Chapter 45: Revenge and Magically Modified Moves
The next day, the group arrived at the lottery venue. Ryan directly entered his information. His opponent in the final ice arena was none other than Serge.
"Hey, teach him a lesson," Gladion said, patting Ryan on the back.
"Yeah, yeah. We need to avenge Lillie," Mallow said.
"Yeah, that guy was too arrogant. Ryan, you need to teach him a lesson," Sophocles said, waving his chubby fist.
Lana and Kiawe also asked Ryan to avenge Lillie. Ryan smiled, "Don't worry, I'll make him despair."
Lillie didn't come. Nidoqueen had just been released from the emergency room the previous night. Lillie had stayed by her side all night and was now sleeping. Lillie's mother, Lusamine, was caring for them both. Principal Samson and Professor Kukui had gone to pick up Professor Oak and the others. Now it was just their peer group, so there was no need to be cautious about what they said.
In the first match at the Ice Arena, Ryan walked out of the player tunnel and stood on the stage. He sneered at the frowning Serge across from him, "Didn't expect your opponent to be me? I told you I'd make you despair."
"Hmph. You'll know after we battle," Serge snorted.
As the bell rang, both trainers sent out their Pokémon. Ryan chose Charizard, Serge chose Aggron, and the match officially began.
"Aggron, strike first! Rock Slide!" Serge shouted.
Massive rocks fell from the sky, aimed at Charizard. Charizard flapped its wings effortlessly, weaving through the falling stones one by one. Ryan said coldly, "Let him see the difference. Charizard, Inferno Spiral! Transform this field into a blazing battlefield!"
Charizard brought its arms together, forming a ball of crimson flames between them. It then pulled its arms over the flames, drawing them along while leaning back and throwing them overhead. As the flames reached its head, Charizard began spinning rapidly toward its opponent. A spiral of orange-red flames with a crimson core was released, attacking Aggron with devastating force.
The blazing flames engulfed Aggron mercilessly. Simultaneously, the intense heat melted the ice field, transforming it into a field of water that quickly evaporated, leaving only a deep crater burning with roaring flames.
"Incredible! Charizard's high-temperature Inferno Spiral directly transformed the ice field into a field of fire. This is truly spectacular!" the commentator exclaimed.
"Aggron, use Roar!" Serge desperately wanted Ryan to switch his Pokémon.
"You're slower than a Slowpoke," Ryan said coldly. "Finish this—Fire Vortex."
Charizard unleashed a stream of flame from its mouth, forming a spiraling tornado of fire that attacked its opponent. The flames trapped Aggron within, drawing in the remaining fire from the Inferno Spiral attack. When the flames finally dissipated, only a pitch-black Aggron lay motionless on the ground. Much of its metal armor had been melted and deformed. Without immediate treatment, it would be permanently damaged.
"Return, Aggron." Serge recalled his Pokémon. "Go, Arcanine!"
"Dragon Claw to finish it," Ryan said calmly.
Charizard's claws, swirling with dragon energy, formed a pair of giant spectral claws. In rapid flight, it struck with devastating force, sending Arcanine flying like a ragdoll. Moving at high speed, Charizard delivered a series of Dragon Claw attacks, leaving Arcanine unable to battle by the time it crashed to the ground.
Charizard landed with a disdainful snort, sparks emanating from its nostrils.
Serge silently recalled Arcanine and sent out Swampert. But Charizard continued its dominance, and by the time Swampert hit the ground, it was already unconscious.
Looking at Serge, who silently recalled Swampert, Ryan said disdainfully, "With your skill level, you still dare to criticize others? I've already shown mercy. Go treat your Pokémon properly, and don't be so arrogant next time."
With that, he left without looking back. He wanted to check on Lillie. His friends also left the Ice Arena and headed to the Pokémon Center.
Upon returning to the Pokémon Center and opening the hospital room door, Ryan discovered that both Lillie and Nidoqueen were awake. Lillie blushed upon seeing him and hugged him tightly, then whispered, "Thank you, Ryan."
Nidoqueen also sat up from her bed and expressed her gratitude to Ryan. A short while later, Professor Kukui and Principal Samson arrived with Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum.
After brief pleasantries, Ryan learned that Gary had also been defeated. Professor Oak and the others prepared to go cheer for Ash. Since Nidoqueen had recovered enough to move around, everyone decided to go together.
Arriving at the Grass Field, Ash's match had already begun. Finding Misty and Brock, everyone sat down to watch. Just like in the original battles, Ash's opponent was Jeanette from Crimson City, and Brock became completely smitten with her.
The first match was Beedrill vs. Bulbasaur. Watching Bulbasaur's evasive maneuvers, Ryan stroked his chin thoughtfully: It seems Ash still prefers a speed-based style, and most of his Pokémon are on the smaller side.
However, Beedrill was easily defeated by a single Leech Seed, which was puzzling. But watching the parasitic seeds envelop Beedrill and immobilize it, Ryan began considering developing his own custom techniques. After all, there are variations in how moves are executed. While tournament moves and real-world applications share the same base power, the techniques and methods of use can differ significantly.
Jeanette then recalled Beedrill and sent out Scyther, only to have it quickly dispatched by Bulbasaur's Vine Whip. Finally, the appearance of Bellsprout was truly eye-opening, demonstrating incredible power despite its appearance.
Even Pikachu was instantly knocked out with a single slam. Seeing this, Ryan suddenly had a bold idea: what would happen if he taught his Pokémon techniques beyond the standard four-move limit?
This Bellsprout clearly wasn't using standard Pokémon moves, but rather martial arts techniques, yet it was surprisingly effective in competition. Ryan had analyzed its power level and found it was only mid-tier, not high-level, yet it managed to knock out two of Ash's main Pokémon in quick succession. If it weren't for Muk's type advantage, Ash would have been in real trouble.
Thinking along these lines, it made perfect sense. After all, in official competitions, trainers are limited to four registered moves per Pokémon. This restriction limits the Pokémon's combat versatility, but if there were other ways to supplement their abilities, it could indeed have miraculous effects.
After the competition, Professor Oak invited everyone to the hotel for dinner. Delia took over the hotel kitchen and prepared a feast. Ryan and the others ate with great enjoyment, praising how delicious everything was. Mallow took out her notebook and began asking Delia about cooking techniques.
After Ryan had eaten his fill, he began asking his system if custom Pokémon moves had been developed. The system hesitated for a long time before finally responding.
A custom technique suitable for Charizard - Cost: 100,000 popularity points.
A custom technique suitable for Sylveon - Cost: 100,000 popularity points.
A custom technique suitable for Greninja - Cost: 100,000 popularity points.
"System, we need to talk!"
(End of Chapter)
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