"Golbat, use Wing Attack, cut through those Rock Slides!"
Since dodging was impossible, Jamie chose the only remaining option: carve a path through. This was Golbat's sole chance of survival.
But Aerodactyl's Rock Slide was like a falling meteor. With Golbat's strength, cutting through it was nothing more than a fantasy.
Wing Attack slammed into the descending boulder, but the massive rock didn't even tremble. Instead, the recoil sent Golbat flying backward!
Like an ant trying to shake a towering tree.
That thought surfaced in everyone's mind as the rock crushed Golbat straight down, sending it plummeting beneath the Water Field. A tremendous splash erupted as Golbat was smashed into the pool below.
Under normal circumstances, water could act as a buffer. Being forced into water was far better than being slammed directly onto solid ground.
But under the overwhelming pressure of Rock Slide, that fall felt no different from crashing onto concrete.
As the massive stones sank beneath the surface, Golbat failed to resurface.
Jamie's pupils shrank as he cried out its name in panic.
Ash frowned slightly. This blow had been… excessive. Aerodactyl had unleashed its full power. Jamie's earlier sneak attack must have enraged it.
Still, that earlier lapse had been Aerodactyl's own fault. Jamie couldn't be blamed.
Seeing Golbat fail to surface for so long, the referee acted immediately, releasing one of his own Water-type Pokémon to search the pool. Moments later, Golbat was hauled out, barely clinging to life.
This wasn't just a loss of combat capability. It had nearly died.
Ash's expression changed instantly. He rushed over and placed a hand on Golbat, activating Tokiwa Power. Gentle green light enveloped the battered Pokémon, slowly restoring its vitality and pulling it back from the brink of death.
"Phew. I'm really sorry, Jamie," Ash said earnestly. "This was Aerodactyl's first battle since being revived. It doesn't yet understand how strong it is. I've already treated Golbat, it's no longer in danger. After resting at the Pokémon Center, it'll fully recover."
There was no arrogance in Ash's voice, only sincere apology.
He rarely injured an opponent's Pokémon this severely. On one hand, he usually fought opponents stronger than himself, leaving no room to hold back; no matter how hard he fought, things never escalated to this degree. On the other hand, his other Pokémon were disciplined. They understood restraint and knew when to stop, especially when facing weaker opponents.
But Aerodactyl was different.
It was a creature forged in an ancient era of constant life-and-death combat. To it, battle was never a game, every strike was meant to kill. Mercy simply didn't exist in its instincts.
And after being angered by Golbat's sneak attack, it had even less reason to restrain itself.
Ash felt genuine guilt. Fortunately, Golbat survived. Otherwise, he might have had no choice but to withdraw from the tournament altogether.
Seeing Golbat breathing steadily, Jamie's shoulders finally relaxed. His heart settled.
As long as it was alive… that was all that mattered.
Aerodactyl landed beside Ash, its usually arrogant expression tinged with awkwardness. It didn't believe it had done anything wrong, wasn't battle always a matter of life and death?
Besides, it had been struck earlier due to its own carelessness. That never would've happened in ancient times. Living comfortably at Professor Oak's laboratory had dulled its vigilance.
If the opponent chose a sneak attack, wasn't responding with full force only natural?
Still, since its Trainer was apologizing, Aerodactyl followed suit. Though it didn't quite understand what it had done wrong, it mimicked Ash's remorse nonetheless.
Jamie didn't blame Ash. In truth, even if Golbat had died, he couldn't have blamed either Ash or Aerodactyl. In serious battles, holding back was never an obligation.
After all, what if you were counter-killed while restraining yourself?
Ash's first match ended in a flawless zero-faint victory.
He could have achieved a clean three-Pokémon sweep, but deliberately switched after every knockout to give more of his team a chance to battle.
Otherwise, Kingler alone would have been more than enough to crush Jamie's entire lineup.
Every Trainer attending the Indigo Plateau Conference had collected at least eight Gym Badges. Even if some Gym Leaders didn't reveal their full strength, many would steadily increase difficulty based on the challenger's badge count.
Generally speaking, earning the eighth badge required at least Mid-High level strength.
After all, once you had seven badges, the final challenge was never meant to be easy.
That was why Trainers who had only been traveling for about half a year were, under normal circumstances, unable to qualify for the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Most participants had been on their journey for seven or eight months, up to a little over a year. This was the optimal window, any less and they lacked qualifications, any more and the conference felt beneath them.
After all, very few people could raise a Pokémon to the that level within half a year, let alone three of them.
Those who reached the Indigo Plateau Conference, while not yet true professional Trainers, already possessed that potential. Among all Trainers, they were geniuses.
Powerful Trainers didn't look down on the conference because it was low-tier, but because participating at their level felt like a grown adult bullying children. The one-to-two-year period was when the gap between Trainers truly exploded.
The strong stayed strong.
This phase of rapid growth would continue until they hit their limits.
That was why many chose not to participate, but those who did were still the chosen elite.
Qualifying in under a year alone proved immense talent. Unless the gap was absolute, no one considered themselves truly inferior.
A temporary loss simply meant being slower, not weaker. Given time, they could still surpass their opponent.
Only an overwhelming difference, such as facing an Elite Four–level Trainer, would make someone acknowledge defeat without resentment.
That realm couldn't be reached through effort alone. Pokémon talent and Trainer aptitude mattered far more. Many Trainers would never possess an Elite Four–level Pokémon in their lifetime, let alone a Champion.
But Ash...
He was that kind of monster.
In just a few short months, he had reached heights others chased their entire lives.
After fighting him, Jamie felt only despair.
He couldn't win.
He simply couldn't.
From that day onward, the Trainer world gained one person whose dreams had been thoroughly crushed.
After the match, Ash was immediately surrounded by reporters. At first, he answered their questions with a smile, but as the crowd grew louder and more frantic, the overlapping voices made his ears ring.
So Ash quickly released Gardevoir and had it use Teleport, whisking them away to Misty and the others.
"That was terrifying," Ash complained, utterly speechless. "What are those reporters even made of? Why would they ask what color underwear I'm wearing today?"
The interview had started off normally, but the questions had grown stranger and stranger.
Misty and Brock couldn't help bursting into laughter, covering their mouths as they did.
"That's what you get for enjoying the spotlight," Misty teased with a mocking grin. "So? Are you satisfied with all that attention?"
Ash rolled his eyes in response.
"Alright, alright, let's go," Brock interrupted, smiling. "Gary's match has already started. Professor Oak and Aunt Delia went over there ahead of us."
"Huh?" Ash froze. "Mom and Professor Oak both went to watch Gary's match? They're not watching mine?!"
He followed them, clearly dissatisfied.
It made sense for Professor Oak to support Gary, but why had his mom gone too?
"Because Auntie Delia figured your match was already decided," Misty explained calmly. "So she went with Professor Oak to cheer for Gary instead."
Indeed, Professor Oak and Delia had originally stayed to watch Ash. But once it became clear his battle was settled, they headed over, Gary's match had just begun.
Hearing that, the resentment in Ash's heart eased slightly.
"I guess that's fair."
Soon, the three arrived at another arena.
Gary was locked in an intense battle. His opponent, Austin, had sent out a Venusaur whose strength was anything but ordinary.
That Venusaur had already reached Mid level.
It was hard to say whether Gary was unlucky, or Austin was.
Unlucky for Gary, because he ran into a Mid level.
Unlucky for Austin, because he ran into a Mid-High Trainer.
A month and a half ago, Gary's Blastoise had already reached the Mid level. Now, it had climbed even higher level, between Mid-High and elite four level, just one tier below Ash's Blastoise.
In fact, Ash's Blastoise had originally been weaker than Gary's and only overtook it gradually. After all, Blastoise was Gary's starter, and his ace.
Gary had poured far more effort into it than any of his other Pokémon, whether in time, resources, or mental focus. As a result, the gap between the two Blastoise wasn't all that large.
With Blastoise alone, Gary could already stand out at the Indigo Plateau Conference.
But this year's Indigo Plateau Conference was different.
Setting Ash aside, the other competitors were no pushovers either. Gary's High level only placed him in the upper-middle tier.
That said, against this opponent, it was more than enough.
Gary didn't even send out Blastoise.
Instead, he relied on Alakazam and cleanly swept all three of Austin's Pokémon.
Gary's Alakazam was one of his core team members as well, already at Mid level.
The three-sweep ignited thunderous cheers from the crowd. Several contestants silently reassessed Gary's threat level, raising it several notches.
Gary's public battle record wasn't extensive. He had very little combat data available, and he'd only been traveling for half a year. If not for sharing Pallet Town origins with Ash, and having a famous grandfather, few would have paid him much attention.
But now, Gary had earned it.
Mid level in half a year.
This one was a monster too.
"What's going on with Pallet Town? Is it some kind of breeding ground for freaks?"
"Yeah, Ash alone was bad enough. Now there's Gary too? Is the new generation really this terrifying?"
"The younger generation is frightening."
"Heh, when I had been traveling for half a year, I'd have been over the moon just to have one Mid-low level Pokémon…"
Hearing the chatter, Gary, already prone to showing off, puffed out his chest even more.
Then his gaze met Ash's.
The pride on his face instantly collapsed.
Pride? What pride?
Compared to Ash, he was nothing.
Others might not understand Ash's true strength, but Gary did. While he was still refining his footing at the Mid level, Ash was likely already capable of standing toe-to-toe with a Champion.
The two were simply incomparable.
Gary stepped down from the battle stage and gave Ash a brief nod.
"You finished too?"
"Yeah. Looks like things were pretty easy on your end as well."
"It's just the first preliminary match," Gary replied calmly. "The real challenges are still ahead."
"Hey, don't you dare lose before facing me!"
"I should be the one saying that." Gary snorted. No matter how strong Ash was, or whether he would dominate the entire conference, Gary refused to back down verbally.
"If you get knocked out before the top sixty-four, I'll laugh at you for a whole year."
"Heh, top sixty-four? What kind of..."
Gary suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
A chill ran down his spine.
Saying that felt like setting a terrifying flag.
He quickly shut his mouth.
Top sixty-four? Of course he wouldn't fall that early, but an ominous feeling curled in his chest nonetheless.
He'd better go back and thoroughly research this year's contestants again.
Just in case.
...
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