Among the photos that Delibird had sent via the black ball, a few were aerial shots of the familiar "Ho-Oh Shrine" temple.
But this time, the area bustled with activity—people in runner's uniforms gathering and setting off, each holding an unlit torch toward the road to the Silver Conference.
Clearly, Delibird had waited there for ages, just for pictures of the sacred flame.
The next few photos were action shots of torch runners in motion.
Kanto and Johto both cherish tradition. Whenever a festival or league conference commences, they always hold such a relay—other leagues do not.
Later photos, taken from above the stadium, showed the Silver Conference opening ceremony.
"I remember—the Silver Conference rules are a bit different than other conferences."
Lucas frowned as he opened his computer, linking to the Kanto/Johto networks to search for information.
Soon, he had his answer.
Because of the time zone difference between Johto and Paldea, the preliminary rounds of the Silver Conference had already ended the previous night.
This "preliminary round" was a qualifying tournament, eliminating more than 200 contestants down to 48, who would move on to the main league.
There were three rounds of 1-on-1 battles.
Right now, the opening ceremony had ended, and the qualifiers for the main league were about to begin.
Surfing the web as always, Lucas soon found the Silver Conference's official website. Logged in, not only could he view the Pokémon registered by contestants, but even the match history.
Typing in "Ash," then clicking the search icon, Lucas quickly located the records.
"All three qualifying matches, all wins. Opponents were Furret, Machamp, and Exeggutor; his team was Larvitar, Donphan, and Charcadet."
Watching the computer screen glow, Lucas nodded in approval.
Not bad.
Checking through Ash's registered Pokémon, almost the whole lineup was present, except for Pidgeot, which he hadn't yet reclaimed from Viridian Forest.
A clear ambition to win the conference.
Since they'd made it to Mt. Silver already, Larvitar was still on the team—so perhaps Ash had managed to talk things over with Tyranitar, either relocating it to Oak's lab or to act as a bodyguard.
That was Ash's business.
Just then—
Clemont finally snapped out of his trance, his voice and finger trembling.
"Brother L-Lucas, that thing is—"
Lucas, busy trying to tune into the local Johto conference broadcast for a pre-bedtime look at Ash's preliminary match, paused.
Then he handed Clemont the now-reverted black orb.
"That? It was sent to me by a friend. They invented it—basically, it's—"
Lucas casually described the black ball's features.
The more Clemont listened, the more shocked he became.
Not a Pokéball, yet capable of teleporting objects across half a planet. Runs only on electricity, charges with simple discharge—no special care required.
Was Lucas even serious?
By Clemont's scientific understanding, this thing bordered on science fantasy or alien tech—his entire scientific logic tree had been demolished.
Totally unfathomable!
Seeing Clemont, the genius inventor, stumped, Lucas felt quietly smug.
If Mewtwo's genius left him in the dust, then seeing Clemont outclassed by such tech, could Lucas claim to be ≈ Clemont, the genius inventor?
Achievement unlocked!
Worried Clemont was overthinking, Lucas snatched the gadget back and knocked on the table, turning the laptop toward him.
"The journey is made step by step. Don't stress about this. Focus on merging Rotom with your Pokédex first."
"As for now—don't think about anything else. Watch the Silver Conference with me!"
"After the match, we can sleep."
He pressed play. From the laptop speakers came the host's excited voice—
["Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Silver Conference Qualifying League, Group H!"]
["The qualifier rules: three-person round robin, three-on-three singles elimination per match. Win = 3 points, loss = 0, tie = 1. Highest points in the group advances to the Championship tournament!"]
["First up—Macy from Mahogany Town vs. Ash from Pallet Town!"]
The camera zoomed out, capturing the entire battlefield from above.
On the left: the braided girl; on the right: Ash, joined by his support team—Misty, Brock, and a cheerleading Pikachu.
Clemont was instantly absorbed by the screen.
"The Johto League…"
He wasn't sure why Lucas wanted him to watch, but Lucas was right—he ought to focus on Rotom plus the Pokédex, not anything else.
So as a way to relax, Clemont watched carefully.
Lucas, meanwhile, considered inviting Bonnie to join. She aspired to become a trainer herself—maybe even running off to catch Squishy on her journey someday.
Her planned team?
Dedenne, Meowstic, Lapras, Dracovish, and a Zygarde Core.
A few years from now in Kalos—
Rookie trainer Bonnie sets out for the Kalos League.
One month later—Hall of Fame lineup: start with Dedenne, next Dracovish, Lapras as mainstay, Meowstic as psychic, Zygarde as ace.
A moment's silence for the young actress Diantha.
Yet when Lucas looked over, the youngsters had all tired themselves out, snuggled up together fast asleep—including Bonnie.
The living room would be kept warm overnight, so there was no need to tuck Bonnie and the others under extra blankets; Lucas simply lowered the laptop's volume.
Hugging a Larvesta—its thick wool and gentle heat making it an ideal hand-warmer.
Oranguru, serving quietly nearby, moved with care.
Calyrex, meanwhile, was being "the good father," resting on the roof with Cosmog to soak up the moonlight.
…
Earlier that day, Calyrex had used its psychic powers to warp space, moving the entire Salazzle pack to a resource-rich cave outside Zappipico town.
Serperior and Milotic's plan worked—icy mist and a drop in temperature slowed down the thieving Salandit pack.
Add in Oranguru's "army"—led by Houndoom and the fire-absorbing features of the Dachsbun and Houndoom pack—plus a justice-led two-on-one battle that tamed the entire Salazzle group.
When consulted after, all the Salandit still chose loyalty to Salazzle, and Salazzle herself chose a new territory.
The affair, at last, was settled.
…
The Next Morning
Lucas slept right through to sunrise. He needed to teach class in the afternoon, but the morning was scheduled for touring the farm with the siblings.
Luckily, he'd given the Houndoom pack that day off; tomorrow he'd see to their promised rewards—otherwise, he'd be overwhelmed.
As for the Silver Conference—they'd finished watching Group H's round-robin on the laptop last night and went to sleep.
Clemont slept in the guest room once used by Ash; Bonnie slept amidst the Pokémon.
Predictably, what had once been a challenge in the original anime was now a breeze for Ash.
First round, Ash faced Macy—her team of Electabuzz, Quilava, and Slugma; perhaps for once Ash didn't use reverse typing, dispatching Wartortle, Croconaw, and Charcadet for an easy 3-0 win.
Third round, Ash vs. Vincent; Lucas recalled that in the anime, this was a draw.
Vincent's team was Azumarill, Shiny Magneton, and Meganium—a solid lineup.
Ash sent Pikachu, Quilava, and his own Meganium. After a fierce battle, Pikachu defeated Azumarill, was KO'ed by Magneton, Quilava beat Magneton, and it came to a final Meganium vs. Meganium duel.
Ash's two victories qualified him for the championship bracket.
After the match, possibly out of curiosity, Lucas asked Clemont for his thoughts.
Clemont, flushed, admitted to admiring Ash—drawn in by the unique charisma he projected.
It sounded a bit odd.
After sending Clemont off to bed, Lucas did a little research before sleeping, checking out the lineup of the Hoenn-region trainer "Harrison."
Blaziken, Houndoom, Sneasel, Kecleon, Hypno, Miltank, and Steelix.
Two Hoenn-region Pokémon; the rest caught in Johto.
A crossover of regions, but not a full one—and no Mega Evolution.
Ash should be able to beat him head-on this time, but first, there's a destined rival clash to come tonight.
Lucas wasn't too concerned—the results would be what they'd be.
He had his own life to worry about.
After a morning routine, Lucas took Clemont and Bonnie on a full farm tour.
First, the agricultural district. Having grown up in Kalos's biggest metropolis—Lumiose City—both kids were excited to see farmlands for the first time.
Then the farm, the lakes, and even the new orchard.
The siblings were in awe the whole time—especially Bonnie, who seemed like she couldn't take in all the Pokémon at once.
Riding on Arcanine, Spectrier, and Glastrier; perched on Garganacl's shoulders; watching Swampert split a watermelon with one hand, and using Raging Bolt's drum as a slide—
They even received a little ice carving from Ninetales and Regice.
Truly, country life was fantastic.
Lunch was a huge spread prepared by Lucas, with Alcremie's handmade desserts and specialty snacks from Lumiose City.
After lunch, with time to spare before their flight back home, Lucas decided to show Clemont the hard drive Alder had entrusted to him.
"Clemont, do you think you could replicate the technology on this drive?" Lucas asked.
Well-fed, Clemont was in a good mood. "Can I take a look?"
Lucas nodded. "Of course."
Clemont scanned the files. His eyes grew steadily more astonished.
"This is—the complete design and technical blueprints for that Unova-region Terarium!?"
Clemont's voice trembled, as if the mouse weighed a ton in his hand.
When the Terarium tech debuted, the world's inventors scrambled to study it—including Clemont.
Though he'd never called himself a genius, his love for invention was obvious.
Now, gazing at the screen, he felt as if some inner voice urged him to read on: this was his lifelong dream!
Clemont was, without question, a kind and excellent young man, with high moral standards. He forcibly suppressed his eagerness, closed the laptop, and looked earnestly at Lucas.
"Sorry. I'm not at that level yet."
"But—"
He straightened.
"If Brother Lucas trusts me, please wait until I accomplish my own goals and upgrade my skills. When that time comes, let me access this technology."
"I promise, I'll help you however I can."
Truthfully, Lucas had not expected Clemont's self-control to be so strong—he'd have been tempted to peek at the blueprints himself.
With a laugh, Lucas replied, "Deal."
"When the time comes, I'll officially invite you on as a technical leader for the Second Terarium Project."
…
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