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

"Can you tell me... what's the secret to your strength?"

Chapter 926 The So-Called Secret to Rapidly Becoming Stronger

Ryukia's sudden question startled everyone.

After a long while, Xiaoyao was the first to react, putting her hands on her hips and blocking her and Serena.

"Come on, is this the kind of question you can just ask? The secret to becoming stronger... even if it really exists, it's not something you can just easily tell you!"

Haruka probably knows the secret, but she doesn't like Ryukia asking her.

Whenever I travel with Ash, I feel like I'm growing faster and becoming invincible in all sorts of grand competitions.

Haruka has experienced this firsthand, so of course she doesn't want Rukia to know...

"The secret... I can only say that the secret is in Ash's hands." Serena pointed to someone who was daydreaming. "We can become stronger because of Ash. Why don't you just go ask him?"

"This..." Ryukia was clearly conflicted.

It's clear that she wasn't particularly willing to ask Xiaozhi directly, but she was also unwilling to leave like this.

She stood there for a long time, seemingly having finally made up her mind.

"Salina, can I come with you for a while...? Don't worry, I definitely won't disturb your trip! I just want to see for myself how you train every day, is that alright...?"

Lucia's almost pleading attitude clearly softened Serena's heart. She looked at Ash with difficulty, and he gave her an approving smile.

It's up to you to decide; whatever you choose is fine.

“Then you can come along for now.” Serena thought for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. “But I have to make it clear beforehand that if you attract any reporters who are following you, you’ll be responsible for handling it yourself; also, whether it’s cooking or taking care of the Pokémon, you’ll have to come with us.”

"No problem! I definitely won't hold you back!" Rukia quickly assured her.

"Heh, I doubt it~" Xiaoyao had a 'I don't believe it' look on her face.

“Then let’s decide on that. Do you need to go back and pack your things?” Serena asked.

"No need, I have all my Pokémon with me, I can set off anytime."

Well, it seems this was premeditated; they planned to run away that very night.

I guess they're just fed up with being controlled...

“Then let’s head to Lilycove City now,” Ash suddenly interjected. “As for Ms. Lucia’s whereabouts… I will inform Ms. Naki and ask her to pass on the message.”

"Are you deliberately trying to drive Mikoli crazy?" Higana was speechless.

Honestly, if I were Michael, I would have immediately come to Ash's aid and fight him to the death if my ex-girlfriend, who was suspected of having fallen for someone else, told me that she had run away with my niece.

Of course, Higana felt very relieved.

The Crypt of the Glass People are a bunch of traitors, and now that their leader has suffered a setback, she's incredibly pleased and can't wait to let Ash do whatever he wants!

"He provoked me first, and I was just retaliating normally."

Why should I have to listen to them when they can come here like a madman, spout nonsense, and then just leave?

...

The party night of the grand celebration ended abruptly, and Rukia once again became Ash's temporary travel companion in a bizarre way.

However, the atmosphere this time was completely different from that in the Whirlpool Islands.

Rukia could also sense this. Although the group took good care of her, they were generally distant from her.

Serena is very enthusiastic, May occasionally bickers with her but is at least a talkative person, while Ash has hardly ever interacted with her.

As for Higana, her gaze remained consistently cold.

In this atmosphere, Rukia remained cautious and never found the answer to the problem.

She was always involved in Ash and the others' daily lives, but in her eyes, it was just normal practice, not even as innovative as when she practiced fancy battles herself.

How can I become stronger quickly...?

With this question in mind, when the group was camping on a small island one night, Rukia finally couldn't help but approach Ash.

When she tiptoed to the shore, Ash was cleaning Milotic's scales.

The beauty of it shimmering in the moonlight immediately captivated Ryukia, causing her to inadvertently make a slight noise.

"Miss Lucia, is something the matter so late?" Ash asked, turning around.

"Uh, I am..." Rukia wanted to ask a question, but the words were cut short by her hesitation, and she didn't know how to start.

Seeing this, Ash didn't urge him on, and continued to adjust Milotic's status on his own.

Mikkelsen's claim that he would stop him was not just ravings; the other party would definitely fight him again.

If that's the case, Ash wouldn't mind crushing this guy in every way... including his most prized, magnificent Milotic!

However, his focused attention made Rukia feel noticeably neglected, and she couldn't help but feel wronged...

"Ash..." Rukia asked weakly, "Do you... really hate me...?"

"You're overthinking it." Ash stopped what he was doing and shook his head calmly. "We've known each other for a while now, so there's no way I would dislike you. If you really have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them... but you have to ask the questions yourself, instead of waiting for me to ask. If you don't say anything, of course I'll continue taking care of the Pokémon."

"Then... can you tell me the secret to Serena's rapid growth?" Rukia overcame her nervousness and finally asked with anticipation.

"You've already seen the secret, it's all about daily training," Ash said casually. "Serena, and May, of course, train the way traditional trainers do, which is why they've improved faster than you."

“Tradition… But this isn’t a system!” Rukia retorted anxiously. “They are all Coordinators, how can they… uh.”

Seeing Ash's ambiguous smile, Rukia quickly shut up.

She's here to learn from others; now is not the time for arguments.

“Miss Lucia, you may not want to accept this fact… but a Coordinator is included in the category of Trainer.” Ash said calmly, “And it’s not just Coordinators; all professions on this planet that deal with Pokémon are just branches of Trainer.”

"Under this premise, I had them train in the way of traditional trainers, mainly focusing on their basic skills and combat abilities."

Seeing that Rukia seemed to have difficulty understanding, Ash had no choice but to continue: "This is the general public's understanding of trainers... Regardless of which branch of trainers they belong to, the most authoritative standard for evaluating whether a trainer or a Pokémon is excellent is their battle record!"

Undoubtedly, this world is one where the strong are respected, which is why champions and the Four Heavenly Kings become the most dazzling figures.

Other Pokémon stylists, beauticians, breeders, performers, etc., cannot compare to the influence of a traditional trainer.

No matter how skilled a beautician is, their expertise is limited to haircutting Dominia, and their clientele will only consist of wealthy ladies or gentlemen, not the rough and honest men.

Even if he becomes the number one beautician in the entire region, his influence still can't compare to that of one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

The same applies to other specializations.

Imagine a skilled Pokémon breeder—like Raikou from Sinnoh—suddenly grabbing you and going on and on about how well he's bred his Pokémon and how deep his bond with them is. Would you be willing to listen?

If I'm in a good mood, I might turn it into a story; if I'm in a bad mood, I'll just say goodbye and leave.

But what if he showed you his badge, what if he showed you the symbol of the frontier and told you that he had fought against the legendary pillar?

Then, if he uses his main strength to beat you up, wouldn't you be eager to learn about his past and admit that he really is an extremely outstanding person...?

breeder~

Similarly, even the winners of large-scale festivals can only be considered top-tier within the circle of Trainer Coordinators.

Mikkuri has a huge influence worldwide, but that doesn't mean that the entire group of Coordinators is awesome; it's just that he has the strength of a champion!

"So now you understand? It's not that Serena and the others are getting stronger quickly, it's that you're training purely like a Coordinator, which makes your growth too slow." Ash concluded incisively.

"If you only practice those fancy performances and always pursue the superficial charm of Pokémon, you will end up with neither a solid foundation nor strong abilities, and the gap between you and others will naturally widen!"

Chapter 927 Old Friends, Reflections, and Headlines

From Ash's perspective, the fancy battles that many trainers tout, which emphasize skill and performance, are actually just showing off.

In a battle between masters, the outcome of a match can often be decided in a single second; there's no time for fancy moves.

Don't believe me? Ask Michael. Would he dare put on those so-called performances against Daigo or Cynthia? He'd beat them senseless in a heartbeat!

"Ash, can I ask you to help me with those... traditional trainer training methods?" Ryukia asked hesitantly, biting her lip.

Being a trainer is the path she wants to take, and she's bound to feel uncomfortable being looked down upon by Ash. But seeing Serena and May's rapid growth makes her wonder if she's really on the wrong path.

“Okay.” Ash agreed readily. “From now on, you can train Altaria with Sisley… She’s just that kind of person, she won’t target you, and you don’t need to care about the expression on her face.”

Ash has no intention of mediating the conflict between Higanbana and Rukia, or even the entire Sootopolis community.

Don't say that it's better to resolve conflicts than to create them. That's a warning against making enemies and that if you hurt someone, you should make amends in time. It's not about telling the victim to back down and forgive first.

The only way to resolve this conflict is for the people of Liuli to genuinely repent; there is no other way!

"As for Milotic..." Ash suddenly frowned slightly as he spoke, his expression becoming a little strange.

"Mildac, what's wrong..." Rukia's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Ash didn't want to help her train Milotic...

“It’s nothing… It’s best to start training Milotic from the Feebas stage, but it’s too late now.” Ash shook his head. “From now on, you can feed it the food I’ve prepared for Milotic, and you’ll take care of my Milotic from now on… Someone will tell you about the exercise and care it needs every day.”

"Someone means..."

boom!

Before Ryukia could finish speaking, a huge whirlpool suddenly appeared in the sea ahead.

Amidst the surging waves, a giant silver-white bird bursts forth, spreading its wings and crying out to the bright moon!