A few people quickly came to the Pokemon Center, handing over their weary Pokemon from days of travel to Miss Joy. After a brief rest, the Pokemon regained their spirited demeanor.
With the Pokemon restored, their natural target was the Gym Badge.
Blackthorn City has two Gyms, one being the local Gym whose leader is Dragon Taming Lance's cousin, Clair.
Outside people refer to her as Clair, and her strength is said to be at the Elite Peak level, but that was intelligence from half a year ago.
The other Gym leader is Raihan from Hammerlocke City, who claims to be Leon's rival, possessing strength above the Champion Advanced Level.
Ash's first choice was naturally Blackthorn City's local Gym.
On one hand, challenging the local Gym first is a form of respect, just like how Ash first challenged Ecruteak Gym upon arriving in Ecruteak City.
On the other hand, frankly speaking, strong opponents are best saved for later when it becomes more thrilling. In terms of paper strength, Clair and Raihan are clearly not on the same level, so Raihan should naturally be saved for later.
Ash stroked Pikachu's fluffy head with a bright smile: "Alright, target Blackthorn Gym! Rising Dragon Badge, here we come!"
Blackthorn Gym is located in the northwest corner of the city. The building's exterior walls are made of dark stone, adorned with lifelike dragon-shaped reliefs, blending roughness with majesty.
The Gym's front door bears a prominently suspended black plaque, with the words "Blackthorn Gym" engraved in gold paint, the strokes powerful and draconic aura restrained.
When Ash and the others arrived at the entrance of Blackthorn Gym, Misty was still marveling at the grandeur of the Gym, but Ash had already keenly sensed a peculiar aura.
"This is..."
He clearly sensed two extremely powerful forces fiercely colliding within Blackthorn Gym!
These two forces had clearly surpassed the ordinary Pokemon level. According to Ash's preliminary estimate, they were at least Champion Level!
Is there a Champion Level Trainer battling inside Blackthorn Gym? Could it be that Raihan from Hammerlocke City has come to challenge?
"What's wrong, Ash?" Misty noticed Ash's paused steps and curiously asked.
"There are two auras clashing inside, at least above Champion Level."
Upon hearing this, Misty and the others' faces revealed expressions of shock.
"Champion Level? Could it be Clair and that external Gym leader..." Serena speculated uncertainly, her thoughts aligning with Ash.
"The door is open, and there aren't any guards..." Brock looked around and found there were no guards, so should they go in or not...
Ash did not hesitate at all, leading the way inside: "Let's go, see what's happening!"
The group passed through the door and quickly rushed along the corridor towards the battle arena.
When they charged into the Gym's battle arena, the scene before them made everyone involuntarily hold their breath.
At the center of the arena, an extremely intense battle was unfolding—
The air currents stirred by the battle caused the long blonde hair of a female to flutter wildly, the hem of her black coat continuously swaying—Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia!
Her Garchomp stood on the field, its Dragon Claw enveloped in fierce winds that tore through the air, each strike unleashing heart-stopping sounds.
Opposing her was Johto Region's champion, Dragon Master—Lance. His Dragonite unfolded its wide wings, Dragon Pulse transforming into a bluish energy torrent, colliding head-on with Garchomp's attack.
The two Champion Level forces clashed fiercely in mid-air, sending ripple-like shockwaves outward, causing the entire Gym to faintly tremble.
Transparent barriers lit up around the field, defending against all impacts, otherwise the clashes of Champion Peak Pokemon would be enough to level Blackthorn Gym!
At the side of the field, two blue-haired women were watching the battle intently.
The older one, around twenty years old, wore a deep blue cloak, arms crossed in front of her chest—Blackthorn Gym's leader, Clair,
Beside her was a teenage girl, also with long blue hair, watching the fierce battle without blinking, eyes filled with awe and aspiration.
The arrival of Ash and the others didn't stop the battle, instead it intensified!
Cynthia's sharp golden eyes fixed on the battlefield, she commanded with a cool voice: "Garchomp, Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp's claws glowed with emerald energy, striking Dragonite with lightning speed.
Lance was not intimidated, his red short hair stood erect under the fierce wind, the cloak behind him fluttering loudly. He ordered decisively: "Dragonite, counter with Hurricane!"
Dragonite's massive wings fiercely flapped, unleashing a violent wind pressure that swept towards Garchomp. The fierce Hurricane, like an invisible wall, obstructed its advance.
At the moment Hurricane disrupted Garchomp's movements, Lance's eyes flashed sharply, seizing the fleeting opportunity: "Now, Dragon Pulse!"
A purple-blue energy ball gathered in Dragonite's mouth, a dazzling beam piercing through Hurricane, morphing into a giant dragon head, aimed directly at Garchomp.
However, Cynthia had long discerned her opponent's intent, her lips slightly curled, calmly ordering: "Dig!"
Just as Dragon Pulse was about to hit, Garchomp dived into the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly strike. A dark hole was left on the ground, Dragon Pulse's beam missed its target, crashing into the distant ground, leaving a huge crater.
The pit is so deep that the bottom is unseen, but it hasn't affected Garchomp; she has already dug towards a deeper underground.
Seeing this, Lance's brow slightly furrowed. Although Garchomp used Dig to dodge Dragon Pulse, Dig itself cannot affect Dragonite.
Once the opponent emerges from the ground, Dragonite can seize the moment when the opponent switches skills to counterattack, maintaining the upper hand.
The most correct response just now should have been to use Protect. Lance had already prepared a follow-up strategy for the opponent using Protect.
This move of Dig slightly disturbed his calculations, but it didn't have a major impact.
Before the thought settled, the ground beneath Dragonite exploded!
Garchomp burst through the soil, her sharp Dragon Claws wrapped with immense kinetic energy from breaking through the ground, fiercely slashing at Dragonite! This attack scored a solid hit, and Dragonite let out a painful roar, its massive body sent flying.
Lance suddenly realized—Cynthia instructed Garchomp to use Dig not to damage Dragonite, but to evade the fierce storm and then launch a surprise attack with Dragon Claw from a blind spot!
The fact that during Dig, she could maintain the Dragon-type Energy in her hands without dispersing, indeed this Garchomp lives up to its reputation!
In this clash, Dragonite clearly fell behind.
At this moment, both Lance and Cynthia noticed Ash and his companions rushing in from the side, and they exchanged a glance, reaching a tacit agreement.
"Let's decide the victory with just one more move," Cynthia's cool voice rang out, also not planning to engage in prolonged strategy with Lance.
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Lance flung his cape behind him and loudly commanded, "Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!!"
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!" Cynthia made the same choice as Lance, both using the same skill for the final clash!
Tremendous energy gathered in the arena, and Clair's expression turned grave with a hint of excitement as she stood by.
People are always comparing whether Dragon Taming Lance or Cynthia's ace is stronger, yet until now, neither has formally battled in public; today, prompted by interest, they fought an impromptu match, allowing her to feast her eyes.
Whether Dragonite is stronger or Cynthia's Garchomp excels, today will reveal definitively!
Both Pokémon were simultaneously enveloped in deep blue Dragon-type Energy, transforming into two meteors that collided loudly in mid-air!
A giant roar shook the Gym, and the shock wave rippled outward, causing the entire arena to tremble slightly.
The two currents of Dragon Energy fiercely contended, and the air emitted a strained explosion, the spreading shock wave crazily bombarding the surrounding barriers, stirring up ripples.
The dazzling light made it difficult for everyone to keep their eyes open, only a few Trainers could withstand such brilliance and see the scene inside the battlefield, including Ash.
He even calculated the strength of this barrier—able to withstand a Champion Peak collision barrier!
This must be the League's latest technology; previously the League didn't possess barriers of this caliber. Was Cynthia and Lance's battle here today to test the barrier's strength?
The collision on the field reached its conclusion, ultimately, Garchomp's Dragon Rush surpassed and shattered Dragonite's Dragon Rush energy!
Then Garchomp, carrying the remaining momentum, fiercely crashed into Dragonite, sending its massive body flying into the transparent barrier on the edge of the battlefield with a dull thud.
Dragonite struggled to stand but was clearly injured and moved far slower.
Observing from the side, Clair decisively gestured: "Enough! This match has already determined the victor. Cynthia's Garchomp is obviously in better condition, Cynthia wins this round."
Lance reluctantly shook his head, retrieved his Pokeball to recall Dragonite, and softly comforted, "You've worked hard, have a good rest."
Finished, he stored the Pokeball, looked up at Cynthia, and offered sincere praise, "As expected of the Sinnoh Champion, Miss Cynthia's strength indeed lives up to the name."
Cynthia retrieved Garchomp as well, modestly responding, "You're too kind. Mr. Lance was merely distracted by Ash and his friends, or the outcome might have been different."
Finished, both turned their gaze to Ash.
Cynthia smiled and waved at Ash, speaking warmly, "Ash, you've finally arrived."
Ash quickly stepped forward, glancing at Cynthia and Lance with curiosity, "Miss Cynthia, Mr. Lance, what's going on here?"
Lance, arms crossed, explained, "I happened to visit Blackthorn City to see my cousin Clair and unexpectedly met Miss Cynthia here."
"As Trainers, when faced with an evenly matched opponent, it's natural to itch for a battle, so we sparred a match, set to stop at a point, what you saw just now was this sparring session."
Clearly, neither intended to go all out; otherwise, Lance absolutely wouldn't have let Dragonite use Dragon Rush against Garchomp head-on.
His Dragonite plays a dual sword flow, meaning it equally develops in Special and Physical Attack, otherwise it would waste Dragonite's excellent skill set.
Compared to Cynthia's Garchomp focused on Physical Attack, his Dragonite is slightly inferior, Lance knows this.
The reason for this choice was planning to compress this match into one strike, especially since Ash had arrived; this place still needs to be reserved for the true protagonist.
Just that... even a sparring match where they stop at a point, losing does indeed feel unpleasant!
"On the stage of the Eight Great Masters, let's have a full-power match." Lance said to Cynthia.
Cynthia nodded, "When we meet, I won't hold back."
The Eight Great Masters is a draw-based competition; to certainly meet, unless both can enter the finals, where there's a hundred percent chance to battle, otherwise there's a possibility of missing each other.
"Ah! Miss Cynthia, I've always felt that the two of us are fated..."
"Fate your big ghost head!!" During Brock's initial flirtatious outbreak, Misty had already prophetically tugged on Brock's ear.
Having two mature beauties present, Brock not acting strange would be indeed odd, so Misty was prepared.
Feeling awkward, Ash glanced at the pulled-away Brock, then looked at Cynthia with emotion, "A sparring match, Miss Cynthia is still amazing, Pikachu and I have always wanted to avenge ourselves."
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu waved its tiny fists, its cheeks leaking traces of electricity, clearly recalling that defeat and ready to battle Cynthia again anytime.
"Avenge? Ash, did you battle Cynthia before?" Ash's remark piqued Lance's curiosity; how did he not know Ash battled Cynthia?
"Just a friendly match, Ash and Pikachu showed me extraordinary possibilities between humans and Pokemon, now Pikachu has grown much stronger, hasn't it?" Cynthia crouched down, rubbed Pikachu's fluffy head.
The usually wary Pikachu showed no resistance to Cynthia but rather comfortably enjoyed Cynthia's 'petting'.
"Yes, Pikachu and I are not the same as before! This time we'll definitely win!"
"Hehe, save the battle with me for later. Today you didn't come for another purpose?" Cynthia gently declined Ash's battle invitation and then looked with lovely eyes towards Clair and her disciple approaching.
"Are you the recently rising star Ash? You indeed have the demeanor of a mature Trainer; Cynthia mentioned you'd come to challenge the Gym soon, and to show no mercy—are you ready?" Clair sized up Ash, eyes showing satisfaction.
It seems this person is not just famous without reason.
"Oh right, I came to challenge the Gym, um... you must be Gym Leader Clair! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, pleased to meet you!" After the two women's reminders, Ash suddenly remembered his original purpose in coming here.
Thus his face showed a slightly embarrassed smile, and then loudly made his introduction.
Leaving the Gym Leader aside to challenge another Trainer, such a thing is indeed quite impolite.
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