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The moment the sound that was extremely familiar to all Trainers rang out, every Trainer present showed surprised and serious expressions on their faces.
They were surprised because they hadn't expected this Trainer to actually capture the legendary Pokemon Moltres. They were serious because Ash was also a contestant.
In other words, all of them might face Ash in battle, and he could use Moltres against them.
Witnessing this scene made many Trainers feel uneasy.
Whoosh!
The Poke Ball disappeared from Ash's hand, obviously teleported back to Professor Oak's Laboratory. Chairman Goodshow looked at this scene and said with a smile.
"Congratulations, Ash!"
"Thank you, Chairman!" Ash responded.
"That's amazing! You actually captured Moltres!" The Trainer who had just protected Pikachu also stepped forward at that moment.
Ash looked at him carefully and felt strangely familiar when he saw him.
He wore a yellow and blue cap, had brown hair, and wore green short sleeves with green pants.
Among all the Trainers present, there were few who weren't worried about Ash capturing Moltres. Yet this person came to congratulate and praise him instead.
"It's nothing special. I just want to thank you for saving Pikachu earlier. My name is Ash." Ash responded and extended his hand.
"You're welcome. It was just an instinctive reaction. My name is Ritchie. Nice to meet you!" The other person introduced himself and extended his hand as well.
After hearing this, Ash thought to himself that he'd been right. Just by looking at his outfit, he'd felt familiar, so he'd taken the initiative to introduce himself to confirm who the other person was.
Ritchie was an early rival from the series. At the same time, he was also a character created based on Red from the games. You could tell from the name.
Of course, in reality, his strength hadn't reached Red's level. According to the plot of the series, that match had been the source of much frustration.
Originally, it had been a close battle, but in the end, because Ash couldn't control Charizard at the time, he'd regrettably lost the match. But now, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Green and Gary also came over quickly. Green and Ritchie both congratulated Ash on capturing Moltres.
Gary, on the other hand, acted the same as always, saying that Ash was just lucky and didn't seem to care much. But he was clearly a little envious.
Chairman Goodshow looked at the young people before him and smiled unconsciously. He turned around and announced that the opening ceremony would continue.
Soon, the Trainers stood back in their lines, and Chairman Goodshow walked up to the platform to give his speech. The format was standard—he'd been giving these speeches for decades.
After reminiscing about past conferences, he finally delivered his closing remarks.
"Well, I now officially announce that the Pokemon League Indigo Plateau Conference is open!"
"Trainers, please return to the Pokemon Center and wait for the match schedule and competition times!"
Chairman Goodshow announced the official start of the competition, and the atmosphere among the audience instantly became enthusiastic. At the same time, the sound of fireworks exploding in the sky continued to ring out.
Ash also followed most of the others and left the venue, but it was obvious that the Trainers around him were looking at him with fear and seriousness.
Ash didn't pay much attention. He'd shown his ability to capture Pokemon, and he hadn't stayed hidden or run away.
During his journey, Ash had first been captured by Team Rocket while protecting Moltres, then helped the legendary bird escape in Celadon City. Finally, he'd been recognized here.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he'd risked his life for it. He ignored their stares and left the venue to meet up with Misty and the others, then returned to the Pokemon Center.
"Moltres! Oh, Moltres!"
At that moment, at Professor Oak's Laboratory in Pallet Town, Professor Oak was already waving his hands impatiently. The smile on his face was just like Brock's when he saw a beautiful woman.
Watching the live TV broadcast, he'd seen that Ash had captured Moltres, and he knew Moltres had been teleported over. He was so excited that he couldn't focus on the broadcast anymore, and the matches hadn't even started yet.
At that moment, he couldn't wait to examine the legendary Pokemon. Although the transmission speed was very fast, every second felt like an eternity.
Ding!
"A new Pokemon has been teleported!" The mechanical voice soon sounded, and Professor Oak's eyes lit up. He quickly walked to the teleporter.
Seeing the Poke Ball appearing with sparks around it, Professor Oak's expression grew excited. He carefully grabbed the Poke Ball with both hands.
"This is indeed the Poke Ball with Moltres inside. Just holding it makes the temperature rise." Professor Oak said excitedly, and then he couldn't wait to open the Poke Ball.
With a flash, the figure Professor Oak expected appeared before him. Standing nearby, he felt sweat forming all over his body. Those sharp eyes and burning flames all captured Professor Oak's attention.
"This is Moltres. It truly is a legendary Pokemon—powerful and magnificent."
As he spoke, Professor Oak reached out his hand and tried to touch it like Ash had done.
But he saw Moltres's eyes flash slightly as Professor Oak's hand made contact.
"Ahhh! It's so hot! It seems I haven't been approved by Moltres yet!"
In an instant, Professor Oak's pained cry echoed throughout the Laboratory. The Pokemon outside unconsciously looked toward the house. Professor Oak cried out while clutching his burned hand.
Indigo Plateau
On the other side, Ash returned to the Pokemon Center and went to the registration desk to ask Nurse Joy about the next match schedule and his opponent.
"The match schedule will be posted soon! Just look at the screen here!"
Nurse Joy spoke politely. Ash looked at the screen, and Misty and the others were also curious about Ash's opponent.
Although it was just the beginning and there were still many contestants, Misty and Brock both hoped it would be best to avoid Green and Gary at the start.
Even though they were also competing rivals, they were good friends, and it was best for all of them to get good results.
Ash didn't care much. His opponent could be anyone.