Ash was always highly sensitive to negative emotions. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to vaguely recognize Team Rocket every time he ran into them, even without actively using Aura Power.
As for Paul, Ash didn't actually harbor much hostility toward him. He simply felt Paul's methods were too extreme, and that his way of treating Pokémon was fundamentally wrong. For someone like that, correction was what mattered.
But today, Ash had gained a brand-new understanding of Paul.
Paul wasn't as cold and heartless toward Pokémon as he appeared on the surface. At the very least, Ash had clearly sensed the emotions Paul still held for Monferno.
Moreover, Paul had done several things today that he normally wouldn't. Ash didn't know Paul very well; they hadn't known each other for long, and it would be generous to call them acquaintances. Still, Ash had learned some things about Paul before, from a parallel world.
And once again, the conclusion was the same.
Paul was not the same kind of person as Daisuke.
"Monn?"
Ash's words made Monferno lift his head. His bright eyes fixed on Ash, as if trying to confirm whether what he'd said was truly real.
"Of course it's true," Ash said with a grin. "That guy actually cares about you quite a bit. So now we have to work even harder. Don't let down that tsundere's expectations. Get strong enough to fight him properly in the Main Tournament."
"Monn!!"
Monferno nodded vigorously, excitement flashing across his face. He was already itching to start training.
During this period, Ash could honestly say he hadn't trained Monferno much at all. Instead, Monferno had spent his days relaxing, playing with the rest of the team, wandering around the Indigo Plateau with Ash, and fooling around.
These few days had been the most relaxed time of Chimchar's life.
And it was precisely that relaxation of both mind and body that allowed all the suppressed power within him to erupt at once during today's battle.
That was why Chimchar's strength had surged so dramatically after evolving into Monferno, leaping straight to Mid level. If his current level hadn't needed time to stabilize, and if pushing further hadn't been risky, he might have even broken into the Mid high level after defeating Gengar.
But leveling too fast was never a good thing.
So Ash deliberately had Monferno suppress his level. Once his base stats were fully consolidated, further advancement would come naturally.
These few days of league battles would surely push Monferno into an entirely new realm.
The remaining matches proceeded smoothly, without any unexpected incidents. Both Ash and Gary advanced by defeating their opponents in the third round.
In that round, Ash continued to use Monferno, but only to defeat the opponent's first Pokémon before switching out. Letting Monferno handle the entire battle would have been unfair to the rest of the team.
So in yesterday's match, Ash sent out Tauros and Gengar.
Tauros had a tough fight, but ultimately pulled through.
As for Gengar… he spent a full five minutes messing around on the field before finally finishing the battle. If he'd taken things seriously, the fight would've ended in a single second.
But since it was a rare chance for him to battle, having spent so long playing teacher in the backyard, he deliberately held back, maintaining the illusion of an evenly matched fight.
Only after having his fill did he dramatically "barely" defeat the opponent.
Ash could only feel helpless about it. Though he felt a little sorry for the opponent, as long as he could keep things under control and let his Pokémon enjoy themselves, he was willing to indulge them.
On the eighth day of the Indigo Plateau Conference, the final day of the preliminaries, the fourth round officially began.
Win this round, and one would advance into the Top 32.
In other words, this was effectively the Top 64 match.
Gary glanced at his opponent: a boy wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, looking around seventeen or eighteen.
Since the conference prohibited Trainers who had traveled for more than two years, the boy's age should theoretically be around seventeen.
But that wasn't what Gary cared about.
What truly bothered him was the nightmare that had haunted him for several nights in a row.
Every night, he dreamed that he would be eliminated at the Top 64.
It was terrifying.
The strength of his group wasn't particularly high, and there weren't even five competitors who could seriously threaten him. If he actually fell at Top 64, he might as well dig a hole and bury himself.
Today's opponent was the strongest he'd face in the preliminaries, but that was all. As long as he went all out, victory was still assured.
So Gary decided to unleash all of his trump cards, excluding Mega Evolution.
First priority: reach the Top 32.
Ash's opponent this round was a Trainer named Ayame.
She appeared to be a young lady from a prestigious family.
Ash hadn't even seen her in person yet, but Brock's eyes had already turned into hearts just from looking at her photo.
The last time Brock had reacted like this was when he saw Cynthia. Back then, at least distance and the oppressive aura of a Champion had restrained him.
This time, there was no such restraint.
Ash's match was scheduled for the morning again, while Gary's would be in the afternoon. The battlefield was the Grass Field.
With the announcer's shout, Ash and Ayame walked out from their respective player platforms.
Ash's entrance was plain and unremarkable.
Ayame's, on the other hand, was absurdly extravagant.
A red carpet was laid from the player lounge all the way to the platform. Ayame emerged holding a parasol, dressed in a kimono, moving with graceful, measured steps.
As she stepped out into the open, countless flower petals rained down from above.
She walked through the falling blossoms, posture elegant and composed, her noble aura radiating effortlessly.
If this weren't the Indigo Plateau Conference but a fashion show, this entrance alone would've earned a perfect score.
Ash, however, felt nothing.
His only impression was simple.
She was way too flamboyant.
Was she here to battle, or to perform?
"You think it's over the top too, right, Pikachu?" Ash muttered.
"Pika pika~"
Pikachu nodded helplessly.
Ayame's entrance was the most exaggerated of all his opponents so far, and unsurprisingly, the cheers around the stadium were deafening.
More than half the audience was cheering for Ayame. Fans wore headbands with her name, some even carrying chibi merch of her likeness.
Without question, they were Ayame's die-hard supporters.
This was the first time across Ash's four battles that the cheers on his side were completely overwhelmed by his opponent's, clearly demonstrating Ayame's influence.
Setting aside her actual strength, her atmosphere and cheerleading squad were unquestionably the strongest in the entire Indigo Plateau Conference, bar none.
After all, wasn't it impressive enough to drown out the cheers for Ash?
Ash's fame and strength were both top-tier within the conference, yet his supporters looked utterly insignificant when faced with Ayame's fan army.
It wasn't that Ash's side was too weak, it was that the enemy was simply too strong.
Ayame's fans were clearly fanatics. Whether they admired her strength was debatable, but they were unquestionably devoted to her appearance.
"I've heard much about you, Ash of Pallet Town. I am Ayame of Maiden Peak. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Uh… ah… I'm Ash from Pallet Town. Nice to meet you."
After a brief moment of surprise, Ash returned the bow with similar politeness. This was the first time he'd been so formal at the Indigo Plateau Conference. Usually, Trainers exchanged little more than a nod before throwing Poké Balls.
Once the greetings concluded, the player platforms rose. The referee waved his flag and announced the start of the match. Both Trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously.
"Butterfree, I choose you!"
With a flash of light, both Pokémon appeared. Ash sent out Butterfree, who hadn't seen formal combat in quite some time, while Ayame released Beedrill.
Beedrill is the final evolution of Weedle; Butterfree is the final evolution of Caterpie.
These two Pokémon are among the most common inhabitants of Viridian Forest and are beloved by Bug Catchers everywhere, known as the two most iconic Bug-types.
However, their growth ceilings are notoriously low. Most peak at Low-high Level before hitting a painfully slow progression wall.
For Ayame to raise a Beedrill to its current level already spoke volumes about her foundations.
But Ash… was on an entirely different level.
"Beedrill, Twineedle!"
"Butterfree, Whirlwind!"
Beedrill lunged forward, twin needles gleaming as it charged. Butterfree remained stationary, wings beating as a violent gale erupted across the field, ripping grass and roots straight out of the ground.
The charging Beedrill was swallowed whole by the Whirlwind.
Ayame cried out in shock, but Beedrill had already lost all sense of direction. A moment later, it was flung out of the storm and smashed heavily into the ground.
Bang!!
Clumps of grass flew everywhere as Beedrill lay motionless, having completely lost its ability to battle.
Flying-type moves were super effective against Bug-types. Combined with the level gap, even a relatively low-power move like Whirlwind was enough to knock Beedrill out instantly.
The cheerleading squad behind Ayame fell dead silent.
Just moments ago they'd been deafening. Now, not a sound.
Even if they were fans of her looks, battles couldn't be won by cheering alone.
Losing the first Pokémon so decisively was far beyond their expectations.
"Beedrill is unable to battle. Butterfree wins!"
The referee's voice echoed across the suddenly quiet field.
Having overseen many of Ash's matches, the referee wasn't surprised. If anything, this outcome felt inevitable.
Ash's opponents were rarely a true match for him. Instant knockouts were normal. Even when battles dragged on, the result never changed.
Despite Ash rotating through so many Pokémon, not a single one had ever been knocked out. The lack of sweeps was simply because Ash wanted his team to gain more experience.
He existed on a completely different plane from the vast majority of participants.
"As expected of someone with such a reputation… you truly are skilled," Ayame said softly, biting her lower lip as she recalled Beedrill. Her expression darkened slightly.
Then, after a short pause, the cheers erupted again, louder than before.
The stadium seemed to tremble.
Ash and Butterfree both flinched.
"What was that? An off-field attack?" Ash muttered.
The sheer noise was enough to disrupt a Pokémon's focus. Even if Ayame hadn't intended it, having such a cheer squad was effectively a battlefield debuff for her opponents.
"Ash, you've got this!!!" Brock's shout rang out from mid-stands.
To be heard over that noise, he must've been shouting with everything he had.
Ash didn't turn around. He simply raised a thumbs-up behind him.
Brock might be a hopeless flirt, but when it mattered, he was always firmly on Ash's side.
After steadying herself, Ayame released her second Pokémon.
"Next, go, Scyther!"
A flash of light revealed a bright green mantis-like Pokémon.
Scyther was one of the strongest Bug-types in existence.
Most Bug Pokémon suffered from low base stats and limited potential, but Scyther was an exception, a king among its kind. Even without evolving, it possessed exceptional physical stats and combat potential.
Its evolution into Scizor didn't raise its total stats much; it was more a shift in focus than a true power increase.
Ayame's Scyther had reached Mid-High level.
Yet even so, it still fell short of Butterfree.
However, Ash recalled Butterfree.