On the same day, in a vast underground base in Saffron City.
About twenty or so Team Rocket members had gathered there. They stood in a line, all wearing special combat uniforms. In the dim lighting, their villainous aura was vividly amplified.
Mismagius, disguised as Carter, was naturally among them.
"I'm glad to see that you've stood out from so many team members. Next, you will represent Saffron City's Team Rocket branch to carry out an important escort mission. The fact that you've made it here means you are all elite members from various branches. Among you are even captains and squad leaders. But let me make this clear: this mission will be executed by over a hundred elite members. Once you arrive at the designated location, the only requirement is to follow orders—no personal actions allowed!" A middle-aged Team Rocket member sternly addressed the group of 20 people.
This man was the officer leading the elite members of Saffron City's Team Rocket branch, and also one of Ariana's trusted aides. Even though the members were elites of various branches, the mission was said to be extremely complex and full of dangers, so he dared not take it lightly.
The destination was a prison island that detained elites from various fields, including tech fanatics, Pokémon researchers, and cyber experts. It served as an important transit point for Team Rocket to recruit talent from all areas. This time, the prison island's location was exposed, forcing Team Rocket to expedite the transfer to prevent these research-oriented talents from being rescued.
…
…
Indigo Stadium.
Terrance and Troy were watching the contestants as they battled.
At this point, the Indigo Plateau Conference was already more than halfway through, and just as Terrance had expected, Ash was advancing rapidly.
In the first match at the Water Terrain, Ash relied on a particularly well-trained Krabby to KO three of his opponent's Pokémon in a row and successfully advanced, truly showcasing the might of Pallet Town, which left Troy utterly amazed.
Although Ash encountered some difficulties in subsequent matches on the Icy Terrain and Grassy Terrain, he quickly found solutions with his excellent reaction and secured victory.
The battle on the Grassy Terrain left a deep impression on Troy and made him one again acknowledge the Trainer profession.
It featured a Bellsprout skilled in jujitsu, with truly astonishing combat power; even Terrance was surprised.
Unfortunately, the opponent had not trained it thoroughly, and the jujitsu had obvious weaknesses that hadn't been fully overcome. Otherwise, that contestant would have been a formidable dark horse.
"Ash has finally broken through the fourth round and made it to the main competition."
Seeing Ash advance to the top 16, Terrance revealed a satisfied smile. Compared to his opponents, Ash's Pokémon were clearly stronger thanks to Brock's care, an excellent Breeder, and Professor Oak.
In several battles, Ash's victories were purely due to the superior training of his Pokémon, and had little to do with his actual commanding skills.
However, there were also several matches where Ash's quick thinking saved him. One could say his entry into the top 16 was due to a combination of factors.
"The Top 16 matches will probably be held at the Indigo Arena at the center of the venue. I wonder if Master Bruno is watching the match. If Ash wins one more round, he'll make it to the Top 8."
Competition had reached this point, but one of Ash's main Pokémon, Charizard, hadn't even been sent out yet. His chances of winning were quite high.
However, as he glanced at the advancement screen, Terrance suddenly paused. He noticed that Gary Oak had stopped at the Top 32 round.
He had lost in the fourth round.
"Mr. Gym Leader, look, Ritchie also advanced." Troy pointed at the screen.
"Mm." Terrance nodded, somewhat puzzled by Gary Oak's performance. As Professor Oak's grandson, even if he relied solely on resources to boost his Pokémon's strength, he shouldn't have stopped at the Top 32 round.
Although Gary Oak's personality was still immature and he was only in his rookie year, as Professor Oak's grandson, making it only to the Top 32 was really a poor result.
After all, Flint, the Fire-type Elite Four from Sinnoh, won the Lily of the Valley Conference at the age of 11. As Professor Oak's grandson, even if Gary Oak didn't win it, he should at least have done better than Ash.
"Could it be that Professor Oak doesn't want Gary Oak to focus on being a Trainer in the future? And instead hopes he'll become a researcher like himself?"
"Maybe that's exactly why Professor Oak turns a blind eye to Gary Oak's arrogance, just waiting for him to hit a wall and come to his senses…"
Terrance speculated maliciously. He remembered that in the original work, Gary Oak eventually gave up being a Trainer.
"Forget it, forget it, no point in overthinking."
Just as everyone was waiting for the main competition matchups to be announced, the screen lit up. Finally, the results were out.
Top 16 moving into the Top 8, and the last match was: Ash vs. Ritchie.
"This is going to be a good show." Terrance turned to Troy and said, "You've battled that Ritchie before, right? Who do you think will win between him and Ash?"
"I've only fought him twice—won once, lost once..." Troy replied. "As for strength… he's definitely stronger than me, but I don't know how he compares to Ash. In their recent matches, both Ritchie and Ash performed really well."
"His Pokémon lineup is quite similar to Ash's, but as a Trainer, he's a bit more mature." Terrance had observed Ritchie's matches and had been watching Ash's matches too.
"But in terms of Pokémon breeding quality, Ash's team clearly has the edge. So this will be a fairly evenly matched battle. The outcome will depend on their on-the-spot performance and a bit of luck."
Hearing Terrance's analysis, Troy swallowed nervously. A 3-on-3 battle; just thinking about it made him nervous.
To watch this match, Terrance and Troy calmed themselves down and waited patiently in the Indigo Stadium spectator stands.
Ash and Ritchie's match was the last one of the day.
By the time it was their turn to battle, night had already fallen.
"It's finally starting."
As the previous match ended and the portraits of Ash and Ritchie lit up, Troy spoke with anticipation. At the same time, Ritchie walked out from the corridor toward the arena, but strangely, Ash didn't appear.
Even after quite a while, Ash still hadn't shown up…
"What the heck? Ritchie is already in the arena, where's Ash?" Terrance frowned.
If Ash lost because of being late, that would be a huge blow to his bet with Bruno. If he didn't trust Bruno's character, he would've started suspecting whether Bruno had kidnapped Ash.
"The referee's starting the countdown." Troy stood up too, puzzled, looking around for Ash.
But in the end, time passed, and the referee had no choice but to step forward and announce the result of the battle: due to his opponent's absence, Ritchie would directly advance.
Faced with the referee's announcement, Ritchie waved his hands in shock.
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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