Inside the hotel room.
Xiaoguang, in her cheerleader outfit, looked full of anticipation, unconsciously shaking the pom-poms in her hands, while Piplup on the nearby sofa tried in every way to curry favor with Mawile.
Xiaogang was busy in the kitchen with Blissey, preparing snacks for watching the competition in a while.
Although they could go to the venue to watch the competition, if they really didn't have tickets, they'd just find a place to hide. Xiaoguang said she didn't want to trouble Hoopa and didn't want her and Xiaogang's appearance to disturb Ash Ketchum's competition state again.
But if they went and didn't see Ash, what was the point of going to the venue?
She wasn't picky about the viewing method.
Xiaogang had a similar idea to hers, so he didn't go either.
"Carlos region specialty Poffins—ready! Carlos specialty paired with Carlos competition, perfect!"
He came out of the kitchen with a plate of colorful cake-like foods and was surprised to see Baimu entering, "You're back!"
Xiaoguang turned her head and complained, "Where did you go? The competition is about to start!"
"Just had a battle with someone."
Baimu casually explained and walked behind Mawile, who was eagerly reaching for the Poffins, and covered its view with four fingers.
Mawile frowned in displeasure, brushed his hand away, "Chee doh~!"
He insisted on putting his four fingers before it.
"Chee doh!"
Mawile puffed its cheeks angrily and lay back in a sulk.
Having good sweets but not being able to eat as much as it wanted was really frustrating. Could it savor the sweetness with only four?
Why could it only indulge in sweets for two days out of a month?
It picked up a Poffin and started eating it in a temper.
Baimu retracted his gaze, poked at the worried-looking Piplup beside him, and warned, "Don't you spoil it, okay?"
"Pika..."
Piplup reluctantly smiled back.
This little penguin had a history; it once tried to sneak a popsicle to Mawile when he forbade it from overindulging in popsicles, the classic love-blinded move.
Luckily, it was caught in time thanks to Porygon II's surveillance.
A single popsicle was a small matter, but the problem of self-control was significant. Mawile had a nickname "Sweet Destroyer," stemming from a time it ate sweet Poffins twice its size with a pot of tea.
Aggron remained silent for a long time, Hydreigon claimed it was unbeatable, and Blissey was ready to call an ambulance at any moment.
Baimu...
Since then, Baimu dared not make similar sweets in large quantities.
At the same time, he strictly controlled Mawile's daily intake.
He didn't want Mawile turning into Big Fat Mawile.
"It's starting!"
Xiaoguang's voice drew his attention.
On TV.
Ash Ketchum appeared with a bright smile, his confident expression showing his faith in the upcoming final.
And his opponent—
"Shouta is truly impressive, I heard he originally trained in the Hoenn Region and came to the Carlos Region to explore the secrets of Super Evolution."
Xiaogang untied his apron and sat down beside him, exclaiming with emotion.
Indeed.
Shouta, who was supposed to meet Ash in the semifinals, became Ash's final opponent after Ailan ended up not making it to the Alliance Conference.
It's a pity that Dr. Bratano was still busy trying to clear Ailan of charges.
"This time it's gotta work out, right?"
Baimu mumbled.
With Ailan not even having a chance to participate, if Ash didn't secure the final victory, he might just rush over to give this guy a couple of knocks on the head.
Of course, there's no need to worry about Ash winning the conference, as his journey wouldn't end there.
First, with Fire Celestial King Pachira brought to justice, and a member missing from the Carlos Champion Alliance that's short-term impossible to fill, they naturally wouldn't hold it.
Secondly, in his eyes, a Pokémon Master was far beyond what conference victory could compare to.
Most likely, if he wins the conference, he'd find places to release his Pokémon that need to be raised, take those that need to go back to Pallet Town, rest for a while, and then set off for the next region.
Baimu watched for a while and found the battle between the two didn't differ much from the animation in his memory.
It's just that the real battle before his eyes was more detailed, with no need for mental supplementation to fill in the frames.
Salamence tied with Noivern, Goodra tied with Slurpuff, Aegislash was stuck by a piece of wood unable to form a defensive stance, and so on.
Pikachu performed excellently by consecutively taking down Shouta's Aegislash and Clawitzer, yet wasn't outstanding.
After all, Greninja was the "trump card" of the Carlos League.
As expected, once Greninja and Sceptile took the stage, the atmosphere on the field changed, and the expressions of both Ash Ketchum and Shouta showed they were highly focused.
What really surprised Baimu was that the Super Large Water Shuriken, which should have ended this scene in the original plot, ultimately turned into a Golden Healing Shuriken!
"This."
He watched the dust covering most of the television screen, his heart beginning to pound.
Although the animation director had explained on Twitter that the reason for the Golden Healing Shuriken's color change was due to energy boiling, who knew if it might just evaporate completely?
He turned to look at Xiaoguang and Xiaogang, who were equally tense, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the TV.
Finally.
The dust cleared.
The screen immediately showed Sceptile fainted.
"Yeah!"
"We won!"
Xiaoguang jumped up happily, Xiaogang also punched the air, and Piplup leapt off the sofa, overwhelmed with excitement.
As companions who once traveled with Ash Ketchum, they understood too well what this conference victory meant to him.
Especially Xiaogang.
He had walked through four regions with Ash, participated in four league conferences, each time returning empty-handed.
Being able to witness Ash's victory at the Carlos Alliance this time, Xiaogang felt tears almost coming out.
"It wasn't easy, really not easy."
"Yes."
Baimu deeply empathized; the Golden Healing Shuriken had finally transformed from a jinxed move to a true ultimate move in his world!
On the screen.
Ash confidently held up the trophy amidst thousands of cheers, Pikachu perched on his shoulder and Greninja beside him both smiled joyfully.
"It's so wonderful..."
Xiaoguang looked at Ash on the TV, her eyes a little misty.
Baimu noticed and asked with a smile: "Do you want to see Ash?"
"Yes! I really want to congratulate him in person!" Xiaoguang nodded without hesitation; she and Ash shared a diamond-like friendship and pearl-like memories.
With such a glorious moment, she certainly didn't want to miss it.
As her words fell.
A Light Wheel appeared in the void.
Hoopa poked its head out, covered its mouth with a mischievous laugh, "Hoopa came to take you to see Xiaozi and Pika! Did I scare you? Hee hee hee—"
"Hoopa!?"
Xiaoguang looked at it in surprise, then at Baimu.
"I didn't call it; it came on its own." The latter shrugged, with Hoopa and Balza siblings already watching Ash's match, what's strange about them coming over immediately after the championship?
Thus.
The group changed locations.
When they met up with the Balza siblings, the brother leaned in and whispered, "My great-grandfather wants to meet you, invites you to visit the Valley of Creation, do you have time?"
"Your great-grandfather?"
Baimu was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that the other person was Grings, who once unsealed Unbound Hoopa.
Is he still alive?
Could the power of nature extend one's life?
He wandered in his thoughts for a few seconds, then asked, "What does the old gentleman want with me?"
"Not sure..."
Balza shook his head.
"Then I'll visit after the Ever Grande Conference concludes." Baimu didn't decline; he was also quite curious about Grings and the power he possessed.
After all, as a righteous character, it's unlikely Grings would act against him.
He hadn't done anything guilty, what was there to fear?
Shortly after.
The group saw Ash, surrounded by people in the lounge, with the trophy on a nearby cabinet, Hitron's Chespin poking at it curiously.
Chespin suddenly noticed the room had more people, and in its fright accidentally nudged the trophy off.
Luckily, Baimu quickly hooked it with his foot, preventing it from hitting the ground.
"How can something so important not be placed properly?"
He waved to Ash.
Ash stood up, looking a bit dazedly at the two beside him, a bright smile covered his face as he shouted excitedly, "Xiaoguang! Xiaogang! Long time no see!"
"Pika~!"
Pikachu leapt into Xiaoguang's arms, thrilled beyond measure.
Xiaoguang affectionately nuzzled its face, "Pikachu, long time no see~"
"Congratulations! Ash!"
Xiaogang expressed with deep emotion, "Finally, finally won the conference!"