Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

We can't expect her, as the mother, to personally knock her son unconscious, can we?

Putting aside whether it's even possible, the scene would be just too bizarre.

She rubbed her temples, placed the teacup back on the table, and it made a soft clinking sound.

Forget it, children and grandchildren have their own destinies, there's no use in her worrying now.

And who knows, maybe one day my silly son will suddenly become smart?

Although Hanako herself had a big question mark in her mind about the probability of this "maybe".

.......

In the following days, with the great Hanako in charge, the area around the conference was calm and peaceful.

Even the feeling of being spied on from who-knows-where has diminished considerably.

Nemo also disappeared. I heard that she was dragged over to the conference again and used as an example to be criticized and educated.

As for whether she listened or not—at least in the past few days, the trainers around the tournament haven't heard of any more attacks.

The days passed peacefully and uneventfully.

Ash trains as usual every day, and occasionally he and Brock go for a stroll around the tournament area during the day to try local delicacies and check out the temporary Pokémon supply stalls.

In the evening, Hanako would cook a table full of delicious dishes and wait for them to come back.

After that lunch, Ahong kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Xiaozhi.

Although they still exchange greetings and communicate during matches, they can even chat about tactics after a couple of encounters.

But as soon as it's mealtime, this guy disappears without a trace, and you can't even contact him by sending messages, which makes Xiaozhi sigh, "Ahong is really hardworking in his training, he doesn't even eat."

The day the main competition begins.

Just past eight o'clock, the plaza outside the main venue of the Quartz Conference was already bustling with people.

The morning light spilled up from behind the eastern ridgeline, bathing the entire massive oval building in a warm golden glow.

Huge flags hung on the outer wall of the venue, their red and white colors fluttering in the breeze.

The flag features the tournament's emblem and the words "Indigo League Pokémon Tournament".

The audience members who had already taken their seats chatted in twos and threes, guessing the winners of this competition.

The air was filled with a buzzing sound of excitement and anticipation.

Holding the tickets she'd gotten from her teacher, Hanako led Takeshi, Kasumi, and Lillie through the crowd.

The group bypassed the crowds in the main passage and climbed the steps from a relatively quiet entrance on the side.

The view from there is unobstructed; it's the VIP area directly facing the central arena, with spacious and comfortable seats that offer a panoramic view of the entire arena.

The group had just found seats in the VIP area and sat down.

Before I could even get comfortable in the chair, a loud and cheerful voice came from the direction of the steps.

"Oh dear, am I not late?"

Several people turned around at the same time.

Professor Oak, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, was wearing a white lab coat and striding towards us.

His gray hair was slightly disheveled by the morning breeze, but the smile on his face was exceptionally bright.

"Professor Oak?!"

Xiaoxia was the first to stand up and speak.

"Hello, Doctor."

Xiao Gang then took out the dessert he had recently created through an innovative experiment.

Professor Oak's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over, grabbed a piece, and popped it into his mouth.

He mumbled "Hmm, not bad, not bad" in a vague manner, but his eyes darted back and forth across the venue.

"Dr., what brings you here?"

Lillie, standing to the side, widened her eyes in surprise.

"Dr. Kukui said you were still reviewing his thesis..."

"Oh? You are—"

Professor Oak turned his gaze back and looked down at Lillie for two seconds.

"...I remember you were Kukui's assistant, weren't you?"

He nodded.

"Hmm, becoming an assistant at such a young age, not bad, not bad at all, truly a promising young man!"

"You've gone too far!"

Upon hearing this, Lillie bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle, appearing somewhat flattered.

After all, she never expected that a junior like herself, who had only recently entered the field, would be remembered by such an academic giant.

For a moment, I was so nervous that I didn't even know where to put my hands.

Of course, when Professor Oak talks about being young and accomplished, it depends on who you compare him to.

He's certainly very skilled compared to the average person, but compared to his son, Satoshi...

snort!

How can a mere Alola region A-rank card compare to his maxed-out E5 S-rank card!

Professor Oak waved his hand, signaling Lillie to relax.

"As for Dr. Kukui's dissertation that you mentioned..."

"I've already read it all in advance, and it's definitely substantial."

"As for the remaining formalities, I think it's perfectly fine to loosen the rules a bit!"

After all, compared to what Hanako said about the three Chis appearing together here, taking revenge on Kukui... oh no, he meant interrogating Kukui, that's nothing at all!

Don't even come near Kukui!

Professor Oak looked around again, searching for Ash.

"By the way, where's Ash? Has he made an appearance yet?"

Not yet~

Hanako, the only one among them who seemed relaxed, held up her Pokédex while recording a video of Ash's father and replied.

"It's not time to start yet~"

"Oh, I see."

........

Time passed by, second by second.

More and more people gathered in the stands, and the noise grew louder and louder.

Colorful flags were waved in the hands of the audience, and occasionally someone would blow a horn, producing a short and cheerful sound.

Nine o'clock sharp.

"boom--!"

The sound of cannons resounded throughout the venue.

Twelve colorful smoke bombs rose into the air from launchers around the venue, exploding into twelve red and white clouds against the azure sky, slowly drifting away and reflecting on the countless faces looking up below.

Then, rousing music poured out from the speakers, with drumbeats and horns intertwining, pushing the heat and anticipation in the air to their peak.

The Quartz Convention logo lit up on the huge electronic screen at the top of the venue.

The scrolling text reads "The 29th Indigo League Pokémon Tournament - Main Event".

The conference president, Dama Lanqi, once again stepped onto the central circular podium.

He was dressed in a formal dark suit, stood in front of the microphone, cleared his throat, and held the podium firmly with both hands.

The huge screen behind him also switched to a close-up of him.

"Distinguished trainers, honored guests—"

Holding the manuscript, Dama Lanqi was about to say something random when a gust of wind swept across the field, scattering the manuscript in his hands.

"President, I'll do it!"

"Leave it to us!"

"Meow too!"

Beside them, three staff members, two tall and one short, who were very alert, immediately jumped up and tried to grab the speech manuscript that was floating in the air.

It's just a pity that the intention was good.

But after frantically scrambling around on the stage for a while, the three of them ended up not getting a single piece of paper. Instead, they performed a rather awkward impromptu dance under the watchful eyes of the entire audience.

Dama Lanqi: "........."

That's why he wants to retire!

And this is still considered a model worker!

The staff at this conference are getting worse with each generation!

He took a deep breath and waved to the three new role models who had just joined the conference preparation team, signaling them to step back.

Anyway, this is the last term I'll be in.

After composing himself, Dama Lanqi cleared his throat and pulled the microphone closer to himself.

“Since that’s the case—” he began, his voice amplified by the speakers, filling the entire Quartz Arena with a steady, resonant tone, “then I’ll cut to the chase!”

The entire room fell silent.

"I hereby declare the Indigo League Pokémon Conference officially open!"

The audience was stunned for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.