Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

Chapter 230 The Battle Ends, Mikoli's Gift

Returning to reality from the fiery world connected by the waveguide, Ash coughed violently a few times.

The mental strain from the waveguide and the raging fire was simply too great; no matter how much willpower he mustered, he couldn't stay there any longer.

only--

"At least it was a success."

"Skin?"

Following Ash's gaze, Pikachu looked towards the battlefield.

The Infernape, which had been in a berserk state just moments before, has now calmed down. Water Cannon landed behind it, leaving a crater in the field.

Infernape raised its head, its clear eyes fixed intently on Milotic, its fighting spirit undiminished, but rather intensified.

Infernape regained its senses, but the flames burning fiercely on its tail, no less powerful than those during its rampage, indicated that it was still engulfed in flames.

However, unlike any other time, Infernape has now completely mastered Blaze. It is very clear-headed in Blaze state, and the power of Blaze has not weakened as it did during the Combo Tournament.

"..."

Shinji fell silent as he watched the Fire Monkey on the stage, eager to launch an attack.

"Did they really master it?"

His tone was very calm, and he did not feel disappointed or regretful for missing out on the Infernape that could control this power.

He would not regret his decision, because he was well aware that he could not fully unleash its power, at least not in the short term; otherwise, he would not have chosen to give up so decisively.

However, while giving up Chimchar, Shinji also felt a little regretful, so he handed Chimchar over to Ash. He was very curious about how much Chimchar could grow in Ash's hands.

Today, Ash and his evolved Infernape have provided a preliminary answer.

"It's more than that."

Shinji watched as Infernape on the stage unleashed a Flamethrower dozens of times more powerful than before, and murmured to himself.

"This guy's raging fire isn't something like this; besides the fire-based skill itself, there's also—"

.......

"Sonic Fist!"

On stage, Ash, despite nearly fainting and experiencing a persistent headache, gave this command to Infernape.

Although Infernape's Flamethrower has been significantly enhanced in power, it is still not enough against the champion's Pokémon. After a brief stalemate between the two moves, Water Cannon overpowered Flamethrower and attacked Infernape.

Under the blazing fire, Infernape's various abilities were significantly enhanced.

With a single sidestep, Infernape dodged the water cannon attack. Under Ash's command, Infernape quickly focused its power into its fist. In a flash, Infernape appeared in front of Milotic and swung its right fist, which was filled with all its power, at it without hesitation.

"boom!"

Faced with this sudden counterattack, neither Mikuri nor Milotic could react immediately. This sonic punch sent Milotic flying back several meters.

"I see... It's not just the power of fire skills that's been enhanced, but also speed, strength, and agility... That's terrifying."

Michael had already put away his smile and was now looking at Infernape with a serious expression.

It has only completed the first stage of evolution, yet it already possesses the initial power to challenge its own Milotic. It's hard to imagine how terrifying its strength will become once it has fully evolved and undergone a longer period of training.

By then, Da Ye probably wouldn't dare call his Infernape the world's number one Infernape anymore.

Thinking of this, Mikoli sighed softly, but then smiled again.

But that's good too. If the younger generation can't even pull off an upset, then the league is going to get worse and worse. Such a talented person, who knows who he'll take over in the future.

"Milanos, surf!"

Thinking this, even Mikoli himself didn't realize that his tone was starting to become excited.

The dark clouds that had been brought by the rain-seeking ritual have now begun to dissipate, leaving the sky clear and transparent. Sunlight streams down from the dome, falling on the center of the stage, as if offering a blessing for the final battle between the two.

"This is the last one."

As they watched the approaching wave, Ash and Infernape exchanged a glance, both knowing exactly what to do.

"Charge them! Use Flame Wheel!"

"Oji!"

This time, they chose not to run away or dodge. They had both reached their limits. Neither Ash's mental strength nor Infernape's physical strength was enough to support them in continuing the fight.

Faced with Milotic's surf once again, they chose to meet it head-on, like warriors in a duel, no longer resorting to tricks or dodging.

"Oji!!"

The blazing flames that shot straight into the sky once again enveloped Infernape's body. Facing this giant wave that was several meters high, Infernape simply showed an excited smile. It was only by facing an opponent with such power head-on that it could announce its sudden appearance to the world.

This is the promise Xiaozhi made to it.

And now.

This has become an inexhaustible source of motivation for Infernape to continue its efforts.

"boom!"

Flames and waves collide head-on.

The waves surged rapidly, turning the entire battlefield into a giant sauna, and even the spectators in the front rows began to feel the heat.

If it were before, and the Infernape had used Flame Wheel against Surf, it should have been defeated immediately.

But the current situation is that the two are locked in a stalemate, with Milotic appearing to have used its full power, as has Infernape.

Neither side showed any intention of backing down; they were simply demonstrating their purest strength and will in their respective domains.

However, such a battle must eventually determine a winner and a loser.

As the amount of water vapor in the air increased, finally—

The already exhausted Infernape began to tremble violently, even though it was doing its best to break the stalemate, even if only for a second.

But it still failed.

"boom!"

"Oji!"

The burning flames were completely engulfed by the waves, and the Fire Monkey's body was swallowed by the water.

After a series of screams, the match finally came to an end.

But no one expected this at that moment.

Sometime in the future, this battle, which had long been legendary, was given a new title—

The Battle of Transformation

.......

“Pikachu…”

Pikachu's ears drooped as it looked at the Infernape lying on the ground.

Although the outcome of the match was already predetermined from the start, Pikachu still felt a pang of regret after seeing how hard Infernape had tried but still couldn't turn the tide of the battle.

"Come back, Infernape, you did a great job."

Ash put away Infernape.

Seeing this, Mikoli also took back Minas.

According to the normal procedure, he should now be handing over the special gift that he had prepared long ago to Ash, but...

"Hey, your..."

Michael wanted to call out to Ash as he turned to walk off the stage, but at that moment he noticed that Ash's legs were starting to feel unsteady.

He had already learned a little about Ash before today, so he shouldn't be like this because of a battle that was destined to be lost. Besides, for him, this battle should already be considered a victory.

But the way he looks now...

Could it be?

Michael suddenly remembered the strange behavior Ash made during the battle when Infernape went berserk, and the faint ripples that appeared around him.

Watching Xiaozhi stagger off the stage, he seemed to realize something, but what he thought of still needed further confirmation and verification.

.......

At this moment, by the shore of Lizhi Lake.

Although most of the people watching the Wallace Cup from the outside were more interested in the Contests, they still had to admit how exciting Ash and Wallace's final battle was, especially the transformation of Chimchar into Infernape after it briefly lost its mind but eventually returned to calm.

Unlike the hot topics being discussed by those around him, Shinji didn't have many thoughts on the matter.

"A champion? Truly extraordinary."

After watching the entire battle, Shinji simply muttered this to himself before turning his gaze away and continuing on his way.

However, at this moment, he began to think about something: what should he do if Infernape triggered Blaze again during his full-scale battle with Ash?

.......

Night fell over the shores of Lake Lizhi.

In a nearby inn, Xiao Zhi, lying on the bed, twitched his eyelids slightly, then opened them, sat up, and yawned.

"Ha~~ Did you sleep for so long? It's already evening..."

After his mental energy was completely depleted, Ash even forgot how he got back.

I vaguely remember walking slowly towards my hotel room after I stepped off the stage, without even saying goodbye to Xiaogang.

And Pikachu...

"Pee~~"

Seeing that Pikachu was still asleep on the chair, Ash carefully left the room and gently closed the door.

After sleeping for a few hours, Ash's previously exhausted energy returned, and he once again gathered his aura and began to check its condition.

Sure enough, after using Aura in actual combat for the first time, Ash's Aura power is now much stronger than the day before. Although it can't be called a qualitative change, it is still a considerable improvement.

We'll have to use it a few more times in actual combat to see how it goes.

As he was thinking this, the door opposite Ash's room in the corridor was suddenly pushed open. Ash looked up and saw that it was May.

"I knew there was some noise in the hallway. Ash, you're already awake."

Upon seeing Ash, May breathed a sigh of relief, then said with dissatisfaction:

"Hey Ash, what's wrong with you? You've been acting all distracted since your battle with Mr. Wallace. You came back on your own without waiting for us, and you've been sleeping all this time. You didn't become like this because you lost the battle, did you?!"

May, who has been traveling with Ash for so long, certainly wouldn't think like most people that Ash's appearance was due to losing a battle.

That's why she stayed near the door, waiting for Ash to wake up so she could confront him directly.

"Ah~ actually it's..."

Since Xiaoyao asked, Xiaozhi naturally didn't hide anything. However, he didn't expect that Xiaogang and Xiaoguang wouldn't help him explain.

Or did Xiaoyao not ask them about her situation?

Although he didn't quite understand, Ash explained to May that he had acquired the power of Aura, and then went on to say that he had become confused in the battle today because he had overused his Aura power.

"Phew~ I see, really, don't scare people like that!"

Xiaoyao patted her chest with a slight sense of relief upon hearing this.

She originally thought Ash had encountered some serious trouble, but it turned out he had just overused his power?

"While I can understand how you feel, Ash, I still can't agree with overexerting yourself and hurting your body!"

At this moment, May seemed to have transformed into Ash's mother, and she taught him with great enthusiasm:

"It's good to gain the power of Aura, Ash, but don't forget about what happened with Aaron... It's best to be careful until you truly master Aura..."

"Of course, I'm not that stupid! I'm very rational!"

Is it rational...?

Xiaoyao herself never imagined that one day she would hear this word, which was completely unrelated to her, coming from Xiaozhi's mouth.

He's clearly an extremely hot-blooded idiot, yet he claims to be rational...

Thinking of this, Xiaoyao couldn't help but cover her forehead speechlessly.

Although she was worried that Ash might do something even more dangerous after gaining the power of Aura, she was no longer Ash's travel companion, so there was nothing she could do but talk about it.

Or you could tell Xiaoguang to keep a close eye on him.

I doubt Dawn would be as radical as Ash, right?

"By the way, this is a gift from Mr. Mikkelsen. You stepped down from the stage too quickly; Mr. Mikkelsen didn't even have time to teach you."

"Ah~ thank you. Speaking of which, I'm also quite curious about what this is."

Ash accepted the gift and then slowly unwrapped the box in front of May.

The gift was weightless; if it hadn't been given to him by Wallace, Ash would have thought it contained a blank sheet of paper.

wrong.

When Ash saw what was inside, his expression immediately froze.

This is indeed a piece of paper, but it's not blank; these words are clearly printed on it.

[Hoenn League Champion Succession Agreement]

Ash and May: "......."

...........