Chapter 177: Hiro's Challenge
A week later, Ryan and his companions arrived in Sootopolis City. While healing their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, an unexpected visitor approached Ryan.
The man, heavily scarred across his face, looked rather fierce. He approached Ryan and said, "You must be Ryan, right? Hello, my name is Hiro."
Ryan asked, puzzled, "Do we know each other?"
"It's enough that I know you," Hiro said. "I've heard you're very strong, so I'm challenging you. A six-on-six full battle."
"No, you're too weak." Ryan ignored Hiro's challenge and retrieved his Premier Ball from Nurse Joy.
Seeing this, Hiro said, "You can't say whether I'm weak or not until we battle. Or are you afraid?"
Ryan stopped and said, "Are you sure you want to battle me? With your strength, you're just asking to get crushed."
"I can probably guess that, but how will I know without trying?" Hiro said, pulling out a Poké Ball.
Ryan nodded and said, "Come with me. There's a battle field behind the Pokémon Center. Let's battle there. First off, I'm in a hurry, so I won't hold back."
"I wouldn't want you to," Hiro said.
Ryan and Hiro arrived at the Pokémon Center's battle field. It was just the two of them. Ruby and the others had already left for the Grand Festival, so Ryan needed to catch up with them and end the battle as quickly as possible.
Standing on the field, Ryan sent out Charizard and said, "I'll use Charizard. You can send out whoever you want."
"Haha, so I really am being underestimated," Hiro said. "Lapras, I choose you!"
A Lapras appeared in the arena, and a faint chill instantly enveloped the area, transforming it into an icy battlefield.
Ryan frowned and said, "That's Lorelei's specialty technique."
"Yes, I learned this from Lorelei," Hiro said. "After all, I want to surpass my mentor too. Standing still isn't my style. I know you've battled Lorelei before, and even fought her Articuno to a draw. That's why I'm here to challenge you."
Ryan smiled and said, "If that's all you've got, then I apologize—I'll finish this in three minutes. Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Without hesitation, Charizard launched a Flamethrower at Lapras. Lapras countered with Hydro Pump, and the Flamethrower collided with it. But the Hydro Pump was no match for the Flamethrower. A massive amount of steam rose up as the Flamethrower overpowered the Hydro Pump, striking Lapras hard and sending it flying, knocked out in one hit.
Ryan smirked. "My Charizard has comprehended the essence of combustion—the power to burn everything. While it can't fully master this power yet, its flames possess some of those qualities. The power of its flames has skyrocketed, and with constant enhancement from secret formulas, Charizard's flames are undoubtedly the most powerful among non-Legendary Pokémon."
Hiro recalled Lapras and sent out Tyranitar. The previous burst of flames not only defeated Lapras but also melted the ice. Tyranitar stepped onto water upon entering the arena, feeling displeased. Its Sand Stream ability activated, and a sweeping sandstorm instantly absorbed the water.
Charizard felt the sting as sand pelted against it. Unhappily, it flapped its wings, unleashing a powerful blast of scorching air, blowing away the swirling sand. Simultaneously, flaming claws manifested around its talons.
With a flap of its wings, Charizard transformed into a streak of light, shooting directly at Tyranitar. Tyranitar stomped the ground hard, sending countless stone spikes bursting from the ground toward Charizard. Charizard swung its Fire Punch, shattering Tyranitar's Stone Edge attacks one by one. But Tyranitar wasn't naive enough to believe those stone attacks would stop Charizard.
Tyranitar gathered strength in its arms, colliding its Superpower attack with Charizard's Fire Punch. Tyranitar's immense strength took effect, sending Charizard flying backward while it retreated several steps itself.
But flames had already ignited on Tyranitar's arms—it was burned!
"Finish it with Blast Burn!" Ryan commanded.
"Use Hyper Beam!" Hiro shouted.
But how much strength could a burned Tyranitar exert? The Blast Burn suppressed the Hyper Beam, striking Tyranitar hard and knocking it out.
Ryan looked at Hiro, who had recalled Tyranitar, and said, "Are you still going? The gap in our strength is enormous. You can't bridge it with your current power."
"Again, how will I know if I don't try?" Hiro said, sending out Dragonite. "Even if I lose, I'll lose with everything I've got. Running away isn't my style! Dragonite, Draco Meteor!"
Dragonite unleashed a sphere of dragon energy, which exploded in the air, sending countless meteor-like energy projectiles hurtling toward Charizard.
"Blast Burn," Ryan declared.
Charizard's entire body erupted in flames, slamming into the ground. Explosive flames spread toward Dragonite, simultaneously incinerating all the Draco Meteor projectiles.
Seeing the situation was dire, Dragonite attempted to flee, but the Blast Burn attack struck it directly, sending it flying. Thanks to its excellent fire resistance, Dragonite managed to withstand the attack, but it was nearing its limit.
"Final Fire Punch," Ryan declared.
Charizard's claws erupted in flames, and with a flap of its wings, it knocked the already retreating Dragonite to the ground, rendering it unable to battle.
Hiro then sent out his own Charizard, Lucario, and Aggron, but they were all too weak compared to Ryan's Charizard. A Pokémon that hadn't grasped the essence of its power was no match for Ryan's Charizard.
Ryan approached Hiro and said, "Your strength is quite good. Keep training hard. How about joining my guild?"
Hiro looked at Ryan and said, "My mentor is Lance, so I won't join your guild. Ryan, I'm no match for you now, but that doesn't mean I won't be in the future. I'm going for special training next, and I'll definitely become Champion. When that time comes, I'll challenge you again."
With that, Hiro left without looking back. Ryan watched him go, smiled, and said, "So you're Lance's student. You've got a good attitude and plenty of motivation. It's a shame I can't recruit you to the guild—you'd make an excellent addition."
Looking at the time, the battle with Hiro took ten minutes, which was far longer than Ryan expected. But meeting a worthy opponent was worth it.
"Next, let's go cheer for Ruby," Ryan said, scratching his head.
Recalling Charizard, Ryan quickly ran to the Grand Festival venue.
(End of Chapter)
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