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

(I want to continue enjoying the time I have with you, so... please don't leave me so easily!)

Chapter 988 Arrival at the Battle Factory

After resting at the hot springs, Ash didn't return to Ordron City. Instead, he entrusted Rika and Misty to handle the aftermath on behalf of the League.

With such a major incident, even if Queen Irene is a victim, the castle's reputation will certainly suffer greatly.

Therefore, the conditions that Eileen made to the Alliance when she was under control naturally became a reality.

From this day forward, the city of Orudron will cease to be autonomous and will be fully incorporated into the Kanto Alliance, temporarily under the joint supervision of the cities of Nibi and Valen.

It is said that a certain squinty-eyed person who happened to be out heard the news and couldn't wait to fly to Rota Street to get closer to his future nominal colleague.

Of course, Uncle Gang's show wasn't the main point; what he cared about was the historical material about Pokratis that Queen Irene had someone pass on to Ash.

It turns out that one of the sides in that war a thousand years ago was Poclidis!

The old monster's purpose in launching the war was twofold: to expand his territory and to conquer Tianqingshan!

Incidentally, there's also the intention to acquire both the Tree of Origin and Queen Lynn.

As a result, his country was destroyed by Ho-Oh, and his army at the front was stopped by Aaron at the cost of his life, resulting in a complete defeat.

Ash is so concerned about Pokémon not only because Pokémon is now his enemy, but also because of information from the Pokémon management team.

(Pocrantis was actually an ancient Sinnoh, who was driven here by the heroes and the Ten Kings of the Azure Sea... His later enthusiasm for capturing Ho-Oh was not only because he was colluding with the Spirit World and would inevitably see Ho-Oh as a mortal enemy, but also because he wanted to use it to fight back to the north of the Divine Capital Ruins.)

The ruins of Citadel are ancient ruins built by the people of Citadel and Sinnoh to honor Arceus. They are generally believed to be located outside any known area and can only be reached through the ruins of Aluf.

However, according to the management elves, the exact location of the ruins of the capital is actually north of Mount Azuma, which is the midpoint of the distance between the north and south borders of Sinnoh and Gantto.

Ash already knows that Pokratis is actually the villain from a thousand years ago, an evil that the alpaca wants to eliminate with the help of a hero.

A similar war likely took place in Xicui a century ago, with the opposing sides being the hero Xiaozhao and the villain Wangluo.

But now the world has changed. The 'hero' chosen by the alpaca has gathered villains like Crimson Pine and Water Wutong who need to be eliminated, all in order to deal with himself, the traitorous blasphemer.

After carefully reviewing this heavily modified theatrical version, Ash really feels like he's stirred up a hornet's nest.

Alpaca-type space gods and the three lake gods, the will of the spirit world, Poclidis, and Fire Village of Team Magma are jumping out one after another.

And this isn't even the enemy's full strength; you also have to count the Aqua Fleet and that mysterious guy who provided the shape-shifting monster.

The enemy's forces are extremely powerful, and the Kanto and Johto alliances have re-entered a state of alert. Ash's side can only focus on gathering intelligence for the time being.

So after saying goodbye to Lijia and Xiaoxia, he immediately went and dug up Pokrandis's ancestral graves again.

After learning that the other party was an ancient Sinnoh person, Ash decided to pull off this... and he actually found some good stuff.

Thanks to the excellent environment of the underground ruins, these things are still usable after so many years... Of course, we should also thank Team Magma for not recognizing their value and only taking the sealing stone sphere of Pokratis; otherwise, Ash wouldn't have had the chance to snag such a bargain!

After completing these side quests, Ash can finally get back on track and officially begin his Frontier Challenge.

His first battle was nearby, at the Battle Factory guarded by Dara!

It's worth noting that the challenge rules in the Kanto Battle Frontier are set up in a progressive manner. New trainers who come to challenge will only know the location of the Battle Factory at the very beginning.

They must pass Dara's test and obtain the first symbolic emblem before they can unlock the location of subsequent facilities.

Even if you find the battle facility in advance, you cannot participate in the challenge if you have not obtained the qualification to challenge.

Ash thought this arrangement was quite good, as it allowed trainers to experience continuous training through challenges, which was better than just rushing through the game and calling it a day.

Then, with the battle points and move tutorial rules that Ash mentioned, it will definitely attract a large number of trainers to hone their skills here.

...

"Hey, Ash, I've been waiting for you!"

At the starting facility—the Battle Factory—a man in a trench coat with a stubble beard greeted Ash in a casual manner.

“Mr. Ash, we’ve finally been waiting for you.” In contrast, Ashida in the floral shirt was much more polite.

"Mr. Ashida, and Mr. Dara, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Ash quickly stepped forward to greet them, his attitude very polite.

Besides being a basic courtesy, he did this because Dara was his father's friend and thus considered his elder.

Of the seven pioneers in the Kanto Frontier, five were recruited by Ash, while the remaining two were on Ash's side from the beginning.

"Haha, that's been a long time indeed," Dara laughed heartily. "I've heard that guy bragging about his son so many times I'm sick of it. I've always wanted to meet you... But you really are quite impressive!"

“Mr. Dara…” Ash’s face fell.

Seeing the other person's increasingly off-target smile, Xiao Zhi knew that this "powerful" thing was definitely not from the right place.

However, Ash does have a high opinion of Dallah's strength.

When Kanto was in chaos earlier, Dara went to Yuhu City to support Rika, and at that time he showed off his super armor.

If we take the influence of the anime into account, the battle against him should be more interesting.

No matter what, he wouldn't command an Ice-type Pokémon with a special attack that's stronger than its physical attack to fight a Flare-Flying Pokémon with Steel Wings, would he?

"Just kidding." Dara casually put his arm around Ash's shoulder. "Come on, everyone, I'll introduce you to my Pokémon, Ash, and another champion girl who's come from afar. You can decide your opponents yourselves."

"Choose your own opponent?" Nemo was taken aback; she found this method quite novel.

Once everyone was led inside the factory, she understood what it meant to choose her own opponent.

Dara has a huge number of Pokémon, including powerful ones like Venusaur and Machamp, each exuding the aura of a seasoned veteran.

“You can choose any one, and I will fight you with all my might!” Dara reminded her.

"That Pinsir... is very strong!" Among dozens of Pokémon, Nemo immediately spotted the most conspicuous one.

"You have a good eye. No wonder you've reached champion level at such a young age." Dara gave a thumbs up. "Big Capel is my strongest partner... and what you saw isn't even its true form!"

"Oh, it can evolve into a super form? That makes me even more interested." Nemo's eyes lit up immediately.

But when it came to Ash, he shook his head.

"Mr. Dara, you must have another powerful Pokémon here... I'd like to see it," Ash asked meaningfully.

"Uh... how do you know about that one?" Dara was taken aback.

"I have a Lugia with me."

"Okay..." Dara was speechless for a moment. He really couldn't find fault with such a generous explanation.

"Then let's make an appearance!" "Woo!"

As Dara called out, a magnificent, ice-blue giant bird flew out from the depths of the warehouse, scattering a shower of shimmering ice flowers above everyone's heads.

Freezing bird!

Chapter 989 VS Dara & Articuno!

"It really is Articuno!" "So beautiful!"

As the Ice Bird circled in the air, everyone couldn't help but show expressions of amazement, with Haruka and Rukia even having starry eyes.

Among the three legendary birds, Articuno has the most beautiful appearance and is absolutely suitable for being used in grand competitions.

What surprised them even more was that Dara, a trainer who was previously unknown, actually possessed a legendary Pokémon!

This is the foundation of Gakuen now. Besides Dara, who is friends with Articuno, there is also Nurse Joy, who brings Latias with her.

"I never expected this, Dara, you actually had this trick up your sleeve." Ashida was also amazed.

So, out of the seven pioneers of Kanto, three of them actually possess legendary Pokémon?

When he first started planning the development zone project, Ashida never imagined that he would one day be so wealthy.

“I didn’t catch this Articuno; it’s a wild Pokémon, so it’s kind of my friend,” Dara explained. “However, if Ash wants to challenge it, I think Articuno would agree.”

"Woo~" When facing Ash, Articuno's attitude is absolutely submissive.

battling Ash is no problem at all; I could even stand there without fighting back.

Ash's identity has spread throughout the legendary Pokémon community in Sekito; he's the man chosen by Lugia...

They even have children!

This Articuno, of course, knew it had no hope of becoming the God of Ice, but that didn't stop it from being overly attentive.

“Then let’s have a battle.” Ash looked at Articuno seriously. “You don’t need to worry about my identity. I will only consider you Mr. Dara’s partner, and I will send out a partner who is good enough to match you in the battle!”

"Woo!" Articuno also let out a cry full of fighting spirit.

It couldn't be more excited to challenge the strong alongside its friend Dara!

"Sigh, I chose a bit too early..." Nemo shrugged helplessly.

She was actually quite envious of a legendary opponent like Articuno, but since Ash was the one who chose it, she couldn't very well challenge him...

Although if Xiaozhi just begged a little, he might be able to let her go first~

...

Having identified his opponent, Ash quickly prepared for his first battle in the Frontier.

Inside the factory's huge battle arena, Ash and Dara took their positions, while Articuno flapped its wings and floated in front of Dara.

"Let's begin the challenge match between Mr. Ash and Factory Manager Dara. The match will be a single-elimination game!"