Previously, Xiao Zhi was afraid of Su Han, after all, Su Han exuded an ominous aura in his presence, which greatly affected his mental state...
But now that he knows his future, Xiao Zhi's fear of Su Han has turned into gratitude.
He was still just a ten-year-old boy, with relatively simple and innocent thoughts. He would repay those who were kind to him tenfold.
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Chapter 32 Calling His True Name? The Essence of the Unseen.
Su Han remained silent, leaning back in his high-backed chair, his body shrouded in mist. His eyes were calm as he gazed at the people before him through the thick fog.
Seeing that Su Han did not respond, Xiao Zhi felt it was only natural. He then sat down in his seat and began to ponder the content of Pokémon.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and suddenly spoke, "Hey kid over there! Do you want to learn my Armament Haki and Observation Haki?"
"What?" Ash stared blankly at the white beard, not understanding what was happening.
"In the Pokémon world, it seems that the Fighting Elite Four member can fight Fighting-type Pokémon with his bare hands, right?"
Tony Stark spoke in a low, enigmatic voice, "If you master Armament Haki and push it to an extremely high level, you wouldn't have any problem fighting even a low-level Tier 3 god, would you?"
In the Pokémon world, even the lowest-ranking third-tier legendary Pokémon symbolize a part of the world's essence, possessing the immense power to unleash natural disasters. Although Tony Stark was even more awestruck by Su Han's displayed abilities whenever he thought of this.
If a third-tier god is already this terrifying, what about second-tier, first-tier... and even the legendary Arceus? How powerful would they be? Yet, before Su Han, they were like playthings, manipulated and controlled at will, their existence condensed into plot stars.
It was impossible to fathom the limits of the Speaker's power. Tony Stark pursed his lips, his thoughts racing.
Every seemingly casual action taken by the Speaker of Parliament could easily shatter their mental limits, causing their values to crumble and their minds to be shaken.
"This," Xiao Zhi was intrigued, but he was also a little puzzled and uneasy. "Um... old sir, we should be complete strangers, right? Why do you suddenly want to teach me these advanced martial arts?"
Ash had only watched parts of Naruto and One Piece, and in One Piece, he only watched up to the Marineford War... At that time, the concept of Haki was just beginning to take shape and had not yet been fully revealed. Therefore, Ash mistook the Armament Haki that Whitebeard mentioned for a martial arts technique similar to the Six Powers.
The white-bearded man's gaze was somewhat profound. He spoke slowly and deliberately, with great seriousness, "Boy! I have high hopes for you. Would you like to become my son?"
Tony Stark's expression froze; he hadn't expected the plot to develop in such a way.
He had previously thought that Whitebeard had his eye on the Pokémon in Ash's world. After all, Tony Stark was also quite envious of Pokémon.
"Stop joking around." Xiao Zhi's cheeks turned bright red, and he waved his hands and feet excitedly.
Whitebeard used his Observation Haki to hear Ash's feelings. Although his Observation Haki hadn't reached Roger's level of hearing the voices of all things, perceiving the most basic emotional fluctuations through the mist was a very simple thing for him.
A hint of regret flickered in his eyes, but his voice remained as hearty as ever, “Gurarara, it’s fine if you don’t want to be my son. I’m still willing to teach you. And… once you’ve mastered Armament Haki and Observation Haki, you can pass them on to your little sprite.”
"Don't you want to change your fate? Don't you want to reach the summit in the Kanto region?"
Xiao Zhi fell silent. He was wavering, his heart filled with inner turmoil.
Tony Stark sighed inwardly, realizing he had seen through Whitebeard's scheme. He might say, "If you don't want to be one, then don't be one," but given Ash's temperament, being taught everything by Whitebeard... wouldn't feelings easily develop in such a tutelage?
Considering that Ash has never had a father since he was a child... the chances of him finding a father in the future are very high.
"This tactic is somewhat similar to how they adopted Ace as their son back then. That old bastard! He's really wicked."
Although inwardly amazed, Tony Stark didn't interfere. How interesting! Besides, Whitebeard was genuinely kind to his son, not trying to sabotage him. So, for Ash, this couldn't necessarily be considered a bad thing.
“Hey kid over there,” Tony Stark suddenly said to Ash.
"You?" Ash looked at Tony Stark with some confusion.
"Would you like to make a deal?" Tony Stark crossed his arms over his stomach, staring at Ash with amusement and interest. "I'll trade a fully-fledged artificial intelligence for some Pokémon from your world..."
"I don't need anything rare, just a few common ones like Pidgey, Spearow, Caterpie, or even Magikarp and Rattata... Of course, a male and a female would be even better."
After a brief pause, Tony Stark continued, "If you're willing to make a deal, then I'll treat them well. I won't subject them to any cruel experiments... I guarantee it in the name of Iron Man."
“…After I get back, I’ll think about it carefully and give you an answer.” Xiao Zhi said softly, then suddenly remembered something and looked up at Su Han with a respectful gaze, “Um, Your Excellency Speaker, I would like to ask if we can contact you at other times? Or is it that we can only meet in this space?”
Whitebeard's gaze immediately sharpened, and Tony Stark's ears perked up instantly.
Su Han's expression turned strange as he pondered. Would it be beneficial for him to have these members able to contact him anytime, anywhere?
Obviously, yes. After all, this further emphasizes Su Han's powerful presence as he freely descends into different worlds.
Moreover, he can use this to learn about major events happening in their world immediately.
But how can we ensure they can contact us at any time?
Su Han's fingers traced the back of the chair. The known fact was that Su Han's spirit would be connected to anyone who entered the misty space. For example, the previous divine descent of the Naruto and the pirates was through this connection.
Therefore, theoretically, if members within the misty space call out Su Han's name, Su Han will sense it. Wait… if we directly reveal Su Han's name, all this pretense of superiority will crumble…
Therefore, a more tactful approach must be used.
Time slips away bit by bit.
Ash tensed up again, wondering if he had touched a nerve with the council chairman once more...
Just as he was feeling uneasy, Su Han finally spoke.
“Tell me your name so you can contact me.”
Su Han spoke very slowly, still mentally calculating the possibilities.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Han pondered. Since he couldn't use his real name, he would use a pseudonym. What were his distinguishing features in the Misty Space?
Su Han narrowed his eyes slightly, then slowly said, "If you want me to focus my attention on you, then read these words aloud."