A clash of Fire-type against Fire-type unfolded in the blazing battlefield. In the scorching heat, the fighting spirit of both sides burned just as fiercely as the magma bubbling beneath the arena.
Blaine watched the Charizard Ash had sent out.
Its body was powerful and well-built, its limbs full of strength, and the flame at the tip of its tail burned intensely.
Looks like I was too conservative, Blaine thought.
The young trainer before him was far from ordinary. Charizard's aura didn't lose to his Magmar in the slightest—if anything, it faintly surpassed it.
"Flamethrower!"
Charizard and Magmar unleashed Flamethrower at the same time.
The two torrents of fire collided violently in midair—
But Charizard's flames gradually pushed forward, overpowering Magmar.
"Dragon Claw!"
A pure Fire-type clash wouldn't decide the match quickly. It was time to close the distance.
Besides, it would be a waste not to make use of the Attack Booster that had been given to Charizard earlier.
Magmar was forced into close combat with Charizard.
"Magmar, Fire Punch!"
But in melee combat, Magmar was steadily pushed back by Charizard and had no choice but to retreat and widen the distance.
You call this a rookie trainer?
Blaine was speechless.
This ferocious Charizard was completely suppressing his Magmar.
If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have held back…
Now the situation was getting awkward.
Meanwhile, Misty watched excitedly from the side, practically glowing with enthusiasm.
Boom!
Another Flamethrower clash erupted.
Charizard suddenly beat its wings, slicing through the air with a sharp gust as it rushed straight toward Magmar.
Its claws flashed.
Dragon Claw struck Magmar directly in the abdomen.
Magmar staggered back several steps, clearly running out of stamina.
"Finish it—Flamethrower!"
Under Blaine's watchful gaze, Magmar was engulfed by Charizard's blazing Flamethrower.
When the flames dissipated, Magmar collapsed.
It had lost the ability to battle.
Blaine scratched his head awkwardly.
Losing so thoroughly to a rookie trainer was honestly a little embarrassing. After all, Magmar was supposed to be the absolute ace of his third team.
Are young trainers these strong nowadays?
Or perhaps—
Are trainers from Pallet Town all this powerful?
If that were the case, the next time he encountered a trainer from Pallet Town, he would definitely raise the difficulty.
With a sigh, Blaine stepped forward while reflecting on Ash's strength.
Then he took out the Volcano Badge.
"Young man, accept this Volcano Badge."
The badge was shaped like a flame and shone a bright crimson color.
Ash reached out and accepted it.
"Thank you."
Blaine looked at the calm and humble boy before him.
Even after winning, Ash didn't show the slightest arrogance.
For some reason, Blaine found this young trainer difficult to fully understand.
"You only need one more badge to enter the Indigo Plateau Conference."
"Good luck!"
Blaine patted Ash on the shoulder, hoping to see him shine at the Indigo League.
"Ash, you were amazing!"
As soon as Ash finished speaking with Blaine, Misty ran over and threw her arms around him.
Her cheeks were flushed red, making her look especially adorable.
For a moment, Ash even had the strange urge to bite her cheek.
"Pika—!"
Pikachu ran toward them enthusiastically—
But halfway there, it suddenly stopped.
It quietly stood to the side, glancing at Togepi.
Inside, Pikachu shed silent tears.
After a Gym battle… the first hug isn't even for me…
…
After hugging for several minutes, Ash reluctantly let go.
But the Gym was simply too hot.
Leaving the sweltering Cinnabar Gym, the group felt much more relaxed.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting gentle rays onto Ash's face as he took a deep breath of the fresh air.
Ash decided to visit the nearby Pokémon Center and spend a few more days enjoying Cinnabar Island.
He had two goals.
First, to allow both his and Misty's Pokémon to rest and recover properly.
Second—
To hopefully run into Gary.
That guy who always mocked him.
If they met, Ash fully intended to tease him back for once.
Ash and Misty strolled through the town streets together, experiencing the island's unique scenery and atmosphere.
They walked hand in hand.
Sometimes whispering softly to each other.
Sometimes laughing happily.
They even planned to go back later and play some games that might help strengthen their relationship.
Brock tactfully excused himself.
He said he needed to buy some things to bring back to Suzie.
No wonder he had recently been staring at Vulpix absentmindedly and making phone calls from time to time.
After three days of fun, Ash and his friends finally left Cinnabar Island.
However—
Just as Ash departed, Gary arrived at the harbor.
He stepped off the ship accompanied by three or four girls.
"Ash, you're still so slow," Gary said, adjusting his glasses.
"I'll challenge the Gym first this time. I won't wait for you."
Despite his arrogant tone, he still seemed to be thinking about his longtime rival.
Meanwhile—
Ash suddenly sneezed three times in a row.
"Who's thinking about me?"
Could it be Gary talking about me again?
"Who would be thinking about you?" Misty said, lightly punching Ash in the chest.
Togepi rested in her arms as they looked out at the vast blue ocean.
Staring at the endless sea, Ash began reviewing the system rewards he had just received.
Charizard +3 Levels
Medium Rare Candy ×5
He also still had an Ability Patch sitting unused in the system inventory.
Ash quietly took it out and fed it to Pikachu.
Pikachu's current ability, Static, had a fairly low activation rate.
If possible, Ash wanted to switch it to the hidden ability Lightning Rod.
He only hoped it wouldn't somehow awaken Pikachu's "hidden hidden ability"—
Actor Mode.
Sometimes performing like a champion-level Pokémon…
And other times losing to rookie-level opponents.
After sorting out his thoughts, Ash opened his system panel.
System Panel
Name: Ash
Ability: Beginner-Level Psychic Power
(Ranks: Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced → Master)
Identity: Rookie Trainer
Main Quest: Become a World Pokémon Master
Regional Quest: Win the Indigo Plateau Conference as a rookie trainer.
Current Mission:
Fated Rivalry — Rank higher than Gary in the Indigo Conference, or defeat him directly.
Romantic Interest:
Misty (Affection: 89) — Lover
Reputation:
Nemesis of Evil +3
(Clearly a good person. With enough reputation, you might even obtain supplies for free when shopping.)
Heartthrob +2
(Easily gains favor with others.)
Pokémon Affinity +2
(Higher reputation increases Pokémon's goodwill toward the host. Applies to wild Pokémon as well.)
Gym Quest:
Challenge Giovanni, the Viridian Gym Leader, and defeat him to obtain the Earth Badge.
Quest Rewards:
Master Ball ×1
Mewtwo Mega Stone (X)
Medium Rare Candy ×5
Potential Enhancement Candy
"Mewtwo's Mega Stone…?"
Even a Master Ball appeared as a reward.
Is the system forcing me to catch Mewtwo?
Ash suddenly remembered the legendary moment when a "super rookie" cracked Mewtwo's energy shield with a single punch.
Maybe I could actually fight Mewtwo one-on-one…
After thinking for a moment, he looked back at the system panel.
The mission regarding Gary wouldn't activate until the Indigo Conference.
For now—
Defeating Giovanni and saving Mewtwo was the real objective.
As for Misty—
Her affection level had already reached 89.
She was basically his confirmed girlfriend at this point.
The only question now was…
Would there be other romantic interests appearing later?
After all, the system's Heartthrob reputation was ridiculously overpowered.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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