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Three days had passed since the previous battle incident. The preliminary selection rounds of the Johto League Silver Conference had concluded, and in just a single day, forty-eight competitors were chosen to advance into the qualifiers.
Delia successfully earned her place in the qualifiers as well. With an impressive record of three consecutive victories, she advanced without difficulty—and those three wins also gave her renewed confidence going into the next stages.
The next phase of the competition was the qualifiers. Contestants were divided into groups of three and fought in rotation. Each trainer could use three Pokémon, and the results were determined by a points system. In the end, only the participant with the highest score in each group would advance further.
At this stage, trainers were required to register the Pokémon they intended to use in advance. Every room in the competitors' village was equipped with a personal computer, allowing trainers to browse information on other participants and formulate counter-strategies. It was an extremely open format, full of unpredictability.
There were two qualifier matches in total. Each win earned three points, a draw earned one point, and a loss earned none. Ultimately, only sixteen trainers would pass through the qualifiers.
Later that same day, Delia faced two more opponents. With a few tense moments but no real danger, she successfully passed the qualifiers and officially entered the Top 16 of the League Conference.
Among those final sixteen, there were several familiar faces.
First was Axu, who—like Delia—advanced with a perfect win record. Axu's strength had improved tremendously over this period, so his qualification came as no surprise.
Next was Anon, whom Liam had previously faced in the Kanto League. This time as well, Anon advanced forcefully through the qualifiers and stood as one of the strongest contenders for the championship.
After that, Steven and Wallace also made it through the qualifiers. However, Winona had unfortunately been grouped with Anon earlier and failed to advance. As a result, the three young travelers who had journeyed together couldn't help but feel somewhat downcast.
Lastly, there was one more familiar figure—though Liam himself didn't know him personally. It was Fang, the trainer who had lost to Delia in the finals of the Whirl Cup. This time, Fang also advanced successfully into the later stages of the competition.
Once the Top 16 had been determined, the massive screen at the venue displayed the upcoming match order. Delia's first match would be against Fang—the same opponent she had defeated once before.
From the Top 16 onward, battles shifted to full 6-on-6 matches. That evening, Liam and Delia sat together in their room, discussing which six Pokémon she would use the next day.
Delia currently had seven Pokémon with her. Excluding Cleffa, who was being looked after by Aunt Fumiko—one Pokémon would inevitably be left out of the lineup.
"Back during the Whirl Cup, I fought Fang before. At the time, he mainly used two Water-type Pokémon—Kingler and Crawdaunt. Later, I also saw him bring out Blaziken and Lairon. As for the rest, I'm not sure."
Delia sat beside Liam as he searched up Fang's data on the computer. She hugged one of his arms, her eyes filled with fighting spirit as she spoke.
"Mm. If Fang's lineup is still like that, then your chances are pretty high. Still, we can't let our guard down—it's been quite a long time since then."
Liam studied Fang's records. He noticed that in the previous rounds, Fang had only used Blaziken, Kingler, and Crawdaunt—yet still made it into the Top 16 using just those three Pokémon. His strength was undeniably impressive, which made Liam feel a bit concerned.
"Mm! I'll definitely be careful! Now hurry up—let's register the Pokémon I'll be using!"
Hearing Liam's concern, Delia nodded quickly, then snatched the mouse from his hand. She opened her registration page and swiftly entered the Pokémon she planned to send out the next day.
"Ah! Done~ Hehe~ When I think about battling in front of so many people tomorrow… I do feel a little nervous~"
After finishing her registration, Delia clasped her hands in front of her chest, imagining the battles to come, her eyes shimmering.
The next day arrived, and the Johto League Silver Conference officially began. The blazing sacred flame of Ho-Oh burned atop the massive torch tower, while countless spectators filled the stands, waiting eagerly.
Delia versus Fang was scheduled as the third match of the day, meaning there were two matches before hers.
The first match was Wallace versus Anon.
Wallace attacked with obvious anger, launching fierce assaults with his Pokémon—Whiscash, Corsola, Tentacruel, Starmie, Seaking, and Marshtomp—one after another, giving Anon no small amount of trouble.
But it was only trouble.
Anon used only Espeon and Xatu—Pokémon seen before—along with two unseen ones, Lanturn and Bellossom, to defeat all six of Wallace's Pokémon and advance cleanly into the Top 8.
After his loss, Wallace looked dejected. Without saying much, he left the arena to tend to his Pokémon.
The next match featured two unfamiliar young trainers. Both appeared quite young, and their battle was well-fought on both sides. In the end, a boy named Kong advanced into the Top 8.
At that moment, the stadium speakers announced the start of the next match. Sitting in the spectator stands near the competitors' lounge, Liam watched as Delia strode confidently onto the field.
The battlefield for this conference was a massive modular arena capable of rearranging itself. On the big screen, the final terrain selection spun rapidly—the pointer paused briefly on Water Field and Rock Field.
That meant Delia and Fang's match would take place on a combined Water-and-Rock battlefield.
Rumble—!
As the field was confirmed, the central arena began shifting. In less than half a minute, it transformed into a landscape of jagged rocks interwoven with flowing waterways.
"It's been a long time, Miss Delia! I didn't expect we'd meet again here. To be honest, I'm very happy. I've grown much stronger than before—so you'd better be careful! To reclaim my honor, I won't be holding back at all!"
Once the field was ready, Delia and Fang stepped onto their respective command platforms. Seeing Delia, Fang suddenly called out loudly.
"Don't worry! I'll give it everything I've got too—no need for mercy! You're not the only one who's grown stronger. I'll show you what I can really do!"
Delia replied just as boldly, her expression filled with anticipation.
"Both sides are ready! The computer will now randomly decide who sends out their Pokémon first!"
The referee beside the field raised the red and green flags and looked toward the big screen, announcing the imminent start of the battle.
Ding!
A chime rang out from the screen as the decision was made.
"Selection complete! Trainer Delia, please send out your first Pokémon!"
The computer had randomly chosen Delia to move first—placing her at a disadvantage by giving her opponent the chance to counter-pick.
But Delia didn't seem bothered at all. Instead, she looked excited as she pulled out a PokeBall, stepped back with her right leg, and hurled it forward with force!
"Alright! In that case, I won't hold back either! Go, Aipom! Let's begin our battle!"
"Wooo! Oo-bah!!"