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Ash also observed the other tournament results. In addition to their group successfully advancing, Giselle from earlier had also progressed in the same manner as Ash and the others.
However, it was worth noting that the Pokémon Academy students who had come to participate alongside Giselle had seen more than half their number eliminated in just the first round.
They had originally been dissatisfied with what they perceived as Ash's contempt, but now they were too embarrassed to face anyone. Many of them had already packed their belongings and left in disgrace.
Those who did advance hadn't performed well, barely scraping through their matches. At this rate, just as Ash had predicted, they wouldn't even reach the elimination rounds.
Giselle looked at her classmates and began to feel fortunate. Not long after Ash had left the academy, she had also departed to travel and train on her own.
This time, she had relied on the Badges she'd personally collected to qualify for the competition. Her classmates, however, had nothing to fall back on, and no one could help them in this situation.
The impressive performances of Ash and the others had attracted widespread attention. They were all young trainers under the age of twelve, and nearly all of them were participating in an Alliance Conference for the first time.
Only then did many people realize that a group of prodigies had emerged this year—and among these exceptional trainers, three of them hailed from Pallet Town.
"That's wonderful! Everyone advanced!"
That evening, after returning to the Pokémon Center, Ash handed Kingler over to Nurse Joy for care. Then they headed to the restaurant together for dinner, and Yellow spoke with a smile.
"Yeah! But with fewer contestants remaining, it'll be easier to get matched against people we know."
Hearing this, Brock also chimed in. He couldn't be entirely happy yet. Advancing meant it would be more likely they'd face familiar faces.
"True! Although it'll happen eventually, I still hope everyone can achieve good results!" Misty added.
Tap, tap, tap!
The group was chatting when suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed. A group of people walked in, immediately drawing attention. Several of them instinctively looked up.
Leading the group was Giselle, surrounded by a cluster of boys. However, compared to before, these boys weren't nearly as high-spirited—they all looked rather dejected.
"Hey! Isn't that the 'Top of the Class'?" When she saw them approaching, Misty suddenly called out.
Giselle, who hadn't initially noticed Ash and his group, frowned slightly when she heard the comment. She looked over and spotted them.
While Giselle herself seemed fine, the people around her didn't look pleased at all.
"Don't call me that. My name is Giselle." Ever since Ash had appeared, she hadn't liked others using that title.
What had once been a compliment now felt like mockery since Ash had shown up.
"Oh? I thought you rich students would enjoy being called that. Oh... why are there so few of you? Don't tell me they were all eliminated?"
After hearing her response, Misty addressed them with deliberate sweetness. In truth, she'd already known those people had been eliminated—she was simply mocking them on purpose.
"How dare you!"
"Don't push it!"
After hearing Misty's taunts, the others around Giselle gritted their teeth in anger. They were already embarrassed and holding back their frustration.
Hearing Misty's mockery now, they unconsciously clenched their fists with menacing expressions and slowly moved closer.
Although many had been eliminated, quite a few remained. They surrounded Ash's group all at once, creating an intimidating scene. Yellow, who had never experienced such a confrontation, began to worry.
"Wait, what are you doing? Stop this!"
When Giselle saw what was happening, she frowned and spoke quickly.
However, these people were too angry to listen to Giselle's words—they were determined to teach Ash and his friends a lesson.
"What do you think you're doing?"
At that moment, a voice rang out as Gary approached with a group of girls.
Gary, who had been bringing his companions over for dinner, immediately came over upon seeing the situation.
Although he and Ash constantly bickered, he would never stand by and watch Ash get bullied by others.
"If you want to mess with our Pallet Town trainers, we won't just stand by and watch!" At that moment, a female voice sounded from the other direction.
The speaker was none other than Green, accompanied by Silver, who hadn't left after watching the matches.
Ash was slightly surprised to see him, and Silver's eyes held a complicated expression when he looked at Ash. However, he quickly masked it and turned a cold gaze toward the Pokémon Academy students.
The situation suddenly shifted. The expressions of the Pokémon Academy group changed when they saw this—it wasn't just Ash anymore, but Gary and Green as well.
They were all trainers who had performed exceptionally well in this tournament. Although this wasn't a Pokémon battle, the numerical advantage had suddenly disappeared.
"Alright, there's no need to pay attention to them." Ash also stood up and spoke, walking over to Green and Gary.
Although Misty had been the one to start the provocation, Ash still had to protect her. After all, he'd been somewhat annoyed with these people from the beginning.
Hearing Ash's words, the Pokémon Academy students frowned slightly, feeling as though they'd been insulted.
"Trying to run away?"
"Don't think too highly of yourselves. When the conference ends and you leave here, you won't always have backup. I have no interest in fighting with you anyway."
Ash shrugged slightly and responded nonchalantly.
"Why should we listen to you?" After hearing Ash's words, the Pokémon Academy students responded defiantly.
"You don't even understand the rules of the Alliance Conference, and you call yourselves honor students? Ha!" Ash smiled mockingly.
"What did you say?!"
"Ash is right. During the Alliance Tournament, trainers are prohibited from any form of conflict, including Pokémon battles—which also violates the rules."
"Additionally, the Alliance is extremely strict about these matters. If it happens, you'll be immediately disqualified from the competition and may even be banned from participating in future competitions for life. In serious cases, you could be stripped of your Trainer license entirely!"
At that moment, Ritchie walked in from the crowd carrying a dinner tray. Ritchie had a gentler and calmer personality and wouldn't act so impulsively.
However, he still stood on Ash's side. He believed that regardless of what happened, issues should be settled on the battlefield. While Misty had been taunting them, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Ash protecting his companions.
Moreover, if there hadn't been prior grievances, he believed Misty wouldn't have provoked them so easily.