"Thanks to our family Brock's good fortune, it really was the right decision to let him travel with Ash."
Garan was now completely satisfied with his grandson Brock. Brock had already become the chief pharmacist of Fantasy Island, and his status was no weaker than that of the new generation from the major families.
All of this was the result of Ash's guidance. To Brock, Ash was someone he trusted completely. Brock could be considered one of the earliest companions to follow Ash, and just like in the original story, he was someone utterly reliable.
The pharmacy on Fantasy Island only released products after passing Brock's approval. If one were to name the most famous pharmacists in the Kanto Region, there were three without question, Ash, Brock, and Suzie. All three were leaders of the new generation and were in no way inferior to the older generation.
Brock's outstanding performance had greatly elevated the family's reputation. He was now a six-star pharmacist. Pharmacists were ranked from one to seven stars, corresponding to a trainer's level.
Ash was already recognized as a seven-star pharmacist. Brock followed with six stars, while Suzie had reached five stars. Even so, this was more than enough to shock others. Seven-star pharmacists were highly sought after in every region.
Not to mention, all three had reached at least four-star level or higher. Brock's girlfriend, Suzie, also left a very good impression on Wu Xiong. She was skilled at caring for Pokémon, and her cooking was excellent. Now, she mainly helped Brock take care of wandering Pokémon.
On the other side, after parting ways with Siebold and the others, Ash boarded a ship to Silver Rock Island, the last of the four islands in the Whirl Islands.
Because Lorelei still held her position as one of the Elite Four, she could not stay away for too long and had to return to Kanto first. As for refining the Rare Candies, Ash asked her to send him the materials. Once the refining was complete, he would hand them back to her so it would not interfere with his journey.
As for his relationship with Cynthia, Ash had already called her beforehand. Just as he expected, she was initially upset, believing that she should have been the first to take that final step with him.
However, under Ash's firm attitude, Cynthia eventually accepted it. She simply could not leave him. Aside from that final step, everything else had already happened between them. For Cynthia, Ash had long since become indispensable.
"Is this Silver Rock Island? It looks more like a tourist destination. There are so many outsiders," Sabrina said as she observed the bustling streets.
"Did you forget? These four islands were originally one, protected by Lugia. For some unknown reason, they were later separated by Lugia itself. Most people here don't even know which Pokémon protects the islands."
"Even when Lugia appeared before, they didn't realize it. Didn't someone on the ship mention a mysterious Pokémon associated with silver feathers? In reality, those silver feathers belong to Lugia."
"The reason there are so many outsiders on Silver Rock Island is because they want to capture that so-called mysterious Pokémon," Ash said calmly after hearing Sabrina.
His tone carried a trace of disdain toward those people.
"So these people don't even know that the Silver Feather belongs to Lugia itself? If Lugia found out that they're trying to capture it, something like before would definitely happen again," Sabrina frowned, clearly displeased as she looked at the people carrying silver feather ornaments, all hoping to capture a Legendary Pokémon despite their lack of strength.
"Welcome, welcome!"
Just as Ash and Sabrina were walking down the street, a bespectacled man with a mustache suddenly approached them.
"Hey there, young man and lady. Since you're traveling, how about buying a few souvenirs? These Silver Wing brooches are said to bring happiness."
Many people knew that the Pokémon connected to this place was related to silver feathers. Over time, this had almost become a defining feature of Silver Rock Island, and many goods were crafted in the shape of silver feathers.
"Purity 100%, guaranteed to be a brooch made from authentic Silver Rock," the vendor loudly advertised.
Silver Rock was a unique mineral found only on Silver Rock Island. It had a beautiful sheen and was considered an excellent material for jewelry.
"Get lost."
Ash glanced at the silver feather-shaped keychain in the man's hand and instantly saw through it. It was completely fake, not even close to genuine Silver Rock.
"Don't say that, little brother. This is a high-quality product. Limited-time offer, buy one get three free. You won't get another chance like this," the man said, unfazed, continuing to promote his defective goods with enthusiasm.
Ash's expression turned cold. Just as he was about to step forward and kick the man away, a woman suddenly walked over.
"Boss, I'll take this one."
The woman wore a silver feather brooch. She picked up one of the keychains from the man's hand and snapped it in half with a light motion.
Crack.
The keychain split cleanly into two pieces.
The man's face stiffened instantly, embarrassment turning into anger. "What are you doing? That's my merchandise!"
"Do you really dare to claim this is made from pure Silver Rock?" the woman said coldly, holding up the broken keychain. "This is obviously fake."
Her calm yet sharp tone made the man hesitate.
"Damn it… just you wait," he muttered, intimidated by her strength. Not daring to argue further, he quickly fled, not even bothering to pick up the defective items scattered on the ground.
"Hmph. There have been far too many scammers like this recently," the woman said, placing her hands on her hips as she watched him run off. "It's seriously damaging the reputation of Silver Rock Island."