Ah Hong has been traveling for nearly a year and a half now, and his Pikachu is already at the Professional Middle Level. This level surpasses almost 90% of the Pikachu in the world!
It's rare to find a Pikachu that hasn't evolved at the Professional Level, you could even say almost nonexistent.
Ash has encountered many Pikachu in the wild and some Trainers using Pikachu in battles. But their Pikachu generally didn't surpass the Elite Level, and wild ones were even harder to find at the Advanced Level.
However, Ah Hong's Pikachu has reached the Professional Level, making it the first Professional Level Pikachu Ash has seen apart from his own.
This shows the strong talent of Ah Hong's Pikachu and Ah Hong's own skills as a Trainer.
But to Ah Hong, Ash is more legendary. He brought his Pikachu to the Professional Middle Level in a year and a half, but Ash managed to get his Pikachu to compete with Elite Level Pokemon in just a few months.
That's right, it was in the battle against Koga three months ago. It didn't matter what techniques Pikachu used then, but at that time Pikachu could rival Elite Level Pokemon. Now, three months later, it's unimaginable to think where Ash's Pikachu has grown to.
The first meeting of these two Pikachu Trainers left them both with a good impression of one another. Trainers who specialize in using Pikachu as their main Pokemon are rare, so meeting someone who has trained their Pikachu to the Professional Level gave Ash a sense of having met a kindred spirit too late.
Unfortunately, their first meeting wasn't as friends, but as opponents.
In four days, they will battle at the Quartz Arena. Although they were pleased to meet each other, they will need to face off in a few days to determine the victor, and whoever loses will end their journey in this Quartz Conference.
It must be said this is a cruel thing.
...
Time moved to the fourth day, and Ash was training his Pokemon at an outdoor training ground on the Quartz Plateau. This training consisted of simple skill moves and physical training. For real battle training, Ash would naturally find a more secluded place.
Considering the upcoming battles, the Trainers he would encounter were not easy to deal with, especially that Conway, who already possessed Gym Level strength. If he gathered any information about them, it could become a big problem.
So outside, Ash stuck to basic training. He reserved the more advanced training for private sessions.
"Very good, Pikachu, let's do Thunderbolt again."
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded vigorously, but as he was about to use Thunderbolt again, he suddenly froze.
"What's wrong, Pikachu? Is something off?" Ash asked, puzzled, seeing Pikachu pause.
"Pika Pika~" Pikachu pointed behind Ash, and at that moment, the surrounding area filled with a buzz of chatter.
Ash looked in the direction Pikachu indicated and saw a beautiful woman unknowingly standing behind him.
The woman wore a blue sleeveless top and light-colored jeans that accentuated her long legs.
Her arms, bathed in light, reflected a pristine white glow. Golden hair cascaded down, almost reaching her waist. Her beautiful face had bright eyes, one half-obscured by her golden hair, the other gleamed with interest.
"Are you… Sinnoh Champion Cynthia?" Ash said uncertainly, recognizing her from numerous television appearances and sightings in the special seating during the Quartz Conference preliminaries.
But it was his first time seeing Cynthia up close, and it was the first time he saw her in casual clothes.
"Hehe, nice to meet you, Ash. I've long admired you." Cynthia approached with a smile, stopping less than half a meter away.
As they closed the distance, Ash realized she was almost his height. At fifteen and a half, Ash was 175 cm tall. He would likely grow a bit more, but not surpass 180 cm.
Yet Cynthia's height, wearing high heels, was nearly identical, and among women, this height was considered 'giant.'
Seconds later, Ash reacted to Cynthia's words, scratching his head embarrassedly and said, "Admirable? I'm just an ordinary Trainer now, far from your level, Cynthia. If anything, I'm the one who's admired you for a long time."
Amidst ordinary Trainers, his strength was certainly something to look up to, but when faced with Cynthia, it was he who needed to look up.
Excluding Mewtwo, using all his might to defeat even one of Cynthia's Pokemon would be his limit.
Unless Gengar amplified with Aura Power, it might contend with Cynthia, but it would only handle one of her Pokemon, plus Champions aren't easily beaten. Relying on forced strength at the Champion Peak to fight her is no different from shamelessly challenging her.
He was still far from being a Champion.
"Want to find a place to sit?" Cynthia pointed outside, noticing the growing crowd.
Ash also noticed the commotion they had caused and nodded, suggesting, "Let's go to the place I'm staying. It's almost lunch, and my companion's cooking is quite good. Join us for a meal, Cynthia."
"Sure~" Cynthia replied with a smile, narrowing her eyes.
So, the two met for the first time, heading to Ash's home. Before leaving, Ash recalled all his Pokemon, and led the way.
Before triggering chaos, they left the outdoor training field on the Quartz Plateau.
In the gathering crowd, a sharp-looking boy wearing glasses adjusted his glasses, his eyes under the lenses shining precisely.
"Attracting a Champion's attention, he's really a lucky kid. But no matter what efforts you make, it's futile. The formula for victory is already written," Conway muttered softly, turning to leave the crowd.
...
Fifteen minutes later, Ash brought Cynthia to the place they rented on the Quartz Plateau. On the way, he curiously asked Cynthia why she was there.
Cynthia revealed she didn't have any battles to watch these days, so she was wandering around the Quartz Plateau, casually showing up everywhere. Initially creating a huge sensation, eventually, people gradually got used to her presence.
This was why there was no immediate uproar at the training ground. Later, the commotion arose because Ash and Cynthia appeared together. Of course, two notable figures together was bound to pique curiosity.
Thankfully, Cynthia had advised Ash to leave before the crowd gathered, or they would have had trouble getting away.
As to why Cynthia paid attention to Ash, it was sheer coincidence. She had just bought an ice cream, eating as she walked, and arrived where Ash was after finishing it, stopping to watch him train.
"…I've heard quite a lot about you, Ash. To train Pokemon to that level in just half a year, I'm curious about your unique training methods~"
"Actually, it's just the most basic training methods, mostly the Pokemon's own talent," Ash humbly said as he opened the door.
"You're back, Ash, let's prepare to eat…" Misty happily came to greet him hearing Ash's voice, but when she saw Cynthia following behind, her spatula fell to the floor.
"Cham… Champion?!!!"