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"Slowking is unable to battle, Gardevoir wins!" As the Moonblast descended, Slowking also lost its ability to battle in that strike.
Although Gardevoir had only just reached Gym Peak yesterday, her various stats were already A-class. After MEGA Evolution, her overall strength increased by another level, so defeating Slowking was a matter of course.
The gap between Elite Four Class and Gym Peak is immeasurable. Unless one possesses the power of a deity, or has a powerful force like Ash that can be attached to a Pokémon, it's almost impossible to cross such a level.
At least for Conway, it was impossible. The Trick Room was broken, Slowking's speed had decreased, and the opposing Gardevoir was a high-speed Pokémon, whose speed might even further increase after MEGA Evolution.
In this situation, how could Slowking possibly defeat Gardevoir, who was a higher level?
Level, it couldn't match the opponent's level; speed, it couldn't match the opponent's speed. As for the Trainer's command level... Conway felt that his data flow was indeed stronger than most Trainers, but this was based on having data, and he knew absolutely nothing about Ash's data.
In terms of pure command skill, he and Ash should be about the same, but the Trick Room was forcibly broken by the opponent. He didn't even know how to win.
But Conway hadn't expected to lose so quickly!
Almost in the blink of an eye, Slowking was instantly defeated. This scene was like saying, "Before, I was just playing with you; now... the farce is over."
His ace Pokémon was instantly defeated, and Conway's confidence was shattered at that moment.
As much confidence as Slowking had given Conway before, that's how much despair he felt now.
There was no need to say more about the subsequent battles. Conway's remaining two Pokémon, Lickilicky and Heracross, couldn't last even three seconds against Gardevoir, being instantly defeated by a single Psychic.
The outcome of the match was decided the moment Slowking lost its ability to battle, but the announcement of the match's result came three minutes later.
"Heracross is unable to battle, Gardevoir wins! Conway's six Pokémon have all lost their ability to battle. The winner of this match is—Ash!!"
The referee loudly announced the winner of the match: Ash successfully advanced to the top 8!
As the victory was announced, Gardevoir once again glowed, but this time it was the light of devolution.
The normal-state Gardevoir elegantly approached Ash, her intelligent eyes looking at Ash, seemingly waiting for his praise.
"Well done, Gardevoir, a very beautiful debut!" Ash gave a thumbs up, praising Gardevoir without reservation.
This was Gardevoir's first battle under the spotlight. In the previous Gym battles, she had only participated in the Cinnabar Gym battle, and that was in a lava field.
As a debut, Gardevoir performed perfectly: her full power MEGA Evolution, the Psystrike that shattered the Trick Room, and her super strength that allowed her to defeat four opponents, almost instantly knocking them out.
Gardevoir's performance in this match made everyone watching the Indigo Plateau Conference around the world excited. How could there be such a beautiful and powerful Pokémon?
MEGA Evolved Gardevoir was even more beautiful than her original form, and her Shinny MEGA deep black dress made many people fervent fans of Gardevoir.
After receiving Ash's praise, Gardevoir's face showed a satisfied expression. For a Pokémon, the sense of accomplishment brought by victory is only a small part; more often, the sense of accomplishment comes from the Trainer's encouragement and sharing the fruits of victory with the Trainer.
This was especially true for Gardevoir. Ash was her everything. All the victories she achieved were for Ash. The reason she evolved from Ralts was to gain stronger power and better help Ash.
Now, the cheers around her and Ash's encouragement made Gardevoir feel that her choice to evolve was truly the wisest decision.
Moreover, after MEGA Evolution, she seemed even more beautiful and could attract more attention. She didn't care about others' gazes; she cared about whether she could attract Ash's gaze.
After praising Gardevoir, Ash recalled her and went to shake hands with Conway. Conway, holding Ash's hand, said with a wry smile, "I originally thought the rumors outside might be a bit exaggerated—what with debuting for half a year and being on par with an Elite, or being Kanto's strongest rookie ever… But after battling today, I can only say, the reputation is well-deserved."
"Ah? Hehe, I'm not that amazing. The strongest rookie or whatever, I wouldn't dare claim that."
Conway looked at Ash, whose mouth was almost splitting from smiling, and couldn't help but twitch his lips. Is this how you act when you wouldn't dare claim it? You're practically wishing I'd praise you two more times, aren't you?
However, the rumors had indeed become reality. The power Ash displayed made him undeniably Kanto's strongest rookie. Forget Kanto's strongest rookie; this was probably the strongest rookie in the history of the entire world.
Looking back at the history of the Pokémon world, when has there ever been a Trainer with such exaggerated talent? If it's Ash, perhaps it won't be long before he can challenge the undefeated Champion of the Galar Region.
Speaking of which, after entering the top 32, not only had their Sinnoh Region Champion disappeared, but even the Galar Region Champion seemed to be gone. Previously, whenever Ash had a match, they would come to watch.
But according to Conway's observations these past two days, besides the Kanto Elite Four and President Damaranchi, it seemed only Steven, the Champion of the Hoenn Region, remained in the special viewing section.
Where did those two Champions go?
Conway silently buried the question in his heart. These matters no longer concerned him. His journey at this Indigo Plateau Conference had come to an end. If he hadn't wanted to see Ash's upcoming performance, he probably would have packed his bags and left tonight.
"Good luck with your upcoming matches. You won against me, so if you lose, I won't forgive you." Conway withdrew his hand, adjusted his glasses, and 'warned' Ash.
"Don't worry, I'll keep winning." Ash nodded, a confident smile on his face as he replied... The opening match ended, and this opening match was also the most impactful match of the day. Compared to the opening match, the subsequent matches felt somewhat bland.
The only other match that caused a stir wasn't Paul's, but Gary's match.
Because Gary also used MEGA Evolution during his match, and it was the same Mega Blastoise as Ash's!
This made the surrounding Trainers watching start to question their lives. What was going on? Ash wasn't the only one who had 'mutated'? Why did even that person named Gary have MEGA Evolution!
Could it be that MEGA Evolution had already become widespread in Kanto?
This was, of course, impossible. If MEGA Evolution had already become widespread, then only Ash and Gary would not be the only ones using MEGA Evolution now.
Some informed individuals vaguely guessed the reason: Ash and Gary grew up together as childhood friends. With Ash possessing a new power that he could share, as his childhood friend, Gary naturally was the first to enjoy this benefit.
However, besides being childhood friends, they also had a rivalry. In this situation, Ash was still willing to share information about MEGA Evolution with Gary, which could only mean Ash was broad-minded and that there was 'true love' between the two.
Gary's Mega Blastoise still had a slight gap compared to Ash's, but the difference wasn't particularly large; only some experienced Trainers could observe some hard-to-spot disparities.
Comparatively, Ash's Blastoise should be slightly superior to Gary's, but this small gap could easily be closed.
But... don't forget, Ash's Blastoise is not his ace Pokémon; he doesn't even know where it ranks. Whereas Gary's Blastoise is his absolute ace.
In a six-on-six battle, Gary relied on his MEGA Evolved Blastoise to defeat his opponent by taking out three Pokémon, successfully advancing to the top 8.
The difference between an ace and a non-ace is so small, and Ash's is even stronger. It's hard to imagine how terrifying the gap would be if Ash's ace were to face Gary's Blastoise.
Fortunately, there's good news: the top 8 bracket has been released, and Ash and Gary did not draw each other. Moreover, neither of them drew Paul. A two-sevenths chance of not drawing them was incredibly lucky for Gary.
As long as he didn't draw those two, it was a good draw!
Ash's opponent was someone named A-qing. His overall strength was probably around professional high-level to peak, and most of his Pokémon were already revealed. Ash felt no pressure facing him.
Paul's opponent was also of similar strength, but Gary was probably under the most pressure.
But again, as long as he didn't face Ash or Paul, it was considered a good draw.
Aside from Ash, Paul, and Conway, the other contestants were at most professional peak level. As long as Gary utilized Blastoise's MEGA Evolution well, he could still win.
But facing those three, it was practically hell difficulty, because they didn't just have one Gym Leader Level Pokémon; they practically had a whole team of Gym Leader Level Pokémon!
For instance, Conway, who was defeated by Ash, only had two professional peak Pokémon; the rest were Gym Leader Level. If Gary had faced him, he probably would have been lucky to defeat three of Conway's Pokémon, even with MEGA Evolution.
After the draw, a group of reporters and countless spectators swarmed, eager to get information about MEGA Evolution from Ash. But Ash, prepared, had Gardevoir use Teleport, taking them all away.
Even if information about MEGA Evolution were to be revealed, it would have to wait until after the Indigo Plateau Conference. Why the rush now?
After avoiding the enthusiastic crowd and reporters, Ash and Gary went to a celebration banquet with Professor Oak and Delia. Participating in a competition for the first time and reaching the top 8, especially in this enhanced Indigo Plateau Conference, had already made history, regardless of the outcome of future matches.
Even Professor Oak, when he first debuted, wasn't that fierce.
Gary seemed somewhat overshadowed compared to Ash, but he had already surpassed his grandfather, Professor Oak. Therefore, this celebration banquet was held as a matter of course, and Professor Oak was overjoyed.
Gary surpassed his mentor, and Ash might even create history for the entire League. All of this made Professor Oak feel incredibly proud; Pallet Town had produced two top talents at once!
This celebration banquet wasn't hosted by Delia; instead, they went to a restaurant outside. The restaurants here at Indigo Plateau had good food, though the prices were a bit high. Moreover, they booked a private room, so the price was even higher.
But for Professor Oak and his group, problems that could be solved with money weren't problems at all. Spending a little money for peace and quiet was the best thing.
After eating and drinking their fill, Ash pulled Professor Oak, who was about to go to Gary's residence, aside. As for the reason... "What?! Little Lugia!!!"
"Shh!!!" Ash repeatedly made a shushing gesture, then kept looking outside. Fortunately, no one was passing by.
Actually, this was just Ash's subconscious action. Every movement around them was under Mewtwo's observation, so if anyone were there, they would be immediately detected.
Ash had just told Professor Oak about Little Lugia, and Professor Oak looked very surprised, clearly unaware of this matter.
This matter wasn't much of a secret among the Kanto higher-ups, but Professor Oak had been out of the Kanto higher-ups for many years. He stayed quietly in the idyllic Pallet Town, and people from the League wouldn't bother him.
"You want to go to the Orange Islands after the Indigo Plateau Conference, right?"
"Yes, I want to help Little Lugia find her Clan." Ash nodded. The reason he told Professor Oak about this was simply to inform him. Like Delia, Professor Oak had long been considered family by Ash. Before going anywhere, he would inform Professor Oak and discuss it, to see if Professor Oak had any other opinions.
"That's fine. After the Indigo Plateau Conference, your next goal should be the Johto League's Silver Conference, right? The Silver Conference is about seven or eight months away, which is enough time for you to go to the Orange Islands and come back to collect badges. I'm also worried you'll push yourself too hard after starting your journey, so a little relaxation would be good."
Professor Oak thought for a moment and felt that a trip to the Orange Islands would be good for Ash. The Orange Islands are famous for being resort islands. Since Ash started his journey, he had very little time to relax, as the Indigo Plateau Conference schedule was very tight, forcing Ash to seize every minute and second to improve himself.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get within a step of having Elite Four Class Pokémon in half a year.
Upon hearing about Lugia, Professor Oak's first thought wasn't about world safety or the whereabouts of a Legendary Pokémon, but that Ash could finally take a break.
Ash was also stunned when he heard Professor Oak's words. Then he sniffled and nodded firmly: "Yes, I'll have a good time!"
"Oh, by the way, since you're going to the Orange Islands, could you do me a favor?"
Ash: ...I wasn't even touched for three seconds, isn't that transition a bit too fast?! Give me back my emotion, you jerk!