Chapter 60: Ash Awakens, Zhang Feng vs. Paul

The contestants who advanced to the second round were Ash, Gary, and Brock. All three representatives from the Kanto region made it through to the second round. This clearly showed that once Kanto, the Orange Islands, and the Johto region were merged, the overall strength of the Kanto region would once again surpass the other regions and become the most formidable faction!

Of course, it was also possible that the Orange Islands and the Johto region simply lacked standout rookie trainers.

As for the Hoenn region, three contestants also advanced: Maple, Tyson, and Morrison.

From the Sinnoh region, only one person made it through, and that was Paul!

As for the Unova region, Iris, Cameron, and Stephan all suffered complete defeats, which left Professor Juniper rather embarrassed.

In the second-round lottery draw, Gary received a bye, while the remaining six competitors would once again face off in three-on-three battles!

Match One: Ash from Kanto versus Tyson from Hoenn!
Match Two: Maple from Hoenn versus Paul from Sinnoh!
Match Three: Morrison from Hoenn versus Brock from Kanto!

Such a battle lineup greatly fueled Ash's fighting spirit. Tyson was the very opponent who had blocked Ash's path to the top four back at the Silver Conference!

To this day, Tyson's Blaziken remained an opponent Ash found unforgettable!

However, if Tyson were to use his primary lineup, Ash's current roster of six Pokémon was certainly no match for him.

Yet, Ash being Ash, he was unwilling to swap out his Pokémon, even though the match would take place the very next day!

When the next day arrived, the battle between the two commenced.

In the first bout, Tyson sent out Weavile, who was successfully defeated by Ash's Grovyle. However, when Steelix appeared and knocked out Grovyle, Ash sent out Corphish!

Despite the type disadvantage, Corphish was eventually crushed by Steelix.

With that, Ash was left with only his final Pokémon, and Pikachu stepped onto the field.

After a grueling battle, Pikachu managed to take down Steelix. But facing Tyson's Blaziken, Pikachu fought with everything it had and ultimately lost!

Seeing Ash defeated at his hands once again, Tyson could not help but speak up:

"Ash, to be honest, I don't understand why you insisted on only using Pokémon caught in the Hoenn region. Aren't your previous Pokémon also your partners?"

"If Charizard were here, you wouldn't necessarily have lost this match!"

Faced with Tyson's question, Ash wanted to retort, but the fact remained that he had lost.

Even Gary could not help but chime in at that moment:

"Ash, Tyson is right. If you always rely solely on Pikachu's strength and fail to choose the most suitable partner for every battle, the only reason you beat me at the Silver Conference was sheer luck!"

"Or perhaps, it's only when you fight me that you truly start taking things seriously!"

Hearing Gary's words, Ash's expression immediately shifted.

Though harsh in tone, both Tyson and Gary genuinely hoped that Ash could become stronger!

Seeing this, Maple could not help but speak up as well:

"Ash, Pokémon battling is just like this—the winner gets to make the rules. You have your battling philosophy, but we have our perspectives too."

"As your starter Pokémon, Pikachu has traveled with you everywhere. But have you ever truly trained the Pokémon resting at Professor Oak's Laboratory with all your heart?"

"What about that Pidgeot from the past? Have you ever gone back to see it?"

Upon hearing the name Pidgeot, Ash's expression changed drastically. After a long silence, he readjusted his cap, walked over to Professor Oak, and said to him:

"Professor, is there a Pokémon transfer machine here? I want to... see everyone."

Seeing Ash like this, Maple could not help but wear a faint smile.

This was the kind of Ash who would later become the battle maniac of the Battle Frontier!

Hopefully, after this experience, Ash would grow even stronger. In this brand-new Ever Grande Conference, what kind of brilliance would Ash display once more?

Maple found himself starting to look forward to it.

...

With the conclusion of the first match, the battle between Maple and Paul officially began.

Before the match started, Paul could not help but coldly say to Maple:

"I told you that guy was completely unreliable. Why waste so much breath talking to him?"

Hearing Paul speak, Maple produced a Poké Ball in his hand.

"Still, the same rule applies: the winner holds the right to speak. You can save your lectures until after you win."

With that, Maple hurled his Luxury Ball forward, and a sturdy Metang immediately materialized upon the battlefield!

Simultaneously, Paul also drew a Poké Ball, and the two threw them at the same time.

"Nidoqueen, prepare for battle!"

Paul had actually faced Brandon in the Battle Frontier, though he had failed to defeat him after several attempts.

This Nidoqueen was one of his primary powerhouses in the Hoenn region, currently at level 45, which was one level higher than the Metang in Maple's hands!

"Beep. The current stat values of Nidoqueen are as follows:"

Pokémon: Nidoqueen
Level: 45
Ability: Poison Point
Type: Poison, Ground
Potential: Purple
Bond Evolution: Unlocked
Mega Evolution: Unlocked
Moves: Megahorn, Toxic, Earth Power, Poison Jab, Mega Punch, Hyper Beam...

Nidoqueen against Metang meant a type disadvantage for Paul, but one was a fully evolved Pokémon while the other was in its second evolutionary stage. Who would emerge victorious remained to be seen!

"Nidoqueen, use Earth Power!"
"Metang, Psychic!"

As the two issued their commands simultaneously, Nidoqueen let out a fierce roar, its thick legs instantly slamming into the ground as a surge of seismic energy erupted from beneath the earth, rushing straight toward Metang from below!

At the same time, Metang's eyes turned blue, and powerful psychic energy instantly gathered, locking onto Nidoqueen.

As a Poison-type Pokémon, Nidoqueen was weak to Psychic-type attacks!

Therefore, the moment both attacks struck each other simultaneously, Nidoqueen staggered backward, letting out a roar of anger.

"Metang, do it again, Psychic!"
"Nidoqueen, hold your ground and use Megahorn!"

To be fair, Paul's Nidoqueen was indeed quite formidable. It did not fall even after taking a second Psychic attack, instead mustering all its strength to unleash Megahorn, charging straight at Metang!

However, the moment it reached Metang, Metang's Meteor Mash struck with devastating force!

"Beep. Metang defeats Nidoqueen, gaining 558 experience points. Level up! Current level: Lv. 45!"

Then, a dazzling light of evolution illuminated the entire arena once again!

"Wait a minute, are you seriously evolving again?!"