The final battle, Dragonite versus Charizard.
Two colossal figures faced off on the sandy battlefield, their invisible auras colliding and stirring up waves of sand.
The cheers from the audience gradually died down. Everyone held their breath, afraid of missing even a single moment of this peak showdown.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Dance!" Drake broke the stalemate first.
Dragonite's small wings fluttered as its body moved in a mysterious rhythm. A dragon-shaped phantom appeared around it, and its Attack and Speed sharply increased!
"I won't let you get away with that! Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash reacted immediately.
A blazing stream of fire roared toward Dragonite. But with the boost from Dragon Dance, Dragonite's speed was incredible. With a slight movement, it easily dodged, the flames exploding into a crater in the sand behind it.
"So fast!" Misty exclaimed.
"Dragonite, Extreme Speed!"
Whoosh!
Dragonite's figure nearly vanished from its original position. In the next instant, it appeared right in front of Charizard, crashing into its chest with overwhelming force!
"Roar!" Caught off guard, Charizard was pushed back several steps, a dull pain spreading through its chest.
"Now, Ice Beam!" Drake followed up without hesitation.
Dragonite opened its mouth, firing a cold blue beam instantly!
If that landed cleanly, Charizard would be in serious trouble!
"Dodge it, then use Dragon Claw!" Ash's heart tightened.
Charizard endured the pain and twisted its body sharply. The freezing beam grazed its wing, leaving behind a layer of frost that slightly slowed its movements.
But it still roared, its claws glowing green as it slashed fiercely at Dragonite!
Dragonite didn't dodge. Its right fist gathered violent energy, Thunder Punch!
Bang!
Dragon Claw and Thunder Punch collided again! Electricity and Dragon-type energy exploded outward, forcing both Pokémon to retreat. Clearly, both had taken damage.
"This Dragonite… it's too well-rounded," Tracey said, frowning as he watched the field. "It boosts itself with Dragon Dance, uses Extreme Speed to pressure, and covers its weaknesses with Ice Beam and Thunder Punch… there's almost no obvious flaw."
The situation on the field reflected exactly that.
With its diverse move pool and boosted speed, Dragonite constantly switched tactics, harassing with Extreme Speed, threatening with Ice Beam, and clashing head-on with Thunder Punch. Though Charizard fought fiercely, its flames and Dragon Claw were powerful, but under such all-around pressure, it began to fall into a disadvantage, injuries gradually accumulating.
During one failed dodge, Charizard was struck by a precise Ice Beam on its leg. Its movements became noticeably sluggish.
"This is bad! Its speed's been affected!" Misty stamped her foot anxiously.
"Charizard!" Ash looked at his partner, panting, covered in frost and scorch marks. Anxiety rose in his heart, but he believed in Charizard's will. "Hang in there! We haven't lost yet! Remember our special training! Remember our struggle at the Indigo League! Your flames won't go out here!"
Charizard glanced back at Ash. The fire in its eyes not only hadn't dimmed from the injuries, it burned even more fiercely!
It suddenly threw its head back and roared. With a loud burst, the flame on its tail surged upward, its color deepening.
Blaze activated!
"Even with Blaze, if it can't keep up in speed, it's useless!" Drake judged calmly. "Dragonite, finish it! Use Hyper Beam!"
Dragonite opened its mouth as terrifying energy gathered. A sphere of destructive orange energy rapidly formed!
"We won't lose either! Maximum power, Blast Burn!" Ash knew this was their last chance. If they couldn't dodge, then they would overpower it head-on!
Charizard took a deep breath. The surrounding air warped from the intense heat. The flame from its tail spread across its entire body, transforming into a devastating torrent of fire, as if it could burn the entire field to ashes!
Dragonite's Hyper Beam fired at the same time!
The orange beam of destruction and the blazing torrent of fire collided like two meteors in the center of the field!
Boom!!!
The deafening explosion made the entire Pummelo Stadium seem to shake!
The blinding light forced everyone to shut their eyes. The violent shockwave, mixed with flames, dragon energy, and destructive force, spread wildly in all directions, lifting the sand and carving out a massive crater!
Thick smoke and chaotic energy currents engulfed the entire battlefield. No one could see what was happening inside.
"What happened?"
"Who won?"
The audience stretched their necks, waiting anxiously.
Ash and Drake both stared intently at the cloud of smoke.
At that moment, Ash's Aura sensed a struggling figure rising within the smoke, then moving rapidly. It was Charizard! It had actually endured the explosion and charged out!
"Now!" Ash shouted with all his strength. "Charizard, Seismic Toss!"
"ROAR!!!"
Covered in wounds, with one wing even slightly charred, Charizard let out a roar beyond its limits! Gathering its last strength, it transformed into a streak of red light and plunged back into the still-lingering smoke!
All anyone could hear from within the smoke was Dragonite's startled cry, and Charizard's unyielding roar!
Then, before everyone's stunned eyes, Charizard's powerful arms tightly grabbed Dragonite, and it shot straight into the sky!
Spinning at high speed in midair, it formed a perfect arc, pouring all of its kinetic energy, potential energy, and the blazing bond it shared with Ash into this single throw!
"GO!!!"
Accompanied by the combined roar of Ash and Charizard, Dragonite was hurled violently toward the ground!
BOOM!!!
Another thunderous explosion rang out as the sand was smashed into an even deeper crater, dust rising once again.
When the smoke finally began to clear, Dragonite lay at the bottom of the crater, its eyes spiraling, completely unable to battle.
At the edge of the crater, Charizard was on one knee, supporting itself with a claw, breathing heavily. It glanced back at Ash, a trace of defiance still in its eyes, before its massive body finally gave out, collapsing to the ground.
Both aces had lost their ability to battle at the same time!
The entire stadium fell into deathly silence.
The referee stood frozen for several seconds before suddenly snapping back to his senses. Raising his flag high, he shouted with all his strength:
"Dragonite and Charizard are both unable to battle! Therefore, the winner of this match is the challenger, Ash from Pallet Town!!!"
"Pikachu!!!"
Pikachu was the first to leap up, cheering wildly.
After a brief silence, the stadium erupted like a volcano, with deafening cheers and applause!
The entire Pummelo Stadium was in an uproar! Everyone was shouting the same name over and over again:
"Ash! Ash! Ash!"
"We won… we really won!" Misty jumped up in excitement, tears streaming down her face. Tracey nodded vigorously, his eyes burning with emotion.
Drake stood where he was, looking at the fallen Dragonite in the crater, then at the similarly collapsed Charizard across from it. Finally, he turned his gaze to the boy standing amidst the cheers, looking somewhat overwhelmed, and a relieved, heartfelt smile appeared on his face. He stepped forward and recalled Dragonite.
"Congratulations, Ash." Drake's voice carried through the noise as he walked up and extended his hand. "The bond and will between you and your Pokémon defeated my Dragonite. This victory… you truly deserve it."
Ash was still in a daze. He grasped Drake's hand, feeling its firm grip, and only then did it truly sink in.
He had won!
He had become the champion of the Orange League Winner's Trophy!
He quickly ran to Charizard's side, gently stroking its exhausted body. "You did great, Charizard. You did it… we won!"
Charizard weakly exhaled a small puff of black smoke, its eyes filled with satisfaction.
Under the gaze of countless spectators, the representative of the Orange League solemnly handed Ash the trophy symbolizing the highest honor, the "Honorable Member of the Orange Crew" trophy.
The trophy shone brilliantly under the sunlight, heavy in his hands, carrying all the sweat, friendship, and struggle of his journey.
Ash raised the trophy high, facing all the spectators, and shouted with all his strength, "I've won the Orange League Championship!!!"
"Pikachu!!!" Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, cheering just as excitedly.
At the very moment he shouted those words, his heart filled with overwhelming joy and accomplishment, the system notification that had been silent for so long suddenly activated in his mind, ringing out continuously like a grand symphony:
[Major regional storyline for the Orange Archipelago completed. Overall evaluation in progress…]
[Evaluation complete! Based on the host's outstanding performance in the Orange Islands, including but not limited to: capturing rare Pokémon (Crystal Onix, Snorlax, Golduck, etc.), quelling the rampage of the three legendary birds, and winning the Winner's Trophy… Final rating: SSS+!]
[Distributing special interdimensional rewards…]
[Reward 1: From the world of One Piece, skill "Observation Haki (Beginner)". Slightly enhances perception, danger prediction, and the ability to sense emotions, complementing Aura abilities.]
[Reward 2: From the world of Naruto, skill "Shadow Clone Jutsu (limited to 1 clone)". Creates a physical clone capable of sharing damage and basic perception. Duration and strength scale with the host's Aura.]
[Reward 3: Conceptual Supreme Mystic Code "Volumen Hydrargyrum (Replica)" from the Fate series. Automatically defends against a certain level of physical and energy attacks, possesses limited autonomous defense awareness, and can change form according to the host's will, such as into a glider or cushion.]
[Reward 4: 50,000 World Points!]
[Current World Points: 84,700]
[System Shop "Legacy World" unlocked new training scenario: "Gravity Chamber (Beginner)".]
[All rewards have been delivered to the system space. Please check and use them at your convenience.]
The flood of reward notifications left Ash slightly dazed.
Observation Haki? Shadow Clones? Volumen Hydrargyrum?
These abilities that sounded unbelievably powerful had actually been granted to him as rewards?
He felt like his understanding of the world had been overturned once again. If used well, these powers from other worlds would undoubtedly allow him to go even further on his journey as a trainer.
But now was not the time to study them in detail.
Holding the heavy trophy, looking at Pikachu, Misty, Tracey, and all the companions who had fought alongside him within their Poké Balls, a bright, radiant smile spread across his face.
The adventure in the Orange Islands came to a perfect conclusion here.
But the story of Ash from Pallet Town was far from over.
Ahead lay a broader world, more Pokémon, and even stronger opponents waiting for him!
With the title of Honorable Member of the Orange Crew in hand, the journey through the Orange Islands had reached its final celebration.
....
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