"Besides that place, is there anything else you'd like to know?"
Since visiting the strongest Charizard's habitat was out of the question, Liza continued the previous topic, asking Ash and the others if there was anywhere else they wanted to visit.
Ash and Charizard both shook their heads. Ash said, "Miss Liza, we want to battle that strongest Charizard. Is there any way to do that?"
Liza nodded and said, "I knew you'd say that. There is a way to challenge that Charizard, but the conditions are simple in theory and incredibly difficult in practice. So far, no one except Lance has been able to meet those conditions."
Lance? That must be Lance, the Kanto Elite Four member, the Johto Champion.
Rumor has it that Lance's Charizard was also sent here for training and even dominated Charizard Valley.
This rumor was confirmed by Liza. It seems Lance's Charizard really did defeat all the Charizards in Charizard Valley!
"Did Mr. Lance's Charizard finally defeat that Charizard?" Misty blinked her beautiful eyes, asking curiously.
"No." Those two casual words caused everyone's expressions to change drastically.
Lance's Charizard couldn't defeat the strongest Charizard in the end?! Was that Charizard also a top-tier champion?
"Back then, after Lance's Charizard dominated Charizard Valley, it was only at the intermediate champion level. Almost a year has passed since then. I wonder how much Lance's Charizard has grown in that time," Liza revealed some secrets from Charizard Valley.
Lance's Charizard had already reached the intermediate champion level back then, but it was still no match for the strongest Charizard in Charizard Valley.
One can only imagine how powerful that Charizard truly was.
To challenge that Charizard, one must first defeat every other Charizard within Charicific Valley; only then does one earn the right to face him. In other words, the combined might of every other Charizard in the entire valley still wouldn't be enough to stand a chance against that Charizard.
He truly deserves the title of "The Strongest"!
"Miss Liza, I want to challenge that Charizard, too! Could you tell me exactly how the challenge process works?" Ash called out to Liza, his face beaming with excitement.
To challenge an entire valley of Charizard—and then to face the single most powerful one among them—the mere thought of it was enough to send a thrill through him!
"Are you sure about this, Ash? Challenging every Charizard in the valley is an extremely dangerous undertaking. I admit that your Charizard is powerful—in fact, for its current level, it is practically flawless. However... that perfection applies only to its current level. Do you understand what I mean?"
Upon hearing this, Liza's expression turned serious, and the tone of her voice grew solemn.
Clearly, Ash's decision did not meet with Liza's approval.
When it came to the Charizard species, Liza possessed a level of expertise that bordered on total mastery.
With other Pokémon, she might not be able to discern their exact level unless she saw them in battle; but with Charizard, it was a different story.
Even if a Charizard simply stood motionless, Liza could accurately assess its level and physical condition.
Thus, she knew that Ash's Charizard had reached only the level of an Elite Four-class Pokémon.
While it was true that, within the Elite Four tier, Ash's Charizard possessed physical attributes that were nothing short of perfect, that perfection was strictly confined to that specific tier. The gap between each subsequent tier—from Elite Four to Champion, and beyond—was as vast as the Sky and the earth.
To think one could rely on the power of an Elite Four-class Pokémon to go toe-to-toe with a Champion-class opponent—wasn't that just a delusional pipe dream?
"Miss Liza, since you already know Ash—and given your keen interest in Charizard—I assume you've also seen that legendary battle involving Ash's Charizard, haven't you?"
Brock stepped forward and spoke with a serious demeanor.
Although he was known for being a bit of a ladies' man, when it came to matters concerning his closest friends, he was always thoroughly earnest and level-headed.
Judging by Liza's words, she clearly believed that Charizard's current level rendered it unqualified to attempt the trials at Charicific Valley.
Yet, how could one possibly pass judgment on Ash's Charizard based solely on its apparent level?
"I know—this Charizard once defeated the ace Pokémon of Lorelei, an Elite Four member. At that time, it must have unleashed power comparable to that of a mid-tier Champion, didn't it? That power was unleashed with the aid of Mega Evolution and the unique energy emanating from you, Ash."
Liza's remarks left Brock momentarily stunned.
So, Liza was actually aware that Ash's Charizard was capable of battling above its level. In that case, why would she still claim that Ash's Charizard wasn't suited for the trials?
Liza swept her gaze across the group, who wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Then, she paused briefly before speaking up to clarify the situation: "I'd like to explain to you the process for the trial at Charicific Valley—the challenge to defeat the strongest Charizard—as well as the rewards one can earn."
Rewards? That thought spontaneously popped into everyone's minds.
Where there is a challenge, there are typically rewards; generally speaking, that is an indisputable rule.
However, such rewards are usually reserved for officially sanctioned events, such as tournaments. The reason officials establish rewards is to entice people to participate in challenges, thereby generating profit in the process.
The economic growth driven by spectators, the prestige brought by powerful Trainers, and a myriad of other benefits—it is precisely because of these advantages that the Pokémon League offers prizes, honors, and other forms of recompense.
It is a mutually beneficial arrangement, so the existence of rewards is hardly unusual. Yet, the so-called "prizes" offered within Charicific Valley struck everyone as rather peculiar.
For starters, the place was already incredibly famous; furthermore, anyone wishing to board their Charizard there had to undergo a rigorous screening process. It was always Charicific Valley doing the picking—never the other way around.
Given such circumstances, Charicific Valley had absolutely no need to offer any rewards whatsoever.
And yet, they did anyway. Was this simply a display of sheer, unbridled wealth?
Liza paid no mind to the confusion of Ash and his companions; instead, she continued speaking: "To challenge the strongest Charizard, you must first defeat every single Charizard within Charizard Valley. While the battles are conducted one-on-one, it isn't a matter of fighting a match and then taking a break. Rather, you must defeat all the Charizard in the valley—one by one—within the span of a single day!"
"What?!"
"No breaks? That's a bit too difficult, isn't it?"
"Is it really that demanding, Ms. Liza? There must be at least a hundred Charizard in the entire valley. Even if each battle took only a minute, it would still take over two hours just to get through them all. And considering you'd be facing such powerful Charizard, it's obviously impossible to finish a match in just one minute. Factor in the physical exhaustion... how could anyone possibly complete a challenge like that?"
The three of them spoke over one another in their astonishment. Ash, however, remained silent, wearing a pensive expression as he pondered something deep within his thoughts.
Liza raised her hands to signal for silence. Once everyone had fallen quiet, she continued: "It is true that the challenge is demanding. But tell me—how do you think the strongest Charizard in this valley was selected in the first place?"
"How it was selected... You don't mean...?" Serena mused for a moment, her face suddenly shifting to an expression of utter disbelief. If her hunch was correct, just how incredibly powerful must that "strongest Charizard" actually be?
"Precisely—it is exactly as you suspected. The Charizard recognized by all as the strongest in this valley attained that status by doing exactly what I just described: defeating every single Charizard in the valley, one after another, until it finally claimed the title of the strongest," Liza confirmed with a nod, validating Serena's theory.
Just as Serena had surmised, the strongest Charizard in the valley had endured that very trial—the grueling ordeal Liza had just described—to ultimately reach the pinnacle of power.
Therefore, anyone wishing to challenge him must naturally undergo that very same trial—and complete it once again!
It is much the same principle as challenging a Pokémon League Champion: to earn the right to face the Champion, one must first defeat all four members of the Elite Four before finally being granted the opportunity to stand on the same battlefield and compete against the Champion themselves. However...
"I'd like to ask you something, Ms. Liza. Regarding the rules for challenging the strongest Charizard that you mentioned—does it mean that after defeating every other Charizard in Charicific Valley, one must immediately proceed to challenge that specific Charizard? Or is there a designated rest period after clearing the Valley—allowing one to fully recover their injuries and stamina—before going on to challenge it?" Brock asked with a grave expression.
If it were the latter scenario, that would be no laughing matter. With so many Charizard populating the entire Charicific Valley—no matter how formidable Ash's Charizard might be—after taking them down one by one, its stamina would inevitably be pushed to the brink of total exhaustion, even if not completely depleted.
No one understood the true cost of Ash's Pokémon's power boosts better than his companions who stood right by his side.
Beyond the toll it took on Ash's own energy, the drastic depletion of his Pokémon's stamina was an integral part of that cost.
Every time Ash unleashed a power boost—while their speed and attack power skyrocketed—their stamina consumption increased exponentially.
In battles where Ash utilized this power-boosting technique, his opponents rarely managed to land a single hit on his Pokémon; yet, once the battle concluded, his Pokémon were almost invariably left in a state of near-total exhaustion.
One could say that every time Ash attempted a "level-defying" challenge, he was essentially dancing on the edge of a knife; a single slip-up would result in...
...total and utter defeat.
Although it might look as though Ash defeats his opponents while keeping his entire team intact, the reality is that his Pokémon are almost always on the verge of total collapse.
To force them to continue fighting at that point would be tantamount to using them as mere cannon fodder to absorb damage and drain the enemy's stamina; the notion of a "full-team victory" is, in truth, nothing more than a nice-sounding illusion.
Therefore, if Ash were to attempt to have his Charizard defeat every other Charizard in Charicific Valley, and then immediately proceed to challenge the strongest Charizard of them all... well, the outcome would be all too predictable.
"Why don't you consider this: what are the prerequisites for challenging a Regional League Champion? What is the standard procedure after one has successfully defeated the region's Elite Four?"
Liza asked with a smile, turning the question back on him.
"After defeating the Elite Four, you are required to immediately face off against the Champion. Therefore, attempting to usurp the title by challenging the incumbent Champion is far more difficult than any other method of becoming the League Champion," Misty interjected, picking up where Liza left off.
Defeating the Elite Four and the Champion isn't the only way to become the League Champion.
Some Champions are appointed directly by the League; others are determined by a tournament among the Elite Four members; and some attain the title by earning the collective recognition of both the Elite Four and the League itself.
Of all these methods, the most arduous is challenging for the title while the current Champion is still in office.
This means you must defeat the Elite Four and the reigning Champion in immediate succession!
This direct assault on the Championship is the most difficult path of all; consequently, any Trainer who succeeds in becoming Champion via this method is hailed as the strongest Trainer in that region's entire history.
The reason for establishing such draconian rules is to prevent the Champion's position from changing hands too frequently or arbitrarily.
It is, in essence, the League openly declaring: "Unless the current Champion has voluntarily stepped down, do not even think about challenging for the title."
If, despite these circumstances, one remains adamant about becoming Champion, then there is but one path left to take—a path through the very fires of hell.
"So, you're telling me it's the same situation here? You have to defeat every single Charizard in the Charizard Valley before you can challenge the strongest one of them all? Those challenge conditions are absolutely outrageous! I doubt there are even a handful of people in the world capable of meeting such a demanding objective!" Misty couldn't help but exclaim in protest.
What could possibly be the point of setting such harsh conditions? Is it for the sake of some unknown reward? Just what kind of prize could possibly warrant such an incredibly difficult challenge?
"Indeed. So, Ash—are you absolutely certain you still want to go through with this challenge?" Liza nodded, her beautiful emerald eyes locking onto Ash as she sought his final confirmation.
It wasn't that she doubted Ash's strength; however, the power wielded by Ash's Pokémon was not—unlike Lance's—a power that was truly their own.
Although Ash's Charizard had managed to defeat a Champion-tier Cloyster in a head-on battle, that victory was not achieved through Charizard's own inherent strength.
Liza simply could not believe that power attained through such forceful, artificial means could be entirely without side effects.
It might not be apparent during a brief skirmish, but when facing such a relentless series of successive battles, the side effects would undoubtedly manifest.
Although Liza didn't know exactly what the repercussions of forcibly boosting one's power were, Ash himself ought to know better than anyone else.
By laying out the details of the challenge beforehand, she intended to give Ash an opportunity to prepare himself.
Based on the actual circumstances, Ash could choose to proceed with the challenge, or he could simply pretend their conversation had never taken place; no one present would mock him for doing so.
After all, even a Charizard of Elite Four caliber—no matter how impeccably trained—would find it an incredibly arduous task to battle its way through the entirety of Charizard Valley. This was Charizard Valley, after all—not some run-of-the-mill, roadside Gym!
Under the collective gaze of everyone present, Ash and Charizard nodded firmly in unison: "We choose to accept the challenge! We're counting on you, Ms. Liza."
"Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger... Perhaps your string of successes has made you forget what failure feels like. This might be just the thing to clear your head. When would you like to begin?"
Liza shook her head with a resigned air, her tone already betraying her absolute certainty that Ash was doomed to fail.
Sometimes, a tactical retreat is not a sign of failure, but merely a strategic move made to secure a brighter future.
The current Ash evidently had yet to grasp this concept. Perhaps his journey thus far had been far too smooth sailing, leaving him ignorant of the very notion of stepping back. If that was the case... then let him experience, firsthand, the true meaning of failure.
"We can start right now! My Charizard and I are always battle-ready!"
"ROAR!!" Charizard threw its head back and let out a mighty roar, exhaling a blast of scorching flame; within its pitch-black eyes, a blazing inferno seemed to rage!
"Very well, let's begin." Saying this, Liza walked over to the entrance and picked up a massive horn. Taking a deep, sharp breath, she then blew into the horn with every ounce of her strength.
"WOOOOO—"