Silas blinked his eyes.
"Actually, this should have been handled by the Viridian Gym contacting you, but that bastard Giovanni disappeared somewhere again.
So this old man had to come personally. Really can't stand it~"
President Charles Goodshow spoke cheerfully.
Silas had always been curious about one thing — whether this highest leader of the Pokémon League was aware of Giovanni's true identity.
Although Giovanni had been deliberately hiding who he was, the man before him was the most powerful person in the Pokémon world. It didn't seem realistic that he would know nothing.
At the very least, no League official would casually call a Gym Leader a "bastard," not even a somewhat irresponsible one.
"This time, I came mainly because the second-to-last stop of the Indigo League's Torch Relay Ceremony has been set in Viridian City.
The League wants to find a young, outstanding local Trainer to serve as the Torch Runner for this leg, and you were the final choice."
President Goodshow explained his purpose directly.
Wave widened his eyes.
He knew that not just anyone could become a Torch Runner for the League.
At least from Silas's understanding, that kind of scene in which Ash volunteered to be a Torch Runner in the future could never happen at this point in time.
The League Flame was the sacred fire that burned continuously at the League's stadium throughout the conference period — a holy flame that symbolized a wish to the gods, praying that all Trainers and Pokémon participating in the League would safely strive until the end.
Its symbolic meaning was extremely significant, and if any mishap occurred during the relay, it would be a big problem.
Of course, there was another reason — the Torch's flame was seeded from Moltres, and not just any ordinary Moltres.
Naturally, it carried traces of Moltres's genes. If it were to fall into the hands of ill-intentioned people, no one could predict what strange consequences might occur.
Every Torch Runner had to undergo strict selection.
And as the second-to-last runner, the meaning of this leg was even more special.
Because the final runner would be at the Indigo Plateau's opening ceremony site.
The second-to-last runner's task was to, together with one of their Pokémon partners, carry the sacred flame from the city all the way to the ceremony grounds, and then hand it over to President Goodshow to ignite the cauldron.
Throughout that process, countless League personnel would be watching, not like the earlier segments where only people in the connecting cities cared.
"Center of attention" was the perfect phrase to describe this particular leg.
"Me?"
Silas pointed at himself in disbelief. Something like this could actually fall to him?
President Goodshow nodded with a smile.
This was actually one of his pilot reforms.
In the past, Torch Runners were always well-known middle-aged men or women within the local community.
But he believed that young people were the future of the League — the Torch Relay should be youth-oriented.
In his vision, even roadside Trainers could one day become Torch Runners, passing the flame of honor amid the cheers of onlookers.
He wasn't satisfied with the existing tournament format either.
However, the League wasn't run by him alone, and every change required time.
"It's my honor."
Silas took a deep breath and expressed his intention.
Of course, there was no way he would refuse — he wasn't stupid. This was a huge honor, something that could be written proudly on one's personal record.
Even the Elite Four — not all of them had ever served as Torch Runners.
Wave, standing beside him, felt as if his mouth were filled with Sour Berries.
"Well then, someone will come to your room later to contact you and explain the related matters. I hope this won't affect your League preparations."
President Goodshow stroked his long beard as he spoke.
"Then, I wish both of you the best of luck — may you achieve brilliant results in the tournament."
After expressing his blessing, he turned and left. As President, he was extremely busy — being able to chat with them for even five minutes was already a luxury.
Silas and Wave respectfully watched him depart.
"Tch."
Wave smacked his lips; he wasn't jealous at all — definitely not.
"Hey, don't mind it, you could do it too," Silas said with a calm face, still pretending modesty.
Inside, though, his heart was already doing somersaults like his old Togepi used to.
Good thing he had brought Servine here to battle; otherwise, if he'd been called out privately at the training field, there wouldn't have been such a glorious public moment to show off.
"Heh."
Wave replied with just that single laugh, which summed up all his feelings.
"Your Pokémon have finished recovering. Seadra shouldn't battle again for at least half an hour — there's internal energy turbulence that needs time to stabilize."
At that moment, Nurse Joy walked out, returning the two Pokémon to their respective Trainers.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," the two replied in unison.
"Then I'll be heading back first — got more Pokémon to train," Wave said, bidding Silas farewell.
"Alright, good luck. See you in the main tournament," Silas replied. The two had gotten along quite well and had even exchanged contact information earlier.
Wave paused for a moment.
"Yeah, see you at the main tournament," he said, then turned and left.
The main tournament, that also depended on luck.
Out of Silas's sight, Wave sighed quietly.
It wasn't his first time entering the League, but with his current strength, getting into the main tournament wasn't guaranteed.
He patted his own cheeks. Even if he couldn't compare to geniuses, he had to live up to his Pokémon and the effort they'd put in together for so long.
On the other side, Silas also turned, but toward the inside — full of anticipation for his next opponent with Servine.
When he arrived at the battle arena, someone was already standing where he'd been before.
After a brief exchange of glances, the battle began once again.
Battle. Victory. Healing. Repeat.
Time passed bit by bit as Silas and Servine repeated this cycle endlessly.
Boring? Of course not.
Though mentally exhausted, both Trainer and Pokémon felt that they had gained greatly.
As the sun climbed high outside, more and more people gathered around Silas's battlefield.
"Twelve consecutive wins already, right? This guy's just unstoppable. Can he really battle all day?"
The surrounding Trainers whispered among themselves.
No wonder they were amazed.
Judging from Servine's level — though it was clearly on the verge of evolving — no Trainer would deliberately send out overly high-level Pokémon to face it.
Silas challenging Wave earlier was a different matter. It wasn't considered bad etiquette to avoid using high-level Pokémon, but if a low-level Trainer overestimated themselves, that was their own problem.
Generally speaking, level 40 was considered the maximum acceptable level for battling against Servine.
At that level, although each battle lasted only seven or eight minutes, the mental energy consumed was tremendous.
Pokémon aside — since Nurse Joy's Chansey could heal them and ten minutes' rest was enough — the Trainer's stamina was another story.
During battle, a Trainer had to command both sides' move choices and strategies; the brain's workload was comparable to an overclocked computer.
Normally, after one full 6-on-6 match at the Expert level, a Trainer would need at least half a day to recover.
Silas's twelve consecutive victories were equivalent to fighting two full rounds of team battles. The ten-minute rests might have been fine early on, but the longer it went, the less effective they became.
This wasn't some roadside battle area — the opponents here weren't random Trainers who barely knew their own Pokémon. These were all League contestants. While skill varied, none were weak.
"Next challenger, please get ready. I'm going to heal my Pokémon."
Under everyone's gaze, Silas commanded Servine to secure its thirteenth consecutive win. After speaking, he recalled it and headed toward Nurse Joy.
A burly Trainer silently stepped out and gestured to the referee — he was Silas's next opponent.
The stronger Silas grew, the more challengers he attracted. That was the true spirit of a Trainer.
A few minutes later, the familiar figure appeared once more.
"Let's go gracefully, Servine."
"Crush them, Machamp!"
The battle began.
Moments later—
"Machamp is unable to battle! Servine wins!"
The referee announced mechanically. He hadn't had much rest the entire day — so much for an easy job.
Silas repeated the same words as before.
The burly man silently stepped down, replaced by another challenger — a nobleman in a suit, who gestured to the referee and took the field.
Fifteen consecutive wins. Sixteen.
Silas and Servine were unstoppable, racking up three more victories in a row, bringing their total to seventeen straight wins.
The crowd of Trainers buzzed even louder.
Silas rubbed his temples. After the seventeenth win, he didn't immediately recall Servine, but instead picked it up and headed toward Nurse Joy.
"Next challenger, please get ready. Thank you."
Unconsciously, Silas's tone had grown simpler and stiffer each time he left the field.
That was because nearly all his focus was on battle commands — he had no energy left for anything else.
"Tired?"
On the way to heal, Silas looked at the Servine in his arms and asked.
The little one's eyes showed clear fatigue.
Chansey's healing was powerful, and even mental stamina could recover — but that didn't mean there were no side effects.
Even with all the consecutive victories, nonstop battling brought heavy psychological pressure to Servine.
"Tap."
But, facing its Trainer's question, Servine stubbornly shook its head, then extended its twin vine whips to gently press Silas's temples, mimicking his earlier motion — as if to say that he was the one who was tired.
"Ha."
Silas chuckled softly and didn't refuse Servine's gesture.
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Nurse Joy once again saw that all-too-familiar face and the Pokémon in his arms.
She let out a silent sigh. Though she said nothing more, she led Chansey and Servine into the treatment room.
As a Pokémon nurse, this was her duty — to provide full logistical and healing support. That was her greatest contribution.
"Take care of yourself."
When she handed Servine back to Silas, she couldn't help saying it once again.
She had seen this pair so many times she had lost count it must have been nearly twenty visits by now.
"Chansey~"
The Chansey beside her nodded seriously, its little face full of concern.
If it weren't for the fact that Servine's injuries were always relatively minor, it would have already lectured Silas about overworking his Pokémon.
But after so many accumulated visits, Nurse Joy was right — he really needed to take better care of himself.
The Trainer and Pokémon nodded in perfect unison, their movement so synchronized it was almost comical — though whether they'd actually heed her advice was anyone's guess.
On the way back—
"Tap!"
Now mostly recovered, Servine raised its vines high, triumphantly declaring victory.
At the same time, a flicker of desire burned in its eyes. It could feel it — its body was on the verge of breaking apart.
Not in the literal sense, but in a life-level reorganization — the threshold of evolution.
"There's still time for one last match."
Holding Servine, Silas looked at the data on his Pokédex screen and thought quietly to himself. He made up his mind — he couldn't rush this. The more impatient he got, the worse it would be.
On the challenge stage, a female Trainer was already waiting.
Silas stepped up to his position with Servine by his side.
"Now then — the match between the mercenary Silas and Trainer Rain will begin!"
At the referee's signal—
"Slice it apart, Scyther!"
"Show them your grace, Servine!"
Both Trainers sent out their Pokémon at once.
Silas's eyes flashed with a hint of nostalgia as he looked at Scyther. He wondered how his Blaziken's teacher — that "cheap mentor" of his was doing now. He'd have to visit after the tournament ended.
"Scyther!"
The female Trainer, named Rain, immediately noticed Silas's momentary distraction and ordered her Pokémon to attack.
Silas's focus snapped back to the battle.
After such a long stretch of consecutive matches, his concentration had indeed begun to fade.
At that moment, Scyther spread its wings wide, vibrating them at incredible speed. A piercing, metallic screech echoed in all directions.
Bug Buzz — a high-powered Bug-type move. Against the Grass-type Servine, it was highly effective.
"Double Team!"
In a moment of panic, Silas called out a move that was practically useless here.
He regretted it the instant he spoke.
Servine quickly created several illusory copies of itself but the wide-range sound waves instantly shattered them all.
The real Servine grimaced in pain, its eyes tightening.
"Close in — use X-Scissor!"
Rain commanded her Scyther to press the attack. This was no place to show mercy.
"Stay strong use Grass Knot!"
Silas shouted back, trying to rally Servine.
Scyther weighed about 60 kilograms not very heavy, but enough for Grass Knot to reach its Base Power of 80, depending on the opponent's weight.
It might not do huge damage, but it could at least hinder Scyther's advance.
"Tap."
Servine forced open one weary eye.
Raising its hand, it summoned a green, glowing knot of grass right in Scyther's path.
"Leap over it!"
But Servine's physical state was poor its move execution speed too slow. Scyther, on the other hand, was famed for its agility.
Its three clawed toes pressed lightly against the ground, wings buzzing. In an instant, it darted past the Grass Knot like a phantom and appeared before Servine.
Its twin scythes crossed and slashed down mercilessly across Servine's body.
Shhhh—
The sharp sound of blades slicing through flesh rang out.
"Servine!"
Servine was sent flying backward, crying out in pain.
After taking two consecutive high-powered Bug-type attacks, its stamina was nearly gone.
"Scyther — Quick Attack, then finish it with Fury Cutter!"
Rain gave the finishing order.
"Scy—!"
Scyther pushed off with one foot to dash forward — but suddenly froze in place.
From Servine's body, the white light of evolution began to shine.
Whether by official battle regulations, or by the moral standards of Trainers and Pokémon alike attacking during evolution was forbidden.
.....
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