Although that was the situation, the final decision still rested with the League.
A verdict would probably come in half a month. But there was no need to worry—at least in Dr. Professor Oak's opinion, Ash would likely be exempted from challenging the Elite Four and the Champion altogether.
After all, his strength was already well-known.
"Rather than letting you challenge the Kanto Elite Four," Professor Oak continued, "it may be better for you to go challenge other regions. Once you arrive there, you'll raise Kanto's reputation even further. And trust me—many people share this view."
Looking at the collected data on Suicune, Professor Oak couldn't help but smile.
Ash's recent accomplishments had greatly boosted the reputations of both Professor Oak and the Draconis family, so naturally both he and Skye Draconis were in very good spirits. The only regret was that Team Rocket had once again slipped through their fingers.
"Since that's the case, I'll go check out the island first. Grandpa, what procedures are needed to establish a territory?"
Ash didn't mind the suggestion. He also agreed it was better to challenge the Champions of other regions rather than face Lance and the others again immediately. The unfamiliar Pokémon species outside Kanto made his blood boil with excitement.
"Pfft!!!"
Professor Oak, who had just taken a sip of tea, instantly spat it out. He stared at Ash in shock, as if asking why he suddenly came up with that idea again.
"Ash, this kind of joke isn't funny. Forget the fact that other regions would object—even if it were possible, it still wouldn't work. If you had your own region, people would start gossiping that you were no longer part of Kanto."
Professor Oak frowned. Ash's idea wasn't bad, but he clearly hadn't considered everything. No matter how strong Ash currently was, creating a region was impossible.
"Grandpa, you misunderstood. I'm not talking about something huge like Kanto or Sinnoh. I mean something like becoming an island lord. I plan to build a city on a small island. I'll establish local laws myself. That's what I'm talking about."
Only after seeing Professor Oak's reaction did Ash realize he hadn't explained himself clearly. A region like Kanto couldn't just be 'built,' and Ash wasn't stupid—he knew that well.
"A city or a small town, then."
A bead of sweat rolled down Professor Oak's forehead. That had nearly given him a heart attack.
"For a city or town, it isn't that difficult. But weren't you planning to build a Gym? The Alliance has already approved that—once you finish building, you only need to register. Why are you suddenly thinking about constructing a city? You're still a teenager."
"I'm not worried about construction. My psychic power is about to break through to the next level. Once it does, I'll be able to use elementary large-scale techniques. I already have a method to complete the city instantly. I just don't know how to get the League's approval."
"And I can place my Gym inside the city as well. As for the Full Restore Capsules used in trades, I can offer those as part of the incentives for the League to approve the new city. That should be enough."
Ash continued after hearing Professor Oak's concerns.
He was right: Ash was on the verge of a major breakthrough, and naturally he had already considered using Mokuton to instantly create a city made entirely of living wood.
Mokuton wasn't just incredibly durable—it was far more environmentally friendly than concrete or steel. A city made of it would be unique in the entire world. Ash had already factored that in.
The details would be explained later.
As for population… that was simple. With his current fame, gathering settlers would only take a single announcement. The world was vast, and many people were homeless or rootless. Ash planned to accept such people as the core residents—those who had nowhere else to belong.
With Mewtwo overseeing things, it would not be difficult at all.
A small island capable of supporting a population of ten million. Once the city was fully established, it could easily accommodate twenty million—but Ash wasn't planning to cram it full of buildings.
With Mokuton, he could stack structures endlessly, but overcrowding would ruin the environment he wanted to create.
So he set a cap at five million residents.
Everything else—every remaining stretch of land—would be transformed into untouched forest, a sanctuary for wild Pokémon.
"There's no problem with the population at all," Professor Oak agreed. "Kanto is huge, and naturally there are many orphans or people without stable homes. If this is truly your plan, I don't think the League would refuse. I'm guessing this is something you discussed with Mewtwo as well?"
He still remembered the moment he saw Mewtwo willingly acknowledge Ash as its trainer. From that moment, Professor Oak knew the two must have reached a deep, mutual understanding.
"Yes," Ash nodded.
"Mewtwo thinks the same way. My strength is high, but I can't save every person I meet one by one. It's better to build a city where people can gather safely. Whoever we can help—that depends on fate."
After saying goodbye to Professor Oak, Ash and Mewtwo headed toward the island where they had once fought.
"Oh, Mewtwo—can you still sense Mew's presence?" Ash asked as they flew through the air.
"No." Mewtwo shook his head. "I haven't seen that guy since you helped free me from my restraints."
After Ash unraveled the truth behind Mewtwo's clone origin, Mewtwo no longer obsessed over why he existed. He had been born; that alone was enough. And he no longer saw himself as connected to Mew.
"That's a shame," Ash sighed. "If we could invite a few Legendary Pokémon to live near the city, that would help tremendously. The city would instantly become famous and completely unique."
"What exactly are you planning to do?" Mewtwo asked.
"I've learned a lot these past few days. Even with your abilities, building a city requires enormous resources. And more importantly, there's no way I can move fast enough alone to handle everything."
Despite his blunt tone, Mewtwo didn't actually reject Ash's wishes. All he needed was a place where he could live freely without interference—a home for Pokémon, and maybe, for himself.
It was clear Mewtwo still longed for a family… and for friends.
He had been getting along surprisingly well with Ash's companions, and among all of Ash's current Pokémon, Mewtwo's strength was unquestionably the greatest.
...
TN:
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