Chapter 502: Silver Conference Champion

Night.

Luo Mu and his Pokémon sat together in their new home, gathered in the spacious, warmly lit living room to watch the final match of the Silver Conference finals on the large color TV that had just been embedded into the wall that day.

The competitors were Ash from Pallet Town and Ye He Yue from Littleroot Town.

The battle between the two could be summarized as a back-and-forth exchange.

Both trainers had traveled through two regional leagues challenging Gyms and were participating in a League Conference for the second time.

In terms of raw strength, they were nearly evenly matched.

The factors that could create a gap between them, aside from their methods of raising Pokémon, were the trainers' own tactical acumen and various other elements.

Ash led with Pikachu, while Ye He Yue opened with a Sneasel that had not yet evolved.

It wasn't that he was holding back; thanks to the commentators' introduction, many people only then realized this Sneasel was a powerhouse that had caused chaos in the Ho-Oh courtyard, defeating quite a few trainers who had collected eight badges.

The duel between Pikachu and Sneasel was essentially a contest of speed and agility.

At this time, Pikachu had not yet matured enough to single-handedly carry the banner and bear the heavy load for the team; in fact, his body type was still slightly chubby. In terms of agility, Sneasel had a slight edge over Pikachu, but Pikachu possessed advantages of his own.

Luo Mu had specifically instructed Luxray to "drill" Pikachu thoroughly, effectively enhancing the strength of its tail.

Thanks to this, the super-effective Steel-type move "Iron Tail" was, for the fragile Sneasel, a burden too heavy to bear.

Even though Pikachu's physical attack power was currently quite poor, two consecutive Iron Tails still took Sneasel out directly.

Of course, Pikachu was not entirely unscathed either; he had sustained numerous injuries inflicted by Sneasel, and his condition was not fully intact.

Upon encountering a Steelix that overwhelmed him in size and completely countered his type, he immediately sputtered out.

This left Luxray, who had originally hoped Pikachu could pull off a two-Pokémon sweep and thus not waste his painstaking efforts, as well as Meng Lei Gu, who had stretched his neck through the window into the room, speechless.

Silently in his heart, he reasoned that if there was a chance to meet him in the future, he would have to urge him to lose weight and train to increase his electrical capacity limits.

Wasn't it just a Ground-type immune to Electric moves?

If the electrical power was strong enough that there was nowhere for it to conduct, that would settle it!

Ash's second Pokémon was Quilava, causing the nearby Cangyan Cangyan Rengui to silently sit up straighter.

During that period, aside from Tan Xiao Shi, he had often guided Quilava while barbecuing! He hoped this child would make an effort. The size difference between Quilava and Steelix remained enormous; both had type advantages over the other, as Fire countered Steel, while Ground countered Fire (Ground does not resist Fire).

And Ash clearly possessed something uncanny about him.

He had actually managed to revive a battle where both size and strength were so unequal.

The scarred Quilava broke through mid-battle to evolve into Typhlosion, executing a Flamethrower that, by all rights should have been weak in power, yet was used with the appearance of full health and maximum potency.

Both Pokémon knocked each other out; two to two, the score remained tied.

Cangyan Cangyan Rengui watched this match with great satisfaction.

A Typhlosion wielding such tremendous firepower was already qualified to directly use Flamethrower to help him barbecue.

The third battle was Snorlax versus Hypno; Snorlax lived up to expectations and won, only to fall to Ye He Yue's fourth Pokémon, Houndoom.

Ash's Snorlax likely possessed the Hidden Ability or Dream Ability "Gluttony"; otherwise, he might not necessarily have fallen to Houndoom's flames.

Feng Mi Long silently shrank back in the direction of Serperior; he felt as though Snorlax was about to be roasted cooked.

Meanwhile, the Houndoom lying in the corner looked upon Ye He Yue's Houndoom with disdain.

This firepower isn't much stronger than mine.

Ash then sent out Feraligatr, who had completed his evolution at some unknown time; after a fierce battle with Houndoom, enduring Houndoom's tearing at his arm, he ended the fight by landing a critical hit with a Megaton Kick (a kick to the solar plexus).

Seeing this.

Politoed and the Poliwags immediately jumped up happily.

Looking closely, their dance steps were actually identical to those formerly used by Totodile, and now by Feraligatr, when dodging Houndoom's Flamethrower.

Ye He Yue's fifth Pokémon was slightly beyond Luo Mu's expectations.

He had thought it would be Kecleon, or perhaps Da Nai Guan, Pokémon mentioned in the original work.

But Ye He Yue pulled out a third Pokémon native to the Hoenn region: Medicham!

A Fighting and Psychic-type Pokémon, configured just like Gallade, also possessing a Mega Evolution.

Obviously, Ye He Yue, who was still participating in the Conference, had not yet encountered related matters, but this did not prevent Medicham from relying on dance steps even more exquisite than Feraligatr's to elegantly dodge his brute-force strike and deliver an even more powerful counterattack.

With a "plop," Feraligatr's sturdy body fell over, and the score was once again leveled.

Naranja Academy, student dormitory.

Dressed in pajamas, Mu Dan watched speechlessly as Jing Xiang and Zhen Si, these two individuals, stared intently at the computer screen.

She couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow rise within her.

If only she had known, she wouldn't have told these two about the information she curiously looked up on a whim!

What did it mean that they didn't know how to bypass the firewall, so they could only rely on her to watch the Silver Conference matches?

It was simply shamelessness on par with Nimohe Sect and Pa!

The dance battle scheduled with netizens tonight would probably have to be canceled... As for Jing Xiang, needless to say, being consciously the eldest, she took good care of Zhen Si and Mu Dan, and by extension, often came to Naranja Academy to battle Ash, who frequently challenged Zhen Si.

As long as battles were not involved, she was quite reliable.

Although Zhen Si said "no" with his mouth, his body was honestly very compliant; wasn't he now watching the match intently together with Jing Xiang?

"The score has been tied again; the opponent is no ordinary person," Zhen Si said, frowning.

Jing Xiang and Mu Dan also nodded in agreement.

Not to mention Mu Dan, who knew many powerful trainers; Jing Xiang, after all, was a former Nurse Joy, so her eye for judging people was quite accurate.

That Ye He Yue, although he only had a record of participating in the League Conference twice, had definitely become a trainer many years earlier than Ash, who had only been traveling for a little over half a year.

One could see slight clues of this from his skilled commanding techniques.

It seemed Ash had originally come to the Paldea region for special training due to the Silver Conference.

Considering his initial level, and the rapid progress he made under Teacher Luo Mu's guidance, without special training, it would indeed be very difficult to win... As Feraligatr fell, Ash sent out his fifth Pokémon.

Considering his initial level and the rapid progress he made under Teacher Luo Mu's guidance, it is indeed difficult to win without special training. The Feraligatr fell, and Xiaozhi sent out his fifth Pokémon.

An Annihilape with iron-gray fur and blazing red eyes.

In terms of type advantages and resistances, the two Pokémon still each held their own strengths.

Peony acted quickly, snapping a photo of the scene on the computer monitor and forwarding it to a contact named "Tulip."

They had just completed the challenge at the Glaseado Gym; unable to watch the live broadcast due to poor signal on Glaseado Mountain, Hearing Nimo was very concerned about Ash's tournament battles, and Tulip was also quite interested in Ash's Annihilape, which was why they had asked Peony to take a photo and send it over.

The battle between Annihilape and Medicham was quite spectacular; one was a Pokémon from the distant Hoenn region, while the other was an evolved form of Mankey discovered in the distant Paldea region.

Both were extremely novel to the audience; even through the computer screen, the three of them could gauge the excitement of the live spectators through the cheers.

The battle between the two Fighting-type Pokémon felt like being at a fighting arena, featuring either flesh-and-blood punches or meticulous dodging while waiting for an opportunity to strike.

It made one's blood boil. Ultimately, Annihilape's rage broke through its critical limit, unleashing a Rage Fist that shattered several massive rocks standing on the rocky terrain, crushing the locked-on Medicham.

Ye He Yue's Pokémon now had only one left.

The end of the finals for the Championship Tournament did not seem far off.

Johto Region, Silver Conference venue.

Amidst overwhelming cheers, Ye He Yue took a deep breath and solemnly threw out a Poké Ball whose red paint was somewhat worn.

"I'm counting on you, Blaziken!"

A beam of red light fell upon the rocky battlefield.

A Pokémon with white feathers, a V-shaped crest, and bandages wrapped around its wrists, from which sparks erupted, appeared, its powerful legs hopping slightly in eager anticipation.

The Blaze Pokémon, Blaziken! Having already known about Blaziken's existence, Ash did not feel surprised, instead murmuring softly, "It's finally here, Blaziken."

"As long as I defeat you, I can fulfill my promise with my master! Annihilape, go all out!"

"Annihilape is unable to battle, Blaziken is the winner. Trainer Ash, please send out your next Pokémon."

The referee's solemn voice emanated from the cinema-grade sound system that Citron had selected for Luo Mu.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu took a sip of plain boiled water, his expression unchanged.

Although Annihilape had lost, it had posed a considerable threat to Blaziken, paving the way for its teammate's entrance.

Battles between trainers of similar strength were always like this.

No one could guarantee whether their Pokémon would become unable to battle; the only thing one could do was to go all out.

It was just like when Luo Mu himself had challenged the Champion Assessment in the past.

The battles against the Elite Four, which he had passed easily, nevertheless inevitably left him nearly out of resources before Geeta, relying on his bond with Luxray to secure victory in one go.

If he were to do it again now, the result might change drastically, but that no longer mattered.

Luo Mu watched Ash on the television, who was bowing his head as if in deep thought, waiting for him to send out his final Pokémon.

Before long.

As expected, Ash sent out his true "ace" for his current self: Charizard! The Moltres squatting like a hen stopped feigning sleep and opened its eyes.

Arcanine, Victini, and Ceruledge also perked up.

For this Charizard, obsessed with becoming stronger, they had all personally trained it to varying degrees.

Even Victini had let Charizard experience training aided by infinite energy.

If it still lost under these conditions, they felt Charizard should never show its face to them again.

A fierce battle was imminent.

Tacitly, both sides let Charizard and Blaziken, both regional "Fire-type starters," greet each other with Flamethrower.

Two scorching lines of fire collided, instantly triggering a violent explosion.

Yet neither Charizard nor Blaziken was affected; one flapped its wings to break through the smoke and soar into the air, while the other, even more remarkably, used its incredible jumping power to likewise burst through the smoke, coming nearly eye-to-eye with the flying Charizard—

Charizard roared, and under Ash's command, its wings became enveloped in air currents; immediately after, it flapped fiercely, sending a sky-covering barrage of Air Slashes howling toward Blaziken, showing no intention of holding back.

Blaziken was equally absurd.

Despite having no leverage point, its long legs somehow whipped around like the Foshan Shadowless Kick; the move "Blaze Kick" collided with "Air Slash," resulting in a stalemate where neither could gain the upper hand for a moment.

Charizard did not foolishly stand still and trade blows; instead, remembering what Moltres had taught it about the strengths of Fire and Flying-type Pokémon, it flapped its wings, carrying a gale, and dove straight at Blaziken.

It intended to fully utilize its aerial mobility to counter the amazingly agile Blaziken! Fortunately, Ash did not act recklessly by insisting on using that "Seismic Toss" move; under Luo Mu's conscious and subtle influence, at least regarding Charizard's commands, he would not make any major mistakes.

What remained to be contested was the hard power of both sides, and even that seemingly ethereal bond.

Fortunately, Ash was abundant in such bonds, and in terms of Charizard's hard power, it had received targeted enhancement deliberately arranged by Luo Mu.

In the end, Blaziken still fell before Charizard.

This time, Charizard did not collapse.

And Blaziken failed to rise again through sheer grit.

Johto League Silver Conference Championship Tournament Finals.

It concluded with Ash from Pallet Town claiming victory, receiving the champion trophy personally awarded by League Chairman Charles Goodshow.

Turning off the television, Luo Mu exhaled slightly.

Beside him, Lei Mu, holding the already sleeping Cosmog, teased, "It seems you won't be able to keep that set of Armor of Festivity hanging in your home."

As it spoke, it cast its gaze toward the wall at the corner outside the living room.

Polished to a mirror shine by Oranguru, lacking only a full refurbishment, the Armor of Festivity hung there quietly.

"Since I promised, I'll just give it to him; besides, Tan Xiao Shi can make use of it too."

Luo Mu smiled slightly.

To say he didn't feel the loss would be false; both the Armor of Festivity and the Armor of Malice were rare items difficult to obtain, and hanging them at home looked quite nice.

But since Ash had performed so admirably, what harm was there in giving him one set of armor? He was not so stingy as to renege on his word or break his promise.

As for Hearing Nimo and the other two who hadn't returned to the academy yet, he still owed them three blocks of Peat Block!

Having many debts doesn't weigh one down! Naranja Academy, student dormitory.

In Peony's room, a slightly suppressed cheer suddenly rang out.

Fortunately, to ensure high-quality sleep for its students, Grape Academy had implemented soundproofing measures that were utterly seamless, even remodeling them based on the sound-dampening principles of Exploud and Noivern.

No matter how noisy it got inside the room, no stray sounds could be heard from outside.

【13】 Every student at Grape Academy deeply appreciated the dormitory's soundproof environment, which justified the great cost Geeta had incurred to purchase the relevant patent rights for cultivating the next generation of the Paldea League.

Every student at Grape Academy deeply appreciates the soundproofing of the dormitories, proving that Nemona's great expense to purchase the relevant patent rights to cultivate the next generation of the Paldea League was not in vain.

Inside the dormitory, Shizuku happily grabbed Botan's hand and jumped up.

Even Botan could not remain untouched by the emotion at this moment and inevitably revealed a faint smile.

Although Ash, being socially anxious himself, often made her, also socially anxious, cringe until her toes curled, he was indeed a good person with an interesting personality, somewhat resembling Mr. Leon, the Champion of their Galar League, sharing the same sincere devotion to Pokémon and the same intense love for Pokémon battles.

Botan also acknowledged him.

Meanwhile, Paul sat quietly in the corner of the bed, his eyes unblinking as he stared at the computer screen showing Ash and Pikachu, along with their companions, beaming with joy.

Paul's hands clenched slightly.

Ash had already secured the tournament championship, but what about himself? Paul felt he could no longer sit idle and wait for defeat.

No matter how indifferent he appeared, he had indeed been keeping a close watch on Ash, and he absolutely refused to be left far behind by him.

(End of Chapter)