Faced with Misty's angry outburst, Brock and Ash responded cheerfully that they had gone to the hot springs. In response, Misty rolled her eyes, showing a strong look of displeasure on her face. The fact that they didn't invite her to such a thing as the hot springs was just too much!
Having come to this Cinnabar Island famous for its hot springs, she hadn't even visited the hot springs yet!
As a result, Ash and the others went off to enjoy themselves while she, after taking a bath, was foolishly looking for them.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't you go straight to take a bath? Don't worry, we're staying here on Cinnabar Island for a while, so we can relax a bit. After all, there's only one last stop left, so there's no rush," Ash said with a big smile to comfort Misty.
It actually doesn't take that long to return to Viridian City from Cinnabar Island, because there's a ship from Cinnabar Island directly to Vermilion City, and from Vermilion City back to Viridian City is much simpler.
As long as they don't get lost, they can return to Viridian City in at most half a month, and right now they have about two and a half months to prepare, so there's plenty of time. It doesn't matter if they spend more time playing here.
The originally angry Misty instantly burst into a smile. Since they could stay here a bit longer, it was a different story. She had thought Ash wanted to set out again tomorrow.
After all, there's only one Gym Badge left. People with a collection obsession or those who play games know that generally, when it reaches the final step, they become very anxious to complete it quickly, even more so than at the beginning.
So Ash suddenly changing from the previous rush was quite unexpected for Misty.
"In that case, I'll forgive you, but you'll have to cover the expenses on Cinnabar Island. Stuff here is expensive, and I don't have as much money as you~" Misty said with a sly look as she drew close to Ash's face with a smile.
Smelling the fragrance at such a close distance, Ash instinctively took a step back, and then instinctively felt a bit strange... why was he backing off?
This thought flashed in Ash's mind for a moment before disappearing. He nodded with a smile, expressing that all expenses for Misty and Brock on this island would be covered by him!
Nowadays, money is just a number to Ash. Though he couldn't claim to be as wealthy as the League, ensuring financial freedom for himself and his partners is no problem at all.
As long as he doesn't dabble in any top-tier items, with his current wealth, he could at most buy one or two. After all, the perfume sold only for a month, and earning so much in a month was almost like picking up money.
Without buying those expensive items, the money Ash had on him would be enough for Misty and Brock to stay on the island their entire lives, and with plenty of spending too.
After getting Ash's consent, Misty was evidently in a better mood. She thanked Ash with a beaming smile and then ran back to her bed to sleep. It was already late; Had it not been for Ash's Gym battle, she would have gone to sleep earlier.
"Well, I'm going to sleep too. Ash, aren't you sleepy? You still look so energetic?" Brock said, glancing curiously at Ash as he climbed into his own bed.
Both he and Misty were about to get dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep, but Ash still looked vigorous. You'd think Ash should be the most tired one!
Not to mention directing for his Pokemon despite their battle against Blaine, he even personally stepped in to fight an Elite Peak-level Pokemon. How could he be so energetic under such circumstances? Was he taking something?
"Hey, it's no big deal. You all go to sleep first, I'll review today's battle," Ash waved it off, jumping onto his bed, leaning back. Togepi and Pikachu slept on either side of him.
Brock looked at the two sleepy Pokemon, then at Ash, and murmured to himself about the joys of youth. He then pulled up the covers and turned over, falling asleep.
Ash crossed his hands behind his head, slightly closing his eyes. He was off to check out a newly acquired ability in his mind.
One-time exclusive S-level ability: Limit Break.
Exclusive to Ash's Pikachu, it allows Pikachu to break through its limits unconditionally, achieving comprehensive evolution.
The S-level introduction was brief, similar to the one-time S-level ability Chosen Radiance from before. It seemed vague at first glance, but after some explanation from the nurturing Ash, he fully understood what this ability was about.
Although he wanted to use this ability on Pikachu right away, he wasn't sure what would happen to Pikachu during the Limit Break, so he decided to hold onto the power for now and decide after waking up in the morning.
Afterward, Ash entered the chat group, continuing to swim in the ocean of knowledge.
The knowledge of a Trainer, the command of situational adaptation, the experience of spotting flaws—none of these could be learned in a short time. But through months of nightly study, Ash had become increasingly adept in battles.