Chapter 212: The Visit of Lance
The competition ended, followed by a week of rest. Ryan also found Crescent, from whom he learned that the League had also contacted her, hoping she would join.
However, the League's conditions for newcomers were quite harsh. First, Crescent had to hand over two legendary Pokémon, and then capture Pokémon based on the League's development, while also constantly reporting to the League, with very little freedom. Crescent couldn't possibly agree to this and refused outright, stating that if she joined the League, she would have to start as one of the Elite Four.
But what Crescent didn't expect was that even starting as an Elite Four member, her Pokémon would be confiscated. Only after her preferred type was determined would she be assigned specialized Pokémon. In other words, if her existing Pokémon weren't suitable for her future Elite Four type specialty, they would be sealed away by the League.
"Sealed away"? Who knows what the League would do with those Pokémon? Thinking of this, Crescent refused the League without hesitation. She also thought of Ryan's invitation. After reviewing the Mercenary Guild's benefits and strength, she was already considering joining it, especially compared to the League.
However, her refusal meant she was directly rejected by the League and placed in the first match of the Round of 32, facing Ryan directly.
After listening to Crescent's explanation, Ryan shook his head at the League's actions: this was the helplessness of trainers without a background; this was how the powerful League manipulated people. Although the League had lost two Elite Four-level trainers in the Hoenn region, it was insignificant to them. They could train new ones anytime, though it would take time, and they urgently needed new Elite Four members.
Ryan wasn't bothered by this. After the Ever Grande Tournament, he would challenge for the championship. Winning the championship would allow him to establish his reputation and quickly develop his Mercenary Guild. But before that, he needed to deal with the Meteorite Crisis.
Regarding this operation, a large number of Trapinch and Vibrava have been captured, along with many Psychic-type Pokémon. What Ryan values most are the Elgyem and Beheeyem; these two Pokémon, like Solrock and Lunatone, are associated with space and can perfectly fulfill Ryan's plans.
As for the League, the new manned rocket is almost complete, and a large number of oxygen tanks are ready. Regarding personnel, Wallace will accompany Ryan into space to confront the Deoxys and the meteorite. This was at Ryan's request; otherwise, who knows if the League will sabotage him? If they can go but can't return, or if the oxygen supply is insufficient, it could be fatal, so Ryan has to be cautious.
Two days later, Ryan was adjusting his Pokémon's condition when an unexpected person arrived.
Ryan looked at the newcomer and laughed, "Oh, isn't this our Dragon Master champion, Lance?"
Lance shook his head helplessly, jumped off his Dragonite, and said, "Ryan, the League has agreed to your Champion Challenge. Your opponent will be me. The match will be held at the Ever Grande Conference. However, if you don't win the conference, the match will be canceled. If you win, you can choose between a legendary Pokémon or the Champion Challenge."
"Heh. The League really has a good plan. This saves them a legendary Pokémon. But it doesn't matter. Legendary Pokémon are no longer a problem for me. However, this Champion Challenge must be broadcast live," Ryan said, squinting his eyes.
"That's no problem," Lance nodded.
"Okay. Then let's do it this way. My Solgaleo hasn't forgotten its battle with Dragonite yet. Let's see who's stronger then!" Ryan said.
"Hey. Can you not be so petty? How long are you going to hold a grudge?" Lance said with exasperation.
"Don't worry, after this match, our score will be settled," Ryan said.
Looking at the determined Ryan, Lance knew he was serious. So Lance sighed: he also needed to go all out in the upcoming match, otherwise being completely defeated would be incredibly embarrassing.
"Have you caught any new Pokémon lately?" Ryan asked while training with his Pokémon.
"Want to know my team? I can tell you. My team includes: Dragonite, Charizard, Aerodactyl, Kingdra, Gyarados, and Salamence," Lance said directly.
"Oh. All Dragon-types, right? Only three pure Dragon-types left? Then don't blame me for overwhelming you. My team is: Arcanine, Solgaleo, Mewtwo, Zeraora, Celebi, and Charizard. If your Pokémon are as strong as this Dragonite, don't blame me for taking on six of them at once," Ryan said, pointing to the Dragonite next to Lance.
"Don't worry, this one is my Dragonair's latest evolution. My main Dragonite is much stronger than before, so don't lose so easily," Lance retorted without hesitation.
Their eyes met, as if sparks could fly in the air. But Ryan changed his tone abruptly, saying, "Can you contact that Ho-Oh?"
"Uh. What for?" Lance was a little taken aback by Ryan's sudden change of subject.
"Some Pokémon will definitely perish in the meteorite incident. Let it revive them. Also, tell it that one day I'll defeat it!" Ryan said.
Lance looked at Ryan helplessly and said, "You're really bold. I think you're getting ahead of yourself. Ho-Oh is incredibly strong, probably not much weaker than Mew. How could you possibly beat it?"
"Just because I can't beat it now doesn't mean I can't beat it later. Defeating it is my goal right now," Ryan said.
Looking at the seriousness in Ryan's eyes, and then at him and his Pokémon training hard, sweating profusely, for some reason, Lance had a feeling that Ryan might actually achieve this feat.
What Lance didn't know was that this was also one of Ryan's tasks. After all, the reward of letting a Pokémon comprehend its second Aura was too great, and Ryan wanted to give this Aura to Charizard. With the Blaze Aura and the Rebirth Aura, the dual-Aura Charizard would instantly become Ryan's strongest Pokémon. When it eventually comprehended its Domain, it would be invincible!
But defeating Ho-Oh was a problem. After all, Lance had said that Ho-Oh's strength was no less than Mew's. And Mew, well, it easily suppressed Groudon and Kyogre! For Ryan to reach that point, his Aura must transform into a Domain; otherwise, even the conditions for a battle couldn't be met!
(End of Chapter)
[+500 Power Stones = +2 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (20+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01