Chapter 116: Preliminaries, Charizard's Return
Separating from Ash and the others, Ryan and the others found the Athletes' Village. Compared to the previous Indigo League, this Silver Conference had indeed seen much greater investment. The trainers' accommodations in the Athletes' Village were generally hotel-quality, with restaurants and a Pokémon Center nearby, and the rooms were well-equipped.
Opening the door to her room and taking in the amenities, Rosa couldn't help but exclaim, "This is quite nice. The window offers a view of the lake, and the rooms are hotel-style."
"And there's a computer, so I should be able to browse the trainers' profiles," Ruby said, looking at the computer on the desk.
"Okay, let's head to the tournament site first," Ryan said after putting his backpack away. "After all, we still have three qualifying matches to play, and I need to call my Charizard over."
"Ryan, you have a Charizard?" Rosa asked.
"Yes, it's Pokémon. I'm training it in Charicific Valley right now. I promised it would compete at the conference," Ryan said.
The three of them went downstairs. Ryan called Liza, and a moment later, Charizard's Ultra Ball was teleported over. Ryan received the ball and said, "Long time no see, Charizard."
He then released Charizard. Charizard was overjoyed to see Ryan and hugged him so hard that Ryan felt his ribs might break.
Charizard released Ryan and called softly to him. Ryan rubbed his aching chest and said, "It's okay, take your time. You're on the right track. Besides, comprehending Origin Power relies on talent and a moment of inspiration."
Ryan was moved by the determined Charizard. Charizard's path was combustion—the purest power of fire, a fundamental force capable of incinerating any opponent.
With Charizard, Ryan and the other two arrived at the competition venue.
Seeing the trainers battling in various arenas, Ryan smiled. He planned to use Charizard for the next three matches as a way to rebuild their coordination.
The competition was a one-on-one format, with the winner determined in a single battle. However, losing doesn't guarantee elimination. Instead, performance will be ranked. From over two hundred trainers, 48 will be selected to enter the official competition.
A moment later, Ryan was called over the PA system: "Contestant Ryan from Pallet Town, contestant Salvador from Vermilion City, please proceed to Field A immediately."
Ryan was startled: Salvador from Vermilion City?!
Entering Field A, he looked across and saw it was indeed Salvador. Salvador, noticing Ryan, said with a rueful look, "Why are you here, Ryan? I'm screwed! I'm losing this round."
"Haha, it's you, Salvador," Ryan said with a laugh. "Come on, give it your best! I'm sending out Charizard. Come at me with everything you've got."
The referee was speechless. He had originally been supposed to use the randomizer to decide who would send out their Pokémon first, but that was unnecessary now. He simply waved the flag and declared, "The match begins!"
"Go, Crobat!" Salvador sent out a Crobat.
Ryan saw it was a high-quality specimen, suggesting it was quite powerful. He then gestured to Charizard, which snorted disdainfully, sparks emanating from its nostrils. Charizard possessed proud strength. During this time in Charicific Valley, it hadn't merely been comprehending Origin Power.
Every day, it faced countless Charizard, competing for the Sacred Fire's power and grasping its own Origin Power. After so much time, Charizard had already reached level 100. Now, it could proudly declare, "Below Origin Power mastery, I'm invincible!"
Salvador said gravely, "As expected, your Charizard has become even stronger. But I must still try. Crobat! Cross Poison!"
Crobat instantly flapped its wings, unleashing a cross-shaped blast of purple energy blades towards Charizard. Charizard took its time, establishing a telepathic connection with Ryan's bond. Then, with a cold look in its eyes, a metallic sheen covered Charizard's claws. Charizard thrust forward, catching the cross-shaped poison attack, and with a single motion, tore it apart.
Ryan smiled: "Metal Claw—a Steel-type move, and Steel-types resist Poison!"
The Cross Poison failed to even scratch Charizard. Salvador bit his lower lip and said, "Crobat, Air Slash!"
Crobat flapped its wings, sending countless air blades slashing towards Charizard. Ryan laughed, "That move won't work. Watch this, Charizard, Air Slash!"
Charizard paused for a moment, but instantly mastered the technique. With a flap of its wings, a vortex formed, and from its wings, numerous disc-shaped air blades were launched at Crobat.
The disc-shaped air blades collided with Crobat's air blades, shattering Crobat's Air Slash with overwhelming force. The air blades then struck Crobat, who had no time to dodge. Crobat was blown away in the explosion, landing unconscious.
"Crobat is unable to battle, Charizard wins. Therefore, the winner is Ryan from Pallet Town," the referee declared.
"Crobat!" Salvador ran over with concern and helped Crobat up. Seeing that Crobat's injuries weren't serious, he breathed a sigh of relief and recalled it. Looking at Ryan and Charizard, Salvador said, "Ryan, you're getting stronger. I feel like I can't catch up to you. But I won't give up. Defeating you is now one of my goals!"
"Then work hard," Ryan said, patting Charizard on the back. He noticed that Charizard seemed to have grown a bit taller.
Looking at the data, he saw that Charizard was already 2.2 meters tall. Ryan had also grown rapidly this year, now 1.7 meters tall. But standing next to Charizard, he still looked quite short. He'd probably need to compare it to Ash's Charizard. After all, Ash was 1.5 meters tall, while his Charizard was 1.7 meters tall.
Not far away, Ash couldn't help but sneeze twice and rubbed his nose, wondering if he was catching a cold.
Later, Ash entered Field C to battle his opponent, who was using a Magmar. Ash, using Pikachu, easily won the first round.
Ryan saw this and stroked his chin. He remembered that Ash had struggled in the original timeline. But then, thinking of Ash's growth, he couldn't help but chuckle and stopped paying attention to Ash's match.
The next two battles were won easily, with each one essentially ending with a single Air Slash. Charizard had also mastered this disc-shaped air blade—a technique Ryan had seen a trainer using with a Garchomp. However, that trainer's use wasn't very refined, simply spinning the crescent-shaped air blade to increase Air Slash's power.
Ryan borrowed the concept and developed this disc-shaped Air Slash. As expected, the increased rotation of the disc-shaped air slash achieved the effect of a buzz saw, and it was showing excellent results. Almost no Pokémon could withstand this move.
After winning all three matches, Ryan returned to the Pokémon Center and waited for the roster to be released.
After a while, the roster was released. Ryan was on it, and Ash, Gary, Harrison, and Salvador were all on the list as well.
(End of Chapter)
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