"Ahem. I didn't call you all out here for anything serious."
"We've been together for a long time, and the upcoming World Elite Four Tournament is pretty important to me."
"So I mainly wanted to talk with you about the order you'll go out."
Xu Mu sat in the courtyard, looking at all his Pokémon as he spoke earnestly.
He wasn't trying to take Greninja's authority away. It had just been a long time since they had all sat down for a proper chat.
The courtyard barbecue gave Xu Mu a chance to talk with his Pokémon face-to-face.
He wanted to hear what everyone thought.
After everything with the Hunter Organization, all of them had grown stronger to some degree.
Greninja, Charizard, and the others were firmly settled among the team's top ranks.
As for everyone after them, there was no need to pin down an exact ranking.
"Greninja!"
[Do we even need to discuss that?]
[Little Master, I've already arranged everything for you!]
The moment Greninja heard Xu Mu bring up the order, he thumped his chest. He'd already thought it all through!
Did something this minor really require his Trainer to handle it personally?
"Uh... Frog, be quiet."
"Greninja!"
[I told you, I'm not a frog!]
"Okay, Frog. Be quiet."
Xu Mu scratched his head, pulled Greninja into his arms, and held him there so he couldn't keep talking.
"Ralts!"
[Is Xu Mu playing? He looks so happy!]
"Roar!"
[Little girl, you haven't been here long. There are some things you don't understand, and we can't say them outright.]
Seeing Ralts clap her little hands as she watched, Charizard quietly warned her.
That frog had probably wanted to be the Trainer for ages... Xu Mu was reclaiming his rightful authority!
Besides, Charizard was delighted to see Greninja get