Hearing Gary's words, Ash simply laughed. He strode forward with high spirits.
The two sides began to battle. Ash sent out Charizard, while Gary sent out his Nidoking. The fight between them was fairly standard. Charizard was soon defeated. However, Ash showed no frustration and directly sent out his Pikachu.
In the subsequent battle, Pikachu, its power doubled by the Electric Gem, used a combo to swiftly take down the opposing Nidoking. Immediately after, Gary sent out his second Pokémon, Arcanine. But the result was no different.
The rest of the battle proceeded similarly. This match was even easier than many had imagined. Even Ash felt unexpectedly at ease. Only then did he realize just how powerful the Electric Gem rewarded by the mysterious entity truly was.
Gary looked somewhat surprised, but within that surprise, there was even more passion. "Ash, just you wait. I'll defeat you next time." With that, Gary left.
Later, Misty and Brock encountered strong opponents in their battles and were directly eliminated. Facing this outcome, neither said much. They both knew that the favorite to win the championship this time was Ash.
"Did he really win? And so easily. As expected of Ash," Cynthia said from a distance, slightly surprised. She knew that after receiving rewards, Ash would become stronger and his demeanor would certainly change. But who would have thought that Gary, who had originally been able to defeat him, would be so easily overwhelmed?
At the Silver Conference, Steven and the others also looked at Ash with curiosity. They all understood that Ash would undoubtedly become one of them in the future, even a Champion. This was the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh, who had even faced Legendary Pokémon multiple times. After all, ordinary people might not see a Legendary in their entire lifetime, but Ash had seen more than one.
Ash was also quite excited about this, as it was his first victory over Gary. His excitement lasted until the quarterfinals the next day.
When Ash took the field, he saw his opponent: Harrison, whom he had met not long ago.
"I never expected my opponent this time to be you, Ash. I won't go easy on you," Harrison said excitedly. Ash was now the top favorite. Defeating Ash would make his name known to everyone. Not to mention, many people had come to the Silver Conference specifically because of Ash and were watching from a distance. Many competitors wanted to prove themselves at this moment, and Harrison was one of them.
Ash looked at Harrison opposite him, an excited smile in his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll fight with all my strength."
The two looked at each other, then simultaneously took out Poké Balls and pressed the switches. As red light flashed, two Pokémon appeared in the arena's center. The first Pokémon Ash sent out was, unsurprisingly, Pikachu. The first Pokémon Harrison sent out was a Kecleon.
Neither side hesitated, launching directly into battle.
"Pikachu, use Agility to close in, then use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded Pikachu to attack first.
Harrison opposite him didn't hesitate either, shouting, "Kecleon, use Camouflage!"
The next moment, Pikachu appeared in front of Kecleon, its metal-coated tail swiping through the air with a whoosh—but the attack failed. In everyone's sight, the Kecleon had vanished from its spot.
"Kecleon's Ability allows it to become invisible. Ash has met his match this time," Cynthia commented from the stands.
"Could it be that Ash will lose the first round of this match?" Steven said with some surprise. For him, Ash's loss would be hard to accept.
At this moment, Lance shook his head. "Don't worry. For anyone else, it might be a loss, but if it's Ash, he'll definitely find a way."
On the field, Ash also realized Kecleon's invisibility trait. "It can turn invisible. Pikachu, pay attention to your surroundings. Make sure it doesn't sneak up on you."
As he finished speaking, Kecleon appeared behind Pikachu. Harrison in the distance also said excitedly, "Kecleon, use Lick!"
Kecleon stretched out its large tongue and licked Pikachu directly. As the attack landed, Kecleon vanished again.
In the following battle, Harrison continued to have Kecleon use the same hit-and-run tactic, and Pikachu was struck again and again.
Ash frowned, even considering having Pikachu release all the electricity in its body right then for a full-area Thunderbolt. But he restrained himself. He knew that if Kecleon avoided the attack at that moment, Pikachu, having expended all its power, would definitely be left weakened and likely finished off.
"Ash, I'll take this first victory! Kecleon, use Lick again!" Harrison spoke once more from the distance.
Kecleon appeared on Pikachu's right side, sticking out its tongue to lick Pikachu. Facing this attack, Ash's eyes lit up slightly.
"Now! Pikachu, grab its tongue and use Thunderbolt!"
As his words fell, Pikachu no longer hesitated. It turned, grabbed the invisible Kecleon's tongue, and released a powerful Thunderbolt. The yellow electric current surged forward, directly enveloping Kecleon's entire body.
A sizzling sound rang out, astonishing everyone.
As the lightning dissipated, Kecleon lay fainted on the ground.
"He actually won? Ash and Pikachu are indeed something else," the audience exclaimed in amazement.
However, Harrison on the opposite side calmly recalled his Kecleon. Its invisibility was indeed strong, but not undefeatable. So he didn't think he could win the entire match with just Kecleon.
"Ash, my next Pokémon won't be defeated so easily," Harrison said, then pressed the switch on another Poké Ball.
The next moment, a Lairon appeared before everyone.
"Lairon, use Agility and Metal Claw! Finish off Pikachu for me!" Harrison clenched his fists, speaking with slight excitement. He could see Pikachu was also a bit tired now. Under such circumstances, having Lairon execute a high-speed attack would surely defeat Pikachu.
Lairon's figure vanished in an instant, charging toward Pikachu at extreme speed, a metallic glint flashing on its claws. This time, it would use Metal Claw to completely defeat Pikachu.
But at this critical moment, lightning crackled around Pikachu's body. Ash opposite him also clenched his fists and shouted loudly, "Pikachu, we can't be defeated so easily! Use a full-power Thunderbolt!"
As his words fell, Pikachu released all the electricity in its body. At that moment, Lairon had already rushed to its side. Both sides attacked simultaneously.
With a crack, Pikachu was sent flying, while the opposing Lairon was continuously struck by lightning. A moment later, when everyone looked, both Pokémon had fallen to the ground.
"A double knockout?!"
Harrison clenched his fists. He never expected the outcome to be like this.
Ash opposite him carefully held Pikachu in his arms. He took out his next Poké Ball and looked at Harrison. "This time, I'll have Snorlax defeat you."
With that, Ash pressed the switch. As red light flashed, a huge figure appeared in the center of the arena. However, when it appeared, it seemed to be lying there asleep, showing no sign of waking up at all.
This scene left Ash feeling helpless.
Cynthia and the others in the audience were even more astonished.
"No way? In such an important match, Snorlax is still sleeping?!"
"So this time, Ash has basically thrown this match, right?"
"Ash is still so scatterbrained. Even if Black Ash stirred his desire to work hard and become stronger, it still takes time."
...
Everyone chatted with each other, all expressing helplessness at the current scene.
Harrison on the opposite side breathed a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, he directly summoned a Drowzee. As soon as it appeared, the Drowzee looked excited because the opponent's Pokémon had already fallen into a deep sleep, making its moves easier to execute.
"Drowzee, use Dream Eater!"
As his words fell, Drowzee directly used the Dream Eater move. The attack wasn't weak, but its effect when it hit Snorlax wasn't very ideal. This scene was somewhat unexpected for everyone.
At that moment, Snorlax woke up angrily. If it were another attack, Snorlax might have accepted it and said "whatever," but Dream Eater truly made it feel angry.
Seeing Snorlax get up, Ash's eyes in the distance also lit up. He shouted loudly, "Now, Snorlax! Use Hyper Beam!"
As his words fell, Snorlax spat out a massive destructive beam at that moment, attacking directly forward. The purple-black light formed a huge energy beam that violently struck the Drowzee.
With the sound of an explosion, Drowzee was directly defeated and fainted.
"Snorlax, well done!" Ash said excitedly.
Harrison on the opposite side was a bit surprised now. He originally thought that facing a sleeping Snorlax, his Drowzee should be able to defeat it. But who could have imagined the ending would turn out like this?
But he didn't hesitate, taking out another Poké Ball and pressing the switch. "If it's Snorlax, then let my Steelix come and face it."
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