Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

As the leader of a long-established ninja clan and the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, he is used to handling affairs in the dark.

This is what a ninja is like!

A ninja is someone who can endure what ordinary people cannot!

The miniature cameras hidden throughout the dojo, the furballs he had trained, and the ultrasonic information fed back by the Zubats were all compiled and presented to him.

This applies to the entire city, except for the dojos.

The moment Ash and his friends stepped into the Pokémon Center in Fuchsia City, they came into his view.

"Ash from Pallet Town, Brock from Pewter City, Misty from Cerulean City..." A-Ju silently recited these names in her heart, her face as calm as still water.

He already knew of the title "Rainbow Hero" from Boss Sakaki.

Xiao Gang is also an old acquaintance and colleague.

Xiaoxiazi is the daughter of a colleague.

...He had secretly observed the three of them in Black Cloud City before, but had no intention of making contact with them.

Ninjas should operate in secret!

Instead of running onto the stage and firing light beams!

They came quietly.

Leave quietly.

It doesn't mean that you'll be walking on clouds.

This is what a ninja is like!

So what if he is the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh?

Ah Ju has his own rules and standards for doing things.

As long as the other party abides by the rules of Ashen City and does not provoke trouble, he will treat them with courtesy.

Even the Rainbow Hero, if he wants to challenge the Crimson Gym, must follow the rules he set and traverse the mountain path filled with traps and mechanisms step by step.

As for whether the little intelligence was successful?

Ah Ju didn't care.

One of the purposes of a dojo is to select and hone skills.

Passing the test is proof of its strength and good fortune.

Failure is also a valuable growth experience.

A-Ju has no prejudice against this, and will not deliberately make things difficult for or go easy on Xiao-Zhi because of his special status.

Everything proceeded according to the predetermined level of difficulty.

Everything seems to be under control...

It should be like this.

However, a small accident has occurred.

The slightest thing was an unexpected and devastating surprise for A-Ju.

On a split screen in front of A-Ju, the image was locked on the edge of the city.

Those were live feeds from the Pokémon that he sent to "routinely monitor" Professor Oak's grandson, Gary.

It is necessary to give Professor Oak's grandson a slightly higher level of attention.

The scene shows Gary and Ash battling.

But A-Ju's focus wasn't on Gary and Ash at all... These two do have a lot of potential, but that potential hasn't been fully realized yet.

What truly made Aju's fingers, honed through countless trials and tribulations and capable of picking up ants from a boiling oil pot without flinching, tremble was, of course, the golden figure beside Xiaozhi.

A-Ju's pupils suddenly contracted in the darkness, as if she had encountered a feline predator.

The cold light from the screen reflected on his face, clearly outlining the shock and disbelief that had been hidden behind his mask for years.

what is that?

A... golden... big-billed finch?

Do not!

Absolutely impossible!

Ah Ju's breathing almost stopped for a moment.

He stared intently at the "big-beaked sparrow" that was leisurely preening its feathers.

That body of golden feathers was so dazzling it was almost blinding.

That seemingly languid gaze actually contained an indifferent look down upon all living beings.

Even when it tried its best to conceal it, its life force and sacred aura still shone as brightly as a torch in the night...

As the leader of an ancient ninja clan.

As an Elite Four level trainer who has dealt with countless Poison and Bug-type Pokémon and has an extremely keen sense of life energy.

Ah Ju's knowledge far surpasses that of ordinary people.

He was certain he hadn't personally witnessed Ho-Oh revealing its true form, but the ancient scrolls in his clan, the events that had occurred in Black Cloud City recently, and Ash's special identity all led him to instantly ascertain the absurd and terrifying truth.

Hey!

What the hell!

Damn, damn, damn!

This golden-billed jacana is clearly a deity worshipped in the Kanto and Johto regions.

Ho-Oh, the god of atmospheric currents who wields rainbows and the flame of life!

This is simply outrageous.

Ho-Oh... disguised himself as a giant peacock?

And it's following Ash around, looking like it's been tamed?!

This is even more outrageous than a minister seeing his own emperor traveling incognito.

Even with her iron will, Ah Ju felt as if her worldview was being repeatedly rubbed into the ground.

This is beyond outrageous.

This completely overturned his entire understanding of the majesty of the gods!

—You are the Phoenix King!

—How could you disguise yourself as a big-billed bird?

—In previous records about the Rainbow Hero, it was never mentioned that Ho-Oh would accompany him!

—Wasn't it said that the Rainbow Hero could contact Ho-Oh at crucial moments?

—What the hell is going on?

A-Ju felt that her ninja skills were being put to an unprecedented test.

This is also why Ash doesn't really want to reveal his identity as the Rainbow Hero.

Even Xiaogang only maintained a calm exterior, but his heart had already broken down several times.

Xiao Gang actually chose to refuse to acknowledge that the Golden-billed Finch was Ho-Oh.

This is the Will of Stone!!

So the group stayed in Black Cloud City for a few more days before leaving.

The main thing is that Xiaogang is rebuilding his mental state.

—My best friend suddenly went to heaven?

How could such a thing happen?

It's not a matter of jealousy or not.

The main problem is that some of them are so outrageous that they're almost bizarre.

Looking at the carefree Xiaoxia, Xiaogang couldn't help but sigh... Sometimes ignorance is good.

At least the mental stress is low.

The more you know, the more annoyed you become.

Just like Xiao Gang initially guessed the identity of the Golden-beaked Sparrow, Ho-Oh.

Ah Ju's mouth, hidden beneath her mask, was probably twitching uncontrollably.

How should this be handled "according to the rules"?

What if Ash brings Ho-Oh to challenge the gym?

Just thinking about that scene makes Ah Ju feel like her career is about to come to an end prematurely.

Should we pretend we don't know Ho-Oh's identity?

If we pretend we don't know, what if we accidentally hurt Ho-Oh's Rainbow Hero right under his nose?

If you directly say you know, then since Ho-Oh has already disguised his identity, how dare you say you know what you want to do?

...Cold sweat silently soaked through Ah Ju's clothes on the back.

Ho-Oh is also the type that best counters A-Ju.

No matter how terrifying A-Ju's poison is, Ho-Oh can heal and refresh its status.

Aside from poison, A-Ju doesn't have that much attack, defense, or movement speed... Ho-Oh could burn him to ashes with a single backhand strike.

Therefore, he doesn't have the same mindset as Sakaki.

A-Ju took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.

This is something he can no longer handle alone.

He operated the encrypted communication device in front of him with somewhat stiff movements, his fingers pausing several times on the virtual keyboard before finally managing to edit the message.

A-Ju didn't elaborate much, but simply encrypted the surveillance video clip that recorded the interaction between "Golden Finch" and Ash and sent it directly to that specific contact person—Sakaki.

Yes.

He sent it to Sakaki.

It was not sent to the alliance.

A-Ju really follows Sakaki... and is even planning to go to Johto ahead of time to be Sakaki's vanguard.

As long as you leave this hellish Kanto region.

Upon arriving in Johto, A-Ju felt that she would soon become one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

After the message was sent, the secret room fell into a deathly silence.

Ah Ju sat there like a stone statue, waiting for a response, her heart filled with mixed feelings.

This kind of waiting is undoubtedly agonizing.

After an unknown amount of time, the encrypted communicator finally emitted a faint light, indicating that a message had been sent.

Ah Ju clicked on it almost immediately.

The reply from Sakaki was so brief it was almost suffocating.

"It is not appropriate to interfere with the Phoenix King's own will. Everything will remain the same. You may decide for yourself and act as you see fit."

Sakaki's meaning is very straightforward: it's no use you contacting me.

Giovanni had already fought Ho-Oh in Black Cloud City, but he couldn't beat him.

LOL.

How do you fight an opponent who is practically invincible?

Sakaki can't kill Phoenix King.

But Ho-Oh can actually kill Giovanni.