Chapter 67: The Battle in Charicific Valley
"Hmm. Without any serious burst damage moves, there's really no way to defeat such a tanky Pokémon," Ryan mused, changing Chansey's ability to Healer through the system.
Wild Chansey are extremely rare, and it's said that whoever captures one will gain its friendship and great fortune. That's what the Pokédex claims anyway. Ryan couldn't resist testing his luck with ten consecutive system draws, and then... well, the Pokédex was clearly exaggerating.
He teleported his only perfect IV Mankey back to his ranch, feeling a bit disappointed about the wasted system points. After all, he was still saving up points to buy a second Ability Capsule, which would probably take another two or three months at his current earning rate.
He recalled Chansey and Pheromosa. Cosmog was probably nearing its evolution, becoming increasingly lethargic and slowly gaining Weight, often spending entire days hiding in his backpack and barely moving.
He continued his journey, moving significantly faster without Chansey getting lost every few minutes. After a day's travel, Ryan arrived at a valley. According to his Pokégear, it would take another day to reach Charicific Valley.
Ryan hesitated for a moment before releasing Charizard. After climbing onto Charizard's back, he said, "Charizard, let's fly straight there! We're going to Charicific Valley. I heard it's full of powerful wild Charizard."
"Char!" Charizard roared enthusiastically. If there were strong opponents waiting, it was ready to battle!
With a powerful flap of its wings, it transformed into a streak of orange-red light, rapidly soaring toward Charicific Valley.
"Charizard ahead, please stop!" After nearly two hours of flying, Ryan and Charizard heard a voice calling from behind them.
Looking back, they saw a young woman riding a Charizard wearing a pink bow, with a balloon basket trailing behind. The woman was calling through a megaphone.
Charizard immediately stopped mid-flight, hovering to observe the woman and her Charizard, uncertain of their intentions.
The woman, riding her Charizard, caught up and looked at Ryan. "Hello, I'm Liza, the Charizard caretaker. This is my partner, Charla. Who might you be?"
"Hello. I'm Ryan from Pallet Town, and this is my starter Pokémon, Charizard. We're challenging the Johto League. I heard there's a Charicific Valley here, so we came to check it out," Ryan explained.
"I see. I'll guide you there. Trainers with Charizard are always welcome to visit, and you can leave your Charizard here to train and grow stronger if you'd like," Liza said.
Ryan could appreciate the League's strategy—allowing trainers' Charizard to stay here for training. Strong Charizard would breed with each other, and the next generation would become even more powerful. This Charicific Valley was essentially the League's premier Dragon-type training facility.
Liza's Charla led the way, with Ryan and Charizard following closely behind. Passing through a stone archway, Liza announced, "Welcome to Charicific Valley!"
Flying through a passage lined with Charizard sculptures, Ryan and Charizard arrived in a valley surrounded by a lake. Ryan nodded approvingly. Without large Flying or Water-type Pokémon, reaching this place would be nearly impossible. It was an effective deterrent against poachers.
Landing at the entrance, Liza dismounted from Charla and, looking at Ryan and Charizard, said, "Excellent! Many trainers don't even have the stamina to fly this far. Come on in."
She pressed a button, and the steel gate slowly opened. Charizard of various sizes appeared—some large, some small, some feeding, some resting, some sparring with each other.
Ryan observed quietly. Every Charizard he could see had exceptional potential, with more than a dozen being truly elite specimens. Just from assessing their natural abilities, he could tell the incredible quality of this Charicific Valley's population.
"Charizard, go give it a try. See what you can accomplish here," Ryan encouraged.
Charizard nodded and walked forward. Then, with several roars, it called out: "Char! Charizard! (Come on, someone fight me!)"
Many Charizard turned their heads, and one similar in size to Ryan's stepped forward. Ryan could immediately tell it was a top-tier specimen.
The two Charizard didn't breathe fire, but instead charged forward, locking claws and wrestling. After a minute of grappling, the wild Charizard began to tire. Ryan's Charizard released its grip, spun around, and whipped its tail, sending its opponent flying.
"Charizard!" Another Charizard landed on a rock face and launched a Fire Punch at Ryan's partner.
Ryan's Charizard formed flaming claws, spread its wings, and flew toward the challenger. Rather than dodging the Fire Punch, it took the hit to its chest without even stepping back, then unleashed a devastating claw combination that defeated the wild Charizard cleanly and efficiently.
"Your Charizard is exceptionally well-trained. It looks like the top three in Charicific Valley will have to test it," Liza said, then whistled sharply.
The whistle echoed through the valley, and three Charizard of varying sizes flew in from the back of the valley. They all shared one characteristic: their bodies were covered in battle scars, their immense power evident.
Ryan's eyes narrowed as he muttered, "Three level-100 Charizard!"
Ryan's Charizard also sensed the danger. Even with the experience multiplier from his system, Ryan's Charizard was only level 93. Each level at this stage required massive amounts of experience, and reaching level 100 would likely take a year of dedicated training.
Facing three level-100 Charizard, Ryan held nothing back. "Charizard, Mega Evolution!"
A rainbow light connected Charizard and Ryan, enveloping the Pokémon in a cocoon of energy. When the cocoon shattered, Mega Charizard X emerged—its body now blue-black with bright blue flames.
"Let's go, Charizard," Ryan declared confidently.
Liza stared at Mega Charizard X in amazement and suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, I remember now—Ryan from Pallet Town! You're the pokemon League Champion, and you're the one who know about Bond Evolution and Mega Evolution . So Charizard can Mega Evolve too?"
"Absolutely." Ryan showed the Key Stone on his bracelet and said, "Though we also need to find the corresponding Mega Stone for each species."
Mega Charizard X's stats increased dramatically after evolution. It beckoned with one claw toward the three Charizard without hesitation, the meaning crystal clear: Which one of you wants to go first?
One of the Charizard stepped forward without a word and used Dragon Claw against Mega Charizard X. Mega Charizard X was not intimidated in the least. Its own massive Dragon Claw formed around its talons, and with a powerful wingbeat, it became a streak of light that struck the challenger.
With just one blow, the wild Charizard was knocked away and eliminated from further challenges.
Mega Charizard X landed and beckoned to the remaining two, signaling for the next challenger.
Although Mega Charizard X was 7 levels behind its opponents, Ryan's system bonuses weren't for nothing, effectively erasing that level gap. Combined with the stat boosts from Mega Evolution, it could definitely hold its own against these battle-hardened Charizard.
With a respectful roar, the calmest of the three remaining Charizard stepped forward, took a battle stance, and signaled for Mega Charizard X to begin.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)