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

Getting back to the main point, Xiao Zhi found Queen Irene's invitation quite inexplicable.

He didn't just become famous in Kanto. Ash was already a hot commodity in Kanto when he was ten years old, and Luca was also widely known as his main weapon.

However, Queen Irene did not react.

Okay, even if they missed the first year, by the time Ash was at the Silver Conference, Lucario had already finished his signature battle with a six-game winning streak. Shouldn't Ordron City give something in return this time?

The truth is, it's not true either.

So you see, Queen Erin never really wanted to get involved with Ash, and the Rota Street Festival has always been a niche annual event for her own amusement.

Tourists can come and join in the fun, but the city of Orudron never extends an invitation.

The little intelligence understands this behavior. Judging from the original work in the movie, Queen Irene is somewhat love-struck and has always longed for the poignant love story between her ancestor, Queen Lynn, and the hero Aaron.

To put it bluntly, this celebration is purely for Aaron, and it only commemorates the hero with the wave guide from a thousand years ago.

As for the fact that waveguide users are still active today, it has absolutely nothing to do with them.

As a result, Queen Irene suddenly invited Ash, and brought along the entire Kanto leadership!

She did come up with a reasonably plausible excuse, and the conditions she offered were quite tempting... After the celebration, we can talk to Mr. Du about the topic of Ordron City giving up its autonomy.

Ordron Castle in Kanto, like Eclipse Castle in Johto and Miraju Kingdom in Hoenn, is an autonomous entity within the Alliance.

They nominally obey the alliance's management, but in reality they are self-contained, and can even control their own taxes and military.

Now that the city of Orudron is about to be fully incorporated into the alliance, Dragon Crossing will definitely take it very seriously.

But Ash still felt uneasy, as if this was a huge conspiracy... big enough to wipe out the entire Kanto leadership!

Don't blame Xiao Zhi for thinking the worst of people; these are extraordinary times, and he looks at every stranger with suspicion.

"Miss Rika, please tell Mr. Lance that he doesn't need to go in person... Let Misty come down from the Indigo Plateau, and then the two of you can come with me." Ash quickly made the decision.

This refusal is basically reasonable and well-founded. To put it bluntly, the Ordron district is just a tiny place. Why would it need two champions like Ash and Lance to go there together?

If this is indeed a conspiracy, then the mastermind behind it has a remarkably low understanding of the authority of the champion.

"Oh, Mr. Xiaozhi, are you going to use your position to sexually harass me again... But I'm looking forward to it." Rika chuckled playfully on the other end of the phone, and hung up after agreeing on a time with Xiaozhi.

"Let's go, everyone, it's time for us to team up and run some dungeons!" Ash called out to his travel companions who were going to join him.

Serena, Haruka, Rukia, and Nemo, with Misty and Rika joining them along the way...

It's another sightseeing tour setup, but Ash is already used to it.

Having forged so many connections, to maintain these beautiful feelings, we naturally need to meet often and spend more time together...

"Ash! We meet again!"

"Mr. Xiaozhi, I have been longing to see you these past few days."

In the same meeting scene, one is enthusiastic and unrestrained, rushing directly to Ash, while the other is generous and graceful, waiting quietly to be embraced by Ash.

Different expressions, but the same emotions.

Ash was incredibly excited to see Misty and Rika again, and hugged them for a long time, completely oblivious to everyone else.

"He's really good at this too." Nemo felt she was learning a lot as more and more girls joined them along the way.

However, she only took it as a bit of fun. Nemo was a pure trainer, and now that she was traveling with Ash, all she cared about was whether she could find a worthy opponent.

For example, Xiaoxia clearly piqued her interest.

I heard he's the new king of the Kanto region, he must be pretty good at fighting...

We can arrange a flight sometime.

The group walked at a brisk pace and soon crossed Mount Tsukimi to the north, arriving near Rota Street.

Ash also went to Pewter City once, but unfortunately Brock happened to be away from the gym.

Sigh, he's just unlucky... Queen Irene is said to be a renowned beauty, and Ash was hoping to let Brock have a good look at her.

"Is this Rota Street?" "The scenery is so beautiful!"

After a long journey, the group finally arrived at their destination, and Haruka and Rukia couldn't take their eyes off them.

Rota Street is a well-known tourist attraction in northern Kanto. The entire street is actually built on a large bridge, with a mirror-like lake spanning underneath. You can clearly see your reflection in the water when you walk on the bridge.

“It’s really beautiful here.” Nemo nodded repeatedly. “In Pardia, there are famous scenic spots known as the Ten Views of Pardia, and this place is comparable to them.”

"That's where we're supposed to be," Serena said, pointing ahead.

At the center of the two bridges lies the destination of their journey—the city of Orudron.

Perhaps because it was a celebration, the whole street was crowded with people. When Ash and his friends finally arrived at the city, they found that a welcoming ceremony had already been prepared inside the city.

Two squads of heavily armored guards stood in neat rows on either side of the city gate, followed by a group of elegantly dressed and beautiful female attendants who were quietly waiting for Xiaozhi to arrive.

"Distinguished guests, we are deeply honored by your presence." The head lady-in-waiting stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Xiaozhi. "Queen Irene has been waiting for you at the castle for some time. Please follow me."

"Okay." Ash nodded silently and led everyone into the castle.

He wanted to see what the other party was really up to.

Chapter 974 The Hero of Waveguides Meets the Queen

"Your Majesty, our distinguished guests have arrived."

The honor guard led Ash and his friends into the castle. In the main hall on the upper floor, Ash and his friends, with the introduction of the female officials, finally met the owner of the castle—Queen Erin.

Just as rumored, she was indeed an impeccably beautiful woman.

Her flowing blonde hair cascaded down her back, her emerald eyes held a hint of melancholy, and she was holding a Monini in her arms... If Xiao Gang were here, he would have already turned 360 degrees and knelt down on one knee to fawn over her.

"Mr. Ash, and esteemed guests, welcome to the City of Ordron." Queen Irene was the first to gracefully bow, and even the movements imitated by the Monini in her arms were impeccably dignified.

But Ash simply nodded casually, which was considered a return greeting.

"Thank you for your invitation, Your Highness Eileen. I have brought a large group with me this time, so please forgive me if this causes any inconvenience."

"Please don't say that!" Queen Eileen quickly shook her head. "You are all distinguished guests, and it is our honor to have you here, but..."

She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Champion Wataru, didn't he come with you?"

"Mr. Watari has some other official business," Xiaozhi said, declining the offer.

"That's truly a pity." A hint of anxiety flashed in Queen Eileen's eyes. "I wonder what has held Mr. Watari back..."

“Princess Irene, it’s not your place to inquire about Lance’s whereabouts.” Ash put on a slightly stern face. “He has entrusted me with full authority over this event… Although I have won the championship in Alola and Hoenn, I am still an investigator in Kanto. I shouldn’t be considered to have started my own organization.”

“Mr. Ash is right.” Realizing the implication in Ash’s words, Eileen suddenly understood and stopped talking about the previous topic.

After exchanging a few more casual pleasantries, she took the opportunity to ask Ash to participate in the festival battles.

"We have already prepared your formal attire. Would you do us the honor of attending, Mr. Xiaozhi and our distinguished guests?"

"There's a battle! I want to participate!" Nemo was the first to raise her hand when she heard there was a program.

Ash and the others, of course, didn't refuse and readily followed the palace attendants to change their clothes.

Even after they left the palace, Queen Eileen's once clear eyes gradually became dull and unfocused.

"Their performance just now was passable. Now it's time to test their strength." A deep male voice rang out, coming from one of the guards behind her. The voice sounded somewhat hoarse under the cover of his helmet.

"Yes, ma'am... But won't there be a problem with those clothes...?" Queen Eileen asked mechanically.

"That's none of your business!" A hint of impatience crept into the deep voice. "Useless fellow, get your act together! That kid was testing your attitude the whole time, and you almost gave yourself away!"

"I'm so sorry, Master..."

"Go do your own thing." The man coldly dismissed Eileen, who sat back down on her throne, looking rather wooden.

From the moment they spoke until now, their conversation was completely undisguised, yet neither the other guards nor Monini in the Queen's arms seemed to notice.

"That kid is at least somewhat alert... but now that you're here, you can't escape my grasp!"

In the empty palace, only the hum of armor vibrating could be heard.

...

something wrong.

On his way to change his clothes, Xiao Zhi kept reviewing the meeting that had just taken place.

Queen Irene does seem a bit off. She appears very eager to know why Lance hasn't come... She's so anxious, as if she's trying to complete a mission. Even when Ash showed impatience from the start, she still dared to discuss Lance's whereabouts in front of him.

But apart from that, Ash didn't notice anything else unusual.

He kept his Aura active and didn't notice anyone unusual. The people flooding into the castle seemed to be just ordinary tourists.

Incidentally, he could even clearly sense the waveguide of a certain little guy who came here to play.

No other possible exotic energies have been discovered so far…

Let's change clothes first. If the other party really has a problem, continuing to play along will definitely expose their true colors.

"This is a dressing room specially prepared for our distinguished guests. We have also prepared special formal wear for Mr. Xiaozhi."

Seeing the room full of a dazzling array of clothes, May and Ryukia, who always love to dress up, couldn't wait any longer and rushed out. Ash, on the other hand, was led to another room by a waiter and was given a separate outfit.

The navy blue cloak and pointed hat, along with the matching gloves and boots, were undoubtedly the outfit of the Aura Hero.

Ash has to admit that Aura's fashion sense is really good, and this outfit is clearly tailored to his body shape. Not only does it fit his figure perfectly, but it also makes his physique look even stronger and more upright.