned, puzzled.

“It’s Rukia. She’s participating in the Grand Contest in Twilight Town.” Daigo began to worry. “I’ve heard some things from Michael. She’s working hard for the last ribbon, so she hasn’t been traveling with her people… But Nakia should be with her.”

"Moonwater Town... Go tell Wallace what's going on. Just to be safe, I'll go check it out myself." Ash sensed something was wrong, and after thinking for a moment, he activated the Ring and went to make the trip himself.

Daigo also hurriedly went to find Michael and Adam, and after the topic was brought up, all three of them became extremely nervous.

Larus just had a car accident, and now Rukia is all alone; it's definitely not a good sign…

Fortunately, the ring opened again after a short while, and the three saw Ash, Naki, and Rukia returning together.

"Thank God you're finally back! Naki, you..." Mikoli immediately rushed over with a nervous expression, then turned a corner and ran straight towards his ex-girlfriend, whom he had no hope of getting back together with.

However, Naki adopted a "keep away" expression and took a step back to hide next to Ash.

"Rukia, how's the match going?" Helpless, Mikoli could only turn to his niece.

"It's alright, we finally got the last ribbon." Rukia seemed a little dissatisfied.

For this grand competition, she specially asked Naki to be her assistant, intending to plead again during the intermission to see if she could ease the tension between Naki and Mikoli…

But Ash suddenly appeared and took Naki away without saying a word!

Moreover, these two have not appeared since the second round of the competition, and we don't know what they've been doing.

After the match ended, that person suddenly appeared again, insisting on taking him to Kanaz City, leaving him and Naki no time alone...

"So, is everything alright?" Miko asked with some relief, her eyes still glancing at the owner of Yinyu Pavilion beside her.

Naki seemed to want to explain, but Ash secretly stopped her.

"Nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

He turned and left without saying a word, an action that caught the attention of both Daigo and Adam.

Mikoly might not be able to tell, but they were certain... something must have happened in Twilightwater!

Chapter 910 Meteor Village