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he knowes pokemon more than i know _Chapter_398_en
Chapter 398
Chapter 394: A Person Similar to Ash
“So strong.”
Ritchie was also stunned by Ash's combination attack, staring in shock at the large, purple ghost before him.
Only after taking several deep breaths did he regain his composure and recall Butterfree to its Pokémon Ball.
“You did a great job, Babi.”
Immediately, Ritchie's face once again filled with battle intent. His expression and posture were ones Ash felt he had seen somewhere before.
“This child…”
Far away in the stands, Delia murmured softly. She found Ritchie very familiar, just like…
Just like Ash?
Although their appearances and personalities seemed completely different, the feeling they gave off was remarkably similar.
“Like Ash? I don’t think they’re alike at all. Besides, there’s a huge gap in their strength.”
Misty, sitting beside her, couldn’t help but blurt out.
She felt that this Ritchie’s strength was on par with Ash’s when he had just started his journey. He was probably just a slacker who had luckily reached the Top 16 under the Indigo League Conference's unreasonable tournament system.
Whether it was the eliminated Abin or Kikuzuke, they were all much stronger than him.
“This kid really is a bit like Ash…”
On the other side, Brock narrowed his eyes to a slit, his gaze holding a hidden depth.
As the man who understood Ash best, he could sense that the two battling before him gave off an all-too-similar feeling…
“So this is another Ash? Interesting…”
In a certain corner of the audience, a Faceless Trainer in a gray hat watched the battle with great interest, a smirk playing on his lips.
He could feel that these two people were practically identical. The only difference…
Were those four words.
In the arena, the battle was still ongoing. Ritchie quickly threw out his second Pokémon Ball.
“I choose you, Zippo!”
This time, a fiery red, dinosaur-like Pokémon appeared in the arena. A flame burned at the tip of its long tail. This was an old friend of Ash's, one of the Kanto starter Pokémon.
Charmander.
Coincidentally, Ritchie’s team was very similar to his own.
The second round of the battle began quickly. As the referee’s hand fell, Ash took the initiative, using the same trick as before.
“Gengar, use Shadow Punch!”
Gengar’s speed was immense. It slammed a fist into the ground, and in the next second, a spectral fist shot out from the ground in front of Charmander, its attack fierce and swift.
*Smack!*
The Shadow Punch struck Charmander squarely in the face, making its nose sting and nearly bringing tears to its eyes.
“Zippo, use Flamethrower!!”
But Charmander’s resistance was clearly much stronger than Butterfree’s. It withstood the blow and, with a toss of its head, spat a scorching flame forward.
*FWOOSH!!*
The pillar of fire surged forward, striking Gengar right in the face.
*Swoosh…*
In the next second, the flame merely passed straight through. It turned out to be just an afterimage left behind by Gengar's Agility. The real Gengar was already floating high above, suspended directly over the column of fire, even making a scary face at its opponent.
Anger rose in Charmander’s heart. It raised its head, and the flame swept upward, about to engulf Gengar.
*Whoosh!*
This time, Gengar vanished on the spot, its speed as fast as a phantom, almost as if it had used Teleport.
When it reappeared, it was strangely positioned two meters behind Charmander. It raised a chubby arm, poised to strike the Charmander's back.
It was hard to imagine that such a portly body could display such speed.
Ritchie immediately commanded:
“Zippo, use Fire Spin!”
Charmander understood. Without stopping the flame from its mouth, it turned its head and aimed at the ground below. The flame erupted, bursting and splashing across the ground.
*FWOOM!!*
The erupting flame instantly formed a fiery ring on the ground, a wall of fire that firmly protected Charmander within.
Fire Spin couldn't just be used offensively to trap an opponent; it could also serve as a defensive shield.
“Geng-geng-geng!!”
However, before the audience could praise Ritchie for this beautiful defensive move, Gengar let out three wild laughs. Its outstretched hand, emerging from its blood-red maw, showed no sign of hesitation, passing through the Fire Spin as if it were nothing.
To everyone’s surprise, Gengar’s fist seemed to transform into a black hole with infinite gravity, drawing all the flames from the Fire Spin wall into the center of its palm without taking any damage itself.
*FWOOSH!!*
The next moment, a violent wave of fire erupted from its fist. This was the form of Fire Punch, and its power was even thirty percent stronger than the one that had struck Butterfree.
Gengar was an old pro at the Kanto elemental punches; using its fists to draw in elemental energy was a skill honed to perfection.
Gengar then swung its fist, smashing it heavily into Charmander’s back. The immense force sent it flying several meters away, and a scorched, blackened wound instantly appeared where its back had been struck.
“Aargh…”
Charmander rolled several times on the ground, covered in dust, before it struggled back to its feet. The pain in its back drew a few pained wails from it.
“Don’t give it a chance, Gengar!”
Perhaps due to his conversation with the Masked Man the previous night, Ash’s battle intent was now palpable, and his offense was relentless and aggressive, never ceasing.
Gengar was even more so. Despite its goofy appearance, it was a veteran boxer. Boxing was all about sharp attacks, seizing the opportunity and momentum, and striking in a continuous chain, like the mighty Yangtze River, flowing on and on!
*FWOOSH!!*
The Fire Punch, still empowered by the absorbed Fire Spin, had not yet fully dissipated. Giving its opponent no chance, Gengar’s form charged forward again. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of its target. The Fire Punch, showing no mercy, ruthlessly slammed forward.
“The level difference is too great…”
“The outcome is decided.”
Many in the audience even closed their eyes, unable to bear watching what would happen next.
In the entire stadium, the only ones staring intently at the arena with wide eyes were the two trainers currently in battle.
Ritchie's face had lost some of its composure. His eyes were fixed on the two Pokémon as they drew closer, and he finally couldn't help but roar.
“Zippo, block it!!”
“AARRGHHH!!”
Perhaps his voice had an effect. Charmander’s pupils contracted, and infinite courage and power surged through its heart. It let out a furious roar and charged head-on into the attack.
*BOOM!!*
Gengar threw its punch, but Charmander opened its mouth wide. Bypassing the fiery energy surrounding the fist, it bit down hard on Gengar's fist itself.
The powerful force of the punch nearly sent Charmander’s entire body flying, making it stand out horizontally like a flag. Yet, it gritted its teeth and held on desperately, its jaws clamped on Gengar's fist, refusing to yield a single step.
It had blocked the blow.
“Geng…”
Gengar’s brow furrowed slightly. The opponent's move was the Dark-type Bite, which was super-effective and had inflicted a small but significant amount of damage.
It frantically shook its fist, flinging Charmander off.
The moment Charmander let go, while still in mid-air, it took a huge breath, sucking all the fire energy from Gengar's fist into its belly before being thrown away.
When it landed, Charmander staggered, its expression filled with exhaustion. The Fire Punch had not been without effect; it had already left it on its last legs.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!!”
But the eyes of both Ritchie and Charmander were filled with unyielding determination. The latter suddenly raised its head and let out a great shout at the sky. Within its somewhat immature roar, there was now a hint of a dragon’s imposing might.
The next second, a strange white light enveloped Charmander. Its body began to swell and grow under the light, its physique changing…
“It evolved?!”
The familiar scene left Ash slightly stunned, as if he were looking in a mirror.
Even the entire stadium was dumbfounded for a few minutes, falling into a strange silence.
When the white light faded, a deep-red fire dragon appeared in the arena. Its body was several sizes larger, its limbs were sturdy, and a horn-like protrusion had grown from the back of its head.
Charmeleon!
“That’s great! You evolved into Charmeleon!!”
Ritchie, standing behind it, was overjoyed, and the hope of victory instantly ignited in his heart.
“AARRGHHH!!”
The Charmeleon in the arena jumped around irritably, then whipped its head around. It opened its dragon's mouth and spewed a ball of imposing flame right at Ritchie’s face.
Ritchie: “?”
“Uh… I guess they really are alike.”
In the stands, Misty finally understood what Delia and Brock had meant, and couldn’t help but nod.
(end of chapter)
“So strong.”
Ritchie was also stunned by Ash's combination attack, staring in shock at the large, purple ghost before him.
Only after taking several deep breaths did he regain his composure and recall Butterfree to its Pokémon Ball.
“You did a great job, Babi.”
Immediately, Ritchie's face once again filled with battle intent. His expression and posture were ones Ash felt he had seen somewhere before.
“This child…”
Far away in the stands, Delia murmured softly. She found Ritchie very familiar, just like…
Just like Ash?
Although their appearances and personalities seemed completely different, the feeling they gave off was remarkably similar.
“Like Ash? I don’t think they’re alike at all. Besides, there’s a huge gap in their strength.”
Misty, sitting beside her, couldn’t help but blurt out.
She felt that this Ritchie’s strength was on par with Ash’s when he had just started his journey. He was probably just a slacker who had luckily reached the Top 16 under the Indigo League Conference's unreasonable tournament system.
Whether it was the eliminated Abin or Kikuzuke, they were all much stronger than him.
“This kid really is a bit like Ash…”
On the other side, Brock narrowed his eyes to a slit, his gaze holding a hidden depth.
As the man who understood Ash best, he could sense that the two battling before him gave off an all-too-similar feeling…
“So this is another Ash? Interesting…”
In a certain corner of the audience, a Faceless Trainer in a gray hat watched the battle with great interest, a smirk playing on his lips.
He could feel that these two people were practically identical. The only difference…
Were those four words.
In the arena, the battle was still ongoing. Ritchie quickly threw out his second Pokémon Ball.
“I choose you, Zippo!”
This time, a fiery red, dinosaur-like Pokémon appeared in the arena. A flame burned at the tip of its long tail. This was an old friend of Ash's, one of the Kanto starter Pokémon.
Charmander.
Coincidentally, Ritchie’s team was very similar to his own.
The second round of the battle began quickly. As the referee’s hand fell, Ash took the initiative, using the same trick as before.
“Gengar, use Shadow Punch!”
Gengar’s speed was immense. It slammed a fist into the ground, and in the next second, a spectral fist shot out from the ground in front of Charmander, its attack fierce and swift.
*Smack!*
The Shadow Punch struck Charmander squarely in the face, making its nose sting and nearly bringing tears to its eyes.
“Zippo, use Flamethrower!!”
But Charmander’s resistance was clearly much stronger than Butterfree’s. It withstood the blow and, with a toss of its head, spat a scorching flame forward.
*FWOOSH!!*
The pillar of fire surged forward, striking Gengar right in the face.
*Swoosh…*
In the next second, the flame merely passed straight through. It turned out to be just an afterimage left behind by Gengar's Agility. The real Gengar was already floating high above, suspended directly over the column of fire, even making a scary face at its opponent.
Anger rose in Charmander’s heart. It raised its head, and the flame swept upward, about to engulf Gengar.
*Whoosh!*
This time, Gengar vanished on the spot, its speed as fast as a phantom, almost as if it had used Teleport.
When it reappeared, it was strangely positioned two meters behind Charmander. It raised a chubby arm, poised to strike the Charmander's back.
It was hard to imagine that such a portly body could display such speed.
Ritchie immediately commanded:
“Zippo, use Fire Spin!”
Charmander understood. Without stopping the flame from its mouth, it turned its head and aimed at the ground below. The flame erupted, bursting and splashing across the ground.
*FWOOM!!*
The erupting flame instantly formed a fiery ring on the ground, a wall of fire that firmly protected Charmander within.
Fire Spin couldn't just be used offensively to trap an opponent; it could also serve as a defensive shield.
“Geng-geng-geng!!”
However, before the audience could praise Ritchie for this beautiful defensive move, Gengar let out three wild laughs. Its outstretched hand, emerging from its blood-red maw, showed no sign of hesitation, passing through the Fire Spin as if it were nothing.
To everyone’s surprise, Gengar’s fist seemed to transform into a black hole with infinite gravity, drawing all the flames from the Fire Spin wall into the center of its palm without taking any damage itself.
*FWOOSH!!*
The next moment, a violent wave of fire erupted from its fist. This was the form of Fire Punch, and its power was even thirty percent stronger than the one that had struck Butterfree.
Gengar was an old pro at the Kanto elemental punches; using its fists to draw in elemental energy was a skill honed to perfection.
Gengar then swung its fist, smashing it heavily into Charmander’s back. The immense force sent it flying several meters away, and a scorched, blackened wound instantly appeared where its back had been struck.
“Aargh…”
Charmander rolled several times on the ground, covered in dust, before it struggled back to its feet. The pain in its back drew a few pained wails from it.
“Don’t give it a chance, Gengar!”
Perhaps due to his conversation with the Masked Man the previous night, Ash’s battle intent was now palpable, and his offense was relentless and aggressive, never ceasing.
Gengar was even more so. Despite its goofy appearance, it was a veteran boxer. Boxing was all about sharp attacks, seizing the opportunity and momentum, and striking in a continuous chain, like the mighty Yangtze River, flowing on and on!
*FWOOSH!!*
The Fire Punch, still empowered by the absorbed Fire Spin, had not yet fully dissipated. Giving its opponent no chance, Gengar’s form charged forward again. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of its target. The Fire Punch, showing no mercy, ruthlessly slammed forward.
“The level difference is too great…”
“The outcome is decided.”
Many in the audience even closed their eyes, unable to bear watching what would happen next.
In the entire stadium, the only ones staring intently at the arena with wide eyes were the two trainers currently in battle.
Ritchie's face had lost some of its composure. His eyes were fixed on the two Pokémon as they drew closer, and he finally couldn't help but roar.
“Zippo, block it!!”
“AARRGHHH!!”
Perhaps his voice had an effect. Charmander’s pupils contracted, and infinite courage and power surged through its heart. It let out a furious roar and charged head-on into the attack.
*BOOM!!*
Gengar threw its punch, but Charmander opened its mouth wide. Bypassing the fiery energy surrounding the fist, it bit down hard on Gengar's fist itself.
The powerful force of the punch nearly sent Charmander’s entire body flying, making it stand out horizontally like a flag. Yet, it gritted its teeth and held on desperately, its jaws clamped on Gengar's fist, refusing to yield a single step.
It had blocked the blow.
“Geng…”
Gengar’s brow furrowed slightly. The opponent's move was the Dark-type Bite, which was super-effective and had inflicted a small but significant amount of damage.
It frantically shook its fist, flinging Charmander off.
The moment Charmander let go, while still in mid-air, it took a huge breath, sucking all the fire energy from Gengar's fist into its belly before being thrown away.
When it landed, Charmander staggered, its expression filled with exhaustion. The Fire Punch had not been without effect; it had already left it on its last legs.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!!”
But the eyes of both Ritchie and Charmander were filled with unyielding determination. The latter suddenly raised its head and let out a great shout at the sky. Within its somewhat immature roar, there was now a hint of a dragon’s imposing might.
The next second, a strange white light enveloped Charmander. Its body began to swell and grow under the light, its physique changing…
“It evolved?!”
The familiar scene left Ash slightly stunned, as if he were looking in a mirror.
Even the entire stadium was dumbfounded for a few minutes, falling into a strange silence.
When the white light faded, a deep-red fire dragon appeared in the arena. Its body was several sizes larger, its limbs were sturdy, and a horn-like protrusion had grown from the back of its head.
Charmeleon!
“That’s great! You evolved into Charmeleon!!”
Ritchie, standing behind it, was overjoyed, and the hope of victory instantly ignited in his heart.
“AARRGHHH!!”
The Charmeleon in the arena jumped around irritably, then whipped its head around. It opened its dragon's mouth and spewed a ball of imposing flame right at Ritchie’s face.
Ritchie: “?”
“Uh… I guess they really are alike.”
In the stands, Misty finally understood what Delia and Brock had meant, and couldn’t help but nod.
(end of chapter)
