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After Hunter J escaped, believing the enemy had been defeated, and coupled with Ash's formidable strength, Souichi and Riolu were no longer as nervous as they were at first.
He informed Hyuga and Jenny of his location, preparing for an early rendezvous.
During this time, an off-road vehicle arrived, and the people who got out and tried to capture Riolu attempted to forcibly snatch Riolu away.
The opponent's strength was unusual; their Pokémon included Golem, Rhyhorn, and even Tyranitar and Aggron.
But in front of Ash, none of them were a problem; he sent out Aerodactyl, Steelix, Bulbasaur, and Bayleef, successfully dealing with this group of people.
Even when the leader wanted to escape by riding a Fearow, Pikachu's Thunder forcibly kept him there.
At this point, Riolu's safety was secured; all dark forces were apprehended by Jenny and Hyuga, who arrived with their subordinates.
"I'm truly grateful, Ash!"
After everything ended, Souichi bowed solemnly to express his heartfelt gratitude.
Because he had played no role on this journey; Ash had resolved all the enemies, making it the easiest mission since he became a Pokémon Ranger.
In response, Ash merely smiled; everything he did was simply going with the flow.
Besides upholding his inner sense of justice, he naturally wanted to gain some experience from these villains.
After all, being able to commit evil deeds indicated strong inherent strength, which was also a form of training for his Pokémon.
Moreover, he also had the desire to capture Riolu.
Looking at Riolu, whose eyes had changed, Ash thought to himself.
Being able to release Aura Sphere even as a Riolu indicated a very strong Aura, and he was quite fond of it.
Unfortunately, the other party had the responsibility of guarding its kingdom; otherwise, he would most likely have been able to abduct this Riolu.
"Everyone, thank you for your help! We'll meet again!"
Afterward, Hyuga, dressed in his red Pokémon Ranger uniform, waved his hand, bidding farewell to Ash and his companions along with Souichi and Jenny.
The Riolu of royal blood, with Jenny's help, successfully returned to the breeder's cottage, and after evolving into Lucario, it would Protect its kingdom.
Ash and his two companions also bid farewell and continued their journey.
Before this, he had also proposed to Riolu the idea of traveling together.
As Ash expected, Riolu hesitated for a long time but ultimately refused.
Although Riolu's gaze wavered when looking at Ash at that time, it was only gratitude and admiration for his powerful strength.
Riolu knew its mission to Protect the kingdom and used Aura to explain the situation, then refused Ash.
Ash felt quite a pity, but fortunately, he did gain something.
Just in prize money, Ash received nearly 300,000 League Coins from Miss Jenny.
And as the chief Pokémon Rangers, Souichi and Hyuga, also gave Ash a Soothe Bell and a Miracle Seed, which was a considerable gesture.
As for the Soothe Bell and Miracle Seed, Ash gave them to Bayleef and Bulbasaur, respectively.
One liked to deepen its bond with Ash, while the other wanted to improve its strength; both received satisfactory items.
Speaking of which, he had to mention Gligar, which gave him a bit of a headache.
To ensure Gligar could participate in Gym battles in the future, Ash trained Gligar all the way to Lake Valor.
To correct its habit of falling from high altitudes due to its timidity, he had Gligar perform adaptive flights from low to high.
"Gli-scor~"
But he never expected that once this Gligar returned to a high place, it would, due to its timidity, fall out of the sky with tears in its eyes.
And it would face Ash's face directly, making his handsome face suffer.
"Hahaha, Gligar is so funny, it's afraid of heights~" Dawn covered her mouth and laughed heartily.
"Uh, this doesn't seem to be good news for Gligar!"
Brock's mouth curved upwards wildly, seemingly considering Ash's feelings, and he seriously offered his opinion.
This made Ash's mouth twitch continuously, feeling a bit speechless.
A flying Pokémon, yet it's afraid of heights.
How could he describe this? It was like a person who could walk but was afraid to walk on the ground.
This wouldn't do; as a qualified Trainer, he had to break Gligar's bad habit.
But considering Gligar's fear of heights as it acted cute and charming, he had to take it one step at a time.
He sent out the flying Aerodactyl to assist in the training, letting Gligar lie on it and slowly adapt.
He absolutely had to change Gligar's timid habit.
After all, if it was afraid of heights and dared not fly into the sky, for a Flying-type Pokémon, it would directly lose more than half of its combat power.
"Gli-scor~"
Who knew that because of Aerodactyl's fierce appearance, Gligar, acting cute and charming, hugged his arm, indicating that it didn't need Aerodactyl's assistance.
"Don't worry, Aerodactyl is very kind and won't hurt you~"
With black lines on his forehead, Ash looked at the crybaby Gligar hugging his arm, still gently comforting it.
"Roar~"
Aerodactyl, hearing this, cooperated with Ash, opening its gaping maw and showing a kind gaze, making the teary-eyed Gligar shiver.
"Gli-scor~"
Gligar wiped its tears, and under Aerodactyl's gaze, Gligar stopped crying and timidly lay on Aerodactyl.
For some reason, an instinctive feeling came to it—it must obey the big brother in front of it.
"A teachable child indeed~" Ash nodded in satisfaction.
So for these two days, Ash kept Aerodactyl carrying Gligar, circling above their heads, to train Gligar's courage.
Perhaps under Aerodactyl's kind guidance, Gligar gradually began to adapt to high altitudes and tentatively attempted to fly alone.
And this fellow even mimicked Aerodactyl's wing-flapping posture, actively using the membranes on its limbs to fly.
Instead of habitually adopting the Gligar Family's method of riding the wind to fly.
Although the above method saves effort, it can easily lead to a dependent mentality in the other party.
This was a habit Ash wanted Gligar to change in the next stage, but he never expected Gligar to actively change its flying method, which made him overjoyed.
Moreover, with Aerodactyl's protection, Gligar could boldly fly up there and wouldn't fall down as often as before.
Although at first, Gligar often fell due to not being accustomed to flying with the wind.
But under Aerodactyl's patient guidance, Gligar managed to fly by flapping its membranes at high altitudes within just half a day.
In just two and a half days, Gligar not only overcame its fear of heights but also learned a new flying method, which was quite fruitful.
The remaining training was much easier, mostly focusing on learning moves.