Since participating in the Quartz Conference, Ash hadn't encountered any Gym Level opponents, though none of his opponents could really be considered weak. The trainers participating in the Quartz Conference were all quite skilled.
But compared to Ash himself, the difference was significant. His main Pokémon hardly needed to compete, and even if they did, they couldn't exert their full strength.
If he hadn't picked up Chimchar later on and used those opponents as a whetstone for it, the earlier matches would have been quite dull.
Even so, Ash's main Pokémon didn't have any opportunity to appear. If Ash had used his main Pokémon in all-out battles before, then Ah Hong from yesterday was the best example of how that would've gone.
That's why Ash was so excited to face Conway in tomorrow's match; it was the thrill of meeting a strong opponent!
As for Conway himself... let's not even go there, talking about it just brings tears.jpg.
Some rejoice while others worry, that's the match-making mechanism of the Quartz Conference. Being strong doesn't necessarily guarantee good rankings, and being weak doesn't mean you'll be eliminated immediately, as long as your matchup luck is good.
Just like Gary, his luck in drawing opponents was impeccable. He either faced rivals of equal strength or those slightly stronger. During battles, he was able to break through his limits, defeat his opponents, and improve himself.
In this Quartz Conference, Gary's progress was significant. As for Ash, his main Pokémon didn't improve much, but the secondary team showed notable progress.
In this match, Gary's drawn opponent was still around the same level, and the match was scheduled as the third one tomorrow, while Ash's match with Conway was the first, as the opening match!
The opening match featuring two hot contenders for the championship spread like wildfire across the entire Quartz Plateau.
The top sixteen matches required additional tickets, as did the quarter-finals, semi-finals, etc., but you could choose to buy individual session tickets or a full pass to watch all the matches.
There were even those who bought tickets for the first session and then refused to leave the venue. Although it's hard to manage such people, as long as they didn't obstruct others' seats, the administrators turned a blind eye.
Therefore, tickets for the first match were always more expensive, and coincidentally, this match was Ash's opening battle with a not-so-weak opponent, making the tickets for this match sell out explosively!
Countless people scrambled to grab tickets for the first match of the quarter-finals! Even standing tickets sold out completely! Scalpers made a fortune!
Moreover, even the scalpers wanted to watch the first match of the top sixteen, pushing ticket prices to astronomical heights!
Even if you found a scalper, getting a ticket for this match wasn't guaranteed. If you couldn't get one, you'd have to watch the big screen outside the Quartz Arena.
Unless you had connections.jpg.
...
At nine o'clock the next morning, the entire Quartz Arena was packed, with no room even for standing!
It was a sea of people pushing against each other, and the excitement of this match was definitely among the top three in the Quartz Conference. The only matches that could compare in terms of excitement were those where Ash faced either Gary or Paul.
One was Ash's childhood friend from Pallet Town, and the other was one of the biggest contenders for the championship, second only to Ash in fame.
Their strengths were not yet clear, as no one had forced Paul to go all out, similar to Ash.
Thus, the explosive popularity of this match was inevitable.
"Next up is the top sixteen match of the Quartz Conference!"
"This match will be a full six-on-six battle, allowing trainers to maximize their skills! And the two competitors in this match aren't strangers to anyone. One is Conway from the Sinnoh Region's Snowpoint Town. Interestingly, Snowpoint Town is also the hometown of the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia!"
"And the other competitor is someone everyone is well-acquainted with - from Pallet Town, it's Ash!!"
Under the host's warm-up, the audience erupted into a frenzied cheer, the deafening roar akin to a tidal wave echoing through the stadium, causing the whole venue to tremble slightly with the explosive cheers.
Seeing such a great warm-up effect, the host nodded in satisfaction and continued, "So far, Ash has not had a single Pokémon lose combat capability. Can Conway break Ash's undefeated record?"
Like Ash, Conway is a trainer who often switches out his Pokémon during battles, unlike Paul, who sticks with one all the way through.
However, Ash switches his Pokémon to ensure they get ample training, whereas Conway switches his for strategic tactics.
Another difference is that Ash's Pokémon, even with constant switching, haven't lost a single battle. The most intense battle was when Monferno evolved, but even then, Ash managed a thrilling victory, and Monferno didn't lose fighting capability, though it was nearly exhausted.
In contrast, Conway has had more than one Pokémon lose fighting capability, but he still emerged victorious in the end.