Melli had still been feeling a bit dejected because of what Ingo said earlier, but the moment he heard the word "Governor," the expression on his face instantly turned serious, with a very clear hostility added in.
"Return to normal?"
"Sounds nice, but isn't it just an excuse to go challenge Electrode and then knock the King down?"
Cynthia narrowed her eyes and was about to say something, but Melli had already continued.
"Electrode is doing just fine right now, there's absolutely no need for you people from Team Galactic to come help, and even less need for you to use that so‑called Governor ritual as a pretext to challenge him."
"Whether you want to go to the Alabaster Icelands to deal with Avalugg in the future, or go do something somewhere else, that's none of my business."
"But this is the Coronet Highlands, and Moonview Arena worships the King of our Diamond Clan. I won't let you lay your hands on Electrode as you please."
The moment the two sides formally began to talk, the tension in the air thickened noticeably like gunpowder.
Ash finally understood why Irida pulled that distinctly annoyed face every time Melli's name was mentioned earlier.
This guy really was hard to talk to.
Cynthia's tone grew a bit heavier than before.
"Warden Melli, you're in charge of caring for Electrode, so you should understand the recent changes in the Coronet Highlands better than we do."
"Letting the King recover from that abnormal state, and calming the other Pokemon that have been affected—none of that is a bad thing for Electrode, for the Coronet Highlands, or for the people living here."
"I want to know, what's your real reason for constantly stopping others from performing the Governor ritual on the King?"
Melli suddenly let out a soft laugh laced with obvious sarcasm.
"For the King, for the Coronet Highlands, for the people here—you sure know how to make it sound good."
"But what makes you think Electrode himself doesn't want this power he has now?"
Ash frowned.
Melli's voice also rose quite a bit.
"Ever since Electrode was struck by that Golden Thunderbolt that fell from the sky, his power has grown by who knows how many times!!"
"His body's become even larger, and the entire Moonview Arena has changed because of the King's power!!"
"That noble gold, that power so many times greater than before, and the ever‑growing aura of a King!"
"As far as I'm concerned, how is that some kind of anomaly that needs to be purged? It's clearly a blessing granted to Electrode by the Venerable Sinnoh!"
Ash and Cynthia finally understood this man's logic completely.
Melli wasn't unaware that Electrode had changed; he had simply believed from the start that this change was a good thing.
Cynthia's tone gradually cooled.
"And the other Pokemon affected by Electrode?"
"Over the past half month, we've been to many places in the Coronet Highlands. More and more wild Pokemon are losing control of their emotions."
"Even my Samurott, a Pokemon that doesn't belong here in the first place, starts to be affected after fighting in the Highlands for a while."
"Is that also what you call a blessing?"
Melli didn't answer right away.
Ash finally couldn't hold back and said coldly, "And what about the people who got hurt!"
"We've only investigated the Coronet Highlands a few times, and we can already see more and more Pokemon here falling into a frenzy. As the warden who's been caring for Electrode, there's no way you haven't noticed."
"The King can't even control his own power right now. The people guarding Moonview Arena are getting hurt by his attacks, and the surrounding Pokemon are constantly being affected. This is no longer just about Electrode alone!!"
"At this rate, the entire Moonview Arena will fall! And you still stubbornly insist this is a blessing?!"
Melli fell silent for a moment.
These things were indeed impossible for him to pretend didn't exist.
The increasingly intense unrest in the Coronet Highlands, the Diamond Clan members injured near Moonview Arena, and Electrode's state of never truly being able to calm down—he had seen all of it.
But even so, in the end he still didn't change his judgment.
"So what?"
"The power bestowed upon the King by the Venerable Sinnoh was never going to be easy to control. As long as Electrode truly adapts to this blessing, all these problems will naturally disappear in the future."
The last shred of patience on Ash's face vanished completely.
"Do you really think this is what Electrode wants right now?"
Melli was slightly taken aback.
"I've already met three Kings who fell into the same state. When they rampage, it's not just that they suddenly love fighting more—they can't even control their own bodies!"
"Their consciousness is clearly still there, yet they can only keep attacking nonstop, unable to stop even when they want to."
"That state is just as painful for the Kings themselves, but you, the one responsible for caring for Electrode, only care that he's gotten stronger, only care about your so‑called blessing from the Venerable Sinnoh, and don't care at all how Electrode actually feels."
Melli's face grew uglier and uglier, but Ash didn't stop just because of his reaction.
"What you're doing doesn't count as truly liking Pokemon at all."
"Of all the Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan members I've met since coming to Hisui, you're the worst of them!"
The surroundings went quiet all at once. What Ash called him wasn't the worst warden, but the worst person!
Even if others had clashed with Ash and Cynthia in their views, when they truly saw the Pokemon they were responsible for fall into danger or pain, what they ultimately considered was still those Pokemon themselves.
Melli, however, was completely different.