After a day of rest, Brock had fully recovered.
In truth, Brock had only caught a mild fever with a cold. With Ash and Misty taking care of him, he was back to his usual energetic self by the following day.
The group then resumed their travels, with Olivine City as their destination.
That day, they arrived in a small town.
Brock glanced at the travel guide in his hands. "It looks like this place is called Rikishii Town."
Hearing the name, Ash remembered this part of the original story. He had entered Snorlax in the Pokémon Sumo Conference held here and gone on to win the championship.
Come to think of it, ever since Ash had caught the big guy, Snorlax had only battled once during the Winner's Cup.
Back then, Ash had taught it a simple combo, and it had knocked Gengar out instantly!
Gengar's trauma was probably shaped like a Snorlax by now!
Boom! Boom!
Just as Ash was recalling the event, a series of violent collisions rang out from up ahead. Hearing the noise, the group followed the sound.
They found a Feraligatr wrestling with a Nidoking. Before long, Feraligatr suddenly lifted Nidoking over its head and hurled it away.
This Feraligatr was clearly a true powerhouse, and it let out an excited roar after winning.
"Good! Next!" called a muscular young man. From the looks of things, he was Feraligatr's Trainer.
"It's a Feraligatr!" Misty exclaimed.
As a Water-type Pokémon, Feraligatr naturally appealed to Misty. It was the final evolved form of Johto's Water-type starter, and it was both powerful and impressive.
Unfortunately, Misty had never been as lucky as Ash when it came to catching Pokémon.
Ash quietly took note of her reaction. If he ever got the chance, he would definitely arrange for Misty to get one of her own!
Come to think of it, he could also have his Croconaw transferred over. This would be the perfect opportunity for it to learn from its senior.
Meanwhile, Pokémon such as Heracross, Ursaring, and Golem stepped forward one after another to serve as Feraligatr's sparring partners. The outcome was obvious, and every one of them was defeated.
"That Feraligatr is impressive," Brock praised from the sidelines. "It has fought so many matches without even getting winded."
"That was quite a performance!" an elderly man praised after the training session ended.
"My Feraligatr and I will definitely win this year's Pokémon Sumo Conference," the muscular young man declared.
The moment Ash heard about the Pokémon Sumo Conference, his eyes lit up. He was clearly very interested in the competition as well.
After going over to speak with them, Ash learned that Feraligatr's Trainer was Raiden, the owner of the local Pokémon sumo training hall. The elderly man was Shonosuke, chairman of the Pokémon Sumo Association.
The old man appeared very friendly. He smiled at Ash and the others. "You picked the perfect time to visit."
It turned out that they had arrived just in time for the Pokémon Sumo Conference, and Feraligatr had been training for the competition.
In Pokémon sumo, Pokémon were forbidden from using moves such as Water Gun or Flamethrower. They could only rely on their physical strength to knock their opponents down or force them out of the ring.
It was one of the most primitive forms of battle, but that was also what made it so exciting.
Watching Feraligatr practice striking a wooden post, Ash turned to Shonosuke. "Is it still possible to register?"
"Of course. The only requirement is that you must have a Pokémon weighing more than eighty kilograms."
That requirement could not have been more perfect! Ash was delighted.
Snorlax spent most of its time lazing around anyway, so he might as well let it participate in this competition.
"Where can I register?"
"You can register at our town's Pokémon Center."
Ash nodded, then headed to the Pokémon Center. He had Croconaw and Snorlax transferred over, while sending Swinub and Bayleef back to Professor Oak's lab.
As for Jigglypuff, he decided against sending it there. If it started singing in Professor Oak's backyard, both the professor and every Pokémon there would probably fall asleep.
Bayleef's transfer was only temporary. Once the tournament was over, Ash would bring it back again.
With Bulbasaur around, Bayleef would not be able to cause too much trouble.
After arriving at the registration desk, Ash released Snorlax.
"I choose you, Snorlax!"
Seeing that Snorlax was awake, Ash patted its belly. "Buddy, this is your chance to shine. Let's give it our best in the sumo tournament!"
"Snorlax!"
There was a scale at the registration desk used to weigh the participating Pokémon. Ash did not ask Snorlax to step onto it, however, since anyone could tell from its appearance that it easily met the requirement.
"Nurse Joy, I don't think we need to weigh Snorlax. It should meet the entry requirement, right?"
Afraid that Snorlax might crush the scale, Ash politely asked Nurse Joy, who was in charge of registration.
"Um, there's no need to weigh it. Just looking at it, I can tell it definitely weighs more than eighty kilograms. You're qualified to enter."
Cold sweat covered Nurse Joy's forehead as she silently thanked Ash for sparing the scale.
And so, Ash and Snorlax entered the Pokémon Sumo Conference...
...
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Get up to +25 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ +200 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
➤ Consider giving a review or leave some comments, it help boost the story!
➤ Thanks for reading! 🙌