The next day.
Su Hao told Mew to keep Lucario safe and promised to bring it something tasty when he returned. Then he left the World Tree and met up with Lance in Vermilion City.
When Su Hao saw Lance again, he could vaguely sense that Lance was holding back his anger. It seemed Team Rocket's actions had enraged him greatly.
After discussing it, the two decided to first head to Saffron City and take the maglev train directly to Goldenrod City, then travel through the green plains near Goldenrod City to the Ruins of Alph.
Before heading to Saffron City, Su Hao also ran into Ash.
Surprisingly, Ash was accompanied not only by Raboot, but also by the Sobble that had vanished after the riot at Sakuragi Park.
Raboot seemed not to have recovered from the shadow of being abandoned by Goh and stood silently to one side.
Sobble shared Ash's other shoulder with Pikachu. It was still somewhat shy around strangers; if Su Hao had not been able to pinpoint Sobble through Aura, he probably would not have noticed the invisible Sobble at all.
Ash said his next assignment was to investigate some precious fossils in Galar at the request of the curator of the Science Museum there. Since Goh's fate was still unknown, he could only travel with Chloe as his temporary partner.
Ash's feelings toward Goh were undoubtedly complicated.
Now that he knew Goh's true nature, everything Goh had done in the past became understandable. Ash simply could not forgive Goh for abandoning Raboot and forcibly controlling Claydol, Aerodactyl, and Flygon.
Goh was undoubtedly a bad person, but it was not as though Ash's sympathy had simply overflowed. He truly was surprised that Goh had been kidnapped, because Goh had once genuinely counted as his friend.