Chapter 106: Whirl Cup Tournament
Ryan put little Lugia down. Little Lugia looked at him with a dazed look, then, unfazed, came up to him and called out. Celebi flew over to little Lugia, patted its head with his little hand, and whispered soothing words.
Ryan also playfully took out a few Pokéblocks and fed them to little Lugia. It seemed that little Lugia was also a foodie.
It turned out that Lugia was out foraging for food, and little Lugia was hungry, so he smelled the food and came over, and was also caught by Ryan.
Rosa and Ruby also came over to look at little Lugia and touch its head. Rosa smiled and said, "So this is Lugia."
"The legendary Guardian of the Seas. But didn't Kyogre create the ocean?" Ruby asked.
"It's just what people call it," Ryan said, stroking little Lugia's head. "Lugia often rescues people who fall into the water, and since he lives in the ocean, he's revered as the Guardian of the Seas. But his types are Psychic and Flying, which have nothing to do with Water."
After feeding little Lugia, it lost its fear of people and crouched beside Ryan and the others, watching them fishing. He'd even try to eat a little from the Pokéblocks used as bait, his innocent expression quite endearing.
After a while, Ryan and the others felt a sense of pressure. Ryan patted little Lugia and said, "Your mother is here, go back quickly."
Little Lugia, somewhat reluctant to leave, nudged Ryan's body, then flew into the sea and disappeared.
"Lugia, this place isn't safe anymore. We just wiped out a secret base of Team Rocket, and word of your presence has probably spread. If you want to leave, go to Pallet Town. I have two legendary Pokémon there, but they're not yet very powerful. You can help train them. Besides, it's a League protected area, so no one will attack little Lugia. Even if someone does, you'll have a few helpers, isn't that better?" Ryan said.
Lugia roared loudly beneath the waves, and then there was no more movement.
Ryan nodded, stood up, and said, "Let's go and see how Bruno is handling the situation. If it's almost done, let's go to Red Rock Isle first. It'll be a good opportunity to train for the Whirl Cup."
Rosa and Ruby nodded, and the three of them left to inquire if they could leave.
After receiving the news that they could leave, Ryan and his companions asked the League for a small boat to Red Rock Isle. The League sent a member in a small boat to take Ryan and his companions to Red Rock Isle.
A few days later, Ryan and his companions arrived at Scarlet City on Red Rock Isle, riding Gyarados.
It wasn't that they wanted to ride Gyarados; it was simply unavoidable. On the first day of their boat trip, Ryan and his companions were caught in a storm.
If Lugia hadn't been so far away, Ryan and his companions would have been in serious trouble. After rescuing Ryan and his companions, Lugia thanked him and planned to depart for the waters near Pallet Town.
Ryan and his companions then had to ride Gyarados to Red Rock Isle. The days of travel had exhausted Gyarados. After all, Gyarados wasn't a dedicated riding Pokémon like Lapras, so exhaustion was inevitable.
"I'm sorry, the League ship will be here to pick me up in a couple of days. Thank you for your help," the League member said.
"It's okay. It was a natural disaster, after all, something no one could have predicted," Rosa said.
Rosa's Gorebyss had saved him, otherwise he would have been swept away by the waves.
Ryan parted ways with the League member and went to the Pokémon Center in Scarlet City to register for the tournament. Afterwards, they found a room at the Pokémon Center and settled down there, awaiting the Whirl Cup.
Two days later, Ryan was exercising on the beach when a familiar voice called out from the distance, "Hey, Ryan!"
Ryan turned and saw it was indeed Ash and his group. Ash ran over, grinning, "Ryan, you're here for this tournament after all. I'm telling you, I've gotten really strong."
Misty and Brock also approached, and Misty said, "Ryan, I'll be participating this time too. If we meet, let's have a good battle. The pride of a Water-type specialist is on the line!"
Rosa and Ruby glanced at Ash and his group. Ryan introduced them all and then continued his training. Ash looked at Ryan and said, "I won't lose to you. Feraligatr, let's practice too."
He then released his own Feraligatr. Ryan was surprised and asked, "Feraligatr? When did you catch a Feraligatr?"
"Oh, not long after we parted, Ryan. I caught it while fishing. But it was just a Totodile back then, and now it's evolved into Feraligatr," Ash said. "By the way, let me show you my Pokémon now. I'm sure you'll be surprised."
With that, Ash released his Pokémon: Typhlosion, Meganium, Noctowl (Shiny), and Articuno.
"Whoa," Ryan and the other two gasped. Rosa said, "Wait, I thought I caught that Noctowl. And that Articuno should have been stopped by Lance!"
"Huh? Do you know each other?" Ash asked.
Ryan was speechless. Looking at Ash's current lineup, Ryan realized that, just as the system had predicted, Ash was slowly growing stronger. If he traveled a few more regions, he might even catch up to Ryan. After all, with legendary Pokémon's favor and his own luck, it would be difficult for him not to grow.
But that's what makes it fun, isn't it? Ryan thought excitedly. The stronger the opponent, the more exciting the battle!
However, Ryan still reminded Ash: "Ash, you can use one Pokémon in the preliminaries. But after the top 64, you have to use two. Why don't you switch out your Krabby?"
"That's right!" Ash suddenly realized, then told Ryan he'd catch up with him later and hurried to the Pokémon Center to exchange Pokémon.
"What an impulsive person," Ruby shook her head.
"But he's very strong. Although we can't see it right now, Ash has great potential. If he trains for another two years, he'll probably be able to match me," Ryan said.
Ignoring the somewhat shocked Rosa and Ruby, Ryan also headed back to the Pokémon Center. The preliminaries would begin tomorrow, and he needed to give Greninja and Gyarados plenty of rest.
However, the preliminaries on the second day disappointed Ryan. His opponents were too weak, and he simply couldn't muster up any desire to fight. After all, how could a Magikarp really hold its own? The second match was better, against a Tentacruel, but it was also ended by a single Hydro Pump from Gyarados.
The opponents' weakness frustrated Ryan, and he was already eager to face Ash. After all, judging by Ash's current strength, he still had a good chance of reaching the finals.
With the preliminaries concluded and the top 64 announced, the real Whirl Cup officially begins!
Looking at the match schedule, Ash and his group unexpectedly collided. Misty and Ash were in the third match of Group B, while Ryan was in the second match of Group E. They wouldn't meet until the finals.
(End of Chapter)
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