Older champions didn't need to think much about it. Even if they obtained Zapdos, it likely wouldn't help them much. As for the younger generation, Ash wasn't very familiar with all of them, but they were still people within the same circle.
First of all, Gary Oak was ruled out. Sabrina wasn't suited to Zapdos' style. Ferb Ignatius specialized in Fire-type Pokémon, so there was no point considering him. Nathan Redwood focused on a close-combat fighting style, which was similar to the style used by Ash's apprentice.
Not to mention James. He mainly enjoyed collecting and exploring, otherwise he wouldn't spend all year traveling through different regions with Jessie and Meowth. He would probably return to Kanto before long.
The remaining candidates were Shiro, Sam Blackstone, and Nathan Glacienne. These three were all suitable to raise Zapdos. Among them, Shiro's chances weren't high. After all, he clearly preferred Dragon-type Pokémon.
That left only Sam Blackstone and Nathan Glacienne. Although Nathan Glacienne mainly used Water and Ice-type Pokémon, his battle style relied heavily on calculations and analysis, so he wasn't restricted to only those types.
It was simply because the Pokémon Nathan had interacted with since childhood belonged mostly to those two types. Compared to unfamiliar Pokémon, he would naturally choose the ones he understood best, which was why his current lineup focused on Ice and Water-types.
Sam Blackstone's battle style was aggressive and overbearing. He liked forcing his opponents into direct confrontations. Thankfully, his personality wasn't bad despite his arrogance. Although he mainly used Ghost-type Pokémon, his combat style matched Zapdos extremely well.
These people all had good relationships with Ash. After all, they were members of large families and had always existed within the same social circle, even if they rarely met when they were younger. During the previous Kanto League Conference, Ash had already figured out the personalities of these younger members. Their behavior proved they were trustworthy friends.
"So only Nathan and Sam are suitable?" Sabrina asked after hearing Ash's analysis. Even after narrowing down the candidates, choosing between them was still difficult.
"Forget it. Aren't they participating in this year's Indigo Plateau Conference? I'll let Zapdos choose for itself. We'll inform them first," Ash said after thinking for a moment. He honestly didn't know who to choose either, so leaving it to fate seemed best.
Afterward, Ash took out a laptop. With his dimensional storage ability, carrying things around had become extremely convenient. He then added Nathan and Sam into a video call.
"Hmph." Seeing the video mode activate, Sabrina puffed her cheeks and lightly smacked Ash's arm before pointing toward the nearby table, signaling for him to move over there. She was still wearing pajamas and didn't want outsiders seeing her like this.
"Oh." Understanding Sabrina's meaning, Ash smiled, got out of bed, placed the laptop on the nearby table, and sat on a wooden chair so Sabrina wouldn't appear on camera.
"Ash, do you even know what time it is? Why are you calling?"
"Brother-in-law, what's going on?"
As soon as the call connected, Sam Blackstone and Nathan Glacienne appeared on the screen. Both looked as though they had just been woken up. Ash being called Nathan's brother-in-law was no longer a secret.
Moreover, Ash truly possessed overwhelming strength, and his achievements were far beyond theirs, so Nathan had long since stopped objecting to calling him brother-in-law.
"Oh? Looks like I interrupted your sleep. Then forget it. I was originally planning to choose one of you as Zapdos' trainer, but since you want to sleep, I'll just give it to Nathan."
After hearing Sam's complaint, Ash raised an eyebrow and spoke teasingly. Sure enough, the moment Ash mentioned Zapdos, both Nathan and Sam instantly became fully awake.
"What did you just say? Zapdos? Bro, I was wrong just now! Don't give it to Nathan, give it to me instead. Zapdos in my hands would absolutely dominate!"
Just imagining it made Sam Blackstone start drooling. Zapdos was one of the strongest Electric-type Pokémon in existence, and its battle style was incredibly violent and overwhelming, perfectly matching the destructive nature of thunder and lightning.
Compared to Pikachu's electricity, although it was powerful, it still lacked the overwhelming dominance of Zapdos. Just Zapdos' appearance alone was enough to intimidate people, and combined with its violent Electric-type techniques, it perfectly matched Sam Blackstone's style.
"Nathan, what do you mean by that? Don't forget Ash is my brother-in-law too! Zapdos would be far more suitable in my hands. I'm already starting to study Pokémon with attributes outside of Ghost-types."
"I need a Pokémon outside of Ice and Water-types," Nathan Glacienne interrupted immediately after Sam finished speaking. Zapdos was a Legendary Pokémon. Even setting aside its immense strength, the title of "Legendary Pokémon" alone was enough to make countless people desire it.
"I'm telling both of you, stop arguing." Ash shook his head helplessly before continuing, "I only caught Zapdos today. It wants to find a trustworthy trainer. Its strength is currently at the peak of Champion level, so it's extremely powerful."
"You both know how Legendary Pokémon attract the attention of evil organizations. On top of that, Zapdos itself hasn't fully reached the level of the true divine beasts yet, so dealing with those people alone would still be difficult."
"I thought about it for a long time, and in the end, you two are the most suitable candidates to become Zapdos' trainer. The problem is that I can't decide who fits better. Since both of you are participating in this Indigo Plateau Conference, I decided to let Zapdos personally watch your battles and make its own choice."
Looking at the anxious expressions on Nathan and Sam, Ash smiled and explained his decision. This was already the best method possible. It would allow Zapdos to choose the trainer whose battle style suited it the most.