The Silver Conference this year... has been reformed.
"Didn't you watch the news? They just announced the rules a couple of days ago. The champion of this year's Silver Conference will qualify for the pre-selection tournament of the Eight Great Masters."
"Eight Great Masters qualification tournament!" Ash exclaimed, "What is that?"
Gary: ...
You don't even know what the qualification tournament for the Eight Great Masters is, so why are you surprised?
"But you know about the Eight Great Masters tournament, right?"
"Of course!"
"It's been half a year since the last Eight Great Masters tournament. The next one, which is this current one, is also currently being prepared. The location is still in the Galar Region, because Leon, the winner of the last Eight Great Masters, belongs there, and for a venue advantage, it's naturally chosen to be held in the Galar Region again."
"This year's Eight Great Masters tournament is preliminarily set for eight months from now, meaning that one month after the Quartz Conference ends, the Eight Great Masters tournament will take place. During this month, the qualification tournament for the Eight Great Masters will be held."
Gary explained to Ash in detail, almost like a mother hen.
The qualification tournament for the Eight Great Masters is meant to select the participants for the main event. Currently, there are seven major leagues worldwide: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and the Alola League.
Among them, both Kanto and the Alola League don't have Champions. The Alola League doesn't even have positions for the Elite Four, but they do have Trainers comparable to the Elite Four, except their titles aren't Elite but Island Master.
In reality, the Island Masters of the Alola Region are equivalent to the Elite Four of other regions, only they have different titles.
However, the Alola Region ultimately does not have a Champion, so it doesn't qualify for the Eight Great Masters tournament.
That's right, to qualify for the Eight Great Masters tournament, you have to be a Champion!
As long as you're a Champion of a League Region, you can directly participate in the Eight Great Masters World Championship.
There are eight slots for the World Championship, and currently, there are only five Champions across the seven regions, which means the remaining three slots will be determined by other tournaments or rules.
The League is planning a nationwide level ball tournament, but the short preparation time of over half a year is not enough, so this plan will be left for the next Eight Great Masters tournament. The slots for this year's tournament will be determined by pre-selection.
The qualification for participating in the pre-selection comes from two criteria. One is being part of the Elite Four of each region; only by becoming an Elite do you qualify for the pre-selection.
The other is being the champion of the Silver Conference!
If you become the Silver Conference champion, you can also qualify for the pre-selection, which means the competition at this year's Silver Conference will be particularly fierce!
Although for some powerful Trainers, this is not the only way to qualify for the Eight Great Masters pre-selection; some people have the qualifications to challenge the Elite Four. If you defeat the Elite, you can also qualify.
But what's the chance of defeating an Elite?
Let alone becoming a Champion; you have to defeat every opponent. Just because you can't win now doesn't mean you won't win in the future. Securing a participation slot is what's most important.
Compared to defeating the Elite, the chance of standing out in the Silver Conference is naturally greater.
So either way, this year's Silver Conference is estimated to be a battle of titans...
"There's such a thing?!" Ash exclaimed in shock.
Even with reforms in the Quartz Conference, the Silver Conference is also changed. What is happening these past two years? Why are such significant competitions like the League Conference experiencing frequent changes?
However, these changes are actually good for Ash; if not for the Silver Conference changes, Ash wouldn't know how to participate in this year's Eight Great Masters tournament. Even though becoming an Elite also grants pre-selection qualifications, the prerequisite to challenging an Elite requires you to be the Silver Conference champion.
As for his challenge slot for the Quartz Conference, if not used instantly, it expires the next day; there's no retention. So to challenge an Elite, he still has to take the route of becoming a League Conference champion.
But back to the point, with Ash's connections, challenging an Elite might not require winning a championship.
In any case, the reform of the Silver Conference greatly impacts the level of competition. Previously, the tournaments might have seen the presence of Elite-level contenders, but with all the changes now... hidden Champion Trainers might emerge.
Because winning the championship gives you a pre-selection slot, simpler than challenging the Elite. Simpler not only in terms of challenge difficulty but also in the hassle involved.
Initiating an Elite battle is quite tedious; from proposing to the official bout might take ten days to half a month, with numerous procedures to go through. So, for the vast majority, becoming the Silver Conference champion seems more practical.
Whether Ash is lucky or unlucky, at least Ash feels his luck is good.
If it were another Trainer who debuted for half a year and heard the news of the Silver Conference reforms, they would think the sky is falling; how to compete!
But for Ash, it's just a bit more challenging, making it more exciting for him, and it conveniently gives him a chance to get a pre-selection slot, so why not?
"Apart from the conference modifications, there might be other subtle changes affecting Gym Leaders in all regions. The specific policy hasn't been released yet, probably need to wait... I guess maybe Gym Badges from other regions can be used in the Silver Conference, likely changing that rule."
"No way! If that's the case, how many people will be participating in the Silver Conference?" Ash widened his eyes in disbelief.
If Gym Badges from other regions can be used, what's the difference from turning it into a global League Conference?
Plus, with enticing rewards, the number of participants breaking a thousand might be just a blink. Collecting eight badges is indeed challenging, but there are hundreds of participants in the Quartz Conference. Changing the rules to this extent for the Silver Conference means hitting a thousand would be unsurprising.
With so many participants, not to mention how long the competition will be, managing such an event is incredibly challenging. Even Ash can foresee this—can't the League do the same?
"The number of participants might reach a historic high, and it's said that all regions' Elite Four and Champions, even Gym Leaders, will be coming to help maintain order. The Silver Conference venue is already being expanded and might be two to three times bigger than now."
Ash looked at Gary strangely and asked, "Where do you get all this insider information? The front part about the Silver Conference reform is fine, but aren't the latter parts just something you made up?"
Gary rolled his eyes, replying snarkily, "You're the one making stuff up. This is intelligence from my grandpa, Professor Oak, you know nothing!"
Upon hearing this, Ash was enlightened. It was intelligence from Professor Oak, so it's not surprising. Among the people they know, the closest connection to League information is Professor Oak.
"Even Lance, with such significant matters, didn't even tell us~"
"He's Johto League Champion, so he must keep some reforms of the Silver Conference confidential. Not everything can be disclosed just because you have a good relationship; not everyone is like my grandpa!"
"Alright then... since the Silver Conference is reforming like this, I'll have to push harder! Try to raise at least six Elite-level Pokemon before the conference starts!" Ash waved his fist with determination.
Gary remained silent beside him, not refuting Ash because, if it's Ash, he can indeed achieve it...