Chapter 301: A Master Smurfing in the Fish Pond
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
However, no one was paying attention to the Electric Mouse Pokémon that had been smashed into a pancake. Everyone's focus was on the match on the television.
Pikachu: "..."
This left the 2D Pikachu feeling somewhat awkward, unsure whether to get up or continue lying there.
Ash, however, rushed forward and anxiously started smacking the television, trying to get it to work again.
"Damn it, work!"
The situation was like you had already chopped the leek for your Farfetch'd and put it in the pot, only for someone to suddenly tell you it's a protected species and eating it will land you in prison for life. The aroma of the duck was already wafting up, and your state of mind would instantly shatter.
"BOOM!"
Because he used too much force, the television finally blew out completely. Now, not even fuzzy static remained on the screen, and sparks of electricity even jumped from the frame.
Everyone: "..."
"Next time, we should go to Professor Oak's place to watch TV. Official equipment, and if it breaks, the League will even cover the repairs."
"You get it."
Everyone was still in the room discussing the previous battle, not quite having had their fill. Not seeing the ending really took something away from it.
"Right, the Pokédex!"
Ash's eyes suddenly darted around as he had a new idea. After all, this was a match from a week ago, so the result could naturally be found online.
"Pokédex, quick, tell me what happened next!"
Soon, the Pokédex promptly provided the answer.
"Beep. Search complete. Total time taken: 7 minutes and 50 seconds. Faster than 0% of Pokédexes in the entire region. So fast!"
"Beep. The final result between The Royal Mask and Bruno is that The Royal Mask had a slight edge."
Everyone's eyes widened, the result sounding somewhat unbelievable.
You have to understand, Bruno was a powerful member of the Elite Four, whereas this Royal Mask's birthplace, an archipelago called the Alola Region, didn't even have a proper Pokémon League.
"Actually, the outcome wasn't completely decided..."
Brock suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of defensiveness and bias.
"After all, it was just a martial arts match, not an actual Pokémon battle. If they really let Machamp and Incineroar go all out, the outcome would be hard to predict.
"Even if Machamp really lost, that was just a single Pokémon's battle, so it doesn't count. If it were a real 6v6 battle, the outcome would still be hard to predict.
"Even if Bruno really lost a 6v6, it would just be a moment of carelessness. A single victory or defeat can't define a hero, so you can't say Bruno is weaker than The Royal Mask.
"Besides, beyond Pokémon battles, a Trainer's character is even more precious."
"You should know that Master Bruno often does charity work. We common folk who haven't done any charity have no right to say he lost," Brock said seriously.
Everyone: "?"
Such a double standard, one excuse after another.
"Beep. Interjecting with a piece of trivia: After this match, The Royal Mask officially issued an announcement. He intends to publicly challenge the Kanto Region's strongest, Champion Lance, at this year's Indigo League Conference."
The Pokédex suddenly interjected, and its words shocked everyone once again.
"Champion Lance... What a bold person."
After a long pause, everyone was impressed by The Royal Mask's audacity. To dare and directly challenge one of the most powerful Trainers in the world...
This wasn't the empty boasting of an incompetent; The Royal Mask seemed to have the foundation to back up his claim.
"Why do I get the feeling this person is going around challenging everyone? Does he have some kind of goal?"
Ash wondered to himself. He always felt some mysterious, metaphysical connection to this Royal Mask, as if they were destined to meet someday.
"And what he said was also very ambiguous, Ash..."
A wise light suddenly flashed in Brock's eyes, as if he had instantly thought of many possibilities. He couldn't help but pat Ash's shoulder, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
"Ash, this Masked Man said he's going to participate in the Indigo League Conference... Maybe, he'll even run into you?"
Logically speaking, The Royal Mask was actually qualified to skip the Indigo League Conference. He could directly participate in the Champion League to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion, without first having to compete with ordinary Trainers to win the tournament and earn the right to challenge.
This would mean he wouldn't cross paths with Ash.
But his statement was very ambiguous, as if he were saying...
He's going to participate in this Indigo League Conference, too?
By that logic, isn't this the equivalent of a Master-rank player smurfing in a Gold-rank lobby!?
A great enemy!
Ash's expression changed in an instant. As he considered the probability of this event, his face grew incredibly stern.
An opponent on the level of the Elite Four... even he didn't have much confidence in dealing with that.
But his face soon revealed a hint of thrilled ecstasy.
To be able to battle a powerhouse like The Royal Mask on a grand stage watched by tens of thousands... the very thought made his blood boil with excitement!
To him, the process of the battle was more important than its result!
"Knocking that guy Gary out in the semifinals, and then losing to The Royal Mask in the finals... doesn't seem like a particularly ugly outcome."
Ash had even written the script for the author.
"I've decided!"
Thinking of this, he shot to his feet, fist clenched, full of fighting spirit. The brilliant light in his eyes could rival the sun, moon, and stars.
"For this next month, I'm going to do some serious special training! A month from now, in the finals of the Indigo League Conference, I will have an all-out battle with The Royal Mask!!"
Starting tomorrow, I'll wake up at 6 AM every day!
The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get!
Seeing this, the other three were slightly taken aback. Their tiger-like bodies trembled, and they couldn't help but be impressed by Ash's soaring ambitions.
"Ash, I think you said that yesterday..."
"Trivia: He said it the day before yesterday, too."
"People who've just woken up always talk a big game."
Ash: "..."
Brock, however, was still replaying the images from the match in his mind and couldn't help but mutter:
"If only I could meet Master Bruno."
"Yeah, if I met Elite Four Bruno, I could definitely copy it more completely."
Ash nodded, agreeing with Brock's point of view.
He only learned 0.01% of Flying Press through a screen. If he saw him in person, he could definitely copy the move perfectly!
"Beep. Activating Big Data Trajectory Search function..."
Unexpectedly, this seemed to be some kind of keyword for the Pokédex, which began to operate on its own. The CPU's fan whirred to life.
After a long moment, the Pokédex once again emitted an electronic sound.
"Beep. The movement trajectory of Elite Four Bruno for the last seven days has been found. The most recent eyewitness report was from two days ago, near Miyazaki Mountain. Someone witnessed Elite Four Bruno practicing his punches..."
Everyone was slightly stunned and subconsciously asked, "Miyazaki Mountain?"
"I know, I know! Miyazaki Mountain is the one right next to our Pallet Town's back mountain. It's really close!"
Ash said, as if showing off, but after he finished, he looked at his Pokédex with a baffled expression.
For Farfetch'd's sake, this thing in my hand can actually locate a member of the Elite Four?
"Beep. This is big data statistics. High-tech. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it, so just knowing how to use it is enough. Respect."
The Pokédex spoke again.
Calling it 'big data' sounds impressive, but it's actually just 'small data.'
It just relies on analyzing a large volume of data about Elite Four Bruno from passersby on social media like P-site, Facebook, Moments, and QQ Zone, then integrating and analyzing it to derive a trajectory.
In other words, if a passerby secretly films a shirtless Bruno and posts it on P-site, the Pokédex finds the video and provides the answer.
If no one had secretly filmed him, then the Pokédex couldn't have provided an answer.
This is 'small data.'
There is another, more outrageous kind of 'big data'. For example, if Champion Lance went exploring in Celadon City, regardless of whether he was secretly filmed by a passerby, his spending records and identity markers would all be recorded.
"A resident of Blackthorn City, one Champion Lance, on Year X, Month X, Day X, received X 'special health services' in Celadon City. The technician was a No. X Azumarill, for a total cost of X yuan. He was in poor condition upon exiting, his complexion somewhat sallow."
However, privately using this kind of big data function already involves illegal activity, so to be on the safe side, the Pokédex didn't turn it on.
But.
That doesn't mean it can't.
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(end of chapter)