Chapter 238: Creating a Star Trainer!
Though Cynthia was mentally rolling her eyes, she couldn't deny that Gary's skills were impressive.
At that moment, Gary was commanding a Nidoking against Ash's Kingler.
Despite Nidoking's type disadvantage, Gary's precise strategies kept Kingler's attacks at bay with ease.
"Kingler, use Bubble Beam!" Ash shouted.
Kingler raised its massive claw and unleashed a flurry of shimmering bubbles at Nidoking.
The announcer's voice boomed with excitement: "Ash's Kingler has launched a Bubble Beam! Let's see how Gary responds!"
"Oh! Gary seems to have instructed Nidoking to tank the Bubble Beam head-on!"
"Nidoking looks like it's in pain… but it's charging at Kingler! Nidoking is using Earthquake!"
Nidoking, grimacing from the attack, suddenly stomped the ground with a savage grin. Cracks spread from beneath it like a serpent striking at its prey—heading straight for Kingler.
"Kingler, dodge it!" Ash yelled.
Kingler tried to sidestep, scuttling quickly—but before it could escape, another fissure opened, trapping it between two massive cracks.
Caught with nowhere to go, Kingler could only watch as Nidoking seized the moment. With a blast of Earth Power, Kingler was sent soaring into the air.
"Kingler!" Ash cried out.
Boom!
Kingler hit the ground hard—and didn't get back up.
"Kingler is unable to battle! Nidoking wins!" declared the referee.
"What a fantastic match! Gary skillfully used Kingler's sideways movement to trap it, then landed a decisive blow. As expected from the top favorite to win this year's Indigo Conference!"
The announcer's praise rang loud and clear, almost a little too enthusiastic.
Hearing this, Sabrina smirked. "That's some serious flattery… did the announcer get paid off?"
She made the comment half-jokingly, but her gaze darted between Asahi and Cynthia, curious about their reactions.
To her surprise, Asahi looked genuinely impressed. "How did you know the announcer works for me?"
"…Huh? You actually paid them off?" Sabrina blinked in disbelief.
She'd only been joking!
Even Cynthia raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, that's slander!" Asahi said, feigning outrage. "I didn't bribe anyone—how tacky. It's just that this year's Indigo Conference is sponsored by Silph Co., and the announcer works for their broadcasting network. I may have… casually mentioned Gary during a chat with the Silph Co. president."
"Why go through all that trouble?" Sabrina asked suspiciously.
Given how strict Asahi usually was with Gary, his sudden push to boost Gary's reputation felt… off.
After being tricked by Asahi more than once, Sabrina was now wary of everything he did.
"You're thinking something bad about me right now, aren't you?" Asahi shot her a look.
Sabrina quickly averted her gaze.
With a chuckle, Asahi finally explained, "Don't you think, as the Kanto Division grows, we're missing a standout trainer—someone who can lead besides me?"
Sabrina almost asked, Aren't I good enough?
But she bit her tongue. Past experience taught her that questioning Asahi usually led to embarrassment.
Cynthia, however, was thoughtful. "…Are you trying to create a star trainer like in the Galar League?"
As a Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia was familiar with every region's unique systems.
Galar, under Chairman Rose and the Macro Cosmos Corporation, had heavily commercialized its League—introducing Dynamax battles, promoting star gym leaders, and even crowning the so-called "unbeatable champion," Leon.
It wasn't hard for Cynthia to connect the dots.
"That's the idea," Asahi admitted. "Though this is just a small experiment."
The pressures of being a gym leader were no longer enough to push Gary forward, so Asahi planned to turn him into the "face" of Kanto's International Police Division. The spotlight would add extra pressure—and hopefully, make Gary stronger.
Surely, Gary would thank him later.
As they chatted, the second round of the battle escalated.
Since Ash and Gary were long-time rivals, their Pokémon were already going all out.
The furious back-and-forth brawls had the announcer practically shouting: "Incredible! This feels like a championship-level battle!"
"To think we're witnessing such an intense showdown in the round of 16… it's a shame that only one of these talented trainers will make it to the quarterfinals!"
The crowd roared, adrenaline surging through the stadium.
Amid the deafening cheers, Nidoking charged Charizard, its Thunder Punch crackling with electricity.
But even though the blow landed squarely on Charizard's head, the fiery dragon didn't collapse.
Charizard's face twisted in pain—but the memory of past defeats against Nidoking flashed in its eyes, igniting a fierce, defiant flame.
Seizing the brief moment of surprise, Charizard retaliated—firing a devastating Flamethrower at point-blank range.
The blast struck Nidoking head-on, sending it flying over ten meters, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
Yet Charizard, though victorious, wobbled from the force of the explosion's shockwave, collapsing onto the battlefield right after.
For a brief moment, both Pokémon lay unmoving.
The referee stared at them, preparing to declare a double knockout…
But then—Charizard, covered in burns and bruises, forced itself back onto its feet.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Sabrina glanced at Asahi. "Was this… part of your plan too?"
But Asahi still wore a calm smile.
"Didn't I say I wanted a star trainer?"
"…You didn't specify it had to be Gary, did you?"
"Exactly. If Ash wins, making him the face of Kanto works just as well."
As soon as Asahi finished speaking, Charizard — who had just been standing tall, basking in the crowd's cheers — suddenly swayed.
Its body trembled for a moment before collapsing heavily to the ground.
....
To read an advance 160+ chapters before public release
And
Support me at [email protected]/NahinS77