As Team Rocket was blasted away, the massive flame cauldron came crashing down from the sky!
Amid the audience's cries of alarm, Ash hurled a Poké Ball.
"It's up to you, Bulbasaur! Use Vine Whip to catch the cauldron!"
"Bulba!"
With a flash of red light, Bulbasaur appeared, two sturdy vines shooting out to wrap around the cauldron.
With a mighty effort, it set the flame back in place.
Ash wiped the sweat from his brow. At last, the opening ceremony had concluded without disaster.
Clap clap clap clap!!!
Thunderous applause rang out from all around!
Not only the spectators in the stands, but even the Elite Four and the gathered Champions stood to applaud.
"Woohoo! Ash is amazing!!"
"Pikachu might not be as monstrous as in the highlight reels, but he's still insanely strong!"
"Seeing Ash in person for the first time—he really is a hot-blooded youth!"
"Ash! Good luck in the Indigo Conference!"
"Ash, show them your god-slaying strength!!"
"…"
The crowd was filled with people who had seen the Heavenly Record. With Ash making the list three times, many had already turned into fans!
And Pikachu… had even more fans than him.
In fact, a worldwide craze for capturing Pikachu had begun!
Of course… not every Pikachu was the "Pika-god." For most, they would remain… just Pikachu.
"Not bad… his strength is a little different from what I heard."
Lance watched Ash, who was scratching his head in embarrassment, with keen interest.
After returning to Kanto yesterday, he had looked into Ash's background.
According to the data, more than half of Ash's eight badges had been given to him rather generously.
As for the rest, the Gym Leaders had clearly gone easy on him.
But seeing him now—his Pikachu's strength, while not at Champion or Elite level,
could absolutely crush most Gym Leaders' secondary teams!
"Don't forget, Pikachu received rewards from the Heavenly Record. Its power is naturally extraordinary."
Lorelei reminded him softly.
She understood Pikachu's strength better than anyone here—after all, she was the only one who had actually battled it.
At full strength, Pikachu was at least on par with a Gym Leader's main lineup.
(That is, discounting any freak bursts of power… or dramatic plot armor.)
With the commotion settled, the Indigo Conference's opening ceremony continued.
Later, Ash and his friends headed to the side arena for the opponent's draw.
The Indigo Conference had four preliminary fields: Water, Ice, Rock, and Grass.
A trainer had to win across these four fields before reaching the main stadium—the top 16!
Ash's first draw was the Water Field,
and his opponent was a trainer named Moryu!
True to his reckless style, Ash had made no preparations or research on his opponent.
He simply waited for the 2 p.m. match to begin.
On the way, he ran into his long-time rival—Gary Oak!
Gary was as arrogant as ever, reclining under a parasol, sipping tea, surrounded by six girlfriends who doubled as his cheer squad.
"Gary! I'm not the same as before! When we face each other, I'll definitely beat you down!"
Gary glanced at the Pikachu at Ash's feet.
It was still a bit plumper than the "highlight reel" version, but clearly well-trained nonetheless.
And with the Heavenly Record's rewards boosting it, Pikachu would be one of his toughest rivals in the Conference.
Of course, Gary would never admit such a thing.
With a dismissive tone, he said:
"With your level? Maybe come back after ten years of training. Don't think a few rewards will let you beat me."
"My strength is on a whole different level!"
"Pokémon battles aren't just about raw power. Team rotation, tactical commands, opponent intel—these are all vital."
"From the look of you, you didn't prepare a thing, huh? Heh. You'd better be careful… or you'll be going home before even making top 32."
"You—!!"
Ash's eyes widened in fury, but he couldn't retort.
Gary's words… actually made sense. He really hadn't prepared at all!
"Come on, Ash. It's not too late to prepare now. Stop being so stubborn."
Misty pulled him away, while Brock stayed behind to bow politely to Gary, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"Thanks for the advice for Ash. He doesn't usually listen to us,
but hearing it from his rival—it hits differently."
"Advice? I wasn't giving advice!"
"Yes, yes. You were just mocking him."
Brock beamed, then jogged to catch up with Ash and Misty.
Gary took a sip of his tea, the faintest of smiles playing on his lips.
Ash… you've found yourself some good companions.
Thanks to Gary's reminder, Ash managed to rein in his overconfidence from Pikachu's boosted strength.
He began preparing seriously for the first battle.
For the Water Field, he transferred in his Krabby,
and with Squirtle and Pikachu already on hand, he had a decent lineup for the match!
As for checking Moryu's info… It was already too late. The match was about to start!
"The third match of the Water Field is about to begin!"
"In the red corner, the 'Magician' Moryu!"
"In the green corner, making headlines worldwide after multiple appearances on the Heavenly Record—Ash Ketchum!
And joining him today are his two coaches!"
The camera panned to Ash's bench, where Misty and Brock sat.
Today, they were his official tactical support!
"Let's look forward to this exciting third match!"
From the main stands, Cynthia raised an eyebrow at Lance and the Elite Four.
"You mean to tell me… contestants are allowed to bring coaches into the arena?"
"Ahem… well, in recent years most Indigo participants have been newcomers.
To help them gain experience, there's a rule: first-time participants can bring coaches for guidance."
Lance explained, a little awkwardly.
With the talent pool in Kanto thinning, the Indigo Conference's prestige had dropped.
Many rookies, crushed by their first loss, gave up on being trainers altogether.
So, for the sake of the League's future, they had introduced measures like half-given badges… and letting rookies bring coaches into official matches.
(And no, I'm not making this up! I rewatched Ash's first Indigo match—Misty and Brock really were on the bench as his coaches! I was floored. This league actually allows side guidance!)
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