Ash, after reintroducing Misty to the two at Oak's Research Institute, went to the backyard, where his Pokemon gathered around him, all with happy expressions on their faces.
In the Quartz Conference, everyone had the chance to battle, and they all managed to at least defeat one Pokemon. This achievement was possible due to Ash's reasonable allocation of opportunities.
Otherwise, given the intensity of this year's Quartz Conference and their rankings within Ash's team, getting to battle and defeating the opponent's Pokemon would have been quite challenging.
The one most grateful to Ash is Infernape. He is the newest member of the team, but his feelings toward Ash are deeply rooted. Without Ash, he wouldn't be who he is today.
As for Paul, Infernape actually harbors no resentment. Even though Paul was extremely strict and harsh with his training, even putting him in near-death situations without healing, he merely aimed to unleash his potential.
Before joining Ash, his only instance of triggering Super Blaze was when he was driven to the brink of death, nearly losing his life, which caused his potential to explode, defeating a slew of opponents.
This is why Paul used such harsh training methods and didn't heal him.
For the other Pokemon, although Paul was strict, he wasn't abusive. However, it seemed like Infernape was treated like a stepchild, often going hungry, sleeping poorly, and unable to recover at the Pokemon Center.
Even so, he held no grievance against Paul. Infernape only blamed himself, wondering why, despite everything, he still couldn't grow stronger until Paul abandoned him, making Infernape feel like he failed Paul.
Ash's acceptance provided salvation to his inner self. Not only did he experience unprecedented gentleness from Ash, but he also felt the strength growing within him. With Ash, those elusive dreams seemed within reach.
In the end, all his regrets were resolved, except the one of gaining Paul's acknowledgment. This was why he fought so tirelessly in the final Championship battle.
Even Annihilape and Charizard were amazed by Infernape's determination, despite their own relentless efforts. His drive was on another level entirely!
Infernape's rise to elite status in a short time was fueled by his extraordinary willpower and relentless effort.
Now, after treatment from Ash and Venusaur, Infernape has completely recovered without any side effects. However, Ash cautioned him against recklessly using such a battle style in the future, as the risks were too high.
Had it not been for Infernape's overwhelming determination, Ash would never have agreed to let him fight in that manner.
Infernape readily nodded in agreement. Whether he would fight like that again depends on the battle. Currently, he battles for one person only—Ash!
If a battle for Ash must be won, then even at the cost of his life, he will make sure to win it for Ash!
After spending some time bonding with the backyard Pokemon, Ash released all his Pokemon. Following the Quartz Conference, he carried only Pikachu, Charizard, Gardevoir, Lucario, Mewtwo, and Lugia.
The others were fine with it, but the last one was unfamiliar to many of Ash's backyard Pokemon. When they first saw the Dark Little Lugia, curiosity filled their eyes, wondering when their Trainer had captured such a pitch-black Pokemon.
Among the Pokemon present, only the well-informed Gengar recognized the Lugia species: "Ash, how did you get a black Lugia? This is the Sea God! And you got a Shiny Sea God?! What kind of crazy luck is that!!"
Gengar understood the concept of Shiny Pokemon. In ordinary Pokemon groups, they are a rare find, almost one in ten thousand. But in Legendary Beast species with few groups, the entire population might not exceed ten.
In such cases, encountering a Shiny variant is the jackpot of jackpots!
"What Shiny? This Little Lugia was tampered with by villains..." Ash retorted in annoyance, then briefly explained what happened to Little Lugia and his next destination.
"...So, that's the story. You're heading to the Orange Archipelago to find those Team Galactic guys and, in the meantime, try to find Lugia to see if you can restore this little one?" Gengar summed up.
Ash nodded. Although Little Lugia is in a good state now, the notion of the Dark Attribute being a disgrace to the Lugia species, and whether the Lugia clan is too traditional to accept it, are unknowns.
Ideally, reverting to the original Psychic Attribute would be better, as Dark Attribute is a nemesis to Psychic Attribute!
The conversion of Little Lugia's Psychic Attribute to Dark makes it uncertain whether the Lugia clan will accept her.
So, the trip to the Orange Archipelago has two purposes: one is to find Team Galactic and help Cynthia eradicate their base there, the other is to find Little Lugia's father and see if they can revert Little Lugia to her original attribute.
If the Lugia clan cannot revert Little Lugia and won't acknowledge her, Ash will not let them harm Little Lugia. As for her future, that will be up to her.
In any case, this trip to the Orange Archipelago is not a vacation, but a mission. The so-called vacation is just a side task.
Before heading to the Orange Archipelago, Ash's destination is—Dragon Island.
...
Five days later, Paul, Ash, and Gary arrived at the Quartz Plateau, where Lance was already waiting with his three Dragonites.
Through the Eye of Insight, Ash could see these three Dragonites possessed Elite Level strength. Is this the heritage of Lance's family? Any random Pokemon in his family is at the Elite Level Quasi-God stage? Is Elite Level that common?
"You'll need to be blindfolded and then ride on Dragonite to Dragon Island. I've already sent the Dragon Island map to your Pokedex. The higher your rank, the larger the map's range. Some areas are accessible only to the first place, but the runner-up and third place can enter if they pass certain small tests."
"Additionally, Dragon Island isn't completely safe. Many Dragon Type Pokemon have territorial awareness. If you intrude into their territory, you might be attacked. Without enough strength, you might not see the next day's sun, so... if you can't win, just run away. Once you leave their territory, they won't chase you. Understand?"
Lance meticulously listed the precautions. While Dragon Island belongs to the Dragon Taming Race, they only guard it and do not interfere with the Pokemon's activities. Unless a Pokemon is at the brink of death, they allow the island's Pokemon to develop freely.
Thus, after the Dragonites take Ash and the others into Dragon Island, they will leave, and Lance won't accompany them.
"Finally, you have three days on Dragon Island. You must handle your own food and shelter for these three days. After three days, regardless of whether you capture any Pokemon, you must gather at the Dragon Island entrance. Consequences are at your own risk if you disobey," Lance said sternly as he concluded.