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

"So, how exactly do we deal with opponents like Blaziken?" As they set off again, Rukia pondered their previous battle and asked pointedly.

"Hey, that's going a bit too far!" Xiaoyao immediately complained, "I haven't even asked how to defeat Altaria and Milotic in a second, and you're already targeting them?"

Haruka was absolutely certain that Ryukia had no good intentions; that brat was after her!

"Tch, can't even I ask?" Ryukia muttered defiantly, but she knew she was getting a little impatient.

Ash won't take sides... and even if he had to, he'd only side with May.

Ryukia is now very self-aware about this and doesn't see anything wrong with it.

Some regrets have already been made, and there's no use in wallowing in self-pity now. The only thing to be thankful for is that things didn't escalate to a worse state…

"I won't go into details. You've all watched the match, so just think about it yourselves." Ash smiled and waved his hand, naturally not taking up the topic.

"See? I told you Ash wouldn't be biased!" May immediately became smug.

"Just you wait, I won't lose again next time!" Of course, Ryukia wouldn't be discouraged, and she was determined to find a way to break the deadlock.

Serena and Ash could only exchange wry smiles.

Of course, Xiao Zhi was only thinking about the rivalry between the two girls, which would be a positive thing no matter what, and he could just let them learn from each other.

Serena, on the other hand, had more to think about... If Blue were there, she'd probably be hoping the two of them would fight it out, ideally ending up both of them severely injured and then both throwing themselves at Ash.

These "good sisters" are really becoming more and more common.

Serena originally thought that seven major milestones were incredible enough, but now that she has calculated it carefully, it seems that she has already exceeded that number, including herself.

Strangely, as more and more people joined in, they became increasingly accustomed to it... It just goes to show how powerful the herd mentality can be!

...

After leaving the Battle Arena, Ash didn't go straight to challenge the third Battle Facility, but instead went to Celadon City.

Rika and Misty finished up the situation in Ordron City, and they also interrogated the captured Fire Village. Ash even lent out his Alakazam and Gengar for this.

It's said that they recently pried out some things, and since Ash has already come to the vicinity, he should go directly to the gym to discuss it.

“Then let’s split up. I’ll take them to the department store, and you go find Miss Lijia.” After arriving in Yuhong City, Serena quickly proposed a plan. “There’s a grand competition in a few days, so you can investigate some clues in the meantime.”

During her travels in the Kanto region, Serena was always very sensible and knew she couldn't interfere with Ash's important business.

Especially when Ash meets with his seven female companions from Kanto, Serena always tries to minimize the number of times she appears in the same frame as Ash, so as not to steal the spotlight.

Ash never asked for these things, but Serena was willing to do them on her own initiative, and she also wanted to help Ash maintain the harmony of this growing 'group', just like someone else did.

Hmm... what she initially thought of was something from the palace~

"Alright... Have fun then~" Ash felt there was no problem with this arrangement. After settling the three girls in at the Pokémon Center, he went to the Rainbow Gym by himself.

He was already quite familiar with the place, so he didn't need the receptionist to inform him in advance. He walked straight to the dojo's greenhouse.

When they arrived at the greenhouse entrance, Xiao Zhi deliberately slowed his steps and carefully pushed the door open to enter.

He knew Lijia well; at this time of day, the young lady would definitely be taking a nap in the greenhouse.

Sure enough, when Ash tiptoed to the center of the greenhouse, he saw a sleeping beauty surrounded by adorable creatures like trumpet buds and vine monsters.

She leaned softly against the grass, her eyes closed, breathing evenly, causing her chest to rise and fall slightly.

One side of the kimono's lapel playfully slipped down, revealing a hint of her fair, white shoulder. Xiaozhi's eyes were immediately drawn to it with just a casual glance.

Surrounded by a group of Grass-type Pokémon, Miss Rika was undoubtedly the most beautiful flower in this nursery...

However, just as Ash was getting closer and about to kiss her, the flower suddenly bloomed.

The young lady, who was still fast asleep, suddenly opened her eyes. The Tangela beside her released a chaotic array of tentacles, completely binding Ash and dragging him in front of her.

"Mr. Xiaozhi, even when I'm resting, I won't let my guard down." The young lady's tone was playful, but more so teasing.

She gently stroked Xiaozhi's chest with her slender hands, and her eyes seemed to begin to sparkle with desire.

"Mr. Ash, were you planning to do something naughty just now?"

"Uh..." Xiao Zhi was speechless for a moment.

He did intend to try it out first in that scene... As for whether there will be any follow-up, that's hard to say.

"But it doesn't matter anymore... Now that I've caught you, you're at my mercy~" Rika covered her mouth and chuckled, and the surrounding Pokémon scattered like birds in an instant.

Staring intently as the kimono slipped off before his eyes, Xiao Zhi could only swallow hard, letting it steal his soul...

Chapter 998 White Cape, 'Masahiro' appears again!

"Xiaoxia and I have found out some things. That Huocun was ordered to let Pokrandice possess him... This shows that once Pokrandice's soul possesses a person, it will cover up the original owner's aura."

"Um…"

"His memories are mostly vague, probably because Pokratis's soul tampered with them. Alakazam and Gengar only recovered a part of them... But we can roughly find out that after Rhodes left him behind, he took the rest of Team Magma and went to sea... So the enemy's base is likely at sea."

"Um…"

"Mr. Xiaozhi, could you give me some other reactions?" The young lady's languid voice carried a hint of complaint.

This is very important information! Even if you don't praise me verbally, at least show some action!

"I think... Miss Rika, should we get dressed first, and then talk business?" Ash asked, somewhat speechless.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and since Ash played with fire first... they ended up spending some time together in the flowerbed, which was quite a unique experience.

The problem is, can't we tidy up a bit after we're done...?

The two lay on their backs on the grass, embracing each other and haphazardly covering each other with their clothes... and then they talked about business in a serious manner!

The most frequent occurrence of this scenario is when the secretary has nothing to do, and the boss is exercising while issuing various instructions, with the secretary responding with "uh-huh" throughout.

Now the situation has completely reversed.

Miss Rika wasn't just talking about business; her hands were constantly busy too. If Xiaozhi had reacted in any other way or used a different tone of voice, he wouldn't have been able to get any of the important business done today.

And there's a real chance they'll lose control completely, causing Little Blue to go berserk...

With great difficulty, she helped the young lady put her kimono back on, and waited for her to dress her gently like a wife. During this time, Rika suddenly remembered another piece of information.

"Oh, right... Dr. Masahiro also appeared in Himura's memories."

"It's him?" Ash was taken aback. "Could Team Magma's scheme involve him?"

“I don’t know… but so far, this is the only further clue we have,” Lijia said helplessly.

"How about we investigate?" Ash suggested. "Let's go to Cape White and, if Professor Bill is there, we can ask him about the situation."

"I think that's fine too... But, Mr. Xiaozhi, don't you need to rest for a bit?"

The young lady's smile at this moment was somewhat mischievous.

"Absolutely not!" Ash couldn't let his prestige be diminished, so he immediately picked up Rika and used the Ring to fly directly to the White Cape.

During this time, he didn't forget to help Rika recover her strength... Since the waveguide was upgraded to life force, this kind of thing has become much easier~

...

"Ash, what are you doing here all of a sudden... and you even brought Gym Leader Rika with you?"

At the lighthouse on the white cape, Bill seemed somewhat caught off guard by Ash's sudden visit.

This time it wasn't wearing that bizarre fossil armor, but its eyes were somewhat evasive.

"I'm just taking the liberty of visiting... Dr. Bright, are you having some trouble?" Ash asked curiously upon seeing this.

"It's nothing serious, just a slight malfunction in the Poké Ball's teleportation system. It'll be fixed soon," Zheng Hui hurriedly explained, waving his hands.

"The malfunction might have been caused by human interference." Recalling the clues provided by Himura, Ash naturally connected the two things.

It makes sense to think that the Magma Team, lurking in the shadows, interfered with the teleportation system in some way.

"Maybe... uh, please come in quickly." Zheng Hui hesitated for a moment, then immediately led the two into the lighthouse.

It didn't really want to receive Ash and Rika, but since they had come all the way to visit, it didn't have a good reason to turn them away, so it could only chat with Ash casually.

They talked about their first meeting at Cape White, the giant Dragonite, and how Ash and Brock went to Dragon Island with Dragonite...

After that, Bill's pursuit of the Mysterious Phantom Pokémon came to an end, and he naturally returned to his original daily routine... continuing to manage the Pokémon teleportation system.

"So, Dr. Zheng Hui, have you really not encountered anything suspicious lately?" After rambling on for a while, Xiao Zhi suddenly asked meaningfully.

To be honest, Ash was initially just catching up with Bill.

But as they talked, he started to feel something was off.

Zheng Hui's reactions are always a beat slow; it seems that he needs to think about many things he has experienced before before he can remember them.

For example, he once transferred his consciousness into Nidorino, and when Ash and Brock went out to sea, he gave them a navigation device... and Ash never returned it.

Those memories may seem like trivial things to outsiders, but for Zheng Hui, especially in the context of his conversation with Xiao Zhi, they should have been readily shared!

Most importantly, Lucario sensed something was amiss... while secretly investigating as it played the ball, it smelled a suspicious odor that had appeared at the Gordon Institute!

So Ash naturally began to have doubts... Was the person in front of him really Bill?!

"What exactly do you mean by 'suspicious'?" Zheng Hui stammered a bit, "Nothing's happened lately, it's just... the teleportation system malfunctioned, and I've been fixing it..."

“I can ask someone for help,” Ash pressed on. “Professor, have you forgotten? Your senior, Professor Akihabara, who worked with you to develop the teleportation system, is working for me.”

"Ah... Akihabara, yes! Senior Akihabara, I was indeed working for you..." Masahiro's voice trailed off as he spoke, clearly realizing he had given himself away.