Looking at the two puzzled people, Cynthia realized her words were ambiguous, so she quickly clarified: "Don't misunderstand, I'm not planning to leave Dawn behind."
"It's just that, since I'm secretly following you, being alone is more convenient, so Dawn should stay in your team."
"I think if Dawn follows you, she'll learn a lot."
Upon hearing this, Dawn and Ash exchanged glances. Dawn couldn't help but pout at Cynthia: "Master, you're acting like a hands-off boss!"
Cynthia smiled: "How can you say I'm being hands-off? I'm following right behind. Don't worry, Dawn, I'll be watching your growth."
Dawn: ...
In essence, you're still being a hands-off boss!!
Raihan chimed in: "Hey, Cynthia, why are you following Ash?"
"Don't meddle in other people's business. Just review today's battle properly."
Lance spoke up directly, telling Raihan not to delve further into the matter.
Even he only knew that Cynthia decided to stick by Ash because some bigwig had their eyes on Ash, to protect him against any potential danger.
But... given Ash's current setup, if he really faced someone he couldn't handle, would having Cynthia there really make a difference?
Anyway, Cynthia is still one of the top Trainers in the world.
Having her by Ash's side is better than Ash going solo.
Raihan shrugged, fine, I won't ask, not like I care.
After saying goodbye to Raihan, the group set off on their journey again.
With the badges from Blackthorn City and Hammerlocke City obtained, Ash's collection of eight badges was now complete.
The next goal was to help Serena gather the rest of her badges.
So the group began to leisurely wander around various areas of Johto.
Though they said they were on the road, it was more like they were on a laid-back vacation.
After all, with Ash's badges all collected, there was no rush, and it was a perfect time to help Serena challenge the relatively easier Gyms while doing some solid training.
The dynamics of this group were quite intriguing.
Ash and Misty, naturally not much needed to be said, had long established a relationship, although not overly affectionate, their occasional public displays of affection could be blindingly glaring.
Then there's Serena, secretly having a crush on Ash, hiding it well, but Misty could easily see through it.
However, Ash, with his level of emotional intelligence, was completely oblivious.
As for Dawn, who recently joined the team, she also developed an inexplicable liking for Ash, considering how brilliant he appeared throughout their journey.
Brock... remained the steadfast caretaker of the group, responsible for their meals, and when seeing a pretty Pokemon Center nurse, he'd be dragged away by Misty.
Cynthia trailed distantly behind the group, coming and going alone, rarely making appearances usually.
This is the current relationship chart of this team.
Early morning.
Before the crack of dawn, Ash was already leading his Pokemon in a day's special training.
The group had set up camp on an open grassy area near a lake.
At the moment, the meadow was bustling with activity.
Pikachu's cheeks were constantly sparking, each Thunderbolt smashing into distant rocks, shattering them into pieces.
Annihilape was sparring with Lucario.
Gardevoir was receiving guidance from Mewtwo, continually refining its Spiritual Power.
Greninja and Blastoise were also facing off against each other, honing their Moves, Blastoise controlling its move power, and Greninja trying its best to suppress Blastoise's strength.
The scene made Serena click her tongue.
"No matter how many times I see it, Ash's Pokemon training volume is truly impressive!"
She stood with Delphox, looking at the bustling scene in front, unable to help but swallow her saliva.
Speaking of Delphox, it was the Pokemon that baffled Serena the most.
As Serena's Starter Pokemon, Delphox was the most powerful in her lineup.
After all, it was the Final Evolution of the Three Starter, with the foundation to match.
But this big fox had quite the pampered personality.
Its fiery red, enchanting fur couldn't afford to be sullied by even a speck of dust, needing grooming multiple times a day without fail.
Before each training session, there had to be a round of negotiations with Serena.
Only Serena would have such patience; if it were Ash, there'd first be a bout between human and Pokemon!
Even I've beaten you, yet you still won't train.jpg.
Despite this, Delphox remained Serena's uncompromised number one powerhouse.
Its Level firmly outstripped Serena's other Pokemon by a large margin, with the Three Starter's Final Evolution potential not being bragged.
Even if this diva was lazy every day, with training intensity not on par with Ash's Pokemon, its prowess remained unmatched in the team.
It's not that Delphox couldn't handle more intense training.
It's purely because this royal doesn't want to.
Moreover, being a girl and Serena's Pokemon, Ash couldn't impose the same strictness he had with his own Pokemon.
Just take Serena's Cyndaquil, which was at the Advanced Junior Level... oh no, now it's already an Advanced Level Quilava as an example.