September 14.
Jubilife Pokémon Theme Park.
Red and Blue had gone back the day before yesterday, as had Elesa and Valerie.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock had also boarded a train to continue their journey.
They still had Gyms to challenge and Pokémon Contests to enter as they worked toward their ultimate goals.
Learning that Li Wei planned to enter this year's Lily of the Valley Conference had fired Ash up even more.
Blue had even devoted an entire afternoon to giving Ash special training.
He had mainly tailored the training to Ash's current weaknesses.
What were Ash's weaknesses?
Every strategy ended up as a rush straight at the opponent.
That meant Ash struggled with slow Pokémon, such as his cannon-fodder turtle.
Besides teaching Ash Tailwind strategies to further consolidate his strengths,
Blue had also made him focus on practicing defensive counterattacks.
Defensive counterattacks came with plenty of requirements, too: how to take a hit, how to minimize damage while looking for an opening to strike back...
Ash had plenty to learn, one step at a time.
With Li Wei competing this year, Ash had no chance of winning the championship.
But Blue's requirement for Ash was this:
Whether he reached the quarterfinals, the semifinals, or finished as runner-up, the only person he was allowed to lose to was Li Wei.
As for the straightforward Heavy Room strategy, they could forget it. It did not suit Ash.
Ash's greatest strengths were his bonds with his Pokémon and his conviction, using that conviction to achieve the impossible.
So helping Ash strengthen his Pokémon was the right approach.
With his bonds already guaranteeing explosive bursts of power, maximizing his team's strength was what mattered most.
"If you want a proper battle with Li Wei, or even to reach the finals, you need to