News of the Summoner continued to spread as Ash joined Detective Luffy to see Rayleigh, Grand Jipang's commissioner. He and Pikachu saw Rayleigh read a scroll.

RAYLEIGH-

MY PUPIL, ASH, HAS AGREED TO STAY IN GRAND JIPANG AND SERVE UNDER YOUR TUTLEDGE. I KNOW THAT HE WILL FIND THE CITY AS EXPANSIVE SO THAT HE MAY NOT ADVANCE THROUGH AS EAGERLY AS POSSIBLE… BUT BE WARNED.

-YAMAMOTO

Rayleigh nodded to what Yamamoto instructed. "Ash, how close was Sensei Yamamoto to you?" he asked.

"We were just sensei and pupil," Ash answered. "There wasn't much to say that we were close."

"I was asking since I know Yamamoto from our time back at the temple before I came to live in Grand Jipang," Rayleigh mentioned. "See, Yamamoto and I continue to enjoy Sake when we have daylight. He told me one day of the legend of the Summoner who controlled demons but exerted his ki to which he couldn't survive." Ash and Pikachu nodded, recalling what they've also heard.

Training! The Summoner's Tests

At the Pinwheel, Sanji smoked from his pipe after finishing some sushi. He watched Omao, Onami and Ocarrot serve customers. "Looks like our new waitress is fitting in nicely," he complimented. "Hopefully, Ash could work for me as well. I like to see him cook." Overhearing Sanji, Omao smiled and turned to him.

"That may be something to try," she spoke. "Who knows, it might be better than yours." Sanji scoffed at the thought.

"Please, I haven't seen any man cook as well as I have," he dismissed.

"But she could be right," Onami backed Omao. "He has survived his journey to get here. He had to have learned to cook for himself." Sanji had a thought to the claim.

"I get what you're saying, but who knows how much he made to how much was given to him during his travels," he pointed out.

"What I want to know is who else he has," Ocarrot wished. "If the rumors are true, I want to see his dragon."

"Yeah, same with me!" cheered Omao. Sanji shook his smiling head to the women. Back at the office, a stack of scrolls of various colors was in front of Rayleigh.

"So, these must be your summoning scrolls," he assumed. "And you used one in a fight earlier today if I recall."

"Yeah, it was so cool how he was able to summon his plant-thing and whip around those two who attacked the Pinwheel," Luffy brought up.

"Speaking of, I heard that you haven't been making your down payments to that restaurant," Rayleigh reminded. Luffy scoffed to the notice as Rayleigh opened a yellow scroll. "A major storm brews from the smallest of clouds. This must be Pikachu's scroll that no longer is usable since Yamamoto severed the scroll's bond."

("I like it here,") Pikachu mentioned. Suddenly, he was picked up by a raven-haired woman in a purple robe with prints of spider legs. Her hair was flat like it was an extra layer of her head.

"So, this is Pikachu," she cooed. "I see how it can be an eye-catcher." She petted Pikachu on the head.

"You never were one to be patient to see who came here to see me, Shakky," Rayleigh observed.

"Like you're the one who has all the fun while I mind the inn." Shaking his head, Rayleigh smiled before turning to Ash. "My apologies… this is my wife the innkeeper of the inn next door, Shakuyaku. People know her more as Shakky." The wife turned to Ash.

"And now, I see you're the Summoner… How do you do?" Shaking hands, Shakky and Ash acknowledged each other. "Rayleigh said that he'd help you get arranged in the inn. Do you want me to bring your summoning scrolls into your room?"

"Of course," Ash agreed.

"Actually, Ash can take a few of his scrolls for training," Rayleigh offered. "I want to see how he does with some of my training." Ash seemed surprised to hear of Rayleigh's offer.

"Let me choose a few," he opted. "Let's see… Snorlax… Gengar… and Torkoal." Picking up the scrolls, Ash felt ready. "Let's go!" Shakky took the other scrolls before Rayleigh took Luffy and Ash to a training ground where there were straw mannequins and targets.

"Let me ask you, what brought you to Lord Nelson's castle where you decided to do an extreme renovation?" asked Rayleigh.

"I actually came to the village nearby to rest when Nelson's thugs attacked without provocation," Ash briefed. "It was also the time where my moniker was spreading. I didn't expose myself until Pikachu and I reached and stormed his home."

"At least now, he knows of the Summoner as someone who doesn't turn away from help," Luffy shrugged. That's when Rayleigh presented a large archery bow that looked to have a pair of arches around the handle.

"I want to see how accurate you are with this Yumi," he offered to Ash. "I'm sure Yamamoto must have taught you on these." Ash took the Yumi before stepping to the line and facing the target with a single circle surrounding the middle.

"Sensei isn't one to underestimate my skills," he scoffed. He grabbed an arrow from nearby with a small spike at the end. He widened his stance and faced the target. He aimed, drawing the Yumi's string back with the arrow on it, held by two fingers.

"Knowing Ash, he's gonna hit the circle," Luffy grinned. Ash released, the string shooting the arrow forward at high velocity. The arrow reached and pierced the target on the white circle. Looking, Ash rose an eyebrow.

"Keen assumption, Luffy," Rayleigh nodded. Ash loaded and fired another arrow. Again, it hit the circle. He fired a few more arrows. Somehow, the circle was struck. Ash smiled at the Yumi's draw strength. "Usually, people fired into the target, not on it." Luffy giggled to the sight.

"I see it as getting a feel for the Yumi," Ash excused.

"He's skilled," Luffy believed.

"I bet," Rayleigh agreed. "Now, how about a Summon? I know you picked a few to demonstrate." Ash felt a bit eager to try as Vivi came forward.

"Blue-Nose Sensei did say that I could do it some more before I get tired," Ash accepted. He got a white scroll as Vivi stood by. "So, which one of the three I picked did you want me to summon?" Rayleigh began to think.

"They don't sound like they have bad names," Luffy muttered. "I'm just anxious to see it."

"As am I," Rayleigh warned.

"You and me both…" laughed Luffy. "So, maybe Snorlax?" Ash nodded before turning to Rayleigh.

"Very well," Rayleigh accepted. Ash stood back before he unrolled the scroll.

"His girth is the wall to protect the innocent!" he urged. "Come forth, Snorlax!" A flash came from the scroll and formed a large rotund blue bear with squinted eyes and cream-colored abdomen. The puffy feet helped it stand. Rayleigh smiled as Luffy gasped in awe. Vivi seemed in awe at the sight.

"Big bear!" he cheered. "That's awesome!" Snorlax looked to Luffy, interested with the new people. Rayleigh palmed the stomach.

"His girth indeed," he realized. "Now, summoning this is only half of the battle, right?"

"Yeah, you also need to know what Snorlax can do," Ash agreed before showing the scroll to a section.

-MEGA PUNCH;
BODY SLAM;
MEGA KICK;
HEADBUTT;
TACKLE;
REST;
PROTECT;
ICE PUNCH;
PROTECT;
HYPER BEAM

"Oh, I see…" believed Rayleigh as he looked to Pikachu's scroll. "On here, some of Pikachu's abilities are Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Electroweb and Iron Tail." Intrigued, Luffy wanted to see what Snorlax can do.

"Can you show me a move?" he eagerly wished. Snorlax looked befuddled with the request.

"Now, Luffy," Rayleigh spoke up. "I understand your excitement, but this is Ash's creature, not yours."

"I know, but after Pikachu and Bulbasaur in action," Luffy thought back. "I'd like to see what else they can do."

"Now, I'm not gonna go willy-nilly and command attacks like that," Ash denied. "I'm just showing off what I can bring out."

"Speaking of, does your mana also go into their attacks?" questioned Rayleigh.

"It does," Ash confirmed. "Because my summons are linked to my mana, so do their attacks."

"I see," Luffy believed. "That's why you're reluctant to tell what to do when there's no need."

"And it also means that you're here to receive some special training in order to boost your mana so that you can be more proactive around," Rayleigh pondered.

"It's a bit sad that I had to go this route, but this is what Sensei urged for me to do," Ash shrugged.

"But at least Pikachu isn't part of your mana bondage, right?" joked Luffy. Rayleigh glared at the detective. "What? I thought since Pikachu wasn't tethered to Ash, he could attack freely."

"It's the wording, Luffy," Rayleigh pointed out. "Bondage? If you were as creepy as the Pinwheel's cook, you'd use it for you satisfaction." Ash sighed before turning to Snorlax.

"I just needed to show them, Snorlax," he told. Snorlax nodded before he faded out. "Let me bring Gengar out." The detective and the commissioner prepared for Gengar as did Vivi watching. Ash unrolled a dark purple scroll. "A shadow that sends chills down the enemy's spine! Come forth, Gengar!" The scroll flashed before a shadowy figure with red eyes and a massive grin emerged. It looked to have spikes around the back while having short arms and feet. It floated about before disappearing and reappearing behind Luffy and Rayleigh. Vivi seemed spooked at seeing Gengar. Luffy awed and laughed to the new creature.

"I see!" awed Rayleigh. "This must be the phantom that was seen during the raid." There was a flashback to the guards at Nelson's castle who used their spears to stab the shadowy figure but hit nothing. Now, the shadowy figure became Gengar as he laughed to the guards' attempts to kill it.

"His grin's as big as mine," Luffy smiled. "He's having fun like this." Suddenly, Gengar turned to Vivi who began to approach.

"What is it?" asked Ash. Gengar pointed to Vivi coming to the men.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she pondered. The men turned to see Vivi.

"I see that you couldn't wait at home, Vivi," Rayleigh welcomed.

"No, especially hearing the news of the Summoner already in the city," she mentioned. "Onami and Omao told me about him being here." Seeing Ash and Pikachu, Vivi approached the two. She cupped Ash's chin with her hand. The creatures gasped to the move. "Wow, Onami and the others were right; you really are a nice-looking young man." Seeing Pikachu, she picked him from Ash's head. "And this must be the yellow mouse I've heard about; the one that shoots lightning. You're even more adorable than how Onami and Omao described." Pikachu blushed to the praise.

("Shucks!") he cooed. Vivi giggled to hearing Pikachu's squeal.

"Well, Pikachu has been great at making friends," Ash admitted as Vivi returned Pikachu to Ash's head.

"Well, Pikachu should with Princess Vivi," Rayleigh pointed out. Ash and Pikachu gasped in shock.

"Wait… she's the princess!?" gawked Ash.

"That's right," Vivi confirmed. "I'm Vivi, princess of the royal family overlooking Grand Jipang." Quickly, Ash and Pikachu knelt to Vivi, trying to show their respect.

"We're so sorry, your highness!" pleaded Ash. "We had no idea we were in the presence of royalty!"

("Forgive us!") added Pikachu. ("Please don't lock us up!") Seeing the gesture, Vivi giggled.

"Calm down, you two," she eased as she petted their heads. "There's really no need for formalities. Just call me Vivi." Ash and Pikachu seemed unsure of the simple reply.

"Are you sure?" a surprised Ash wondered.

"Of course," Vivi allowed. "I don't mind at all. Any friend of Boss Straw Hat Luffy is a friend of mine." Luffy grinned and laughed as Ash and Pikachu sighed in relief. They got to more training before nightfall. Shakky referred to their room.

"I see that you're doing well with your training since leaving the temple," she remarked. "And now, you've met the princess."

"I'm actually surprised that she prefers to be just her and not as a princess," Ash admitted.

("But I don't mind being held by her,") Pikachu agreed.

"I know, and I wouldn't mind holding you as well," Shakky smiled. "Here you go. I'll make sure breakfast is ready when you get up tomorrow for more. Rayleigh is going to forge a jitte like Boss has."

"Oh, that weapon he used when dealing with Dick and Billy," Ash realized. "Are they common practice?"

"Yes, and they'll be useful when you get them," Shakky informed. "Well, goodnight." Ash and Pikachu entered their room and settled in a futon after Shakky slid the door closed.

"Well, maybe staying in this city won't be so bad now," Ash sighed.

("Agreed, Ash,") Pikachu squeaked. They turned in and fell asleep. What could tomorrow's day bring?

TO BE CONTINUED...