Chapter 223: It's Fine, It's Better if It's Destroyed
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"CLANG! CLANG!!"
On the surface of the scalding magma, Giant Fire Blast and Inferno collided unimpeded. At the very instant of contact, the entire volcano began to tremble. A deafening explosion erupted, and the magma below was brought to a rolling boil.
It kicked up a massive wave nearly three meters high!
"Back! Get back!!"
Faced with the oncoming giant wave of magma, the terrified spectators on the rock field scrambled back. Blaine was the first to react, hurriedly pulling everyone to the small path on the cliff wall they had passed when they first entered the volcano's crater.
Three seconds later, the terrifying magma wave finally crashed down, landing on the rock field where the crowd had just been standing.
"Sizzle..."
The magma flowed over the area before receding into the crater below. The surface of that arena was now thoroughly charred, completely unusable for any future battles.
"My Cinnabar Gym..."
Blaine muttered. His newly built Cinnabar Gym was now ruined.
"It's fine. This was the last time anyway," Brock said reassuringly, patting his shoulder.
Blaine: "?"
He hadn't expected the impact of the moves to create such a massive magma wave.
So what was happening down below?
Temporarily safe, the group refocused their attention on the source of the energy clash below.
"CLANG! CLANG!!"
The giant flame and the fires of Inferno were still locked in a stalemate. The space at the center of their collision was being crushed to the point of collapse by the terrifying, high-temperature energy, filled with a dreadful, unnerving black void that seemed poised to devour everything.
Although the surrounding magma didn't kick up another giant wave, it continued to churn violently, ceaselessly washing against the surrounding walls.
And in the magma, Magmar and Charmeleon stared each other down, their auras at their peak.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Energy is finite. The Giant Fire Blast and Inferno finally began to slowly dissipate, transforming into a terrifying blast wave of scorching energy that swirled about, desperate for an outlet. Ultimately, it all erupted from the volcano's crater above.
"The volcano is erupting?"
"No way, it can't be, right?"
The residents and tourists in Cinnabar Town stared, stunned, at the red mist of energy spewing from the distant volcano crater.
If the volcano erupted now, they would all be taking a one-way trip to the Underworld!
"It's fine! The experts from Pewter City said so. Everyone needs to trust in science!" a few local merchants hurriedly shouted out as a well-intentioned reminder.
Everyone finally calmed down, thinking to themselves that this was a benevolent volcano, probably just teasing them.
"Splash..."
The churning, searing magma fell back to the surface, splashing over Magmar and Charmeleon. There was not a flicker of hesitation in the two dragons' eyes, their battle intent still soaring. However, their bodies were trembling; the previous attack had clearly consumed an immense amount of stamina.
Ash's eyes gleamed, and he suddenly roared from a distance:
"Now's your chance, Charmeleon! Get in close and grab him!!"
"RAWR!!"
Charmeleon's muscles trembled as it broke free from the deadlock. It reacted first, its body lunging forward to rapidly close the distance with Magmar, kicking up countless sparks of magma along the way.
"Don't let it succeed, Magmar!" Blaine roared upon seeing this.
"..."
But Magmar made no move. It clearly hadn't recovered from the after-effects of its last move and was stunned.
It wasn't just stunning moves that could cause this; unleashing any move with too much energy could result in this negative side effect.
Like a helpless punching bag, it was suddenly seized in Charmeleon's powerful embrace.
"Tss..."
The high temperature searing its skin caused Charmeleon to frown slightly. The temperature of this duck-billed creature's body was somehow even higher than the surrounding magma—it was absurd.
"Why?"
Blaine blurted out in shock. They had both unleashed the same amount of energy at their limit, so why was Magmar unable to move while this Charmeleon could still act?
He subconsciously glanced at Ash beside him. Seeing that Ash's expression was almost identical to that of the Charmeleon in the magma, as if he had become one with the fire dragon below, he had a sudden realization.
"Is it that power again..."
At this thought, the light in Blaine's eyes instantly dimmed. He shed his previous hot-blooded battle demeanor and clasped his hands behind his back in a surprisingly carefree manner, watching the two dragons in the arena below.
Right now, he was no longer a participant, but more of a spectator.
"This old man... has not lost unjustly," Blaine sighed softly.
In his line of sight, Charmeleon had already taken to the skies while holding his Magmar. It spun wildly three times in mid-air with a bizarre strength. From a distance, a faint blue planet even seemed to appear in its eyes.
"RAWRR!!"
A dragon's roar echoed from mid-air. Charmeleon's arm muscles flexed with sudden power, and it brutally slammed the dizzy Magmar vertically down onto the rock field. The impact instantly sent clouds of dust and rubble flying, the powerful shockwave blasting everyone in the face!
Seismic Toss!!
"RAWRR!!"
When the dust cleared, Charmeleon stood on the already scorched Cinnabar arena, unleashing a continuous Flamethrower at the volcano's crater above, venting the battle intent that had yet to dissipate.
And at its feet, Magmar was already unable to battle, collapsed and unconscious.
"Magmar is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is Charmeleon!"
"The Cinnabar Gym challenge match winner is Ash!"
Referee Brock, standing to the side, promptly announced the result.
"That was amazing, Charmeleon!!"
Ash was about to leap up and give Charmeleon a big hug, but the moment his foot touched the arena ground, a puff of white smoke rose from the sole of his shoe, and he hastily pulled his foot back.
Magma had just flowed across the arena, and quite a bit of it remained. Even a physical cultivator like him wouldn't dare face the high temperature of magma with his bare body.
"RAWR!!"
Just as Ash was hesitating, a fiery red figure leaped from the arena and threw itself into his arms.
"Charmeleon..."
Looking at the jubilant Charmeleon in his arms, Ash was stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help but feel a sting in his nose.
The current Charmeleon had completely and truly acknowledged him!
The excitement far outweighed the sentimentality. Ignoring the fact that its skin was still scorching hot with residual heat, Ash forcefully pulled it into an embrace, hugging Charmeleon back so tightly it was nearly suffocating.
"Charmeleon, my good brother!"
"Rawr-cough..."
The bond between the human and the dragon deepened to a new level!
Afterward.
Blaine recalled the fainted Magmar and handed a red, flame-shaped badge to Ash.
"Take it. This is proof of your victory over the Cinnabar Gym, the Red Badge."
He glanced at the Charmeleon beside him, then looked at the Youth before him, thinking to himself that this young man might achieve incredible things on the path of a Fire-type trainer in the future.
Bond, what a terrifying power...
Ash accepted the Red Badge, excitedly waving it up and down as he shared his joy with the mouse, the turtle, and the dragon behind him.
This was his seventh badge. With just one more to go, he would officially have the full set!
Challenge the Gyms, challenge the League Conference!
Pokémon Master... the future is promising!
"Sigh, what a pity about my newly built Cinnabar Gym. It will take a long time to rebuild it again..."
Blaine sighed with regret as he looked at the arena before him, now covered in black soot, char, and molten rock.
He had never expected the battle to be so destructive.
The moment he finished speaking, three arms landed on his shoulder simultaneously, presumably to comfort him.
"It's fine."
"It's better if it's destroyed."
"Anyway, it was the last time."
Blaine: "?"
(end of chapter)