Chapter 258: Ash's Challenge
"Woohoo-!!!"
"Roar-!!!"
Such a voice came from the sky above Viridian Forest.
An orange shadow trailing firelight soared above the blue sky, swiftly skimming through the sea of trees and running into the distance.
Charizard flapped its wings, freeing itself of all speed.
Its muscles were in full effect.
The explosive power of this body after growing these wings, the speed of flight, sprinting was so fast that it was unbelievable.
This made Charizard even more determined to do physical exercises.
From now on, it would be Instructor Ai's exclusive mount... Wouldn't it be a disgrace to Instructor Ai if it flew slowly?
No way!
I'm a high-speed Pokémon with a speed of 100, so I have to be able to control my speed!
At least Instructor Ai should be able to ride it with dignity...
While Charizard was fantasizing about all these things, on his back, Instructor Ai had a thoughtful look on his face.
But, immediately, his expression went up.
Riding on the Charizard's back was very comfortable.
Because the Charizard's back was so wide at three meters tall, it didn't make Aisha feel constricted at all, and it was a very comfortable ride.
The high speed of the flight gave him a rush of adrenaline, and he had no other thoughts in his head than "yes".
He didn't bother to calculate Charizard's speed.
It wasn't slow.
The data and subsequent workouts would come later.
Anyway, with Charizard by his side, there were plenty of opportunities.
For the time being, it was better to let him and Charizard enjoy the feeling of flying together!
"Charizard, speed up!"
"Roar!"
Instructor Ai laughed and stretched out his hand, pointing ahead, giving the command to sprint.
Charizard, as if it had been waiting for a long time, let out a roar of excitement and flapped its wings.
Its wings swung down in a tense motion, and at once, Charizard's huge body accelerated and sprinted forward.
Instructor Ai was on its back, feeling the wind.
The wind blew up his bangs, and his hair was blown into a big back.
Rotom phone was very smart and played "
"Woo-hoo!"
At this time, some discordant sounds came up.
Instructor Ai, who was so high that he couldn't stand, took a look, and realized that there were groups of Sparrow and Fearow flying out from the sea of trees below.
It was probably these birds that had been roaming the Viridian Forest in groups for years, and they were not satisfied with Charizard occupying the sky that belonged to them.
That's why they're here.
"Hmph."
Instructor Ai snorted as he watched the birds rush towards him and Charizard in a rage.
The Sparrow clan was notorious for being difficult to deal with and careful, often attacking other wild Pokémon and passing trainers.
In addition, because they always move in groups of dozens or hundreds of Pokémon, less powerful Pokémon and trainers can't do anything about them, and have to stay away from them.
This has fueled the arrogance of Sparrow and Fearow.
The Sparrow clan in Viridian Forest has grown to the point where even a passing Caterpie will be hunted down and killed.
Sparrows are used to having their way with the world, and when a Charizard flies over their heads today, they can't help it.
These grumpy guys, whose anger issues are not inferior to Primeape, naturally don't compare the strength gap between Charizard and these simple birds like themselves.
They're always just a concept.
Just do it!
It's like the
But... These Sparrows have hit a brick wall today.
"Roar!"
Charizard, in full flight, noticed the Sparrow behind it and below it.
A look of anger appeared on its mighty dragon head.
He was just flying for fun, but how could he have gotten into trouble with these birds of prey?
I'm not so sure.
How dare they get in the way of your fun with Instructor Ai?
I'm going to kill them all!
"Roar..."
"No hurry."
Just as the Charizard opened its bloody mouth, ready to reward the Sparrows below that were arrogantly chasing after it with a Dragon Pulse, Instructor Ai, who was riding on its back, revealed an amused smile and patted its neck to make it stop.
"Roar?"
Charizard inclined its head, looking at Instructor.
Instructor Ai smiled nastily and said, "Play with them."
"Roar!"
After following Instructor Ai for so long, Charizard saw the smile on its face and immediately understood what he meant.
Immediately, Charizard raised its neck and spewed out a beam of flame towards the sky.
This was not an attack, but a provocation!
"Screech!" "Scree-!!!" "Screech!"
As expected, after the flames unfolded in the sky, the canopy shook as far as the eye could see under the firelight.
Countless Sparrow and Fearow flew out screaming.
They were alerted by the Sparrows that had been chasing Aisha and Charizard, and they all turned their attention to the fire dragon and the boy in the sky.
Then, the ear-splitting screams began to rise.
Together, they chased after the one Pokémon and the other.
By now, Charizard had already flown a few hundred meters with Instructor Ai on its back.
"Hahaha!"
Instructor Ai couldn't help but laugh at the strong wind.
He looked back at the Sparrows chasing after him and Charizard, the Fearow swarm had already reached several hundred in number with the constant addition of new fighters.
This number was even greater than the number of people chasing Ash when he first started out.
"I didn't think I'd experience being hunted by Sparrow today... That's interesting."
"Ho!"
Instructor Ai laughed to himself, and Charizard underneath him answered.
The voices of one Pokémon and one Pokémon were filled with laughter.
"Scree-!!!" "Screech!"" Scree-!!!"
There were still noisy bird calls coming from behind.
Since they couldn't catch up with Aisha and Charizard, their voices were even more disorganized and angry.
Aisha glanced back, his strong eyesight allowing him to clearly see a brawl within the Sparrow flock.
A few Sparrows that were not flying fast, but were taking up space in the front, were kicked down to the back by their mates without mercy.
As a result, a small infighting broke out amongst the irascible Sparrows.
Instructor Ai almost laughed out loud.
"The temper of these guys is really something to be reckoned with..."
Instructor Ai shook his head, sighing helplessly.
At this moment, Sparrows and Fearow at the back were getting impatient.
Most of them didn't have any long-range attacks, and their speed was far inferior to Charizard.
Some of the higher-level individuals, in an attempt to catch up with the Charizard, have even resorted to high-speed maneuvers.
However, they were still too fast to catch the Charizard's taillights.
One person, one dragon, and a group of birds were engaged in a fierce chase in the endless sea of emerald green trees.
Their shadows swept across the ground, like dark clouds.
When the wild Pokémon on the ground and in the trees saw Sparrow and Fearow chasing Charizard, they all ran in all directions.
The reputation of these guys was already well known.
"All right."
Aisha smiled, and commanded Charizard to fly into the sky.
As the Charizard raised its altitude, Sparrow and Fearow, who had been chasing after it, followed without hesitation.
After a period of time, the sea of trees below was already a long way away from them.
"When I get here, I'm not afraid of setting fire to the forest and sitting in jail."
"Roar!"
Hearing Instructor Ai's words, Charizard roared excitedly.
It knew that the chase was over.
"Screech!" "Scree-!!!"" "Screech!"
One by one, the big birds in the back showed their surprised expressions.
They sensed that the big orange lizard with wings flying in front of them had slowed down.
Well, they didn't think much of it.
Because, well, it's happened before.
Often, the Pokémon they were chasing were running fast at first, but then they ran out of energy and slowed down.
After that, the Pokémon that didn't have the strength to run anymore were the prey that they let themselves and the others slaughter...
"Scree-!" "Screech!" "Screech!" "Screech!"" Scree...!"
As the distance drew closer, all of these birds showed their excited expressions.
Some of the ones that couldn't hold back, had even used Aerial Ace, Fury Attack, and Pluck, and flew out of the group.
They didn't realize the seriousness of the situation...
Until, without warning, the Charizard in front of them turned around and opened its flaming mouth towards them.
"Screech?"
Fearow at the front of the pack was the first to sense something was wrong.
For, the Charizard's flames burned its feathers.
However, it was too late...
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
"Roar!"
The dragon's roar shook the sky.
Those Sparrows and Fearow who were arrogantly chasing Aisha and Charizard with the intention of eating them alive were scared to death by Charizard's roar.
Some of the less powerful Sparrows even forgot to flap their wings.
Then, Charizard spewed out Heat Wave.
"Whew!"
A hot hurricane fell from the sky without mercy.
This Red Hurricane carried a terrifying power, and swallowed up Sparrow and Fearow, who had chased them all the way here, in one gulp.
For a moment, the raptors were screaming.
Then, the Heat Wave engulfed them all again.
The Charizard's beak opened, and hot flames erupted from it, mixed with the wind.
Its wings were flapping vigorously, and the wind pressure it generated was fueling the momentum of the Heat Wave.
"Roar!"
After a long time, Charizard stopped the Heat Wave's output.
It let out a roar, a dragon's roar filled with the pleasure of releasing the pressure.
As for the Sparrow below... they all fell down.
Pokémon's physique allows them to fall from great heights without much harm.
However, during this time, they couldn't bully other wild Pokémon and passing trainers.
"Hmm."
On Charizard's back, Aisha thought for a moment and confirmed the power of the Heat Wave.
Strong!
This move was a new move that Charizard had learned after his evolution.
Likewise, after evolving, Charizard with the Flying attribute was able to master a series of Flying-type moves.
For example, Air Cutter and Hurricane.
It's a new enhancement.
After all, even a three-year-old can understand how wind can help fire.
The combination of Fire and Flying is a weird combination that will half kill you if you step on a rock spike.
However, if utilized properly, it can have some strange effects.
"Rotom!"
Instructor Ai called out to Rotom Phone.
Rotom phone pauses the "Kyoufuu All Back" BGM, peeks out, and says, "What's up, Instructor Ai?"
"OK."
Rotom phone operated.
A few moments later, along with a response of "I've bought it, the address is set at Professor Oak's research institute, and it's expected to arrive tomorrow", the BGM of "Kyoufuu All Back" sounded again.
Hearing this BGM, Charizard also fluttered its wings excitedly as if it had flipped a strange switch, and flew back to Pallet Town.
"Woohoo-!!!"
"Roar!"
...
Pallet Town, Oak Research Institute.
"Well, did you say that Ai-chan defeated Blue?"
"Yeah!"
Ash was thrilled.
He was so excited that he couldn't contain himself, and put his cell phone in front of Professor Oak's face, and said: "Professor, this is Instructor Ai's live recording from a few hours ago, he fought with Charmeleon at the Viridian Gym in a six-on-six all-team Gym Challenge, and in the end Instructor Ai won by retaining his power, and his Charmeleon evolved into Charizard, he was able to defeat Blue's Nidoking in the final round!"
Ash excitedly finished a large series of synopsis in one breath.
Professor Oak looked at him helplessly and said, "If you let your brother Blue know that you're so happy that he lost, he'll come back and break your legs."
"Huh?"
Ash stared.
After that, he didn't hesitate to play dumb, saying, "Hey, hey, hey, hey..."
Looking at the giggling Ash, Professor Oak also laughed out loud.
Obviously, regarding the fact that Aisha defeated Blue, as Blue's grandfather, Professor Oak was also on Aisha's side.
"Ah, in that case, Ai-chan has gotten the eighth badge."
"Yes, Instructor Ai can now participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference!"
"What about you?"
"Uh..."
A cold shower of water doused Ash's excitement.
He smiled, rubbed his head, and said, "I'm going to say goodbye to mom later, and then, right after that, I'm going to Cinnabar Island to challenge the Cinnabar Gym!"
Professor Oak shook his head helplessly, and didn't ask Ash why he didn't challenge Blue in Viridian City first.
Professor Oak knew all too well that Ash respected Blue, but was a little afraid of him.
The main reason was that this kid had been crazy about Pokémon since he was a child.
He admired powerful trainers like Blue and Red.
Because of the geographical advantage of living in Pallet Town, Ash used to go to Professor Oak's research center to look for Red and Blue when he was a child.
Red didn't care.
It didn't matter to him whether Ash was around or not.
Blue was different.
Because most of Blue's time at the institute was spent doing science and research.
Ash was too much of a nuisance.
Over time, Blue couldn't take it anymore.
He caught Ash and gave him a good dose of intensity - pointing out dozens of Pokémon exam papers for Ash to answer.
Blue succeeded in this battle, and successfully gave Ash a psychological shadow.
After that, Ash still pestered Red and Blue.
But, he didn't bother Blue anymore.
"You've got to do better than that!"
Professor Oak smiled and patted Ash's shoulder.
He was very optimistic about Ash.
The Indigo Plateau Conference was a high-level tournament that had to be recognized by the eight gym leaders, and only after obtaining eight badges could one participate.
There's something to it.
Not to say that there were a lot of masters, but there were definitely no rookies who were able to stand on this stage.
Ash had collected six badges right out of the gate, and it was said that he had been recognized by the six gym leaders for his serious strength, so his future looked bright.
"This year, four new trainers have come out of Pallet Town, and you're the only one who has made good progress in collecting badges as an aspiring trainer." Professor Oak shook his head helplessly and said, "Blaine at Cinnabar Gym shouldn't be too difficult for you, and if you give a good performance, it's not like you can't get a badge from your brother Blue... when you go to Indigo Plateau and participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference, at least survive the qualifying rounds and get a good place in the main rounds!"
"Uh-huh!"
Ash nodded with a touched look on his face.
Then, he realized something was wrong.
"Professor, why think that I can't get the Earth Badge by defeating Brother Blue, and why have you decided that I won't be able to enter the finals?"
"No way."
Professor Oak said, not explaining anything.
Ash's blood ran cold.
"Hmph."
Ash wrapped his arms around his chest and grunted with a disgruntled look on his face.
He was a bit confident in his own strength.
"Just watch, I'm gonna beat that Blaine so good, I'm gonna get Earth Badge, go to the Indigo Plateau Conference, and fight Instructor Ai in the finals!"
"Right, Pikachu?" Ash looked over at his partner.
"Pika?"
Pikachu looked up from the ketchup jar, and gave Ash a look.
"Pika."
It buried its head back in, and it was eating.
It had been a long time since he had tasted his favorite ketchup, after running around with Ash all day.
This time, it's finally made it home, and he had to be stuffed before it could leave.
"Lu..."
Riolu paws at Pikachu, checking to see if it's choking on the ketchup.
If the team loses big brother Pikachu, the team would really be broken up.
"It's for the best..."
Professor Oak shook his head.
A tinge of remembrance crossed his face.
"When are you leaving?"
Professor Oak asked Ash.
"Professor, are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?" Ash looked sad.
"No, what do you think of the old man?"
Professor Oak covered his forehead and said, "I'm just saying that if you don't leave, Ai-chan will come over later and make me dinner, and you'll just be adding kitchen utensils."
"Ah... Instructor Ai is cooking for you?"
Ash was surprised.
"Hey, the kid's got skills, not that I'm bragging." Professor Oak smiled and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Excellent, as expected of a Dayan man."
"Pika?"
Pikachu looked up from the ketchup jar again.
It seemed to have heard something delicious, and Instructor Ai had made it...
"Pika!"
Pikachu's eyes lit up.
It and Instructor Ai had never met a few times, but, every time Instructor Ai appeared, he was always a great help to Ash.
The Pokémon that followed Ash were able to improve their lives as well.
The meal that Instructor Ai had treated them to in Vermilion City had appeared in Pikachu's midnight dreams many times.
Over time, Instructor Ai became a savior to Ash, and his Pokémon.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu ran up to Ash's legs and wrapped its arms around them.
"Pika, pika!"
Pikachu's starry eyes were too much for Ash.
However, Ash himself wanted to eat Instructor Ai's cooking, so he agreed to Professor Oak's invitation without hesitation, saying, "Okay!"
"But..."
Ash showed an expectant expression.
"I want to fight against Instructor Ai!"
"Huh?"
"Pika?"
Professor Oak froze with Pikachu.
"Pika..."
Pikachu pretends to faint.
Its movements and expressions are so vivid that people can't help but sigh that this child has a talent for acting.
"Pikachu-!!!"
Ash's voice was so sad that it startled the Pidgeys outside the window.
...
Alola area, Aether Foundation.
Lusamine was still in her slim white outfit, sitting in her office chair with her legs crossed and one hand resting on her chin in a queenly manner.
Her longtime position as president had given her an air of superiority that perfectly matched her figure and appearance.
"Uh..."
At this moment, one of her feet was twisting on the floor, causing her office chair to sway slightly.
She was staring thoughtfully at the computer screen in front of her, which was showing the video of Aisha and Blue's Gym Challenge.
She was watching Aisha in the video.
As she watched the good-looking black-haired boy commanding the Pokémon in battle, playing with Blue step by step, and finally winning in one breath, the corners of Lusamine's lips curled up into a smile of satisfaction.
Lusamine's lips curled into a smile of satisfaction. He was calm, had a big-picture mindset, had incredibly fast reaction time, and his own mind was so deep that even Blue could calculate it.
His knowledge of Pokémon battles is too deep, and his level of Pokémon breeding is comparable to that of a 'Breeder'...
He is also said to have captured several Elite Four level trainers.
This is what Lusamine found out about Aisha.
"Excellent."
Her smile grew even wider.
Looking at Aisha, Lusamine's eyes were filled with satisfaction.
When the 'Type: Null' program hit a bottleneck, and the Aether Foundation was in dire need of a strong fighting force, Lusamine set his sights on those powerful trainers.
The trainers sent by the league have tasks from the League, which are difficult to handle.
Blue, for example, had the power to stop the Aether Foundation's quest.
So, Lusamine focused on those powerful trainers who had no power behind them and looked like they were short of money.
These people, if they have enough money, they can do anything.
This was Lusamine's last chance to form a fighting force in time.
If they can gather a group of senior elite trainers, and cooperate with the information on Ultra Beast collected by the investigation team under the escort of Blue last time, they must be careful and careful, so as not to cause any major accidents.
...Lusamine was too eager to explore Ultra Wormhole.
Whether it's the idea of collecting the Ultra Beast, or any other hidden secrets, it's all honey that tempts Lusamine towards danger.
And, Aisha, as a popular Anchor and a powerful trainer, has won the battle against Blue today, so naturally, Lusamine is paying a lot of attention to him.
Lusamine, who had personally witnessed Blue's battle with Ultra Beast, was well aware of how strong Blue was.
He was a man as strong as a god.
His strength as a trainer was like a mountain whose summit could not be seen, and his knowledge as a researcher was as deep as the ocean.
If Blue hadn't caused her so much trouble, Lusamine would have wanted to get close to this man.
But... the Ultra Wormhole exploration was halted by the League, and it was Blue's doing.
Lusamine was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
Now, with the emergence of Aisha, a trainer whose level of skill is as good as Blue's, if not better, and an outsider who doesn't play for the League, Lusamine will not let go of this opportunity to bring in an extremely powerful combatant for her side.
As for the means to attract Aisha...
As the chairman of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine, who had dealt with so many high-class people, knew so much about these trainers.
There are so many ways to get these people.
Trainers are centered around Pokémon.
Treasured Pokémon, expensive secret treasures, special items...
If you can get your hands on these things, why don't you get a casual trainer?
Lusamine was confident in her own financial power.
So, she wasn't worried about not being able to attract Aisha...
Besides, after some time of investigation, she had almost understood Aisha's lifestyle.
"As a big anchor's income is very high, however, his living habits are frugal, he doesn't buy big branded clothes and shoes, he maintains a normal level of clothing, food and housing, and doesn't pursue a high-end living environment." Lusamine mumbled to herself about Aisha's lifestyle.
Originally, people who didn't want to enjoy themselves were the hardest type to get close to.
However...
Lusamine's words changed, saying: "For his own Pokémon, he is not stingy in arranging the best Pokémon food and exercise equipment, he makes his own Pokéblock, but the tree fruits that are used as raw materials are also a very expensive brand, he is very enthusiastic about purchasing secret treasures unique to each attribute to give to Pokémon, he rents an exercise space, he purchases Technical Machinese, and he spends almost all of his income on nurturing his Pokémon. The cost of breeding Pokémon takes up almost all of his income."
Lusamine leaned back in her office chair with a smile on her face.
This kind of trainer was the best to handle.
Moreover, she had acquired a batch of precious Pokémon items, which was a fatal temptation for Aisha's team composition.
"After a while, try to contact this person..."
"Dong, dong."
There was a knock on her office door.
"Who is it?"
The smile on Lusamine's face suddenly faded, turning into a serious look.
"Mom, mom... it's me, Lillie."
A timid voice came in.
Lusamine sighed helplessly and tiredly.
She rubbed her brow, and said, "Come in."
...
Kanto Region, Pallet Town.
"Here it is!"
When it was still early in the day, Instructor rode Charizard out of the Viridian Forest's range and officially entered Pallet Town.
Charizard flapped his wings vigorously, and Aisha pointed out the direction of Professor Oak's institute on his back.
Charizard roared, excitedly flying towards the hill with the big windmill building.
"Roar!"
A few moments later, Charizard brought Instructor Ai and landed on the flying landing site of Professor Oak's Institute.
"The last time I landed here, I rode Blue's Pidgeot." Jumping to the ground, Instructor looked at the Charizard in front of him with great emotion, patted its stomach, and said: "From now on, I can also fly around generously on you, how nice."
"Ho~"
Charizard smiled and struck an athletic pose, meaning "Ride me, I'm super good at flying".
Instructor Ai was dumbfounded.
"Oh, Ai-chan's back."
Professor Oak also came over from the distance, looking at Aisha and Charizard with a smile, saying: "You've done a great job raising this kid, I wish I had..."
When the old man was about to sigh at how fast the child grew up, Ash was like a gust of wind, and scurried in front of Instructor Ai.
He bowed ninety degrees, looked at the ground and shouted, "Instructor Ai, please fight me, please!"
"Uh..."
Aisha looked over at Ash's calf with mixed feelings, where a tearful and reluctant Pikachu had a "I lost, I couldn't stop him" look on its face.
"Please, I'll let Instructor Ai test the fruits of my travels!"
Ash shouted again with sincerity.
Instructor Ai smiled helplessly and said, "Okay."
He also wanted to see the strength of Ash, who was traveling alone.
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