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

As someone who can become the head of the center of the universe, he certainly wouldn't be unable to understand this subtle implication.

The Rayquaza capture project was orchestrated by the Hoenn League; we, the Cosmic Center, were merely participants. However, we are now willing to apologize to the world for our past mistakes.

At the same time, we can also share some of our technology, hoping that colleagues around the world can make progress together.

Now, Keane is completely in awe of Ash and is also glad that he listened to Solans and chose the right team.

"Then it's settled. I can also assure you... Green Ridge Space Center can definitely restart rocket launches, as long as we know how to exercise restraint."

Ash had already reached an agreement with Rayquaza in this part; Rayquaza released its clones to seal off the atmosphere in order to get revenge.

Now that the hatred has passed, Rayquaza is too lazy to care what these people are sending into space, as long as they don't block its way when it's flying.

In this way, Ash has collected the last piece of the Hoenn puzzle.

Once the final Rainbow Tournament concludes, this alliance will change hands!

Chapter 917 There is no shortcut to a trainer's success

"The Green Moss Gym is a doubles battle. I'm the older sister, Konan, and my Pokémon is Moonstone!"

"You were only born a few minutes before me, so stop calling yourself 'older sister' all the time... I'm Xiaofeng, and my partner is Taiyangyan!"

After agreeing on the location of the center of the universe, Ash began his final gym battle at the Mossdeep Gym.

Facing the twin siblings, Minami and Maple, Ash immediately brought out a counter-pick: the Rain combo.

"Lobster and Big-billed Gull, come on stage!"

The rain-generating properties were activated, and countless raindrops scattered haphazardly across the special zero-gravity planetary terrain, even causing the solar rock and moonstone to squint uncomfortably.

The siblings' expressions gradually turned serious. The gravity environment they had painstakingly created had been easily exploited by their opponents... This was a rude awakening right from the start, so the difficulty of the subsequent battles was predictable.

"Lobster, water jet!"

Sure enough, the moment the referee announced the start, the Iron Claw Lobster immediately stirred up the water flow and sprinted at full speed, aiming straight for Konan's Moonstone!

"Moonstone, create distance and use Halved Reflection!" "Solar Rock, use Charge Beam on the Pelipper!"

"Spoonbill, tailwind!"

The twins responded reasonably well. Moonstone, with its eyes narrowed, retreated while trying to gather its strength, while Solar Rock prepared to unleash the only Electric-type special attack it could control.

Unexpectedly, the Pelippers suddenly activated their group acceleration, and the Iron Claw Lobster, which already had the upper hand, accelerated again, crashing heavily into the Moonstone before the Half Reflection could take shape!

"Crab Fist!" "Heave-ho!"

Ash gave the next command at the same time. Nan and Feng were stunned for a moment before they realized that the Crawdeck had changed its target by taking advantage of the impact and swung its heavy hammer at Solrock!

Bang!

The barrier that had halved the reflection shattered with a deafening roar, and the solar rock was slammed to the ground, leaving only a barely condensed beam of charging energy that exploded in the air in a crackling arc of electricity.

"Match over... Moonstone and Sunrock are unable to fight!"

"What?!"*2

Upon hearing the referee's announcement, Nan Yufeng almost thought he had misheard.

But upon closer inspection, they discovered that their partner was indeed spinning in circles.

One person, one hit, and it was an instant kill... All things considered, Ash defeated the Mossdeep Gym in just two rounds.

"No way...it's over already?" Xiaoyao's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Yeah, it's over." Looking at the cute girl in front of him and the brother and sister with incredulous expressions, Xiaozhi could only shrug helplessly.

She's still too much of a supermodel...

He originally thought that with the Rainbow Gathering approaching, he could let the Iron Claw Lobster practice its doubles tactics and stretch its muscles... but it ended up hurting two... or perhaps three young minds.

Seeing the pitiful, almost tearful look in Nan and Feng's eyes as they presented the Heart Badge, Xiao Zhi could only smile awkwardly.

I'll try to avoid gym battles as much as possible in the future; they're too unfair!

...

After leaving Mossdeep City, Ash and his friends caught up with the Stellar Flower in Sootopolis City.

After boarding the ship again, Xiaoyao seemed preoccupied.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked with concern when she saw that Xiaoyao was out of sorts.

"I'm a little worried. The big festival is about to start... I'm sure I won't be able to do it like this," May said dejectedly. "Compared to Serena and Ash, I seem to be far behind."

"So... you were provoked while watching the games these past few days?" The understanding Serena immediately guessed the key.

"Hmm..." Xiaoyao nodded silently. She was not just stimulated, she was completely shaken, both physically and mentally.

Harry was definitely a formidable opponent for her, but in the end, Dreamy Nyarlathotep was defeated in one move by Super Absol.

The twins at the Green Moss Gym, with their amazing terrain and Pokémon combinations, were then easily defeated by Crawdible.

Traveling with them, Xiaoyao felt that her strength had improved each time, but every time she watched a battle, she found that the gap seemed to be widening.

If I go to a large celebration looking like this, I'm sure I'll lose terribly...

"I don't know how to persuade him, why don't you go find Ash instead?" Serena suggested.

"Ash, he..."

"At the practice field with Higana."

Serena took Haruka to the practice field, and Haruka was immediately stunned by the scene before her.

The specially booked venue was divided into different areas, where many Pokémon were practicing enthusiastically.

The most eye-catching one was a Blaziken, which was fighting three opponents all by itself: a Sceptile, a Giant Swallow, and a Crawdoon... and it even maintained its offensive by using its super speed!

In the rest of the area, Torkoal, Infernape, and Flamethrower are focused on honing their fire skills, Swampert and a Ursaring are grappling, and Goody and Baby are training with Sidgar's Pokémon.

Each one has something to do, and they are all focused on it.

Xiaoyao had seen this kind of exercise many times before, but this time the impact was exceptionally profound.

While she was indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, and then suddenly becoming anxious about her strength, Xiao Zhi persisted in training like this.

Even though he has surpassed the level of a champion and can even be called the strongest in the world, he has never been complacent!

It seems that some of the knots in my heart have been untied...

"Why are you here?" Xiao Zhi glanced at the two girls out of the corner of his eye and temporarily stopped the training.

"Xiaoyao is having some problems and would like you to give her some advice," Serena said gently.

"I understand. Let me explain briefly then." Xiao Zhi nodded knowingly, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

He's starting to appreciate Xiaoyao more and more. Being able to identify problems on her own is a pretty good sign of growth, and it's better than never reflecting on anything at all.

"Let's talk about the match between Serena and Harry first. Menggena is a typical low-speed dual-wielder with low defense. Not to mention Super Absol, even a Hunting Butterfly could kill it instantly."

"Hunting swallowtail butterflies... is that okay?" Haruka asked incredulously.

“Sure,” Ash nodded confidently. “As long as you don’t focus too much on the performance at the start, and use Bug Chirp or Silver Whirlwind to deal full damage, it will definitely have to leave the field.”

Ash's words made a lot of sense, but May was a little conflicted because it seemed to conflict with the requirements of the Grand Festival.

But Ash didn't care about any of that and continued to explain: "The result of that battle at the Mossdeep Gym was based on the prediction of the damage."

The twins' moonstone and sunrock are not low-grade. Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for the Iron Claw Lobster to kill them instantly with a water jet, unless you are extremely lucky and hit a vital spot.

However, if it's raining, attacking a Moonstone with weak defenses would be an instant kill!

As for the Sun Rock, with the power of Crab Fist, it could definitely smash it together with the halved launcher!

"You might think this isn't what Pokémon Contests are all about, but I'm here to tell you... the essence of Pokémon battles is to protect yourself and defeat your opponent," Ash said seriously. "A truly spectacular battle is simply about defeating your opponent beautifully!"

"Beautiful...knockout?" At that moment, Xiaoyao felt enlightened.

That's right. If you can defeat your opponent in the shortest amount of time, you won't need to rack your brains to pose or score points.

"To achieve this goal, trainers and Pokémon need to put in a lot of effort... enough knowledge to support all kinds of battles, careful training of Pokémon, and most importantly... training day after day!" Ash paused slightly, as if he wanted to tell everyone and Pokémon present.

"For trainers, there are no shortcuts to success; you can only move forward step by step!"

"One step at a time... Okay, I've decided!" May seemed encouraged. "I absolutely can't waste this time on the ship! Ash, will you train with me...?"

As she spoke, she suddenly became embarrassed and awkwardly stuck out her tongue.

Xiaoyao then remembered that Serena was also there.

She was someone's competitor at the celebration, yet she asked that person's boyfriend to help her with special training...

"It's okay, Serena will be there too," Ash replied with a smile. "No matter what, hard work will never let you down... I also believe you'll meet at the end of the festival and compete for the highest honor!"

"Make it to the finals..." Xiaoyao remembered what Serena had said to her before.

Ash seems to have prepared a surprise for her, which will be revealed once she makes it to the finals.

Thinking about all this, Xiaoyao regained her energy!

"I will definitely try my best! No matter what, I must meet Serena in the finals!"

Woo~

The girl excitedly made her declaration, and the Saint Blossom ship sounded its long whistle as it drew ever closer to the port of Kaina City…