After Natsui's advice, Charizard didn't insist and chose a new target.
This time, the opponent it picked was an unremarkable-looking Charizard. It was about the same size as Natsui's and didn't stand out in the crowd. It also wasn't as muscular as the others, suggesting it was a younger one.
Natsui's Charizard beckoned to the wild Charizard with its finger. This simple provocation was enough to agitate the wild Charizard, which strode towards it.
Perhaps they had seen this sort of thing too many times, or maybe it was just the rule here, but upon seeing a battle was about to start, the other wild Charizard all moved aside, leaving a clear space for the two.
Natsui took a few steps back to stand with Erika and Liza.
As he had just said, he had no intention of interfering in the battles here. He would be a pure spectator, leaving the matter entirely in his Charizard's hands.
In the center of the clearing, the two Charizard faced each other, their eyes seeming to burn with fire.
A light breeze happened to blow by, rustling the leaves. The moment a green leaf fell to the ground, both Charizard moved simultaneously, lunging at their opponent.
In a flash of orange, the two Charizard collided. They locked their four claws together and began a test of strength, the muscles on their arms bulging visibly.
With identical types and moves, only raw power could determine the winner.
From the sheer effort, both Charizard's faces had become contorted.
However, their strength seemed to be evenly matched. After grappling for a long time, neither could gain an advantage.
Refusing to give up, they switched tactics, each wrapping their arms around the other's waist, trying for a suplex. But after another long struggle, they were deadlocked again.
It seemed they were evenly matched...
While the two Charizard were trying every trick to take each other down, Natsui turned to Liza and asked, "I was wondering, where would this Charizard rank in terms of strength in this valley?"
Liza had mentioned before that she was the caretaker of the Charicific Valley, so she knew the situation of every Charizard here like the back of her hand.
Liza thought for a moment. "There are about a hundred Charizard in the valley. This one's strength would rank in the lower-middle tier."
Lower-middle tier...
Natsui turned his gaze back to the two Charizard in the field.
By now, they were rolling on the ground, covered in bruises. The dust they kicked up made them look filthy.
The fight was still a stalemate, with no clear winner. This meant their strength was indeed similar, giving Natsui a clearer understanding of the Charizard in the valley.
It seemed becoming the strongest one here would take a very long time.
Tail whips, bites, pulling...
The two Charizard fought for a while longer, but in the end, the match ended in a draw.
Panting heavily, Natsui's Charizard returned to his side. As it caught its breath, it didn't forget to glare at its opponent. The two dragons stared at each other, neither willing to admit defeat.
Noticing that Natsui also seemed unsatisfied with the result, Liza chuckled. "That's actually very good. You know, when Ash's Charizard first came here, it was beaten black and blue. It couldn't even win against my Charla."
Natsui's interest was piqued. "And now?"
Liza shrugged. "It still can't beat the other Charizard, but at least it's on par with my Charla now."
Natsui knew that Charla was different from the wild Charizard in the valley. Liza had raised her since before she evolved. Strictly speaking, she was a trainer's Pokémon and was at the bottom of the hierarchy here.
To only be able to fight evenly with a female Charizard... no wonder Ash's Charizard was training so hard by itself in the corner.
It was out of shame.
Beside him, Erika took a spray bottle from her first-aid kit and silently began cleaning and disinfecting the wounds on Natsui's Charizard.
Seeing her kind and caring actions, Natsui felt a warmth in his heart.
No one had asked her to do anything. She did it all on her own, out of her affection for him and everything connected to him.
However, after that battle, Charizard wouldn't have the strength to issue another challenge for a while, at least not until it recovered.
...
At noon, Liza invited Natsui and Erika into her house.
She had a wooden cabin in the valley. Though it looked simple on the outside, the inside was very cozy, fully furnished with all the necessary appliances. It was clear she truly considered this place her home.
Lunch was a seasonal stew made with seven or eight different ingredients. Perhaps because of the tomatoes, it looked thick and reddish.
But despite its appearance, it smelled wonderful and was surprisingly delicious.
"Don't be shy. I made a huge pot, so please eat as much as you like!"
The stew was so good that Natsui had several bowls in a row.
Perhaps because she rarely had guests, Liza was very enthusiastic. At the table, she talked endlessly about everything in the valley and listened with great interest to the fun stories from Natsui's journey.
She listened intently, even to the smallest details.
After the meal, while Erika and Liza were clearing the dishes, Natsui hesitated for a moment and then said, "Miss Liza, there's actually something I'd like to ask you."
"I know," Liza said, turning to look at him with a knowing smile, as if she had already guessed his thoughts. "You want to leave your Charizard here too, don't you?"
He was surprised she had figured it out.
"That's right..." Natsui nodded. "After coming here, I realized there are always stronger dragons out there. I see now that my Charizard still has many shortcomings. Although I want it to stay by my side, I don't have the extra energy to train it. So I was thinking of letting it stay here to train for a while."
Liza agreed without any hesitation.
"Of course, that's no problem at all. This is a habitat for Charizard. I'd be happy to have as many as want to stay."
...
Stepping out of the cabin, Natsui called his Charizard aside and told it about his decision to leave it here.
Hearing that it would have to leave its trainer, Charizard was naturally very unwilling. It shook its head like a rattle drum and grumbled for a long time, clearly wanting to stay with Natsui.
"You idiot!"
Natsui rapped it on the head and gave it a stern look. "It's not like I'm leaving you here forever. Did you think you'd never see me again? Let me tell you, this is a rare opportunity. The guys here are all very strong. You should try to beat all of them in the shortest time possible and become the strongest one here!"
After being scolded by Natsui, Charizard's mind couldn't help but recall its recent opponent and the other, even stronger-looking Charizard.
This time, its eyes became resolute. It nodded firmly at Natsui, as if trying to tell him that it would definitely live up to his expectations.
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