Fishing Tournament

The afternoon's battles came to an end.

Wally's attitude toward Baimu had shifted from admiration to reverence.

They were both novice Trainers who had only just set out, yet Baimu was far ahead of him, whether in battle experience or in knowing how to pace himself.

At dinner,

Wally called him "Baimu" with such warmth that he had never even shown Ash the same affection back then.

Now that Wally had begun raising Pokémon himself, he understood it was much harder than it sounded. Traveling alone had also taught him the importance of treating people well.

Still, Wally had one advantage: he knew far more than most people his age. Having traveled once before, he had a wealth of Pokémon knowledge, and some of what he said was news even to Baimu.

That certainly deserved praise.

"So Ash is one of your idols too?"

Baimu sipped his grape juice.

"Yes! I want to become a Trainer as tenacious as Ash!" Wally nodded vigorously.

Wally might not have been able to say that to Ash's face, but he thought extremely highly of him in private. After all, he had seen everything Ash had done.

Ash's tournament results might not have been ideal, but the Ash of the Advanced Generation had conquered the Battle Frontier!

He had even defeated two Sub-Legendary Pokémon, and his battle with Articuno had made Charizard more popular than ever.

"Huh..."

Baimu gave no clear response.

At ten, Wally was still innocent enough to share anything once he trusted someone. That included his feelings about Ash, who had left such a deep mark on his life.

"One day, I'll have a Pokémon battle with Ash!"

Wally declared it proudly, then grinned. "Of course, I'll have to get stronger first. As I am now, I wouldn't stand a chance