"From now on, you are the challenger?"
Hearing Giovanni's parting words, a faint twitch appeared on Lance's face—but he quickly suppressed his emotions.Even so, his fists had unknowingly clenched tight.
He was frustrated—deeply unwilling to accept it.
But Lance understood well: no matter how he argued right now, it was meaningless.He lost.
Giovanni…!
Lance stared sharply at the middle-aged man's back like a drawn blade.It was fine—there would still be opportunities.
As one of the Top 8 from the ranking phase, he had one revival privilege.If he won the revival match, he could return.
Giovanni! Just wait. I'll be back!
The battle between Giovanni and Lance had ended—with the unexpected result of Giovanni "avenging" his old loss.
For Giovanni's supporters, it was a moment of pure triumph.
But for Lance's fans? Devastation.
No one expected that the Giovanni who had been defeated half a year ago would now overturn the heavens.
"That Landorus… was a bit too strong."
After watching the entire match, Lillie frowned slightly.
"Seriously. That was Lance's ace Dragonite, and it still got suppressed. Amazing!"Leon was equally astonished.
Lance's ace Dragonite was extremely powerful—yet Giovanni's Landorus, which he had only trained for half a year, fought the Tera Dragon Dragonite evenly in close combat, even slightly overpowering it.
"According to legend, Landorus appears to stop Thundurus and Tornadus when they fight. That might imply Landorus is stronger than both."Lillie mused.
Thundurus and Tornadus were known for their destructive, ill-natured personalities—bringing storms and ruining crops wherever they went. When they rampaged, Landorus always appeared to quell them.
Sound familiar?
Yes—almost like a Galar-version retelling of an ancient Hoenn myth.Of course, the "Forces of Nature" couldn't compare to the super-ancient Hoenn legends—the power gap was massive.
But Landorus was clearly stronger than the other two.With such base strength, and half a year of careful training, it wasn't strange that Landorus became Giovanni's new ace.
"Well, I'm looking forward to it. Facing Giovanni in battle will be spectacular."Leon said eagerly.
"Lance has fallen into the losers' bracket. I wonder if he'll manage to return later?"
"Maybe. It depends on the full Top 8 lineup."
Leon shook his head—no one knew yet.
After all, only two of the Top 8 had been decided so far.
With Dylan's group
"Congratulations, Uncle Giovanni! That was such a stylish victory."Selene beamed.
"Nothing surprising. I prepared a great deal for this day."
Giovanni chuckled—clearly in a good mood.
Of course he was.Defeating Lance on the world stage—nothing felt better.
With Beedrill banned, Giovanni had indeed worked extremely hard to defeat Lance.
"With this, one of ours is eliminated, and two advance."Leaf commented as she looked at Giovanni's portrait on the screen.Who would've believed it?
Last year this man was the Rocket Boss everyone hated—the source of Kanto's darkness.
And now, he had become one of the most famous and strongest trainers in Kanto.
Blue clicked his tongue unhappily, glancing at Red. If not for being matched against Red, he would've advanced for sure.
"The first two matchups were both Kanto trainers. Is the pairing system messing with us?" Leaf complained again.
Given they were at Indigo Plateau—the system was developed in Kanto—perhaps it really was biased.
"True strength doesn't worry about these things. Come on, let's get lunch. The rest are afternoon matches."Red said.
The Round of 16 usually took two days—four matches a day.
And now, with Red and Giovanni advancing, the remaining two matches of the day were in the afternoon.
Dylan's group headed to the athlete village.
With the official World Championships underway, the village had become lively, packed with tourists from all over the world, and lots of vendors.
They picked a restaurant with good reviews. On the way, they ran into many fans—after all, everyone in their group was highly recognizable.
Not long after they entered a private room, more people walked in—Oak Snowfield and the others.
"Hey hey—Ash! Misty! Brock! And Pikachu! Long time no see!"Dylan greeted them warmly.
It really had been a long time.
Ash had started in the Orange Islands this year, then moved to Johto for the Silver Conference.
So it had indeed been more than a year.
Dylan genuinely cared about the kid. They got along well, and he looked forward to the day when a fully grown Ash would challenge him.
"Long time no see!""Pika—chu!"
Dylan rubbed Pikachu's head—the same soft, familiar sensation.
Pikachu didn't resist; rather, it enjoyed it. Dylan's Viridian Force made most Pokémon feel naturally comfortable around him—unless they had terrible temperaments.
"Ash, how'd you do in the Silver Conference?" Dylan asked with interest.
This world wasn't the anime. Even without Dylan, events wouldn't match the original exactly.
"Uh… well…"Ash scratched his head awkwardly.
"Don't ask. He stopped at Top 16—even though Charizard tried so hard." Misty rolled her eyes.
"It wasn't my fault! They were all ridiculous! Poison this, Toxic Spikes that! Hex, Curse, Destiny Bond—come on!"Ash pouted, looking almost betrayed as he glanced at Dylan.
His tournament journeys these past two years had been rough.Last year, he was eliminated by Jeanette's poison team.This year?
He fought his way through chaos to reach Top 16—only to meet a slimy Ghost-type trainer.
His invincible Charizard was traded away by a Mismagius using Destiny Bond. His other Pokémon couldn't handle the opponent's ghostly tricks either.
And—no, he didn't meet Gary in Top 16.
Gary didn't compete in the Silver Conference this year—he attempted the World Championships instead.
And then…
He decided to switch to becoming a researcher.He felt maybe being a trainer wasn't really for him.
"…Ha."Dylan laughed awkwardly.
To be honest, the rise of Poison- and Ghost-type trainers in Kanto and Johto really was because of him.
Dylan quickly changed the subject.
"Say, Ash—why didn't you take part in the World Championships?"
"I did register! But…"
Ash's reply came naturally—he loved Pokémon battles, and the World Championships were exactly his kind of thing.
But then he hesitated.
"…I think I still want to travel more. Going on adventures with my partners—that's what I really want right now."
"I see."Dylan nodded.
"Traveling unfamiliar regions, meeting all sorts of Pokémon and people, hearing local legends, enriching your experiences—that truly is an excellent path for growth."
Giovanni sipped his tea, his deep voice rumbling calmly.
"Eh? Uh… yeah… Haha…"Ash blinked, confused, scratching his head.Seeing everyone look thoughtful, he could only laugh awkwardly.
Was that really what he meant?He just wanted adventure—like he'd dreamed of since he was a kid.
"No matter the reason, knowing what you want is the most important thing. Ash, don't mind what others say. Just follow your heart."Dylan smiled.
"Hehe—I know!" Ash grinned brightly.
"It's just… everyone is joining the World Championships, so not working on my ranking feels weird."
He sighed—this year the Championships were so huge that many people kept asking about his ranking.
"I once told Selene something—and I want to tell you the same thing."
Dylan glanced at Selene, who was devouring grilled meat like it was oxygen.He rolled his eyes.
Hearing her name, Selene instinctively looked up with her mouth full.
"All the sights you see, all the adventures you go through, all the encounters you experience—they'll become nourishment for your growth."
Dylan said warmly.
Selene blinked, recognizing the words.
"The World Championships is a place to test and prove yourself. But for you right now, Ash, it may not be the right path."
"Keep traveling. Follow your heart."
Dylan patted his shoulder.
"Since the moment you started your journey—don't forget its meaning."
"I believe that when you return from your travels, you'll be a very different trainer."
Yes—only through long, genuine travel would Ash become the strongest version of himself.It was his journey, his foundation.
"And still the same words, Ash—I'll be waiting for you to challenge me."
Dylan truly looked forward to the day when a fully grown Ash—using his strongest team—would challenge him.
A little transition here. As for the battle with a fully evolved Ash—it may be in the finale… or maybe not. Depends on how things go.
(End of chapter)