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The Top 16 of the Johto League Silver Conference finally came to an end after a full two days of battles. Eight competitors successfully advanced and earned the right to continue competing.
Aside from the already-known Annon and Fang, both Axu and Steven also broke through in the later matches, securing their places in the Top 8.
The quarterfinals were scheduled for one day later. The League deliberately gave the contestants ample time to rest and recover, so they could deliver exciting battles.
However, one thing worth mentioning was that the bracket for the Top 8 had already been decided. The very first match would still feature Annon—and his opponent would be Steven.
Among the Hoenn trio, two had already been regretfully eliminated because of Annon. Whether Steven could turn the tide this time remained to be seen.
Just as the Top 16 matches concluded, a senior official from the Johto League arrived at the Pokémon Center to find Liam and handed him a Champion Challenge Invitation.
"Lord Liam, this was entrusted to me by Lord Gyokuryu Shigen. Lord Shigen said that everything you requested has already been arranged. All the details are in the invitation—please review it at your convenience. I'll take my leave."
After delivering the invitation, the League official bowed politely and left.
Liam returned to his room with the invitation and opened it to read.
The letter was concise and straightforward. After finishing it, Liam rubbed his forehead with a slight headache, a bitter smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he muttered softly to himself.
"Heh… this is going to be tough. Looks like I'll need to prepare in advance."
The invitation clearly stated the time for Liam's challenge against the League Champion.
The challenge was scheduled to take place right after the Silver Conference champion was decided. The invitation explicitly stated that the Champion Challenge would be held at the Silver Conference's main arena. The League would publicly announce this additional match, and it was safe to say the number of spectators would be enormous.
Next came the battle rules.
Liam was required to register six Pokémon for the challenge. Only six could be used—no substitutions—but the format was not a standard full six-on-six battle.
Since the Johto League's Champion position was currently vacant, Liam's final opponent would be the current League Chairman of Johto and the leader of the Dragon Clan—Gyokuryu Shigen.
The battle would be a three-versus-six Pokémon match.
Liam would use six Pokémon. Gyokuryu Shigen would use three.
At first glance, it might seem like Liam had the advantage—but that wasn't the case at all.
According to the invitation, Liam would not face Gyokuryu Shigen immediately. Before that, he had to go through four consecutive battles.
All four members of the Johto League's Elite Four were already gathered here. Each of them would battle Liam using only one Pokémon. Only after defeating all four would Liam earn the right to challenge Gyokuryu Shigen.
In total, that meant Liam would have to fight seven Pokémon—which was precisely what gave him a headache.
All of his opponents were top-tier experts, yet several of his main battle Pokémon were not currently with him. For once, even Liam felt uncertain.
However, he didn't dwell on it for long.
Because at that moment, there was something far more important than his Champion Challenge—
The Ketchum couple had arrived!!
Since Delia hadn't suffered any serious injuries, she returned to the Players' Village after resting for just over a day at the Pokémon Center.
At that moment, in the living room of the suite, Liam and Delia sat upright on the sofa, both with their heads lowered, not daring to look at the middle-aged couple seated across from them.
"Ahem."
The atmosphere was painfully awkward. In the end, Mr. Ketchum was the one who broke the silence.
Mr. Ketchum: "Liam."
Liam: "Yes, sir!"
Mr. Ketchum: "Do you know why the two of us rushed here day and night without stopping?"
Liam: "Yes! Because Father-in-law and Mother-in-law were worried about Delia's safety!"
Mr. Ketchum: "Heh… that's part of it, but not all."
Mr. Ketchum chuckled softly, then turned to look at Delia—who had practically turned into an ostrich—and continued with a smile.
"When we saw Delia collapse on television, of course we were anxious. But after you explained that she had only fainted from exhaustion, we were relieved. With you by her side, we feel at ease. Otherwise, we wouldn't have let you two travel off on your own in the first place."
"Honestly, we know Delia's personality—carefree and reckless. She never even touched Pokémon battles growing up. The fact that she earned eight badges and entered the League already shocked us. And now she's reached the Top 16… that's far beyond anything we expected. You must have worked very hard as well, Liam."
"As for why we came all this way—there's really no hidden agenda. It's just that we hadn't seen you two in months. Since you're not running around everywhere for now, we figured it was the perfect chance to visit. Delia, too—once she leaves home, she forgets it entirely. Not a single message for months! You had us worried every day."
Mr. Ketchum spoke calmly and earnestly. Hearing this, Liam finally let out a breath of relief.
At this point, Mrs. Ketchum had already moved to Delia's side, holding her daughter's hand. Her eyes were moist, words failing her.
"So… what are your plans next, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law? Delia's competition is over, but I still have a match coming up. How about waiting until I finish my battle, and then we go back together?"
Now that he knew the Ketchum couple hadn't come to interrogate him, Liam felt much more relaxed and asked about their plans.
"Haha! The news about you challenging for the Johto League Champion position has already spread—we know all about it. So we plan to stay and watch you finish your match."
"And we don't intend to go straight home either. Since we're already out, your mother-in-law and I decided to travel around a bit and relax. You youngsters have been having plenty of fun—now it's our turn. What do you say? No objections, right?"
Mr. Ketchum said with a hearty laugh.
"Of course not! Absolutely not!"
Liam hurriedly replied, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
Clearly satisfied, Mr. Ketchum lifted his teacup. Just as he was about to take a sip, he suddenly paused, set it down again, and added:
"Oh, right—there's something else. Professor Oak and Mrs. Oak actually came with us this time. But they detoured to Goldenrod City to visit Max. It'll probably take a few days before they arrive."
"Hehe, I hear that kid Max has a girlfriend now. Professor Oak is over the moon."
Liam: "…Heh. Then I guess there'll be quite a show."
As Mr. Ketchum finished speaking, an image flashed through Liam's mind—Professor Oak and Aunt Fumiko's shocked expressions when they saw Lina's noticeably pregnant belly. He couldn't help but laugh.
But in the next second, Liam suddenly realized something.
His expression changed instantly. He swallowed hard and asked:
"Wait—hold on! Professor Oak and Aunt Fumiko both came?! Then… who's taking care of the Pokémon at home?"
Mr. Ketchum thought for a moment before answering:
"I remember Professor Oak saying that your Nidoking and Arcanine are watching over things. The other Pokémon shouldn't cause any trouble. He also hired a couple of townspeople as temporary workers to handle daily maintenance. Why? Is there a problem?"
Liam: "…That's a huge problem."