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he knowes pokemon more than i know _Chapter_401_en
Chapter 401
Chapter 397: The Top 16 Match, vs. The Royal Mask!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"With all three of Ritchie's Pokémon unable to battle, the winner of this match is Ash!"
Amid the cheers and chatter of the crowd, the two trainers walked onto the battlefield and gently picked up their respective electric mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu, you did great," Ash said with a smile, praising him.
"Pika pika~"
His body went limp, and Pikachu kicked out his legs, collapsing into Ash's arms. One fist still waved insistently, signaling for an extra meal that night.
"Rehn, you did your best."
"Pika..."
On the other side, Ritchie looked dejected as he gently rubbed his Pikachu's head. Rehn, in his arms, also wore an apologetic expression, as it was he who had brought their Indigo League Conference journey to an end.
"That's enough, Rehn. It's my skill as a trainer that's lacking. Top 16 is already a great result."
Ritchie offered soft words of comfort.
This was the nature of competition. One person wins and advances, while the other must leave in defeat. There's no room for sentimentality.
Ritchie took a deep breath, walked forward, and lifted his head.
"I lost, Ash. You're really strong."
This wasn't a mere platitude. He had been utterly powerless against Ash, and a sense of helplessness washed over him.
"You have to keep going!"
But Ritchie still extended his hand, offering his sincere blessing.
After the match.
Ash left the stage with Pikachu, heading towards the competitor's lounge. He had left his gear bag there.
Unexpectedly, at the entrance to the main arena, he bumped into someone walking toward him, seemingly heading for the very arena Ash had just left. Ash couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:
"Huh? Gary, you're in the second match?"
He had forgotten to look at the match schedule again.
At that moment, Gary was walking with his hands in his pockets, his stride an arrogant swagger. Hearing the voice, he merely glanced at Ash out of the corner of his eye.
But he didn't look well; he had heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"Hmph!"
Gary snorted coldly and walked past him without another word.
"How weird..."
Ash scratched his head, perplexed, and continued toward the backstage area.
Just as he pushed open the door to the lounge, he found Ritchie had already packed his things and was ready to leave, a huge backpack on his shoulders. The Pikachu with the three distinctive tufts of fur on its head had recovered a good deal of its stamina and was now perched on his shoulder.
"Ah, Ash, is the interview over already?" Ritchie asked with a forced smile as he turned around.
The loser departs in gloom while the winner accepts the crowd's congratulations and the media's interviews; their paths diverged.
"Ritchie..."
Ash was about to say something, but Ritchie held up a hand to stop him, shaking his head. The outcome of a single match didn't define a lifetime.
Ritchie planned to set out again, to challenge again. He still had a promising future.
"I hope I can have another all-out battle with you next time, Ash of Pallet Town!"
"You got it! Next time, we'll battle with everything we've got!"
The two similar individuals' faces lit up with fiery battle intent. The clasp of their hands forged a significant bond.
If Red were here, he might have marveled at their encounter. Ritchie and Ash had similar personalities—the former more steady, the latter more reckless—but their strength was likely comparable.
Perhaps his arrival had changed Ash's growth trajectory, accelerating his progress?
But just as Red had said before, Ritchie was in no way inferior to Ash in any aspect, except for one thing.
The protagonist's aura.
Ultimately, this world revolved around Ash, not Ritchie.
But there was one thing Red was certain of: both of them had boundless potential!
In the spectator stands, Ash finally found the friends and family section and ducked over, still holding Pikachu.
"Hey, Ash, what took you so long?! The match has already started!" Misty couldn't help but complain. The others just gave him a flat "Oh, you're here" expression, their eyes glued to the arena.
The match was so thrilling and exciting that the group had forgotten to congratulate Ash on making it to the top 16.
"Hehe, I got held up for a bit."
Ash scratched his head and quickly found a seat. He had been in the competitor's lounge, exchanging tips with Ritchie on raising electric mouse Pokémon, and got so carried away he lost track of time.
Once seated, he quickly looked toward the arena. At either end of the main arena, two trainers were already standing.
On one side was Gary, who had just brushed past him.
Surprisingly, however, his expression was not good. His usual arrogance was gone, replaced by the look of someone facing a formidable enemy.
And Gary's opponent was a well-built man, bare-chested, wearing wrestling attire on his lower half, with a red and black mask on his head.
"Holy crap, Gary's opponent is The Royal Mask!?" Ash blurted out, stunned.
In this Indigo League Conference, aside from Brother Red, this Masked Man was the most absurdly strong. Gary had actually run into him in the top 16!?
You have to understand, this guy possessed the terrifying strength to go head-to-head with Elite Four Bruno!
Ash quickly shifted his gaze to the opposing Pokémon on the field. On one side was the Masked Man's constant ace—Incineroar. Its upright, red-and-black, dominant figure looked cool no matter how many times you saw it.
And on the other side, in front of Gary, was a massive, blue water tortoise. It was also standing upright, carrying a thick, dark brown shell on its back, from which two strange-looking cannon barrels protruded.
"Blastoise, huh... With a type advantage, he still has a chance!"
Ash slapped his hands together. He knew Blastoise was Gary's starter Pokémon and was incredibly powerful. Maybe he could actually overwhelm the Masked Man.
Although the two of them were always at odds, at this moment, Ash was more willing to cheer for Gary.
They were both from the same hometown!
"Ash, don't be so optimistic."
Brock couldn't help but point upwards. Ash followed his finger toward the electronic scoreboard.
The Masked Man's side showed one Incineroar and two Poké Balls below it.
But on Gary's side, Blastoise was only in the middle position. Above it was a grayed-out icon of a Rhydon.
"Yeah, this is already Gary's second Pokémon. His first, Rhydon, was defeated after inflicting only minor damage."
You could say the situation was massively disadvantageous for Gary.
"No, I believe in Gary!" Ash said at once, his eyes fixed on the arena as if he were the one battling down below.
"Masked Man, it seems you're as skilled as the rumors say. You're not just some pushover."
In the arena, Gary was still trying to break the Masked Man's focus with words, but the man's willpower was like a rock. The eyes visible through his mask didn't flicker in the slightest.
"Hmph, in that case, Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!!"
Blastoise leaned its body forward. Its two cannons extended, and a terrifying water energy began to gather in their dark openings.
Seeing this, the Masked Man reacted without delay, raising a hand and pointing:
"Incineroar, use Flamethrower!!"
(end of chapter)
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"With all three of Ritchie's Pokémon unable to battle, the winner of this match is Ash!"
Amid the cheers and chatter of the crowd, the two trainers walked onto the battlefield and gently picked up their respective electric mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu, you did great," Ash said with a smile, praising him.
"Pika pika~"
His body went limp, and Pikachu kicked out his legs, collapsing into Ash's arms. One fist still waved insistently, signaling for an extra meal that night.
"Rehn, you did your best."
"Pika..."
On the other side, Ritchie looked dejected as he gently rubbed his Pikachu's head. Rehn, in his arms, also wore an apologetic expression, as it was he who had brought their Indigo League Conference journey to an end.
"That's enough, Rehn. It's my skill as a trainer that's lacking. Top 16 is already a great result."
Ritchie offered soft words of comfort.
This was the nature of competition. One person wins and advances, while the other must leave in defeat. There's no room for sentimentality.
Ritchie took a deep breath, walked forward, and lifted his head.
"I lost, Ash. You're really strong."
This wasn't a mere platitude. He had been utterly powerless against Ash, and a sense of helplessness washed over him.
"You have to keep going!"
But Ritchie still extended his hand, offering his sincere blessing.
After the match.
Ash left the stage with Pikachu, heading towards the competitor's lounge. He had left his gear bag there.
Unexpectedly, at the entrance to the main arena, he bumped into someone walking toward him, seemingly heading for the very arena Ash had just left. Ash couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:
"Huh? Gary, you're in the second match?"
He had forgotten to look at the match schedule again.
At that moment, Gary was walking with his hands in his pockets, his stride an arrogant swagger. Hearing the voice, he merely glanced at Ash out of the corner of his eye.
But he didn't look well; he had heavy dark circles under his eyes.
"Hmph!"
Gary snorted coldly and walked past him without another word.
"How weird..."
Ash scratched his head, perplexed, and continued toward the backstage area.
Just as he pushed open the door to the lounge, he found Ritchie had already packed his things and was ready to leave, a huge backpack on his shoulders. The Pikachu with the three distinctive tufts of fur on its head had recovered a good deal of its stamina and was now perched on his shoulder.
"Ah, Ash, is the interview over already?" Ritchie asked with a forced smile as he turned around.
The loser departs in gloom while the winner accepts the crowd's congratulations and the media's interviews; their paths diverged.
"Ritchie..."
Ash was about to say something, but Ritchie held up a hand to stop him, shaking his head. The outcome of a single match didn't define a lifetime.
Ritchie planned to set out again, to challenge again. He still had a promising future.
"I hope I can have another all-out battle with you next time, Ash of Pallet Town!"
"You got it! Next time, we'll battle with everything we've got!"
The two similar individuals' faces lit up with fiery battle intent. The clasp of their hands forged a significant bond.
If Red were here, he might have marveled at their encounter. Ritchie and Ash had similar personalities—the former more steady, the latter more reckless—but their strength was likely comparable.
Perhaps his arrival had changed Ash's growth trajectory, accelerating his progress?
But just as Red had said before, Ritchie was in no way inferior to Ash in any aspect, except for one thing.
The protagonist's aura.
Ultimately, this world revolved around Ash, not Ritchie.
But there was one thing Red was certain of: both of them had boundless potential!
In the spectator stands, Ash finally found the friends and family section and ducked over, still holding Pikachu.
"Hey, Ash, what took you so long?! The match has already started!" Misty couldn't help but complain. The others just gave him a flat "Oh, you're here" expression, their eyes glued to the arena.
The match was so thrilling and exciting that the group had forgotten to congratulate Ash on making it to the top 16.
"Hehe, I got held up for a bit."
Ash scratched his head and quickly found a seat. He had been in the competitor's lounge, exchanging tips with Ritchie on raising electric mouse Pokémon, and got so carried away he lost track of time.
Once seated, he quickly looked toward the arena. At either end of the main arena, two trainers were already standing.
On one side was Gary, who had just brushed past him.
Surprisingly, however, his expression was not good. His usual arrogance was gone, replaced by the look of someone facing a formidable enemy.
And Gary's opponent was a well-built man, bare-chested, wearing wrestling attire on his lower half, with a red and black mask on his head.
"Holy crap, Gary's opponent is The Royal Mask!?" Ash blurted out, stunned.
In this Indigo League Conference, aside from Brother Red, this Masked Man was the most absurdly strong. Gary had actually run into him in the top 16!?
You have to understand, this guy possessed the terrifying strength to go head-to-head with Elite Four Bruno!
Ash quickly shifted his gaze to the opposing Pokémon on the field. On one side was the Masked Man's constant ace—Incineroar. Its upright, red-and-black, dominant figure looked cool no matter how many times you saw it.
And on the other side, in front of Gary, was a massive, blue water tortoise. It was also standing upright, carrying a thick, dark brown shell on its back, from which two strange-looking cannon barrels protruded.
"Blastoise, huh... With a type advantage, he still has a chance!"
Ash slapped his hands together. He knew Blastoise was Gary's starter Pokémon and was incredibly powerful. Maybe he could actually overwhelm the Masked Man.
Although the two of them were always at odds, at this moment, Ash was more willing to cheer for Gary.
They were both from the same hometown!
"Ash, don't be so optimistic."
Brock couldn't help but point upwards. Ash followed his finger toward the electronic scoreboard.
The Masked Man's side showed one Incineroar and two Poké Balls below it.
But on Gary's side, Blastoise was only in the middle position. Above it was a grayed-out icon of a Rhydon.
"Yeah, this is already Gary's second Pokémon. His first, Rhydon, was defeated after inflicting only minor damage."
You could say the situation was massively disadvantageous for Gary.
"No, I believe in Gary!" Ash said at once, his eyes fixed on the arena as if he were the one battling down below.
"Masked Man, it seems you're as skilled as the rumors say. You're not just some pushover."
In the arena, Gary was still trying to break the Masked Man's focus with words, but the man's willpower was like a rock. The eyes visible through his mask didn't flicker in the slightest.
"Hmph, in that case, Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!!"
Blastoise leaned its body forward. Its two cannons extended, and a terrifying water energy began to gather in their dark openings.
Seeing this, the Masked Man reacted without delay, raising a hand and pointing:
"Incineroar, use Flamethrower!!"
(end of chapter)
