"On Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago, there's a doctor named Ivy. I'd like you to bring back a special Pokeball from her. It's not urgent, so you can pick it up after your vacation," Professor Oak made his request.
Ash, who was bracing himself for countless challenges, was stunned by the simplicity of the task.
It's just about picking up a Pokeball. Couldn't your Dragonite fly over and back in less than an hour? Aren't Pokeballs capable of being sent via the Pokeball transfer system anyway? Why does someone have to get it personally?
Addressing Ash's question, Professor Oak said helplessly, "That particular Pokeball is quite unique; it can't be transferred using the space transfer system, so it has to be picked up in person. I was going to send Dragonite, but since you have time, why don't you go instead?"
Ash: ...
Even if Professor Oak sent Dragonite now, two hours would be enough for a round trip. But if he waited for Ash, it would take about a month since the Quartz Conference isn't over yet. After the conference, Ash would pick up the Pokeball, then search for the Sea God and take a vacation, which would indeed take about a month.
Looks like Professor Oak just wants to give him something to do!
On one hand, he wants Ash to take a vacation; on the other, he wants to give him a task. Ash couldn't figure out what Professor Oak was thinking.
Nevertheless, Ash agreed readily. Picking up a Pokeball wasn't much trouble, so he could just grab it along the way.
After finalizing some details, Professor Oak said goodbye to Ash and returned to Gary's side.
In the coming days, both Ash and Gary had matches. Professor Oak and Delia didn't return to Pallet Town, planning instead to wait until the two's matches were over.
As for the Pokemon in the lab, Professor Oak already arranged for another doctor from elsewhere to help take care of them.
This situation, where nobody was there to care for the Pokemon as soon as he leaves the lab, made Professor Oak a bit troubled. He's considering hiring an assistant; otherwise, it's too burdensome for one person.
Given his reputation, if he announced he was hiring an assistant, it's likely that anyone with a degree in the entire Kanto region would rush over, even if it meant coming to the countryside. Picking one from so many would be quite a task.
Better to think about this after the Quartz Conference.
...
The next day, the Quartz Conference quarter-finals began, with Ash's match in the second round and Paul's in the first.
Paul defeated his opponent swiftly with Torterra, and to date, he hadn't used any Pokemon other than Torterra, and he was already in the semi-finals!
If it hadn't been for Ash, Paul's performance would have almost certainly secured him the championship.
Unfortunately, this year's conference has an anomaly like Ash, so even someone as strong as Paul can't be guaranteed a championship. But his spot for Dragon Island is practically secured.
Even if he loses to Ash in the semi-finals, there's no way Paul would lose the fight for third place. The top three can all enter Dragon Island, with some informational differences.
In the second match, Ash continued to use a training strategy, allowing Kingler, Tauros, Muk, and Monferno to all have a go. If they struggled, he'd switch to Butterfree and Pidgeot.
Pidgeot, at Professional Peak, combined with Ash's Aura Power, was nearly unbeatable except against Gary's MEGA Blastoise and Paul's Pokemon.
Even Gary's MEGA Blastoise only had less than a ten percent chance of winning, as Pidgeot can reach Gym Peak level when augmented by Aura Power!
That's why Ash felt confident enough not to include a single frontline powerhouse in his team.
Though not as quickly as Paul's match, Ash won comfortably, much more easily than in his match against Conway.
The strength of Kingler and others rose somewhat, and Pidgeot even advanced to Gym Level while battling the opponent's ace, a Professional Peak Flareon.
This speed surpassed that of Lucario and Blastoise!
Both are still stuck at Professional Peak, but they're also close...
Besides, Monferno made progress to Elite Intermediate Level. At this rate, if he evolves once more, he might leap to Elite Peak or even Professional Level!
This rapid growth pace was a bit terrifying for Ash; his Pokemons had improved fast before, but not this crazily.
Who would have thought that ten days ago, Monferno was only at Advanced Junior Level? Improving by one major stage and an additional level in just ten days sounds terrifying.
Building up over time indeed accumulated substantial reserves. When Ash saw Monferno's rapid enhancement, besides being amazed, his first reaction wasn't joy, but he felt a bit sorry.
Monferno's rapid improvement indicates the intense training he endured before, with accumulated experience lying dormant inside him, unable to convert to strength due to his physical state, keeping him at Advanced Junior Level.
Ash initially thought that advancing to Advanced Peak and reaching Elite Level in a short time after evolving once exhausted Monferno's accumulated experience. Yet, the experience wasn't completely depleted.