“Congratulations, Ash!
You made it to the semifinals!”
Brock grinned proudly as he crossed his arms.
Beside him, Misty immediately added:
“Don’t get carried away yet!
Winning tomorrow is what really matters!”
Ash laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.
“I know, I know.”
Then his expression gradually became serious again.
“But tomorrow… I’m definitely going to win the Silver Conference.”
Near them, Gary Oak walked over together with Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum.
Gary glanced toward Ash before speaking calmly.
“If nothing unexpected happens, your semifinal opponent tomorrow should be Vincent from Cherrygrove City.”
Ash nodded immediately.
Vincent.
A powerful Trainer from Johto who specialized in Grass-type Pokémon.
Ash remembered him clearly from the original timeline.
Although Vincent never reached the championship match, his overall strength was extremely solid.
Especially his Venusaur.
Gary continued seriously:
“I watched some of his earlier matches.
He’s strong.
If you underestimate him, you’ll lose.”
“Thanks, Gary.”
Ash smiled genuinely.
Unlike before, he no longer treated Gary simply as a rival.
After inheriting Ash’s memories, he understood better than anyone how much Gary had influenced Ash’s growth.
Their rivalry had pushed each other forward since childhood.
And during Ash’s battle against Jackson yesterday, Gary had watched the entire match from the entrance tunnel without leaving once.
Professor Oak laughed warmly.
“Alright, enough battle talk for now.”
“You should take your Pokémon to the Pokémon Center first, Ash.”
“They worked extremely hard today.”
Ash nodded immediately.
Although most of his team had preserved their stamina relatively well during the quarterfinals, several Pokémon had still taken considerable damage.
Especially Snorlax.
After repeatedly tanking powerful attacks from Hypno and Blaziken, its condition was easily the worst among Ash’s team.
“Let’s head to the restaurant first!” Delia said happily.
“Tonight we’re celebrating properly!”
“Sounds good!” Misty cheered instantly.
Ash smiled.
“You guys go ahead first.
I’ll meet you there after the Pokémon Center.”
With Pikachu resting on his shoulder, Ash quickly headed toward the Silver Conference Pokémon Center.
The moment they entered, Nurse Joy immediately recognized him.
“Ash!
Congratulations on advancing!”
“Thank you, Nurse Joy.”
After examining the team carefully, Nurse Joy recommended that Snorlax remain overnight for additional treatment and observation.
Ash agreed without hesitation.
Although Snorlax still wanted to battle, Ash had already decided not to overwork it further during the tournament.
Some victories mattered more than pushing his Pokémon recklessly.
After thanking Nurse Joy again, Ash left the Pokémon Center with Pikachu and the rest of his recovered team.
But the moment he stepped outside
He spotted Misty, Brock, and Jackson waiting nearby.
“You’re finally out,” Misty said immediately before looking toward Pikachu worriedly.
“Is Pikachu okay?”
“Pi-ka!”
Pikachu instantly puffed out its chest proudly.
Ash laughed.
“Nurse Joy said he’ll be fine after resting tonight.”
“That’s good,” Brock said with visible relief.
Then Jackson stepped forward.
Under the evening lights of Mount Silver, his expression carried genuine admiration.
“Yesterday’s battle was incredible, Ash.”
Ash extended his hand immediately.
“Your Blaziken was amazing too.”
The two Trainers shook hands firmly.
Jackson smiled.
“We’ll definitely battle again someday.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
After a brief pause, Jackson suddenly asked:
“So… have you decided where you’re traveling next?”
Ash blinked slightly.
Then nodded.
“After the Silver Conference, I’m planning to travel to the Hoenn region.”
Jackson’s eyes brightened instantly.
“Then you absolutely have to visit Professor Birch.”
Ash immediately remembered the famous Hoenn Pokémon Professor.
Professor Birch was known for personally researching Pokémon habitats in the wild instead of remaining inside a laboratory like most professors.
Jackson looked toward the distant mountains as he spoke.
“Professor Birch always says that if you truly want to understand Pokémon…”
“You need to go outside and experience the world yourself.”
“You have to see different regions.
Different habitats.
Different Pokémon.”
“That’s why I left Johto and began traveling.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“And because of that journey, I got to experience incredible things.”
“The scenery.”
“The people.”
“The Pokémon.”
“And battles like the one we had yesterday.”
Ash listened quietly.
Then he nodded sincerely.
“I’ll definitely visit him.”
“Good,” Jackson replied with a grin.
“Hoenn’s an amazing region.”
After saying goodbye to Jackson, Ash and the others finally headed toward the restaurant.
Along the way, Brock explained why they had gone looking for him earlier.
“We thought you might get lost on the way back from the Pokémon Center.”
“Hey!” Ash protested immediately.
“I’m not that bad with directions!”
Misty and Brock exchanged identical looks.
“Yes, you are.”
Ash coughed awkwardly.
Just as everyone burst into laughter
“Aaaaahhh!”
A frightened scream suddenly echoed from nearby.
Everyone immediately turned serious.
Ash reacted first.
“Over there!”
The group quickly ran toward the source of the sound.
Two young women stood near the roadside trembling in fear.
“What happened?” Brock asked quickly.
“O-Over there!” one of them stammered while pointing toward the sky.
Everyone looked upward immediately.
Misty instantly grabbed Togepi and hid behind Ash.
Several ghostly shadows drifted through the darkening sky nearby.
“What are those?” Misty asked nervously.
Brock narrowed his eyes carefully.
Ash, however, relaxed slightly.
“Don’t worry,” he said.
“They’re probably Ghost-type Pokémon.”
Then he threw a Poké Ball.
“Noctowl, help us out!”
Noctowl appeared with a graceful flap of its wings.
“Use Foresight!”
Noctowl’s eyes glowed brightly.
The illusion-like shadows immediately became clear.
Three frightened Misdreavus floated anxiously in the air.
Instead of attacking anyone, they seemed panicked and distressed.
“They’re searching for something,” Ash realized immediately.
Almost as if they understood his words, the three Misdreavus suddenly flew toward the nearby forest.
“Let’s follow them!”
The group hurried after the Ghost-types into the trees.
Soon, they discovered another Misdreavus trapped beneath a fallen branch near the edge of a slope.
The other three Pokémon circled around it anxiously.
Ash and Brock quickly moved the branch aside while Misty checked the injured Pokémon carefully.
Thankfully, the Misdreavus was only frightened and lightly bruised.
Seeing their companion rescued safely, the four Misdreavus happily floated around Ash and the others.
“Looks like they were asking for help,” Brock said warmly.
Misty sighed in relief.
“I thought they were trying to scare people.”
“Well…” Ash scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“They are Ghost-types.”
“Pika pika.”
Pikachu nodded seriously in agreement.
Everyone laughed.
Soon afterward, the four Misdreavus disappeared peacefully back into the forests of Mount Silver.
Watching them vanish into the night, Gary suddenly spoke beside Ash.
“Those Misdreavus usually live much deeper in Mount Silver.”
“They probably wandered closer because of the tournament crowds.”
Ash glanced toward him curiously.
“You really know a lot about Pokémon habitats.”
Gary smirked slightly.
“That’s different from your kind of knowledge.”
Ash lightly punched his shoulder.
“You really never stop showing off.”
Gary chuckled quietly.
To outsiders, the two of them always looked like rivals constantly competing.
But in reality
They understood each other better than almost anyone else.
After a brief silence, Gary suddenly spoke again.
“During my journey, I’ve seen all kinds of Pokémon evolutions.”
“Magikarp evolving into Gyarados.”
“Poliwhirl evolving into Poliwrath or Politoed.”
“Even Eevee, with all its different evolutionary paths…”
A different kind of light appeared in his eyes.
Not ambition.
Not competitiveness.
Curiosity.
Wonder.
“I want to learn more about Pokémon themselves,” Gary admitted quietly.
“I want to uncover their mysteries.”
“Their evolution.”
“Their habitats.”
“The connections between Trainers and Pokémon.”
Ash froze slightly.
Because he remembered this moment.
This was around the time Gary began moving away from pure battling and toward becoming a Pokémon researcher.
The future rival who once chased League victories above all else…
Would eventually become one of the world’s leading Pokémon researchers.
Ash smiled sincerely.
“Then you’ve already found your dream.”
Gary looked surprised.
Ash continued:
“You’d make an incredible Pokémon Professor someday.”
For a moment, Gary said nothing.
Then he laughed softly.
“You really have changed, Ash.”
After a brief pause, he turned and began walking away.
But before leaving completely
He stopped once more.
“Good luck tomorrow.”
Then, with his hands in his pockets, Gary disappeared down the road beneath the evening lights.
Ash watched quietly.
Traveling wasn’t only about battles.
Or winning tournaments.
It was about the people you met.
The Pokémon you encountered.
And the dreams everyone discovered along the way.
The next day
The Silver Conference semifinal venue was already overflowing long before the battle even began.
After defeating Jackson in the quarterfinals, Ash had become the center of attention for the entire tournament.
Many spectators now considered him one of the favorites to win the Silver Conference itself.
Especially after the tactical brilliance he displayed during yesterday’s battle.
The audience had noticed something important:
Ash preserved his Pokémon carefully.
He controlled the pace of battles instead of relying purely on reckless offense.
That level of strategy was extremely rare among rookie Trainers.
“The battle continues!”
The commentator’s voice thundered throughout the stadium.
“Vincent’s Venusaur is unable to battle!”
“Meanwhile, Ash still has three Pokémon remaining!”
The audience erupted loudly.
Across the battlefield, Vincent slowly recalled Venusaur.
“You did great.”
Ash exhaled slowly himself.
Even after winning, he understood how dangerous that battle had been.
Vincent truly deserved his place in the semifinals.
Especially his Venusaur.
Its powerful Solar Beam combinations and battlefield control had nearly overwhelmed Charizard entirely.
Ash recalled Charizard carefully.
“You did amazing too.
Get some rest.”
Charizard gave a tired but proud roar before returning.
Now
Only the final exchange remained.
Ash looked toward Pikachu.
This last battle belonged to him.
“You ready?”
“Pika!”
Pikachu leaped forward confidently.
Vincent threw his final Poké Ball.
“Go, Pidgeot!”
A powerful gust swept across the battlefield as Pidgeot descended from the sky.
The crowd stirred immediately.
“An Electric-type versus a Flying-type!”
“Pikachu has the type advantage but Pidgeot dominates the skies!”
The tension rose instantly.
Vincent attacked first.
“Pidgeot, use Twister!”
Pidgeot’s massive wings whipped violently, generating a spiraling tornado that surged toward Pikachu.
The sheer pressure forced Pikachu backward across the battlefield.
Then Vincent’s eyes sharpened.
“Now Aerial Ace!”
Pidgeot became surrounded by white light before diving toward Pikachu at incredible speed.
The attack was perfectly timed.
Pikachu had almost no room left to evade.
Even if it recovered afterward, it would lose momentum completely.
The audience held its breath.
And Ash’s eyes narrowed sharply.