Using the ability to transmit information via Aura, Ash successfully transferred Aura training and manipulation techniques directly into Korrina's mind.
Afterward, he used the same method to transmit the information to Gurkinn as well.
It took about five minutes for the two of them to fully absorb the vast amount of information.
When they opened their eyes, they were filled with astonishment; they hadn't realized that Aura was capable of such things—it was truly amazing.
"Thanks, Ash! I feel like both my Lucario and I will be making rapid progress before long!" Korrina said excitedly, pumping her fist in the air.
"Then I look forward to our next battle; my Lucario and I will keep improving, too!" Ash replied with a smile.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Ash said his goodbyes and left; after all, he still had to take Serena to the Azalea Gym and find Mr. White (Kurt)—he was a busy man.
"Go on, then! We might not see each other again until the Silver Conference." Korrina waved at Ash, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Although their time together had been brief, she felt very comfortable with Ash—both because of his personality and the way they interacted—which was why she was reluctant to see him go.
"You're going to participate in the Silver Conference, too?" Ash didn't notice the reluctance in Korrina's eyes; he was focused entirely on the key point she had raised.
According to what she said, she was actually planning to participate in the Silver Conference too?
"Of course! It's the Silver Conference—a grand event for Trainers from all over the world! Plus, the Silver Conference has another name now: the prelude to the World Coronation Series! How could I possibly miss a tournament like that?" Korrina replied, nodding her head enthusiastically.
Due to a change in the rules for this year's Silver Conference, countless Gym Leaders were coming to compete alongside ordinary Trainers.
Even Gym Leaders harbored dreams of becoming one of the Masters Eight!
Unlike regular Trainers, Gym Leaders didn't need to collect badges to enter; they could participate directly—one of the perks of being a Gym Leader.
Consequently, the number of Gym Leaders participating in the Silver Conference was expected to be staggering.
After all, this tournament determined who would secure a spot in the World Coronation Series. Aside from becoming a member of the Elite Four, participating in this tournament was the only other way to qualify for the World Coronation Series—which is precisely why it was dubbed the "prelude" to the main event.
The prelude, the qualifiers, and the main tournament—these three stages made up the complete World Coronation Series process.
"I see. Well then, I look forward to seeing you at the Silver Conference, Korrina!"
"Mm-hmm!"
The two clasped hands and, in perfect unison, flashed brilliant smiles at each other.
Standing behind Korrina and observing her behavior, Gurkinn wore a thoughtful expression. It seemed this young man really appealed to Korrina.
Although Korrina was usually boisterous and outgoing, it was actually quite difficult for anyone to truly get close to her inner self.
Yet, after spending just half a day together, she seemed to have already opened her heart to Ash. He was truly an amazing young man.
...
After saying goodbye to Korrina, Ash and his friends headed toward the next Gym—the one in...
Azalea Gym.
The Azalea Gym is a native institution of Azalea Town. Its Gym Leader is a young man—even younger than Falkner—who specializes in Bug-type Pokémon.
In terms of sheer difficulty, this Gym is far easier than the one in Violet City.
While age isn't the definitive yardstick for a Trainer's skill, older Gym Leaders generally possess more experience; an anomaly like Ash—who achieved so much at such a young age—is a once-in-a-millennium occurrence.
Furthermore, before inheriting the Gym, Bugsy reportedly spent his time as a "Bug Catcher."
That's right—the very same kind of dime-a-dozen Bug Catchers Ash frequently encountered when he first set out on his journey.
Had his father not called him back to take over the Gym, Bugsy would likely still be out there living the carefree life of a Bug Catcher.
As it stands, Bugsy's father has gone off on a journey of his own, leaving Bugsy to hold down the fort at the Gym all by himself.
Upon learning this, Ash and Misty immediately shot a peculiar look at Brock.
This wasn't the first time they'd encountered a Gym Leader like this; it seemed every Gym Leader was just like Brock's parents—leaving a few Pokémon and some basic instruction to their child, then taking off on their own travels under the guise of "fostering their child's growth."
Take Korrina, for instance: although Gurkinn had her serve as Gym Leader to gain experience, he stayed close to offer guidance and even stepped in to help shoulder the burden when things got tough.
That is what proper training looks like. Parents like Brock's, on the other hand, were simply shirking their responsibilities...
...and just wanted to go off and have fun.
Ash had once assumed that Gym Leaders like Brock's parents were the exception, but after seeing more of the world, he realized that "there isn't just one Murkrow in the world"—meaning, of course, that such irresponsible types are far from rare.
After completing the standard formalities at the Azalea Gym, Serena stepped up to battle Bugsy.
Since she already held one Gym Badge, the difficulty of the challenge was ramped up a notch.
Generally speaking, novice Trainers usually face Pokémon ranging from the Intermediate to Advanced tiers; however, if the challenger already holds a Gym Badge, the Gym Leader will deploy Pokémon ranging from the Advanced tier up to the Peak Advanced tier.
Furthermore, this was a three-on-three battle; the Pokémon Bugsy sent out were Butterfree, Beedrill, and Scyther.
Both Butterfree and Beedrill were at the Advanced tier, while Scyther had reached the Peak Advanced tier.
This level of strength posed quite a challenge for Serena, especially since she only had two Pokémon: Braixen and a Rhyhorn she had caught before arriving in Azalea Town.
It was surprising, really—Serena, who appeared so gentle and delicate, had managed to completely tame the fierce-tempered Rhyhorn.
When Serena first caught that Intermediate-tier Rhyhorn, Ash had worried she might struggle to train it, but it turned out his concerns were entirely unfounded.
In less than a day, she and the Rhyhorn had established a strong rapport. The speed at which she bonded with such a Pokémon clearly demonstrated that she possessed her own unique techniques.
Ash later learned that before setting out on her journey, Serena had spent her time helping her mother care for the family's Rhyhorns; her mother was a competitor in Rhyhorn races.
Although Ash and the others had never heard of such a competition, the name alone made the nature of the event obvious. It was no wonder Serena knew exactly how to handle Rhyhorns—she had practically grown up among them.
Serena had initially worried that Ash might think her unrefined, but aside from expressing admiration and amazement, he showed no other reaction.
This put her mind at ease. After all, this was Ash—how could he possibly think of her as unrefined just because of her experience with Pokémon?
In the end, she had simply been worrying over nothing. Despite having only two Pokémon, Serena chose to accept the challenge, relying on the training experience she had gained under Ash and her long-standing familiarity with Rhyhorn.
Serena successfully used her Rhyhorn to defeat both Butterfree and Beedrill, though it was subsequently taken down in a single strike by Scyther.
Next came the final showdown: Braixen versus Scyther.
Even though Serena possessed excellent battle instincts, Scyther's speed proved difficult for Braixen to handle.
At a loss for what to do, Serena recalled Ash's penchant for unconventional tactics; she then commanded Braixen to unleash a maximum-power Fire Spin, setting the entire arena ablaze!
Ultimately, to Bugsy's utter shock, Braixen's Fire Spin took out Scyther in one go.
Ash hurriedly released his Blastoise—which he happened to have with him—to extinguish the flames engulfing the arena.
"It's over... my massive greenhouse arena..." Bugsy stared at the charred remains of the greenhouse, kneeling on the ground in a state of tearless despair.
He had built this place specifically to raise Bug-type Pokémon; the plants and trees within had required a tremendous amount of time and effort to cultivate.
And now, a single fire had destroyed it all.
This was the first time such a thing had happened since he became a Gym Leader!
He had faced Fire-type Pokémon before, but no one had ever set the entire arena on fire like Serena did. Even if flames grazed the greenery in the past, they were quickly extinguished with minimal impact on the arena itself.
But now, Serena had burned down the entire massive greenhouse—meaning he would have to build it all over again from scratch!
Bugsy silently vowed that he would never hold Gym battles inside the large greenhouse again. To hell with the "Gym atmosphere"—he was going to build an outdoor arena instead!
Serena had won—an occasion that should have been joyful—but seeing Bugsy kneeling there in a state of collapse caused her happiness to vanish, replaced instead by a sense of awkwardness.
"Umm... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that. How much would it cost to fix this place?" Serena was already bracing herself for a massive expense.
"That won't be necessary; the League will provide the funds. The real problem is that it'll take ages to fully restore everything." Bugsy shook his head as he pushed himself up from the ground where he had been kneeling.
Money wasn't the issue at all; the damage to the Gym counted as an 'on-the-job mishap,' so the League would cover the repair costs.
However, the greenery couldn't simply be restored with cash; the plants needed time to grow back gradually.
It was impossible to say how long it would take to return the place to its former state.
"It's okay, I can help." Ash's voice instantly drew Bugsy's attention.
He was no stranger to Ash; after all, the boy was a regular in the news. He often heard about Ash achieving record-breaking victories and displaying miraculous phenomena during battles.
Battling opponents far above his level was routine for him, and overcoming type disadvantages was as easy as drinking water. The Pokémon in his team were all incredibly unique, and he was hailed by the outside world as a 'supernova'—a rising monster of Kanto.
To earn such a reputation, one could only imagine the massive impact Ash had made on the world.
Yet, no matter how impressive his reputation was, it didn't seem relevant to the issue of the greenery.
Even if Ash's Pokémon were incredibly powerful, the most they could do was help plant some saplings; restoring the greenery still required time!
"Just give me a moment!" Meeting Bugsy's gaze, Ash called out and then vanished from the spot.
Bugsy's eyes widened; he pointed a trembling finger at the spot where Ash had been, his head darting back and forth as his gaze swung wildly between the group—Misty and the others—and the place where Ash had disappeared.
Even without him saying a word, everyone knew what he was thinking: How did Ash vanish? Does he have psychic powers or something?
Ash certainly didn't have psychic powers, but Mewtwo did!
Among the three—Misty, Brock, and Serena—only Serena wondered where Ash had gone, while Brock and Misty had already guessed what he was planning to do. About a minute later, Ash reappeared in his original spot, holding a standard Poké Ball.
"I choose you, Venusaur!"
With a flash of light, a massive, imposing Venusaur appeared on the field.
"I'm counting on you, Venusaur—let's bring this place back to life," Ash said to his Pokémon.
"What do you mean? Even if Venusaur is a Grass-type, isn't that asking a bit too much...?" Before Bugsy could finish his sentence, Venusaur had already extended eight vines from its body and driven them deep into the scorched earth.
The next instant, a white light illuminated the blackened ground, and the surrounding vegetation—previously reduced to charcoal—began to spring back to life!
In just two minutes, the plants in the large greenhouse were lush and thriving once more—looking even better than they had originally!
The Bug-type Pokémon, which had been utterly dejected moments ago, were now jumping for joy.
Misty instinctively hid behind Ash; she still couldn't handle those fuzzy bugs, but she had been so caught up in their earlier sadness that her usual fear response hadn't kicked in until now.
"That should do it, right, Bugsy?" Ash nodded with satisfaction as he surveyed the revitalized scene, then turned to ask Bugsy if he was pleased.
If Bugsy wanted even more lush growth, Venusaur could certainly manage that, too.
It had been a while since he'd last seen Venusaur, and the Pokémon's control over the power of life seemed to have reached a new level. Although its level hadn't increased yet, it was close; finding one's own path really accelerates growth!
"That's perfect, absolutely perfect! It's even better than before! Thank you, Ash!" Bugsy nodded furiously, like a chick pecking at grain; he was thoroughly satisfied with the state of the cultivation room!
The legendary figure lived up to his reputation—to think he could pull off something like this! He was practically capable of anything!