Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Hey, shouldn't you be looking forward to seeing me too?" A lively female voice suddenly drifted over, "I've finally... managed to stand here!"

"Hey, isn't this Hua Lan's sister?" Xiao Lan looked over with a smile, and sure enough, it was the mermaid girl with orange braids.

"Xiaoxia, have you gotten eight badges yet?"

"Yes, I got it!" The girl's response to Ash's question was incredibly firm, with a hint of pride in it.

Otherwise... I wouldn't feel qualified to be in front of you!

"That's good. Fight without regrets." Ash smiled and extended his hand.

"I... will try my best!" Xiaoxia clasped her hands together, her cheeks flushed, and she made up her mind.

Having worked so hard for so long, and finally standing here, she was determined to fulfill the remaining promises no matter what!

At this moment, Xiaoxia had completely forgotten about the bet to make Xiaozhi apologize; all she could think about now was one thing…

They've made it to the quarterfinals of the tournament!

...

Meanwhile, as Ash and his friends reunited and chatted, a girl who had come from afar was anxiously searching behind the crowd on the other side.

"Ash, where are you...?"

"Cheers~"

The girl nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, while the Pokémon she was holding, which looked like a baby, waved its little hand as if trying to comfort her.

The Olympic flame is about to be delivered, followed by the opening ceremony of the conference, and then registration will close. It will be too late then!

"Don't worry, he might have been delayed by something, but he definitely won't miss it in the end."

Accompanying the girl was an exceptionally beautiful woman with eyes so large they seemed inhuman. She had been specially invited and had been waiting here for several days.

Compared to the genuine out-of-town girl beside her, this young lady from Johto clearly understands Ash's special significance to the two leagues.

That's the trainer who directly defeated the Rockets' boss! Not only would no one in the league allow him to be absent, but the tournament could even be rescheduled for him!

"The Olympic flame is here!" Just as the girl was feeling anxious and uncertain, while the girl next to her was confident, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.

In an instant, everyone's gaze was drawn to the end of the road.

The runner, holding aloft a blazing torch and accompanied by his equally enthusiastic Pokémon partner, gradually came into view!

Chapter 191 Dama Lanqi, with Unexpected People...!

Passing the torch is undoubtedly the most important ceremony before the Pokémon League Conference begins.

Especially in the four regions of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, where relations are relatively close, the organizing committee of the tournament travels to various places every year to ensure that the torch can be properly delivered to the venue before the opening of the tournament.

"The flame of the Indigo League seems to be taken from Moltres, right?" Looking at the burning torch in the hands of the runners in the distance, Gary said with emotion, "It should be much more powerful than the flame of a normal Pokémon, but it's a pity I didn't have the chance to experience it up close."

"If you want to experience it up close, why don't you try to catch a Moltres... but be careful, or it might burn all your feathers off!" Little Blue teased from the side.

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute," Xiao Mao retorted indignantly.

"Actually, it's not like there's no chance," Xiao Zhi said with a smile. "You can just apply to become a runner. The organizing committee won't refuse you. They also hope that more people can participate in the torch relay ceremony."

“That’s right.” At this moment, a sprightly old man squeezed through the crowd to the side of everyone, with a kind and warm smile on his face.

“The more people participate in a ceremony like the torch relay, the more meaningful it becomes. Trainers like you, who are young and promising, should participate even more.”

"President Damalangqi!" *5

"Pika pika!"

Upon seeing the old man approach, the five friends who had joined up with Ash immediately greeted him politely, and Pikachu also raised its little paw at the same time.

Trainers who want to participate in the League Tournament must do their basic homework, especially getting to know the person in front of them who plays a pivotal role in the tournament.

Damaranchi, the chairman of the Pokémon League Executive Committee in charge of managing the sacred flame and the permanent head of the Pokémon League Conference, is considered by many children to be the greatest person in the Pokémon League.

"Haha, hello there." The old man responded with a smile, then leaned towards Xiaozhi with a kind expression, "Child, I've wanted to see you for a long time. I've often heard about the hard work you've put into the League this past year."

"When it comes to giving, I can't even come close to a fraction of what you've given," Xiao Zhi immediately shook his head modestly.

This wasn't just polite talk; the old man before him absolutely deserved the respect of everyone in the alliance.

Like Ooki and Kikuko, Damaranchi is definitely one of the most senior members of the Alliance. He should have had a higher position, but he has always been in charge of the Alliance Conference, working tirelessly for decades, which is why the Alliance Conference is so successful today.

Even during the Rockets' covert operations in Kanto and Johto, the old man was definitely a behind-the-scenes hero supporting the league.

If Ash solved the Pokémon problem by traveling around to capture Pokémon and improve the quality of the Elite Four's Pokémon holdings, then Damaranchi has been solving the problem of finding talented trainers.

Team Rocket is making moves at the gym level, gradually eroding the League's promotion system from within. In response, Damaranchi asked the League to increase the number of second-tier gyms to ensure sufficient participants for the tournament.

At the same time, he was the one who first proposed the Pokémon Test format, with the aim of giving more trainers the opportunity to participate in the tournament.

In the years of fierce competition with the Rockets, the league's core strength has indeed been lacking, but the number of trainers participating in the conference has been increasing year by year. This year's Indigo League even had nearly three hundred people!

While the old man couldn't guarantee the quality, his efforts in ensuring the quantity were impeccable. Without his hard work, the league's current situation would only be worse!

"Please don't say that. I just enjoy doing this... just like you~" The old man waved his hand and gave Xiaozhi a knowing smile.

From that smile, Xiaozhi saw faith.

Damaran never organized the tournament for profit; he genuinely loved the cause and sincerely hoped that more trainers could showcase their talents at the tournament, which is why he worked so selflessly.

In his eyes, and in the eyes of many high-ranking members of the league today, Ash is also a person with faith.

Starting from Mt. Tsukimi, Ash's dad withheld many of Ash's rewards. Some people may not understand why he would do this to his son.

But this is precisely where Ash's wisdom lies. His position, combined with Ash's power, is enough to control almost all of the League's resources, so why would he bother with that little reward?

Conversely, if Ash continues to fight crime and even selflessly help the League against Team Rocket despite having his rewards withheld, then the higher-ups will finally be able to confirm that he is a true trainer with a strong sense of justice!

It was just a small test, but it won over many people, and made many others think that this child, who kept complaining but kept giving, was really cute.

With such strength and faith, plus Ash's father's identity as a guarantor, the League placed absolute trust in Ash, even regarding him as the League's future hope, and allowing him to hold three positions to represent the League's values!

"Alright, let's stop being so polite. You guys want to be torchbearer runners, right? Now you can just wait for the baton to be passed on." Seeing the torchbearer runners were about to arrive, Damaranchi patted Xiaozhi on the shoulder and said, "There's still a few stretches of road from here to the main venue of the tournament. You can divide up the runners and run some..."

"If that's the case, can we also become runners?" a gentle male voice suddenly interjected. "My younger brother is also very interested in the Olympic torch relay. I wonder if he could temporarily be a runner?"

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to run away, don't blame me," another boy said awkwardly with a sour face.

The two brothers who interrupted were the older one and the younger one. The older one was very polite and friendly. His younger brother looked to be the same age as Xiaozhi and the others, but his personality was very different. He gave people a feeling that strangers should not approach him.

(It's them...) Upon seeing these two 'familiar faces,' Ash's mind stirred slightly.

Are they here to attend the Alliance Conference as well?

“I am Raiji from Sinnoh Veil City, and I am a participant in this tournament; this is my younger brother Shinji, who came with me. After the tournament, we want to start a trip in Kanto.”

It really was them!

In the original manga and anime, the two brothers from Veilgate City, like Ash, traveled through the four regions of Sekijo and Toyogami at the same time. Raiji even challenged the Kanto Battle Frontier!

I never expected to run into him here...

"I see... then you can discuss it yourselves." Dama Lanqi clearly didn't want to interfere with the younger generation's negotiations. "Anyone can go and run the errand, as long as you're all happy."

"We probably only have two people running, so it'll be enough to share," Xiao Zhi said with a smile.

Xiao Mao and Xiao Xia would probably be interested in being runners, so it would be perfectly fine to have Lei Si and the others join in.

"Thank you so much." Rai smiled and extended his hand to Ash. "I've heard of you. You're the trainer who defeated Team Rocket in the news. If we have the chance, we definitely have to have a battle!"

"Great, I couldn't be happier." Ash shook hands with the other person politely and activated his Aura.

When Ash encounters characters from the story like this, he usually memorizes their aura symbols, just in case…

"What?!" But the moment the Aura Sense was activated, Ash suddenly sensed a signal that was so familiar it was almost etched into his very bones!

"Excuse me, Mr. Lei Si, President Da Ma Lan Qi, I must excuse myself." Xiao Zhi abruptly ended the small talk. "Xiao Lan, you take everyone to the athletes' village to register and check in. I have something urgent to attend to!"

"Important matter?" Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow.

"Serena's here!" Ash didn't have time to explain much and immediately left the spot.

"Salina...who is that?" Xia frowned in confusion.

The name, and Ash's attitude, made her vaguely sense a... threat.

"Who else could it be but Carlos's wife?" Xiao Lan rolled her eyes wryly.

There were so many people at this conference, quite unexpected!

"Haha, so it's a girl?" Damalanqi chuckled as he stroked his beard.

"Ash's character is indeed as solid as rumored~"

Chapter 192 Serena, The Embrace of Reunion

Serena has somehow appeared on the Quartz Plateau?

Xiao Zhi didn't have time to think about the reasons; he just wanted to see the other person as soon as possible!

Ash's own waveguide spread like a spider web as he searched for that familiar signal in the vast sea of ​​people, pushing through the crowd to get closer and closer to it.

If he wasn't worried about causing unnecessary trouble, he would have teleported away instantly!

Finally, after the torch relay runners passed by and the staff boarded buses and drove away, Xiaozhi spotted the girl he hadn't seen for years in the crowd on the other side!