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

"It's settled then, let's head back to Kanto together!" Ash finally made the decision.

This means that a total of ten people will be traveling together, transforming the small group into a large group.

Next stop, home!

★ Pioneer Chapter: Forge Ahead Against the Wind! Surpass the Limits! ★

Chapter 969 Resolution, Embarking on a Journey of Challenges

A warm welcome back to Alola-Hoenn Champion Ash!

A crowd lined up at the town entrance, amidst cheers and applause, and the enormous banner that was both conspicuous and embarrassing to mention…

The warm, slightly rustic welcome ceremony in Pallet Town immediately stunned the entourage upon its arrival.

They stood at the entrance to the town, each looking caught in a dilemma, helplessly watching Ash effortlessly handle wave after wave of townspeople.

"Alright, let's go to my family's guesthouse and rest for a bit before making any plans." Having finally calmed down the overly enthusiastic crowd, Xiao Zhi quickly told everyone to leave.

The group breathed a sigh of relief and fled in quick succession, following closely behind Ash.

However, once in town, he often encounters people who come up to greet him, or even ask for autographs and photos, and Xiaozhi is always very patient with them.

These are all things that one inevitably experiences after becoming famous. Back when Xiaoyao was in North Orange City, wasn't she also surrounded by crowds because of her identity as the "Daughter of a Thousand Miles"?

And the people around him are usually in the spotlight... Even the yandere Bonfire was a highly experienced stage coordinator in her early years.

Only Dr. Birch and Higana were a little overwhelmed by the atmosphere... Fortunately, they arrived at their destination soon.

"Ash, everyone, welcome back!" "Brother, Blue, you're back!"

My mother is already waiting here, with Lila, who came all the way back from Mikishi Town, by her side.

This was Ash's idea. When he informed his family, he specifically emphasized that they shouldn't wait in town with the welcoming party, but should just stay at the guesthouse.

In addition, Xiaozhi brought a lot of people back this time, so it's not appropriate to host a welcome dinner at home.

Fortunately, his family runs a bed and breakfast; otherwise, with such a large commotion every time, they might have had to sleep on the floor or even camp out in town.

After assigning rooms to everyone, Hanako had the cafeteria deliver the food that had been prepared in advance, and then left, leaving only Lila behind.

During the welcome dinner, Lila told Ash about everyone's recent situation.

"After the Indigo League concludes, Korrina left Kanto, saying she was going back to challenge Mr. Cocoble and let him confirm her growth. As for Misty, she's currently on the Indigo Plateau and won't be able to return for the time being..."

"That's great!" Ash said with a smile. "I'll be able to see her when I go to Indigo Plateau."

He could guess that Xiaoxia was currently undergoing secret special training.

Xiaoxia won the championship at the previous Quartz Conference, but she did not participate in the exhibition match with the Four Heavenly Kings after the awards ceremony.

Ash knew she had changed it to a secret challenge, and as for the result, it would undoubtedly be a surprise.

"Is this your sister?" As they were talking, Nemo leaned closer with interest. "She seems pretty strong. How about a match with me sometime?"

"Uh, I'm fine now..."

“Then it’s settled~” Before Lila could react, Nemo got excited on her own, leaving Lila a little surprised.

"This is Miss Nemo. She really enjoys Pokémon battles and is quite a skilled player. You two can have more opportunities to spar," Ash explained with a smile, while secretly giving Lila a wink.

"I see... Then would you like to challenge the Battle Frontier?" Lila immediately understood and then extended an invitation to Nemo, "If you can clear the battle facilities guarded by the Frontier Brain, you can collect unique symbolic emblems; if you achieve domination of the Frontier, you will be awarded a certificate and have the opportunity to become the Frontier Brain."

“None of the others matter.” Nemo waved her hand casually, her eyes sharp as she asked, “Those pioneering brains you mentioned, are they powerful?”

"They are all highly skilled trainers, some of whom even use legendary Pokémon in battle."

“Alright! I’ll dominate this battle frontier!” Nemo was clearly intrigued and made her decision immediately.

"Oh, right..." she suddenly remembered something, and then pressed Lila for an answer, "Of all the pioneering minds, which level are you guarding?"

"The final challenge." Lila's tone was solemn. Although she was answering Nemo, she kept looking into Ash's eyes as she spoke.

Today, through her own efforts, she has finally risen above the Pharaohs of the Age of Gods in the pyramids!

The promise I made to my brother has come to be kept.

"Great! I knew I wasn't wrong. You're just like Ash, a trainer worth challenging!" Nemo was even more excited when she learned that the girl in front of her was actually the final boss of the Frontier.

“Let’s decide on that then. I also want to challenge the Battle Frontier,” Ash interjected with a smile. “Once everything is ready, we’ll officially set off.”

Admittedly, he returned to Kanto this time to investigate the whereabouts of the Water and Fire Organization with Lan Mao, but he also needs to find some serious things to do in his spare time.

Taking advantage of this journey through the frontier, you can take on challenges and collect clues at the same time, which is much more fulfilling than simply completing tasks.

Meanwhile, Haruka and Rukia can also challenge the Grand Contest in Kanto, so no one will miss out on anything.

"Brother... and Miss Nemo, I'm waiting for you!"

At this moment, Lila was full of fighting spirit. She could no longer contain her excitement and eagerly looked forward to that day coming soon.

Ash shares the same expectation.

He had always known that Lila possessed extremely high combat skills and had every opportunity to become one of the top experts.

That's why he had Lila guide Nemo to challenge the Frontier Zone, so that Lila could see more experts and receive extraordinary training!

After Nemo, Ash himself will become Lyra's final obstacle!

...

After a short rest, Ash took May, Rukia, and Nemo to Professor Oak's lab the next morning.

The others didn't follow along; Serena and the others helped Hanako with some housework, while Higana went off to exercise on her own.

As for Xiao Mao, he went home last night.

When Ash and his friends arrived, Professor Oak was having a heated discussion with Professor Birch, while his assistant, Tracey, was taking care of three tiny starter babies.

"So those are the starter Pokémon from Kanto? They all look quite unique." Nemo immediately went over to take a closer look, but the three little ones seemed rather shy, with Squirtle and Bulbasaur hiding directly behind Turtle.

Only the remaining little dragon mustered the courage to spit a ball of sparks from its nostrils... Unfortunately, its adorable appearance was not dangerous at all, and instead made Nemo smile slightly.

"Haha, you're so cute~"

"Heh..." The little dragon was a little frustrated; it had really tried its best to fight back...

"Ash, you're here!" Professor Oak greeted Ash. "Professor Birch and I were just talking about you."

"What are you talking about me about?" Ash asked curiously.

“Tell me about your Pokémon storage.” Professor Oak’s face showed a hint of resentment. “I’ve always been quite bothered by it… but Professor Birch speaks highly of you.”

"Pokémon storage?" Ryukia asked, puzzled.

"None of Ash's captured Pokémon are with me right now," Professor Oak complained.

"Apart from the ones he carried with him, all the rest of his Pokémon were scattered in all directions."

Chapter 970 New Partner Joins the Team

Normally, no one would have paid much attention, but now that it's been brought up, it's become clear that Ash's Pokémon are scattered all over the world.

Aside from Unova and Patia, the known regions have been basically all divided up; the rest are directly controlled by Ash…

Since none of them were left in the lab, it's no wonder Professor Oak was so resentful.

“Initially, my friends were also left here, but it didn’t fit in later,” Ash explained.

"Why?" Xiaoyao asked, puzzled.

In fact, it wasn't just her; Lucia and Nemo also had this question. Ash's approach was completely different from that of ordinary trainers.

Trainers tend to keep their Pokémon in one place, such as their home, a dedicated breeding farm, or a research institute, and rarely scatter them around like Ash does.

This not only makes it difficult to monitor the Pokémon's status in a timely manner, but also makes recalling them very troublesome.

"I have specific requirements for the Pokémon's growth environment, so this is the only way," Ash explained. "When Pokémon are first captured, they need a stable environment and a high-quality food supply to help them improve their health and build a solid foundation. At that time, placing them in the research lab is very suitable."

"But when a Pokémon grows to a certain level, especially when its strength increases to the point where it is about to develop its attributes, the ordinary environment is no longer suitable."

"Yes... the environment we build at the research institute can't compare to the natural one no matter what." Professor Oak nodded helplessly. "Besides, this kid often needs extreme environments for his Pokémon to train, and I can't exactly put a volcano in my backyard~"

This complaint is somewhat nonsensical, but it is indeed true.

Of the Fire-type Pokémon Ash caught, aside from Charizard, who has already transformed into a dragon and always stays with him, the other Pokémon's favorite place is the volcano.

Especially the leader of the fiery beasts, if it doesn't swim a couple of times in the lava of Mount Vera every day and drink some 'milk tea', it'll feel uncomfortable all day long~

The other companions are all in similar situations: Steelix is ​​in Poni Canyon, Pinsir is in the Stromgarde Gym, Crobat is in Kalos's Ninja Village, Venusaur is in the Mysterious Garden, Blastoise is in the Whirl Islands... In short, each of them has a place to go.

Being in these special environments allows their bodies to better adapt to nature, thereby developing their attribute energy more efficiently.

To put it simply, the higher the level of the battle, the simpler the things being compared are often.

The reason why legends that are given the name of gods are so powerful is because they contain a vast amount of energy... some even control certain rules.

When fighting against such an opponent, your own energy level must not be much lower than theirs, so that you can have room to use some tactics and routines. Otherwise, you will just be waiting to be overwhelmed by their brute force.

A flashy but effective approach is worse than a powerful strike – that's the principle behind it.

Of course, Xiao Zhi's situation is special, and he does not recommend that ordinary people follow suit.