Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

Chapter 504 Pre-Battle Special Training? Several People Gathered Together

Ash's declaration echoed in Darkrope's ears.

He shook his head slightly, his gaze towards Ash filled with an undisguised disappointment, but also a sense of relief.

"I thought that you, who were able to subdue Darkrai, would be someone like me."

Dacto's voice returned to its previous calmness, but the meaning it contained was completely different.

"That makes sense. When I was your age, I was also full of naive fantasies. That's why I encountered so many obstacles and setbacks on my path to catching legendary Pokémon."

He sighed softly, as if lamenting his past and feeling sorry for Xiaozhi's choice.

"In that case, I wish you all the best. After all, I'm also very curious whether anyone can really defeat my Darkrai with a regular Pokémon."

After saying that, Darko stopped looking at Ash and ignored the reactions of the others around him.

He gave a slight nod to Darkrai beside him, and the dark figure seemed to merge into the air, silently disappearing back into Darkrai's shadow.

Darko turned around, calmly walked through the crowd, and left the Pokémon Center.

With Dakdo's departure, the suffocating sense of oppression dissipated.

The atmosphere at the scene was still somewhat tense, but Ash was completely unaffected by Darkrai's words.

He simply walked calmly up to Miss Joy and took the Pokédex that had just been registered.

"You should go to the hotel and rest for a while. I'll be back soon."

Ash looked back at his companions with a worried expression and spoke to them before leaving the venue alone and heading towards the backyard of the Pokémon Center.

After watching Ash leave, the group quietly left the noisy hall and headed towards their pre-booked accommodation.

The streets of Lily of the Valley were still bustling with people, filled with the excitement of the upcoming competition, but this liveliness could not dispel the heaviness in everyone's hearts.

As she walked, Serena kept her head down, seemingly deep in thought.

She didn't have a deep understanding of Pokémon battles, and she wasn't entirely able to comprehend the heated exchange between Ash and Darkrai.

Finally, she couldn't help but walk up to Hikari and ask, "Are the legendary Pokémon really that powerful?"

Serena's tone was full of confusion.

She didn't quite understand the difference between ordinary Pokémon and legendary Pokémon, and naturally couldn't understand why Ash's declaration had caused such a huge reaction.

"Huh? This..." Xiao Guang was speechless for a moment.

Having witnessed Ash's Darkrai battle firsthand, Dawn naturally had an understanding of the power of legendary Pokémon.

But when asked to explain that power in detail, she found it difficult to describe.

"Well, um..."

Just as Xiaoguang was struggling to organize his thoughts, Kaoping, who had been silently following behind, pushed up his glasses and took the initiative to explain:

"It might be more intuitive to describe it using specific numbers."

As a trainer specializing in tactics, Koppin can explain it much more easily.

"Assuming Ash's Pikachu can be rated as a 10 in overall combat strength..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd from behind his glasses.

"Then a legendary Pokémon like Darkrai has a base combat power of at least 40, and possibly even 50 or more."

The contrast between these numbers was so stark that Serena instantly understood the terrifying gap between them.

“Under normal circumstances, to defeat a legendary Pokémon commanded by a trainer, even with a type advantage, it often requires the sacrifice of four or five, or even the entire main force.” Koping’s tone was very serious as he looked at Serena.

"Even after paying such a heavy price, being able to defeat a legendary Pokémon is already something to be thankful for. So Ash's words just now can be said to have pushed him into a fire."

"Not even Pikachu...?"

Serena had heard Ash introduce his Pokémon on the show CD. Ash also made no secret of the fact that Pikachu was his ace Pokémon. But Serena didn't expect that even so, the difference between Pikachu and Darkrai would be so huge.

Kaoping ruthlessly shattered her illusions.

"Pikachu's potential is already limited, and it's difficult to break through it because the strength of Electric-type Pokémon largely depends on the amount of electricity it can store, and Pikachu's current capacity is not enough to allow it to compete with Legendary Pokémon."

Kaoping shook his head.

"Unless it's a top-tier Pokémon like Garchomp or Tyranitar, there might still be a sliver of a chance."

Serena was completely speechless, her eyes filled with worry.

"Then... won't it be very difficult for Ash to win this Lily of the Valley Conference?"

She murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly.

Silence fell once again.

Even Ah Xun, who is usually loud and confident in Xiao Zhi, frowned deeply and, unusually, did not refute Ko Ping's words.

The oppressive aura emanating from Darkrai and his Darkrai, along with Corpin's cold data analysis, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

In the midst of this silence, Xiao Guang suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with determination.

"No, I believe in Xiaozhi."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear.

"He never says anything he's not sure of." Xiao Guang looked at everyone, his tone filled with unwavering trust.

"Since he said he would challenge Darkrai with ordinary Pokémon, he must have his reasons and confidence!"

Xiao Gang nodded silently in agreement.

He looked in the direction Ash had gone and spoke slowly, his voice steady:

"That's right, I also believe in Ash. Besides, Ash isn't without a chance of winning against Darkrai."

Faced with the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Xiao Gang rested his chin on his hand, as if he was trying to recall something.

"Although we didn't witness the specific process of Ash catching Darkrai..."

"But according to Ash himself..."

Xiao Gang paused, as if confirming the authenticity of that memory.

"Back when he tamed the wild Darkrai on Iron Isle..."

"He only sent out one Pokémon to fight it, but the outcome was not completely decided, and the two sides fought to a draw."

Before everyone could even breathe a sigh of relief, Brock continued, "But that was against a wild Darkrai without a trainer's guidance. The situation then was completely different from now. Since Darkrai was able to capture a legendary Pokémon, it already means that Darkrai's command ability as a trainer is also top-notch. Pokémon with a trainer's guidance and Pokémon without a trainer's guidance can perform completely differently in battle."

Xiao Gang's gaze swept over everyone. "So it's still hard to say which side the scales of the battle will tip in right now."

......

Just when everyone was worried about the battle between Ash and Darkrai.

the other side.

The backyard of the Pokémon Center on Lily of the Valley is completely different from the bustling activity in the front.

Here, the trees provide ample shade, a gentle breeze rustles through the leaves, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the foliage, casting dappled patterns of light.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth, and everything seemed peaceful and serene.

Ash led Pikachu slowly into the forest, seemingly searching for something.

Not far away, Xiao Zhi spotted that familiar figure.

Shinji leaned against a thick tree, his hands in his pockets, his head down.

His purple hair obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

However, at this moment, he seemed to be enveloped in an aura that was even colder than usual.

"Yo, Shinji." Ash greeted him first, as usual.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu called out in response.

Shinji slowly raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping over, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Hmph, how boring."

His voice carried its usual indifference, but the sarcasm within it was particularly evident.

"They actually made such a stupid bet with that kind of guy."

When Shinji turned to leave, he simply blended into the crowd. He didn't leave the Pokémon Center directly, but instead took a detour and returned to the scene, using the crowd to conceal himself, and listened to Ash and Darkrai's conversation.

Ash shrugged dismissively, his expression still carrying his usual confidence.

How will you know the result if you don't try?

He gently patted the Poké Ball at his waist.

"Besides, I already have enough stakes on me, so one more won't make a difference."

Shinji's eyes flickered slightly.

He certainly knew what Xiaozhi was referring to.

It's that little Chimchar that he abandoned back then, but now shines brightly in Ash's hands.

I remember that day, Ash also promised to let Chimchar shine at the Lily of the Valley Conference and let the world witness its grand debut.

Now everything is in place; all that's missing is a battle with him... or another powerful trainer.

As if he had thought of this, surprisingly, Shinji did not immediately retort as he usually did.

He closed his eyes, as if suppressing some emotion, or perhaps deep in thought.

A moment later, he opened his eyes again, his gaze returning to Ash.

“Darkdo’s tactics are probably best suited to using ‘black holes’ to put opponents into a sleep state, and then using ‘dream eater’ to finish them off.”

Shinji's voice remained indifferent, but the content of his words surprised both Ash and Pikachu.

"That 'Dream Eater' is very powerful. Once it hits, most Pokémon can't withstand it and will be instantly defeated. Judging from the coordination between him and Darkrai, this move combination should be their most frequently used move."

Shinji's tone was calm, but Ash could hear the hidden resentment in it.

After saying this, Shinji turned his back to Ash, leaving him with a cold and indifferent back view.

"If it were me..."

His voice came from ahead, carrying an undeniable certainty.

"Either teach Pokémon to 'sleep talk' so they can fight back while asleep, but that would put the outcome of the match entirely in the hands of luck, which I won't do."

Shinji continued, "Or bring those Pokémon that are immune to sleep."

On the surface, he was talking about his own plans, but in reality, he was giving Xiaozhi advice.

Ash was genuinely surprised that Shinji would offer him advice on how to deal with Darkrai at this crucial moment.

Shinji is somewhat different now than he was in the past.

Before Ash could figure out how to answer, Shinji, who was about to turn and leave, suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at him, calling out in a cold voice, "Hey."

Xiao Zhi: "?"

Xiao Zhi looked doubtful.

"Did you bring your Darkrai?"

Shinji, could it be that he's thinking...?

"What's wrong? Are you trying to give me pre-competition training? Isn't it a bit too early? After all, the group list won't be announced until tomorrow night," Ash joked.

"Heh, if you want to cram at the last minute, that's fine too. You always like to pull out all the stops in the middle of a match, don't you?" Shinji mocked.

"That's your prejudice. No matter who I fight, I will plan my tactics before the match. Do you want to see my tactics book? It even has methods specifically written to counter you."

Shinji: "......"

Seeing Shinji's increasingly annoyed expression, Ash knew that if he continued to talk nonsense, Shinji would definitely turn around and leave without saying a word.

"Okay, okay, wait a moment, I'll go contact the people at Professor Oak's lab first, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Ash took Pikachu and left.

Shinji stood alone in the forest, recalling his past battles with Ash and his recent fight against Darkrai.

His gaze sharpened as he muttered to himself, "Just wait and see at this year's Lily of the Valley Tournament. You two aren't the only ones aiming for the championship..."

......

For the next day or so, Ash hardly spent any time in the hotel, spending almost all his time in the wooded clearing in the backyard of the Pokémon Center.

In the beginning, it was Ash and Shinji who were doing special training.

Later, without anyone noticing, Ah Xun and Kaoping also quietly followed, saying that they also wanted to learn about the methods to conquer Dakdo, so they shamelessly squeezed in.

Xiao Guang, Serena, and Xiao Gang watched them from outside several times, wanting to remind them to rest, but in the end they all chose to give up.

It is rather strange that a few people who might meet at the conference would gather together to discuss tactics and engage in combat.

But at this moment, these people have probably already forgotten who their opponents are.

They are simply companions moving towards the same goal.

I wonder what they discussed during that short day, and whether they gained anything from it.

But in any case.

As the second night approached.

The opening ceremony of the Lily of the Valley Convention was held.

The discussion among the group finally came to an end.

All the participants of the Lily of the Valley tournament gathered together, their eyes fixed on the group information that was flashing on the big screen, searching for their respective opponents.

.......

P.S.: A huge thank you to Ning Xian'er from Shenyue City for the extra chapter! Thank you to Bei Pingchuan from Alice Island for the inspiration capsule! Thank you to the user for the Bobo Milk Tea! An extra chapter tonight!

(The next chapter, the Lily of the Valley Tournament, can finally begin...)