Chapter 267: Meeting Gary and Damalanchi Again
Upon seeing the Sneasel, Harrison wanted to capture it, so he said, "Ash, leave this Sneasel to me."
"You'd better be quick then. There isn't just one Sneasel here; there are quite a few more in the forest," Ash reminded him.
The Sneasel was indeed quite strong, but Ash didn't really click with it. Since Harrison needed one, he might as well let him have it.
He released Murkrow and Teddiursa to face the Machoke and Machop. This Teddiursa was, naturally, the black-hearted little bear that loved to act cute and play innocent. Under Dr. Oak's tutelage, its personality had changed quite a bit.
"Murkrow, use Wing Attack on Machoke. Teddiursa, use Slash on Machop."
The Machoke and Machop were not high-level, so they were easily defeated in seconds by Murkrow and Teddiursa.
Just as Ash's battle ended, the Sneasel that Harrison was fighting with Blaziken was also at the end of its rope. However, it was clearly unwilling to be captured so easily, and it let out a roar toward the sky.
In less than three seconds, a rustling sound came from the woods behind the Sneasel.
A dozen or so Sneasel could be seen leaping through the trees, while a team of Machoke and Machop followed on the ground below.
In less than half a minute, the group of Sneasel, along with their underlings, the Machop Family, had surrounded Ash and his group.
Facing dozens of wild Pokémon, Brock couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. "This... isn't this too many?"
Misty also looked fearful and instinctively moved closer to Ash. "Ash, what should we do now?"
"We just need to drive them back," Ash said.
The Team Rocket Trio also huddled together in fear. "Ash, if that's the case, hurry up and do something!"
Ash glanced at them and pulled out Lucario's Poké Ball. "Lucario, take Murkrow and Teddiursa and take care of them."
"Lucario."
Lucario nodded.
Immediately, she led Murkrow and Teddiursa to attack the Sneasel swarm and the Machop Family.
Facing these Sneasel, which were generally at the Elite High level, Lucario took them down almost one by one with a single punch. The levels of the Machop and Machoke were generally lower, and Murkrow and Teddiursa were able to tangle with them for a long time.
"What a strong Lucario."
Nearby, Harrison, who had just captured a Sneasel, saw Lucario taking out the Sneasel one by one in the swarm and couldn't help but consider Ash the strongest opponent in this year's Silver Conference.
A few minutes later, the Sneasel swarm was completely terrified. Led by their leader, they fled into the mountains, leaving behind a group of Machop and Machoke to stare blankly at Ash and his group.
In the end, Ash brought the sacred flame to the sacred flame runner, allowing the flame to be passed on. The group of Machop and Machoke were kept by the Ho-Oh Temple to serve as sacred flame guards, tasked with the duty of protecting the Ho-Oh flame.
After temporarily parting ways with Harrison, Ash's group continued to head toward Silver Town.
Finally, before nightfall, Ash's group arrived at Silver Town.
Although the passing of the sacred flame had already begun, there was still some time before the opening of the Silver Conference.
After a night of rest, Ash's group completed the final competition registration for the Silver Conference at the Pokémon Center in Silver Town.
Just after finishing the final procedures, the group ran into an old acquaintance, Gary, at the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
Seeing Gary carrying a bag, Ash asked, "Gary, did you just arrive today?"
Gary responded cheekily, "Of course... not."
Hearing Gary's tone, Ash's fist tightened; his fist 'clenched' immediately.
Seeing Ash's clenched fist, Gary awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Just a joke, Ash, you can't be that thin-skinned, right?"
Ash's face darkened. "What do you think?"
"That means you can take a joke. By the way, Ash, I just saw Mr. Damalanchi. Do you want to go say hello to the old man?" Gary changed the subject.
Ash shook his head. "Forget it, that old man is hard to fool. Where did you see him? I'll take another route."
As the League President for both the Kanto and Johto regions, Ash could guarantee that as long as he appeared in front of the old man, the other party would surely saddle him with another title.
The strength he had displayed when he met Lance earlier, combined with the legendary Pokémon in his possession, meant there would be no problem at all for him to become a regional Elite. To fill the high-end combat power gaps in both Kanto and Johto, he bet that Damalanchi would be capable of anything.
"Then you'd better be careful. Mr. Damalanchi is blocking the entrance to the Athletes' Village. He's been blocking it for days; he's probably waiting for you," Gary warned.
"???"
Ash was puzzled. Doesn't this old man have work to do?
What's the deal with camping at the entrance?
"I'm going to continue my special training. Ash, handle it yourself."
After saying that, Gary left.
"Ash, are we still going to the Athletes' Village?" Misty asked.
Ash thought for a moment. "Yes."
He had decided: as long as he didn't initiate, didn't refuse, and didn't take responsibility, he could handle any amount of sugar-coated bullets.
Anyway, he wouldn't be the one losing out.
Soon, the group saw Damalanchi holding a bunch of balloons.
The three of them greeted him. "Mr. Damalanchi."
"Oh, it's you, Ash! Long time no see!" Damalanchi responded enthusiastically.
"Mr. Damalanchi, what are you doing here?" Misty asked curiously.
"It's nothing. As the person in charge of the conference, I want to welcome guests here and see if anyone has changed their mind."
Damalanchi's eyes wandered, but his focus was always on Ash.
Ash's mouth twitched. This old geezer really was gunning for him.
He spoke up. "Mr. Damalanchi, actually you should look for Gary. That guy's strength isn't bad either."
"You mean that guy Oak's grandson? I've already asked him. He said something about wanting to transition to working part-time as a researcher after the Silver Conference, and he also needs to travel around.
Ash, why don't you just take the title? After hearing about your strength from Lance, that Agatha has been making a fuss for a long time, saying she wants to retire and make way for the younger generation."
Damalanchi laid his cards on the table.
"I'd rather not. I'm no match for Grandma Agatha."
Ash didn't want to be caught in a tag-team beatdown by two old people.
He was very clear about the relationship between Dr. Oak and Agatha.
Besides, Gary was Dr. Oak's own grandson. In terms of relationships, having Gary inherit Agatha's Elite position would be a perfect match. In terms of strength, Gary wasn't bad either; with three legendary Pokémon and two Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, his combat power was already not weaker than any Elite.
Damalanchi said speechlessly, "Uh... Ash, Violet City, Green Grassland, Whirl Islands, Alto Mare—you shouldn't be unfamiliar with these four places, right?"
"This... of course I'm not unfamiliar with them; they are all places we've visited on our travels. Mr. Damalanchi, what about these places?" Ash asked, playing dumb.
Damalanchi stared at Ash for a few seconds, sighed, and said, "Forget it. Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say to you. But remember, for this Silver Conference, don't use those Pokémon to bully contestants of other levels."
Ash patted his chest. "Mr. Damalanchi, you can rest assured. I, Ash, am definitely not the type of person to bully others with power. If there's nothing else, we'll be going now."
"Heh, you can go, but I still have things to discuss with Brock and Misty."
Damalanchi didn't want to go back empty-handed.
There was no chance with Ash, but he had already investigated Misty and Brock's backgrounds very clearly. One was from the Cerulean Gym, and the other was a Trainer from the Pewter Gym. Especially Misty, who had been taken on as an apprentice by Lorelei to be trained as a successor.
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