Although Gyarados could remain on land for long periods of time, it was still a creature that loved water. Most of the time, it stayed within the pond in the back garden.
Master Tyron had even arranged training partners for it there, so over the past year, Gyarados had trained relentlessly, day after day.
Now, its strength had reached the Elite Level.
Of course, not just Gyarados. Almost all of Yozora's veteran partners had already reached the Elite Level—though naturally, their exact stages varied.
Among them, Golduck and Aegislash had stepped into the Elite Four tier: Golduck at mid-tier, and Aegislash at entry-tier.
After all, back in Kanto, those two had been Yozora's aces, blessed with extraordinary potential. Their growth speed was terrifyingly fast.
But—
For the upcoming Silver Conference, aside from Gyarados, Yozora had no plans to field his old companions.
Having lived and trained with them for a year, what he wanted now was to sharpen the strength of his newer partners.
Gyarados was the lone exception. Since Yozora had never once used it in battle before, he decided to count it among his "new partners," to build a bond through the tournament.
His chosen lineup was:
Dragonite, Eevee, Ampharos, Crystal Steelix, Tangrowth, Growlithe;
Suicune, Azumarill, Scizor, Weavile, and Gyarados.
These eleven Pokémon would be his team for the Silver Conference, which was still about a month away.
With that much time, their training could push even further. In particular, Growlithe and Sneasel—Yozora intended to evolve them before the tournament began.
They only required evolution stones, after all. He could do it at any time.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The golden Growlithe had evolved into a majestic golden Arcanine.
Its gleaming golden fur radiated power and dignity, its presence commanding awe.
Meanwhile, Sneasel had evolved into Weavile, raising its strength to a new height.
But that very day, Miltank "Mei" appeared before Yozora, carrying something in her arms—
A Pokémon Egg.
[Pokémon]: Miltank (Egg)
[Type]: Normal
[Ability]: Thick Fat
[Level]: Unhatched
[Potential]: Champion-level Potential
[Moves]: Defense Curl, Rollout, Milk Drink
[Description]: A prodigious Miltank. Though not yet born…
Yozora froze as he looked at Mei's blissful face, then at the egg cradled in her arms.
A Miltank with Champion-level potential?
If this egg hatched, what kind of monster would it become?
Even Mei herself, with her five unique abilities, only possessed Elite Four-tier potential. Right now, she was at Gym Leader peak level, and already the milk she produced had tremendous nutritional power.
But this unborn baby… was a natural-born Champion!
With inherited abilities stacked on top, it might even reach pseudo-legendary or Legendary potential.
If it grew to maturity… what then?
It would surely become the world's strongest Miltank!
Not to mention—its milk would have unfathomable nutritional value.
"Good job, Mei. Congratulations. Keep it up—try to have more of these…" Yozora rose to his feet and patted her head warmly.
Beaming, Mei proudly placed the egg into his hands as though offering treasure.
Yozora examined it, but aside from its extraordinary potential, it looked no different from any ordinary egg. He carefully returned it to her.
"Moo~" Mei chirped happily and carried the egg away with joy.
Another half month passed.
The egg had not yet hatched, but the Silver Conference was about to begin. Yozora mounted Dragonite and soared toward Silver Town.
The town was overflowing with people. Elite trainers from across the regions gathered, and even Yozora's entrance on Dragonite drew no astonishment.
Here, even Dragonite was treated as nothing more than a "common sight."
It was proof of just how high the standards of the Silver Conference were—far beyond the Indigo League's Pokémon League at Indigo Plateau.
Because of that, even the spectators' eyes were razor-sharp.
At the League Hall, Yozora registered for the competition.
Compared to last year's Indigo League, the Silver Conference had slightly fewer entrants, but still several hundred trainers.
Like Indigo, it began with preliminary rounds—three-on-three battles. But unlike Indigo, there were no special arenas like Water Fields or Ice Fields. The Silver Conference used only official battlefields.
After multiple rounds of preliminaries, only the top thirty-two advanced to the main tournament. From then on, all matches were full 6v6 battles.
Yozora's first preliminary match was scheduled for the third day. He checked into a hotel to rest and prepare.
Over the next three days, he reunited with Ash and his friends, and even crossed paths with Gary.
As for Red, he was most likely training for the Hoenn Lily of the Valley Conference. Their travel paths diverged greatly; Yozora knew he might not face Red again until they were adults.
The day of Yozora's first match arrived.
"Yozora, you can do it! Let us see just how strong you are now!" Ash cheered as Yozora calmly walked into the stadium.
His opponent was already waiting—a brown-haired youth, with a massive Feraligatr by his side.
Clearly, that Feraligatr was his ace. Its level was solid—about Gym Leader tier.
"Now, for the ninth match of Group D, Trainer Gao Wu versus Trainer Yozora! Each side may use three Pokémon!"
The referee's amplified voice rang out. "By draw order, Gao Wu will send out his first Pokémon!"
Unlike Indigo, the Silver Conference battles had turn order.
At Indigo, both sides sent their Pokémon simultaneously.
But here, having to reveal first could be a disadvantage—it let the opponent counterpick.
It was purely a matter of luck. Which meant, in this Conference, luck mattered a great deal.
But true strength always outweighed luck. With enough power, even going first posed no fear.
"Go, Electabuzz!" Gao Wu threw his first Poké Ball.
He had chosen carefully. An Electric-type Pokémon had only one weakness—Ground-types. That made it harder for opponents to counter directly.
"No wonder he made it here," Brock analyzed outside the field. "Electabuzz's only weakness is Ground. If his opponent does send out a Ground-type, Gao Wu's Feraligatr can counter it perfectly. It's a tight strategy."
Misty nodded with a smile. "Smart tactics… but his opponent is just too strong."
Brock and Ash agreed. Yozora's strength was on another level.
This was only the preliminaries—his very first battle. None of them could picture him losing.
"High Lord-tier," Yozora judged at a glance, instantly gauging Electabuzz's level.
Decent, but nothing special. A typical one-round elimination standard.
By contrast, even Yozora's newest partners were mostly Elite-tier, with his weakest, Tangrowth, still at Gym Leader peak. Compared to this Electabuzz, the gap was overwhelming.
"Scizor, battle!" Yozora sent out his first Pokémon.
Once both trainers had their Pokémon on the field, the referee raised both arms and declared, "Match one, begin!"
The instant Gao Wu felt Scizor's icy aura, his chest tightened. This was no ordinary opponent.
"Electabuzz, seize the initiative! Thunderbolt!" he commanded urgently.
Electabuzz's fist crackled with lightning, releasing a blazing bolt of thunder straight toward Scizor.
A creative way to channel electricity—but futile.
Scizor could have dodged easily with its incredible speed. Instead, it stood its ground and took the hit directly.
"Bzzzzt—" electricity coursed over its body.
But Scizor didn't flinch. Its steel-hard form endured the blow without even a flicker of pain.
Both Gao Wu and Electabuzz froze in disbelief.
"Electabuzz's Thunderbolt lands squarely… but it had no effect!" the announcer shouted.
The crowd erupted.
Clearly, Scizor's strength was far beyond Electabuzz.
"Scizor, Quick Attack!" Yozora ordered.
Scizor's wings buzzed once. In a flash of crimson, it blurred forward faster than the eye could follow.
Electabuzz could only widen its eyes in shock.
Bang!
A crimson fist slammed into its chest, sending it flying.
"Now, Metal Claw."
Scizor blurred again, overtaking Electabuzz midair. Its pincer glowed with metallic sheen before hammering down.
Boom!
Electabuzz crashed to the ground with a sickening thud, stars spinning above its head before fainting completely.
"Electabuzz is unable to battle! Scizor wins!" declared the referee.
"Astonishing speed! Yozora's Scizor is far stronger than we could have imagined!" the announcer roared.
The audience went wild.
Here at the Silver Conference, spectators knew power when they saw it. And now, Yozora had earned their full recognition.
Cries of "So strong!" rang across the stadium.
Meanwhile, Gao Wu's face grew grim.
He had prepared so hard for this tournament… only to meet such a monster in the first round.
That Scizor—what level even was it?
To shrug off electricity like that…
"Too powerful… but at least I have one advantage. A Fire-type!"
His hand trembled as he grabbed his second Poké Ball. "Go, Magmar!"
The fire-duck Pokémon appeared, its flames flaring. Its strength was High Lord-tier—not particularly impressive.
The crowd buzzed.
"Oh! A Fire-type! Gao Wu finally has a huge type advantage!"
"Now let's see how Yozora responds!"
The referee raised his hand. "Match two, begin!"
Gao Wu seized the initiative again. "Magmar, Flamethrower!"
A roaring inferno blasted across the battlefield, swallowing Scizor whole.
The crowd gasped.
"What? With that speed, it should've dodged easily!"
"Is Scizor being reckless? That's Fire! Its ultimate weakness!"
"Even if it's stronger, Fire deals devastating damage to Bug-Steel. This could finish it in one shot!"
Laughter and doubt mingled with awe in the stands.
But—
Before three seconds passed—
The flames shrank, then vanished, drawn into Scizor's body.
Not by its mouth—by its entire being.
Its Ability: Flash Fire had absorbed the flames.
Now, Fire energy surged within it. Even if Scizor couldn't wield Fire moves, its deadliest weakness had been completely nullified.
"What—?! The fire… had no effect?!" the announcer shouted in disbelief.
The crowd gasped as realization spread.
"It absorbed it! Impossible!" Gao Wu whispered, his eyes wide with despair.
"Swift!" Yozora commanded.
Scizor's pincers opened, unleashing a barrage of glowing stars. They shot forth like bullets, hammering into Magmar and blasting it across the arena.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
…
…
(End of Chapter)