I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 50 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
"On Kumquat Island in the Orange Islands, there's a Professor Ivy. I hope you can retrieve a Poké Ball from her. This isn't urgent; you can return after your vacation is over," Professor Oak stated his request.
Hearing such a simple request, Ash, who had prepared himself for countless hardships, was instead stunned.
To just get a Poké Ball, wouldn't it take less than an hour for your Dragonite to fly there? And aren't Poké Balls supposed to be transferable via the Poké Ball transfer device? Why make someone specifically go get it?
Facing Ash's questions, Professor Oak said helplessly, "That Poké Ball is a bit special. It can't be transferred using the spatial transfer device, so someone has to go get it personally. I was planning to send Dragonite, but since you're available, you might as well go."
Ash: ...Even if Professor Oak sent Dragonite now, two hours would be enough for a round trip. But if he went, it would take at least a month, as the Indigo Plateau Conference isn't even over yet. After the Indigo Plateau Conference, he'd go, get the Poké Ball, and with finding the God of the Sea and vacation, it would definitely take about a month.
So Professor Oak just wanted to give him something to do!
On one hand, he wanted him to go on vacation, and on the other hand, he wanted to give him something to do. Ash really couldn't understand what Professor Oak was thinking.
However, he still readily agreed. Getting a Poké Ball wouldn't take much effort; he could just pick it up along the way.
After discussing a few details, Professor Oak bid farewell to Ash and returned to Gary's side.
Ash and Gary both had matches these days, so Professor Oak and Delia wouldn't return to Pallet Town; they would wait until both their matches were over.
As for the Pokémon in the lab, he had already found other regional professors to help care for them.
The situation where no one cared for the Pokémon in his lab when he left also troubled Professor Oak. He was thinking about whether to recruit an assistant, otherwise, it was too much hassle for one person.
With his reputation, if he announced he was hiring an assistant, it's estimated that anyone with some education in Kanto would flock to him, even if it meant coming to the countryside. It would be quite troublesome to pick one person from so many.
He'd wait until after the Indigo Plateau Conference... The next day, the top 8 of the Indigo Plateau Conference began. Ash's match was the second, and Paul's was the first.
Paul still decisively defeated his opponent with Torterra. So far, Paul hadn't used any Pokémon other than Torterra, and he had already advanced to the top 4!
If it weren't for Ash, Paul's performance would likely have already secured him the Champion title.
Unfortunately, this Indigo Plateau Conference had an anomaly like Ash, so even a strong Trainer like Paul couldn't be 100% sure of becoming Champion. However, he had essentially reserved a spot for Dragon Island.
Even if he lost to Ash in the top 4, Paul would absolutely not lose in the third-place match. The top three all get to go to Dragon Island, just with different information.
In the second match, Ash still adopted a training strategy, letting Kingler, Tauros, Muk, and Monferno all try. If they couldn't win, he would switch to Butterfree and Pidgeot.
Pidgeot's Professional Level peak combined with Ash's Aura made it almost impossible to lose to any opponent except Gary's Mega Blastoise and Paul.
Even against Gary's Mega Blastoise, Pidgeot only had less than a ten percent chance of winning, as with the Aura boost, Pidgeot's strength could directly reach Gym Peak!
That's why Ash was confident enough not to include even one main frontline Pokémon in his team.
Although the final result wasn't as decisive as Paul's, he still won the match quickly, much easier than his battle against Conway.
The strength of Kingler and other Pokémon also improved to some extent. Pidgeot even successfully broke through to Gym Leader Level while battling the opponent's ace, a Professional Level Flareon.
This speed was even faster than Lucario and Blastoise!
Both Pokémon are still stuck at Professional Level, but they are also close... In addition, Monferno's strength improved again, reaching Superior intermediate. If this continues, and he evolves one more time, he might be able to rush to Superior peak or even Professional Level in one go!
This rate of progress made Ash feel a little terrified. Although his Pokémon had improved quickly before, they hadn't improved this terrifyingly fast.
Who would have thought that just ten days ago, this Monferno was only at the intermediate stage? Improving one major stage and one level in ten days sounds terrifying, doesn't it?
This accumulation was too thick. Ash's first reaction to Monferno's rapid improvement, besides amazement, was not joy but a bit of heartache.
The faster Monferno improved now, the more difficult his previous training must have been. The accumulated experience was stored within him, but his physical condition prevented him from converting that experience into his own strength, which is why he had been stuck at the intermediate stage.
Ash originally thought that one evolution, which boosted his strength to the peak of the intermediate stage and quickly reached Superior Level, had used up all of Monferno's previously accumulated training experience. He didn't expect the experience to still not be depleted.
Besides Monferno's improvement, the other participating Pokémon also improved to varying degrees. Isn't it said that the fastest way to improve a Pokémon is through battle?
However, the prerequisite for rapid improvement through battle is that the Pokémon must have a very good foundation. If it weren't for Ash's usual training of his Pokémon, they wouldn't have improved so quickly after battles.
Even so, this speed is still somewhat frightening.
Ash's third match was Gary's. Compared to the previous two matches, this match was extremely intense. Both sides fought until their last Pokémon, and Gary's opponent at this moment revealed his hidden ace, a Gym Leader Level Alakazam!
And Gary's ultimate ace was, of course, his Blastoise. After MEGA Evolution, Blastoise also possessed strength not inferior to Gym Leader Level.
But facing the very tricky Psychic-type Alakazam, Gary still fell into a disadvantage. Mega Blastoise's data had been completely analyzed by the opponent, while Gary had no information on the opponent's Alakazam. In this situation, even with MEGA Evolution, Blastoise was still one level lower and very difficult to deal with.
But in the end, Gary's Blastoise broke through on the spot, reaching Gym Leader Level, and a crucial Water Pulse hit Alakazam after its Teleport, defeating it in one fell swoop!
Blastoise even exhausted its strength and exited its MEGA Evolution state, but it did not lose its ability to battle.
So, Gary won this battle!
After the fourth match ended, it was only three in the afternoon. The draw for the top 4 was held immediately after the matches, and Ash's opponent in the top 4 was... Gary!
The two contestants from Pallet Town finally faced each other in the top 4. When Gary saw that his opponent was Ash, there wasn't much change in his expression.
There were only three opponents in total: either Ash or Paul. In extremely good luck, he might encounter the fourth contestant named Tianxiang.
But with a two-thirds probability, it wasn't that easy to avoid. In terms of results, encountering Ash was at least better than encountering Paul.
Even if he lost, Gary wanted to lose to Ash, not Paul. If he lost, he could just prepare for the third-place match.
Unless Paul suddenly decided to target him and deliberately lost to Tianxiang to ambush him in the third-place match, Gary was confident he could defeat the Trainer named Tianxiang.
As for battling Ash... that could only be left to fate. Even confident Gary didn't think he had much chance of winning against Ash. Don't let his boasts about not being afraid of Ash and wanting to battle him fool you.
But in reality, he was very clear about his own strength and Ash's strength. Right now, he would be lucky to achieve some results in Gym Leader Level battles, while Ash could already contend with Champions.
Unless Ash used his second team of Pokémon, he had no chance of winning.
But even so, Gary had no intention of giving up!
"Perfect timing, Ash. Let me test how much you've changed from back then," Gary said provocatively, raising his chin proudly towards Ash.
"Hey, we haven't battled in a long time. The top 4 is a great stage for a full six-on-six battle. Don't lose too badly!"
"So confident you'll win? We haven't even fought yet, who wins and who loses isn't certain!"
"Then let's see the real deal tomorrow. I'll show you my new power."
New power? A new MEGA Evolution? Ash's words made Gary fall into deep thought, while Ash had already left the arena.
He was going to battle Gary tomorrow. To be honest, meeting Gary in the top 4 didn't surprise him, but battling Gary again still made his heart restless.
No matter how great the difference in their strength, they had been rivals since childhood. If it weren't for the Chat Group, he might not even be as good as Gary is now.
After all, in their past competitions, he usually lost more than he won. The reason he was able to constantly surpass Gary after starting his journey was due to the guidance of the seniors in the group and the skills he drew from the group.
The guidance from the seniors in the group transformed him from a complete novice who knew nothing into a super Trainer who could now almost recite all Pokémon names and understand all Pokémon types.
And the knowledge about breeders drawn from the group had a very Superior effect on raising Pokémon.
Viridian Power and Aura were also crucial. Without those two powers, he wouldn't have gotten to where he is today.
The help the Chat Group gave him can no longer be described as just 'great.' Without the Chat Group, he might have been eliminated in the top 32, or even top 64.
Ash was confident in his talent. Even before acquiring the Chat Group, he was already convinced that he would become a Pokémon Master in the future, but he needed time.
The most important aspect of the Chat Group was that it compensated for his lack of time, allowing him to achieve in just half a year what would normally take one, or even two or three years.
Now, with the help of the Chat Group, he had successfully passed the most difficult period. Even without the Chat Group's help, he was now a mature Trainer.
In contrast, Gary, without any help, also managed to raise a Gym Leader Level Pokémon in just half a year. This talent is undeniably strong.
It's just a shame his opponent had a cheat!
...The next day, the opening match, Ash vs. Gary, the Indigo Stadium's stands were packed!
The excitement for this match even surpassed the previous top 16 match between Ash and Conway.
These were the only two contestants who could MEGA Evolve, and they were also from the same hometown. If it weren't for the possibility of Paul vs. Ash in the finals, then the excitement for this match might even be higher than the finals.
But if the finals were Ash vs. Paul, then the excitement might be even more exaggerated than this match, not only because Paul was stronger, but also because Paul was from the Sinnoh region.
If someone from the Sinnoh region won the Kanto region's Indigo Plateau Conference, it would indeed be a bit of a loss of face for Kanto.
A conference held in their home region, yet the Champion was from another region. Wouldn't that imply Kanto had no one capable?
In fact, if this Indigo Plateau Conference hadn't seen an anomaly like Ash, Kanto truly wouldn't have had anyone truly remarkable... "And both contestants in this match are from Pallet Town!"
"They are Professor Oak's grandson, Gary! And Kanto's super rookie, also from Pallet Town and traveling together, Ash!"
"The two have been childhood friends, growing up and playing together, and now they have both made it to the top 4, meeting in the Indigo Stadium. Both of them also possess the recently renowned MEGA Evolution. Who will emerge victorious in this match? Let's eagerly anticipate it!"
Amidst the host's hype, Ash and Gary slowly walked into the arena from the contestant stands.
Ash had an excited and eager expression, while Gary's face was slightly more serious.
This match wasn't the most important, but it was the one he most wanted to win, and also the one with the slimmest chances of victory.
When both stood on the contestant platform, the referee waved the flag, signaling the start of the match. Ash and Gary simultaneously pulled out their Poké Balls.
"Go, my darling!!" The Poké Ball flashed, and a large golden fox appeared on the field—the Psychic-type Pokémon, Alakazam!
"I choose you, Primeape!!" Ash's chosen Pokémon was—Primeape!
When Primeape appeared on the field, Gary was stunned. He knew all of Ash's lineup, so he was also aware that Primeape could only rank about third in Ash's second team.
Yet, Ash brought it out to battle him in the top 4. Was he being used for practice?!