Chapter 115: Battle Tower
"Combusken, finish it with Quick Attack," Ryan said.
Combusken nodded, sprinting at breakneck speed, crashing into Corsola and defeating it.
"Corsola!" The opponent recalled Corsola, bowed to Ryan, and departed. Then the next opponent appeared, releasing a Slugma.
Ryan nodded, recalled Combusken, and sent out Grovyle.
Today, several weeks after leaving Blackthorn City, Ryan and his team arrived at the Battle Tower in Olivine City. Ryan was focusing on fundamentals, primarily battling opponents using type disadvantages. To further challenge his three Pokémon, he often equipped them with Iron Ball and Lagging Tail, hoping to gradually familiarize himself with disadvantageous situations and establish a solid foundation before the Silver Conference began.
"Slugma, Flamethrower," the opposing trainer called out.
"Quick Attack to dodge, then use Leaf Blade," Ryan said.
Slugma unleashed a blast of flames at Grovyle. Grovyle quickly dodged the attack, closing in on its opponent. Grovyle swung out its two arms, using the leaf blades growing from them like swords to slice Slugma.
"Slugma, endure it, then use Yawn," the trainer said.
But he had underestimated Grovyle. Having struck once, Grovyle wasn't going to stop. It spun in mid-air, its twin blades slicing through Slugma like a buzz saw. After several consecutive blows, Slugma had no chance to retaliate.
But then things took a turn. A flash of fire scorched Grovyle's blades. Ryan frowned. "Oh no! It's burned! Slugma's ability is Flame Body."
The sudden loss of attack power gave Slugma a chance to breathe. Its entire body became a pool of lava, flowing to the side. Then, a jet of flame struck the slowed Grovyle. The timing was impeccable.
"Use Synthesis to recover," Ryan said, "and then disrupt it with Leech Seed."
Grovyle nodded, using Synthesis to regenerate. The young trainer wasn't about to miss such a good opportunity, firing another Flamethrower. Grovyle had no choice but to dodge the attack, abandoning its recovery. Several Leech Seeds struck Slugma, but they were consumed by Slugma's lava body, leaving them no chance to take root.
"I was careless! Slugma is made of lava, so Leech Seed can't affect it at all," Ryan muttered. "Let's try this—Energy Ball!"
Slugma unleashed another Flamethrower, which collided with the Energy Ball, causing an explosion that instantly filled the area with smoke. Just as Slugma was about to leave the smoky area, Grovyle rushed in front of it and sent it flying with Brick Break, knocking it out.
"Phew," Ryan exhaled, recalled Grovyle, and prepared to have his Pokémon healed.
While waiting for Nurse Joy to heal his Pokémon, Ryan sat on the sofa, reflecting on previous battles. Many of them had given him valuable insights, such as when Slugma consumed the Leech Seed. The trainer, mindful of Slugma's condition, chose not to dodge the Leech Seed.
Many trainers had come up with creative strategies, such as using Pokémon's Flash Fire ability to absorb Fire-type moves like Flame Charge. This absorbed the fire damage while increasing the power and speed of their own Fire-type moves—a truly impressive tactic.
Ruby and Rosa also came to heal their Pokémon. After all, they couldn't sit still, and with so many opponents to practice with, they were also improving their battle skills.
Ruby's Pokémon had evolved over the past few days—her team currently included Eevee, Swellow, and Kirlia. That Eevee had an Everstone, and Ruby was working hard to cultivate a bond with it, hoping it would evolve into Sylveon. Rosa's Teddiursa had also evolved into Ursaring, a formidable force. With proper training, it should become a major powerhouse in the future.
Ryan also completed his Pokédex quest, completing the profile for the last species—Trapinch—earning him a Diamond reward and a set of Gengar's Mega Evolution stones. Furthermore, after days of continuous battles, Charmeleon, Bagon, and Togepi had all evolved.
"Ryan, did you gain anything?" Rosa came over and handed Ryan a bottle of drink.
"Good progress. I think with some more time of practice, I'll be able to reach Elite Four level within three months at the latest." Ryan opened the drink, took a sip, and handed it to Ruby.
Ruby shrugged, taking the drink and going to get another one.
Ryan sighed. It was a shame that the Silver Conference was about to begin, so he couldn't train here anymore. Besides, most of the trainers here had already battled each other before, so there wasn't much more experience to gain.
Ruby returned, sipping her drink, and said, "We'll be parting ways after the conference. I'm also heading to Hoenn. Ryan, Rosa, do you want to come with me?"
"No, it's almost time for me to go back. After the conference, I need to return home. I have some things to take care of there," Rosa shook her head.
"I can't make it either. I have to go to Alola to pick up Lillie after the conference, and I still have some things to handle at the Breeding Center. After I'm done with that, I'll head to Hoenn next year to challenge the Hoenn League. We can travel together then. It's a good time to meet up with your childhood friend," Ryan said with a smile.
"Yeah, it's a deal," Ruby said, extending a fist. "I'll have to count on you for the rest of the plan."
Ryan bumped fists with Ruby and said, "Don't worry. If you weren't sure before, now with its help, nothing should go wrong."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rosa shook her head. "If you need any help, call me. If you come to Unova, remember to contact me and I'll show you around."
The three of them smiled at each other. After spending so many days together, they had developed a strong friendship. However, after this separation, it was unclear when they would see each other again.
The three of them sat down to rest, and then Nurse Joy returned their Poké Balls. After receiving their Poké Balls, the three of them separated and resumed their battles.
A few days later, Ryan and the other two flew to Silver Town, where the Silver Conference was being held.
After registering his information at the Pokémon Center, Ryan was having a bit of a headache deciding which Pokémon to use. He currently had 25 main Pokémon. He definitely wouldn't use baby Rayquaza—it didn't want to battle, so he left it out. Metagross hadn't trained enough yet, so he'd have to leave it out for now. Cosmog, Pheromosa, and Naganadel were also off the table for now.
That left 19 Pokémon. But that was enough to handle any opponent. After filling in the information for all 19 Pokémon, Ryan grabbed the tournament guide and left the Pokémon Center.
But then he bumped into someone who had just entered. Ryan glanced at them and was speechless. He then helped them up and said, "Ash, why are you here so late?"
"Oh, it's you, Ryan," Ash said excitedly. "Hey, I was delayed at the Bell Tower for a while—the Sacred Flame there was stolen by Team Rocket. By the way, this is Harrison, from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region."
Looking at the young man before him, Ryan nodded as a greeting. He knew Harrison from the anime—the one who defeated Charizard with Blaziken. But things might be different this time. After all, Ash was no longer the same Ash. After he caught Articuno, it was obvious that Ho-Oh was starting to favor him. Maybe Ash would achieve very good results in the conference.
(End of Chapter)
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