Chapter 47: Ash Advances
On the evening of the quarterfinals, the match between Ash and Richie officially began. Thanks to Ryan's intervention, the Team Rocket trio remained in jail, leaving Ash completely unaffected. The outcome was now uncertain.
According to the original timeline, Richie should have deployed Butterfree, Charmander, and Pikachu, while Ash deployed Squirtle, Pikachu, and Charizard. Charizard ultimately would have lost the match because it refused to obey Ash.
The match began, and Richie deployed Butterfree, while Ash sent out Pidgeotto. Ryan stroked his chin and said, "Interesting! Pidgeotto versus Butterfree! If Ash doesn't make any mistakes, he'll win the first round."
The others nodded in agreement. Ash did not disappoint, defeating Butterfree with Pidgeotto. He then faced Richie's Pikachu in a head-to-head battle, dealing significant damage to the opposing Pikachu before Pidgeotto was finally defeated.
Ash's Pikachu then entered the battle, swiftly dispatching Richie's Pikachu with a powerful Thunder attack. Charmander, who followed, was also easily handled by Pikachu's type advantage, allowing Ash to win the match and advance to the quarterfinals.
Ryan was a little surprised, but also felt it was expected. However, Ash's luck was about to run out. Ryan had reviewed the tournament bracket and, due to their intervention, Ash's opponent tomorrow would be draco., a cousin of Lance the Dragon Master, whom Ryan greatly respected. Draco was also near Elite Four level, and Ash couldn't defeat him in his current state.
Ryan and the others returned to the competitor village, and he began to consider tomorrow's match. Tomorrow's opponent was Jeanette, who had fought Richie in the original timeline. She wasn't the real challenge; the difficulty lay with his next opponent.
Ryan gathered some intelligence, revealing a competitor named Assunta. According to the information, she was from the Hoenn region and a distant relative of Steven Stone, having received Steven's guidance. Her currently known Pokémon included: Metagross, Magnezone, Empoleon, Nidoking , Skarmory, and Cacturne, all of which were exceptionally powerful.
Not surprisingly, Ryan's opponent in the semifinals would be her. Then it would be draco turn. Draco currently known Pokémon included: Dragonite, Electabuzz, Crobat, Machamp, Ursaring, and Houndoom. However, he likely wasn't showing his full hand. After all, he was supposed to inherit the Dragon-type legacy, so there were definitely more Dragon-type Pokémon in reserve.
Ryan shook his head, clearing his mind of overthinking. No matter how strong they were, he could just defeat them. Besides, he had saved up considerable diamonds, coins, and popularity points. It was time to strengthen his Pokémon.
He hadn't touched the diamonds yet; he was saving them to buy Rare Candy for Charizard. He didn't hesitate to spend his coins, quickly purchasing several Leftovers. The Leftovers restored some health each turn, essential for prolonged battles. He equipped all his Pokémon with Scope Lens, except for Beedrill, which already had one.
Then there were the system upgrades. Reaching the quarterfinals had brought Ryan a massive surge of popularity points, so he unhesitatingly maxed out his Pokémon's defense and special defense stats. He had no shortage of attacking power, but their defensive capabilities were significantly inferior to their offensive stats, so boosting defense was the optimal choice right now.
Ryan figured that with so many popularity points from the quarterfinals, winning the championship would allow him to max out the remaining stats. He then gave Charizard his custom moveset techniques. With the addition of Rare Candy and Charizardite X, he was confident Charizard would be worthy of facing Tapu Koko.
After a night of rest, Ryan and his companions arrived at the main stadium. After registering his competing Pokémon, Ryan stepped onto the battlefield. Ryan had prepared six Pokémon: Sylveon, Nidoking, Gardevoir, Beedrill, Greninja, and Charizard.
Mewtwo and Aerodactyl were still his trump cards, so it was best not to reveal them yet. Besides, even if something went wrong, Beedrill's Mega Evolution and Greninja's Battle Bond hadn't been revealed yet.
His opponent, Jeanette, was also a young trainer. When the match began, they both sent out their first Pokémon simultaneously. Nidoking and Rhydon appeared on the field.
"Rhydon, use Earthquake!" Jeanette called out.
"Nidoking, Earthquake!" Ryan said calmly.
The two massive Pokémon stomped their feet hard on the ground, sending two powerful tremors racing toward each other. The entire battlefield instantly cracked as the vibrations collided, the impact visible to the naked eye. Nidoking's Earthquake overpowered Rhydon's, and the devastating tremors reached Rhydon's feet, dealing massive damage.
"Don't give up, Rhydon! Charge forward and use Horn Drill!" Jeanette shouted.
"You're too slow. Nidoking, Horn Drill!" Ryan said with a smile. "A one-hit KO depends on speed!"
Nidoking was clearly much faster than Rhydon. A single Horn Drill connected with Rhydon—a critical hit that knocked it out instantly!
Jeanette recalled Rhydon and sent out her second Pokémon. A Kingler appeared on the field. Ryan was speechless. Was this trainer just throwing type advantages to the wind?
"Kingler, use Bubble Beam!" Jeanette called out.
"Thunderbolt to finish it!" Ryan commanded.
Nidoking ignored Kingler's Bubble Beam. Surrounded by yellow electric sparks, Nidoking unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning at Kingler, instantly defeating it with a single Thunderbolt.
Recalling Kingler, Jeanette sent out her third Pokémon, a Fearow. "Fearow, Sky Attack!" Jeanette called out.
Fearow soared high into the air and dove down, slamming into Nidoking with tremendous force. Ryan frowned and said, "Grab it, then finish with Thunderbolt!"
Nidoking clapped his hands together to catch the charging Fearow. Although he took damage, Nidoking, with his maxed-out HP, couldn't be easily worn down! A brilliant flash of lightning erupted, and Fearow crashed to the ground, its body charred black and unable to battle.
"Hey, that's not how you wear down my Nidoking's HP. Can you battle more seriously?" Ryan frowned.
"Sorry. I'm happy to have made it this far. I've been trying my best, but I'm no match for you. But I'll keep fighting, for my Pokémon!" Jeanette said earnestly, then sent out her Venomoth.
Ryan sighed, realizing he'd expected too much from his opponent. Jeanette was also a trainer who only got her starter Pokémon this year. She didn't have system advantages like Ryan, so it was amazing that she could make it to the quarterfinals. But when facing a trainer like Ryan with his enhancements, she could only leave with disappointment.
Ryan recalled Nidoking, giving Jeanette the respect she deserved. He let his other Pokémon handle the final three battles.
Although she knew she was destined to lose, Jeanette gave her all against Ryan. Ryan also held back considerably, allowing Jeanette to avoid a complete shutout—at least preventing one-hit KOs—and extending each battle for a respectable duration.
Last to take the field was her starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, whom Ryan faced with Vileplume. While it was a battle, it was more of an exhibition match. At least after the match, Jeanette bowed deeply to Ryan to express her gratitude.
Leaving the arena, Ryan headed to the stands, ready to scout his next opponent's capabilities.
(End of Chapter)
join patreon for update and advance 40+ chapters
https://www.p-atreon.com/c/Soulforger
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
"If you're enjoying this story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone! Your support keeps me motivated and helps the novel reach more readers."
"100 Power Stones this week = 1 extra chapter release!"
"500 Power Stones = 2 extra chapter release ."