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Ash was stunned by Gengar's military pledge, not understanding how it suddenly related to Primeape. However, since Gengar said so, Ash knew he wouldn't lie, at least not about something this important.
Ash naturally trusted him unconditionally and declared, "Take it, then. I'll thank you on Primeape's behalf first!"
"You really trust me, huh? Aren't you afraid I'll keep this thing for myself? Also, do you know what this means for Ghost-type Pokémon?" Gengar asked Ash, looking surprised by his quick agreement.
"No, but you're my Pokémon. How could I not trust you?" This time, it was Ash who looked puzzled, as if to say, 'Gengar, what nonsense are you spouting?' How could he not trust his own Pokémon?
"Heh, you're still so naive. But trusting me is indeed the right choice. For Ghost-type Pokémon, this item can increase energy absorption efficiency by at least fifty percent, boost move speed, and even improve potential after complete absorption. It's definitely a God Domain Level item for Ghost-type Pokémon."
Gengar stopped beating around the bush and straightforwardly explained the black dumbbell's effects to Ash. Dr. Oak, standing nearby, couldn't help but roll his eyes.
If he had known Gengar knew so much, he would have just given the item directly to Gengar earlier instead of wasting time researching it.
After much research, he had only discovered that the black dumbbell had a boosting and training effect on Ghost-type Pokémon, as well as enhancing Ghost-type damage. Even he hadn't figured out the rest.
After all, the research time was a bit short. As long as he roughly determined that it had a positive effect on Ghost-type Pokémon, that was good enough. He could then have a Ghost-type Pokémon carry it and continue the research to uncover all its effects.
As for whether it had boosting effects on other types of Pokémon, Dr. Oak had already investigated this. This item was only useful for Ghost-type Pokémon; other types couldn't even benefit from its Ghost-type boosting effect.
So, while this item was a divine artifact for Ghost-type Pokémon, it was trash for other types of Pokémon.
"Let me make this clear to you. After using this item, if things go well and Primeape can evolve as you said, then it's quite worth it. But if things don't go well..."
Gengar paused, then slowly said under everyone's gaze, "Then the result will be a huge loss. Primeape will at most only gain a Ghost typing, and nothing else. Compared to the cost of losing this item, it's absolutely not worth it!"
"So, after hearing these effects, do you still plan to develop a Ghost-type for Primeape to evolve? You should know that whether it succeeds or not, this item will eventually disappear. If you don't use it, and let Primeape try it on its own, it's at least a zero-cost experiment. If you use this item, then it's a huge gamble."
Gengar had made it very clear: using it was a gamble. This item was a true divine artifact for Ghost-type Pokémon. Ash had a Ghost-type Pokémon, himself, whose strength was even at the peak of an Elite!
If he were to carry this item, not only might the time to reach Champion-level be shortened, but he might even be able to contend with Champion-level Pokémon without actually reaching that level, showing the immense boost this item would give him.
But if Ash chose to use it, whether successful or not, this item would eventually disappear. Primeape's evolution held more strategic significance than practical. If he evolved, he would be the first Primeape in history to evolve, and not a temporary evolution like MEGA Evolution, but a permanent one!
Success would indeed be worth it; failure… as Gengar said, would be a huge loss.
Ash had another option: to let Primeape continue to rely on himself, condensing Ghost-type energy on his own, though the time it would take was unknown. The benefit was that the cost would be almost zero.
If there was a cost, it would be Primeape's own time and the potential delay in his strength improvement, indirectly affecting Primeape's future achievements... Would Ash choose to gamble with a precious item, or sacrifice Primeape's time and talent?
The answer was obvious: "Use it!"
Ash's answer was just one word, but that single word was enough to show his determination. He would never sacrifice a Pokémon for something else.
No matter how precious the item was, or how much help it could give him, he always prioritized the future of his Pokémon.
Even if Primeape truly couldn't evolve due to the rules of heaven and earth, so what?
Having an additional Ghost typing would also be quite beneficial for Primeape! How could that not be considered an investment?
If Gengar needed this item more, Ash would also give it to Gengar without hesitation. However, Gengar never showed any covetousness for the item from beginning to end.
Gengar chuckled, shaking his upper body in response to Ash's answer: "You really are a foolish Trainer... Of course, I'm also a foolish ghost. With such a good item in front of me, the first thing I thought of wasn't to devour it, but to give it to my disciple. It's quite amusing."
"Hoo-cha? Hoo-cha hoo-cha!!" Disciple? When did I become your disciple!!
Gengar's expression of righteous generosity froze, then he angrily retorted, "Hey! You ungrateful monkey?! I've been working hard to train you all this time, how are you not my apprentice?! I personally cultivated the Ghost-type energy within you!"
"Hoo-cha hoo-cha!" That's my talent! You're just a companion, and companions helping each other is only natural!
"Damn it, who taught you that mouth?! Ash, was it you?!" Gengar was so angry that a vein popped on his head.
This monkey was truly infuriating, and his way with words, he learned from who knows where, was truly something else!
Ash waved his hands repeatedly upon hearing this: "Don't blame me, it has nothing to do with me. I only taught Primeape how to train, not how to talk, okay?"
"Hehe, monkeys are usually a bit mischievous. Primeape was very playful even when he was a Mankey; otherwise, Ash wouldn't have met him," Brock said with a laugh.
When he was still a Mankey, he mischievously snatched Ash's hat, and it was precisely because of this that the two formed this bond, and Ash caught the Mankey that evolved into Primeape.
After his momentary anger, Gengar eventually couldn't help but laugh. There was no actual anger, of course; he wasn't so petty as to get angry over such a small matter. Instead, this scene filled him with genuine warmth.
Such moments of playful teasing and laughter were something he hadn't experienced many times in a thousand years. This made Gengar sigh, "It's truly wonderful to have come to Ash's side."
Ash's appearance ended his boring ghost life and brought salvation to his existence.
Mewtwo, inside its Poké Ball, couldn't help but show a knowing smile at this scene. This kind of atmosphere was something that Team Rockets might never experience in their lives.
Amidst the laughter, Gengar led Primeape away from the scene. He was going to prepare for the item fusion process for Primeape. Ash was also called along by Gengar. With Ash and Mewtwo, both God Domain Level, the fusion process would be much smoother, and the success rate could almost reach one hundred percent.
This was also why Gengar said failure was impossible. The only possible 'failure' would be if, after successful fusion, Primeape still didn't evolve. Other than that, there would be no other possibility of failure.
The worst outcome would simply be the loss of that black dumbbell item... Time flew by, and three days passed in a flash. During these three days, Ash re-entered the public eye.
Either he didn't appear, or when he did, he made a sensational splash. After a long absence, Ash immediately took down two colossal Pokémon. Although the full extent of their strength wasn't completely revealed, a glimpse was enough to show that their power was absolutely extraordinary.
Ash defeated them effortlessly, making it hard to imagine what level he had reached now. More importantly, the Pokémon that fought those two was one they had never seen before.
Not only had it not appeared among the Pokémon Ash had previously sent out, but it had also never been seen in the real world. Even the most knowledgeable people had no information about Mewtwo.
Some professors even called Dr. Oak to ask if Ash's Pokémon was a new species. Dr. Oak skillfully dodged the questions, knowing that the less people knew about Mewtwo's origin and power, the better.
Regardless of whether those professors' curiosity was well-intentioned or otherwise, information about Mewtwo still could not be disclosed to them.
Ash's mysterious Pokémon was one aspect; another was that Ash's growth had already begun to instill fear in many people.
Based on the performance of those two giant Pokémon, they were at least Elite Level, possibly even higher than high-level Elite. And Ash could now instantly defeat high-level Elite Pokémon!
How old was he? He was only fifteen! Who the hell is this abnormal at fifteen?
According to Ash's record, he hadn't even trained Pokémon before his journey; he was a genuine rookie Trainer. His total training time up to now was only half a year.
From ancient times to the present, there had never been such a monstrous Trainer. Neither Leon nor Cynthia, in terms of talent, were anywhere near Ash.
Especially Cynthia, who was currently the youngest Champion. Although her overall strength couldn't compare to Leon's, in terms of comprehensive strength, she was even considered the second-best in the world.
And she was only twenty years old this year. She was hailed as a genius Champion, and surpassing Leon was only a matter of time—that's what the news reports said. As for the actual gap between her and Leon, only Cynthia herself knew.
In short, Leon was famous for his battle prowess, while Cynthia was famous for her talent. Of course, Cynthia's battle prowess was also excellent, but it wasn't as outstanding compared to her talent.
A Champion at eighteen years old was previously considered unprecedented, but now, it seemed a successor had already appeared... With Ash's talent, he might even become a Champion before he was eighteen, and Ash hadn't even trained Pokémon before starting his journey. His talent was significantly greater than Cynthia's.
Most people already believed that the Champion title of this Indigo Plateau Conference was Ash's for the taking. After all, this was just a rookie conference, and participating Trainers had no more than two years of experience.
Under such restrictions, you, by some miracle, possess Pokémon capable of instantly defeating Elite-level Pokémon. Who can possibly compete with you?!
However, going to Dragon Island didn't require becoming the Champion; securing second or third place would suffice. While the first place might be out of reach, everyone still felt they had hope for second or third, as long as they didn't encounter the anomaly that was Ash midway through.
And today, the Indigo Plateau Conference officially began. Yesterday, the Indigo Plateau Conference had already gone through the sacred flame relay, completing the transfer of the holy fire. Today was the day to ignite the sacred flame and officially start the Indigo Plateau Conference!
The sacred flame here refers to the flame of Moltres. As a Legendary Pokémon, Moltres's flame itself holds significant prestige.
To speak of a flame stronger than Moltres's, that would naturally be Ho-Oh's flame. Unfortunately, the League couldn't obtain such a thing... After all, Ho-Oh hadn't appeared in the public eye for hundreds of years. To obtain Ho-Oh's flame, it would be more realistic to obtain Entei's flame. However, Ho-Oh's exclusive flame currently resided with Charizard.
The Indigo Plateau Stadium was packed. Dr. Oak, Delia, Blaine, and others had all come to watch the opening ceremony. After all, this was Ash's and Gary's first official League Conference, so cheering them on was a must.
Tickets for the Indigo Plateau Conference were naturally hard to come by, but who was Dr. Oak? Getting tickets was easy for him.
Moreover, Ash and Gary were both contestants and had inner-field tickets, so they didn't need to compete with the people outside.
As the stands filled with people, the League Chairman, Mr. Charles Goodshow, arrived. The host picked up the microphone and announced, "Now, the Kanto League Indigo Plateau Conference Opening Ceremony officially begins! All contestants, please enter the arena!"
In the spacious arena, contestants from all directions entered. Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, and Gary were in two separate teams, Ash's Pikachu making him particularly noticeable.
Although it was their first time participating in a League Conference, neither showed any signs of stage fright. They walked with their heads held high and confident strides, following their respective teams. The sheer confidence they exuded was enough to make one feel that they were no ordinary Trainers.
"Ash, go for it!!" Chloe, sitting next to Misty, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
As Ash's childhood friend, how could she not come to such an important match for him?
Even Professor Cerise's family came, as Ash was someone they had watched grow up and who had helped them a great deal.
Ash, on the field, heard Chloe's voice amidst the clamor. He looked up, smiled at Chloe, and gave a thumbs-up. Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, made the same gesture.
After all the contestants had entered, the sacred flame runner carried the sacred flame towards the conference's ignition platform. However, Ash keenly noticed that the two people welcoming the sacred flame on the platform seemed to have some issues...