Chapter 11: The Boy Spurned by Ten Thousand

In the scene—

"Oh, what are you doing?"

After landing steadily, Ash finally set the little girl in his arms down.

Lugia's recent actions left Ash deeply puzzled.

Their battle was far from over; how could they flee halfway through!

'I sensed malice, so I left first.'

Malice?

Ash's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Who would dare harbor malice toward Lugia?

That would be utterly brainless.

Lugia is the Sea God, one of the most powerful among all deities.

"It must be your imagination. After all, who would be so brainless?"

'True enough. But Ash, you have grown stronger.'

"Of course. My journey has always been grounded; only with my feet on the ground can I feel the beauty of the world!"

At that moment, Chloe was utterly bewildered. What kind of encrypted conversation is this!

Flattered by Lugia's praise, Ash completely forgot his deliberate act at the end.

[Ma Shide: Is this Sea God actually helping Ash? Even if he sensed malice, there was no need to stir up the sea to drench Ash to the bone.]

[Nata: I recall Lugia possesses Psychic-type abilities. He likely saw through this girl named Chloe's inner thoughts.]

[Caitlin: If true, this Sea God is truly gentle.]

[Chloe: No! Absolutely not! I've never even met Ash; how could I have feelings for him!]

[Calem: You've exposed yourself. We never said you had feelings for Ash.]

Kalos.)

Watching the barrage of comments scrolling across the screen.

Serena gritted her teeth. She was the first to meet Ash.

Yet why were so many people trying to steal Ash from her!

Ash was clearly her treasure!

No! She must leave on a journey immediately!

She had originally planned to wait until Ash arrived in Kalos to reunite with him.

But if she waited until Ash reached Kalos, he might already have been snatched away by some girl!

No! She absolutely could not let her home be stolen!

Serena's face flushed slightly!

Ash is mine!

In the scene—

Lugia carried Ash and Chloe soaring through the sky.

Below them, a dark-skinned boy chased after Lugia relentlessly.

He kept muttering something under his breath.

Lugia glanced down at the black speck below.

Was the malice spread by him?

As a deity, and one possessing Psychic-type abilities,

Lugia possessed an acute perception of human hearts.

If Ash was a flawless, pure white jade, then the boy below was filth emerging from a swamp,

his dirty heart soiled even his dark skin could not conceal!

To distance himself from that filth,

Lugia spread his wings, soaring alongside the white clouds.

He then wielded his authority to split the ocean.

Lugia carried Ash and Chloe swimming through the sea.

On Lugia's back, Chloe witnessed the vast and majestic beauty of nature.

She witnessed the wonder of Pokémon.

Breaking through the ocean, Lugia returned once more to the blue sky.

Chloe looked at Ash, and Ash's gaze met hers at the same moment.

They exchanged silent glances, then both burst into laughter.

"Thank you for saving me today," Chloe said, her face slightly flushed.

"It's nothing. Just a small favor."

Ash, holding Pikachu, lay down on Lugia's back.

He let the sea breeze blow continuously, enjoying a moment of tranquility.

With Lugia's assistance, Ash and Chloe officially met.

Chloe seemed moved and slowly recounted her fear of Pokémon.

Upon hearing this, Ash sat bolt upright with a sharp rustle.

Haru's situation was very similar to a friend Ash had met in Alola.

Lillie also could not touch Pokémon due to the trauma of her childhood.

Haru's situation differed slightly from Lillie's; Lillie could not touch Pokémon, yet she was willing to be around them.

But Haru was different; she could touch Pokémon, after all, in her story, she mentioned being able to touch her own Yamper.

This was troublesome; it seemed to be a psychological issue.

"Why are you afraid of Pokémon? Look, Lugia saved your life today. Pokémon are all lovely creatures."

As he spoke, Ash stroked the scales on Lugia's back.

"I don't know," Haru said, clutching the hem of her skirt with both hands. Her situation was truly hard to describe.

"Something happened when I was young. My companions abandoned me, and I was attacked by Pokémon... that's why I'm afraid of them."

Lugia controlled the surrounding air currents, letting the warmest possible breeze blow through.

Lugia was gentle.

Ash was gentle too.

He reached out and patted Haru's head, even though Haru was older than Ash.

Yet now, Ash seemed like an older brother comforting an injured younger sister.

Feeling the tenderness above her head, Haru's eyes instantly turned red.

She didn't know what had gotten into her today, but she had just poured out everything she had buried deep in her heart.

And she had told it to a boy she had only met once.

Haru secretly glanced up at Ash.

In the sunlight, she could only make out Ash's silhouette; his face was hidden in shadow.

Yet even so, it gave Ash an aura of holiness.

Ash extended his hand toward Haru.

"Speak bravely. You will feel better once you say it."

In that moment, Haru's eyes were filled only with Ash's figure.

"Mm."

Thus, Haru recounted in full detail the ordeal she had suffered at Professor Oak's summer camp that year.

After hearing Haru's past ordeal, Ash was furious.

"Abandoning companions and fleeing alone when danger strikes! This guy named Goh is truly despicable!"

"Pika~"

"Pikachu, you agree with me, right?"

"Pika!"

Ash and Pikachu were filled with righteous indignation, both expressing their contempt for Goh's actions.

"It's alright. Speaking it out makes you feel better, and it's all in the past now." Seeing Ash and Pikachu so angry actually made Haru, who had just shared her past, feel less sorrowful.

Instead, she began to comfort Ash.

Such a sensible Haru only made the viewers in the live stream feel even more heartbroken for her.

They also grew even angrier at Goh's various actions.

He had nearly ruined Haru's entire life!

[Lillie: This Goh is too shameless! He actually abandoned Haru and ran away alone.]

[Steven: Hmph. Someone who can abandon companions like that is not welcome in the Hoenn League.]

[Cynthia: The Sinnoh League feels the same. I hereby announce that the entire Sinnoh League bans Goh from entry.]

[Alder: Though I am old, I still hold some power. The Unova League agrees with Champion Cynthia's proposal.]

[Diantha: Of course, I agree with Sister Cynthia's proposal.]

[Leon: Me too! The Galar League does not welcome such people!]

[Professor Kukui: Although the Alola region has not yet established a league, from now on we will stand with everyone and ban Goh from entry.]

[Long Du: This puts the Kanto League in an awkward position! Very well, let him stay in Vermilion City forever. We will absolutely not allow him to harm other humans and Pokémon again.]