Chapter Thirty-Five: The Duel and the Tournament Preliminary

“Now, let the battle begin. Each side may use three Pokémon. When all of one side’s Pokémon have lost the ability to battle, the match is over. Please send out your first Pokémon.”

“Go, Froslass!”

Ash’s first Pokémon was Froslass. Cheng Cheng quickly glanced at its data:

Pokémon: Froslass
Type: Ice
Level: 32
Rank: Pale Green
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Inner Focus
…
Moves: Powder Snow, Leer, Double Team, Bite, Icy Wind, Iron Head, Protect, Ice Fang, Crunch.

Seeing Froslass’s level, Cheng Cheng was a bit stunned. He wondered if he had read it wrong. Froslass was only level 32, but shouldn’t it evolve at 42? What sort of rule was this? Could Ash’s protagonist aura now even allow Pokémon to evolve early?

No matter what, Cheng Cheng had to give it his all.

“Go, Chimecho!”

Cheng Cheng sent out Chimecho right from the start. Although Chimecho’s level was relatively high, Cheng Cheng still knew he couldn’t let his guard down. After all, Ash was the most unpredictable Pokémon trainer.

“Chimecho, use Psywave!”

“Chime—chime!” Chimecho’s Psywave rippled through the air.

“Froslass, use Powder Snow.”

“Chimecho, dodge it!”

“Froslass, spread out the Powder Snow!”

The snow scattered, and Chimecho couldn’t avoid it. Fortunately, the power wasn’t great.

“Chimecho, use Confusion to block the snow.”

Chimecho used Confusion to shield itself from the powdery snow.

“Froslass, use Icy Wind.”

“Chimecho, protect with Confusion.”

“Now’s your chance! Froslass, charge in and use Ice Fang!”

“Chimecho, dodge quickly!”

“Chimecho, use Bind!”

Chimecho wrapped up Froslass.

“Froslass, use Bite anyway!”

Froslass’s Bite hit Chimecho hard, causing significant damage.

“Damn, I forgot Froslass has Dark-type moves!”

Froslass dealt a heavy blow to Chimecho, forcing it to release Froslass.

“Froslass, use Iron Head!”

“Chimecho, use Double-Edge!”

Chimecho charged in with Double-Edge, colliding with Froslass and taking considerable recoil.

“Chimecho, use Heal Bell!”

The soothing Heal Bell not only restored Chimecho but also began to heal Froslass. However, Froslass’s recovery was much slower.

“Froslass, don’t give it a chance! Use Bite again!”

“Chimecho, dodge!”

“Chimecho, use Confusion to restrain it!”

Chimecho’s Confusion froze Froslass in midair.

“Now, Chimecho, use Yawn!”

Chimecho’s Yawn hit Froslass, making it drowsy.

“Wake up, Froslass!”

“Chimecho, use Psywave!”

The wave sent Froslass into a deep sleep.

“Double-Edge once more!”

Chimecho’s final Double-Edge knocked Froslass out of the fight.

“You’ve done well, Froslass. Now, it’s your turn, Pikachu!”

“Chimecho, use Confusion on Pikachu!”

Pikachu was immediately restrained by Confusion.

“Come on, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

“Pika—pika—pikachu!”

Despite being held, Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt, striking Chimecho and knocking it out.

“Come back, Chimecho. Go, Mr. Mime!”

To handle Pikachu, Cheng Cheng chose Mr. Mime.

“Pikachu, use Quick Attack!”

“Mr. Mime, use Barrier!”

Mr. Mime erected a Barrier, and Pikachu bounced off it.

“Now, Mr. Mime, use Confusion!”

Confusion took hold of Pikachu.

“Throw it!”

Mr. Mime hurled Pikachu to the ground, inflicting significant damage.

“Are you okay, Pikachu?”

“Pika—”

“Good! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

“Mr. Mime, use Light Screen!”

The Thunderbolt rebounded off the Light Screen.

“Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!”

“Pika—pika—pika—pikachu!”

Volt Tackle smashed through the barrier and struck Mr. Mime.

“Mr. Mime, now use Double Slap!”

Mr. Mime’s rapid Double Slap knocked Pikachu out of the fight.

“You did great, Pikachu. Take a rest! It’s your turn, Grovyle!”

Pokémon: Grovyle
Type: Grass
Level: 30
Rank: Deep Green
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Overgrow
…
Moves: Pound, Leer, Absorb, Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Pursuit, Bullet Seed, Screech, Leaf Blade

“Grovyle, use Bullet Seed!”

“Mr. Mime, set up Barrier!”

The Barrier blocked Bullet Seed with ease.

“Grovyle, run!”

Grovyle dashed rapidly, circling around Mr. Mime.

“Grovyle, use Leaf Blade!”

Ash found an opening, and Grovyle struck with Leaf Blade.

“Mr. Mime, take the hit!”

Mr. Mime absorbed the attack.

“Now, Double Slap!”

The Double Slap landed squarely on Grovyle.

“Grovyle, use Pursuit!”

Pursuit left Mr. Mime unable to dodge, striking hard. Mr. Mime took heavy damage and was finally knocked out.

Another Dark-type move? It seemed Ash was more knowledgeable than he let on.

“Return, Mr. Mime.”

“Ash, I’m sending out my strongest Pokémon. Go, Lunatone!”

Pokémon: Lunatone
Type: Psychic, Rock
Level: 42
Rank: Green
Rarity: Epic
Ability: Levitate
…
Moves: Tackle, Harden, Confusion, Rock Throw, Hypnosis, Psywave, Moonlight, Psychic, Wake-Up Slap

“Lunatone, use Harden!”

Cheng Cheng had Lunatone boost its defenses first.

“Grovyle, Bullet Seed!”

Lunatone used Confusion to block the seeds in midair.

“Lunatone, use Rock Throw!”

A barrage of rocks flew toward Grovyle.

“Grovyle, dodge! Use Leaf Blade to break the rocks!”

Ash skillfully had Grovyle cleave through the rocks with Leaf Blade.

“Lunatone, use Hypnosis!”

Hypnosis hit its mark, sending Grovyle into a trance.

“Don’t give in, Grovyle! Use Screech!”

Screech had little effect on Lunatone but snapped Grovyle awake.

“Not bad, Ash. You’ve grown a lot lately. But I haven’t been idle either. Lunatone, another Rock Throw!”

“Grovyle, Leaf Blade, cut through!”

“Now, use Wake-Up Slap!”

While Grovyle was distracted by the rocks, Cheng Cheng had Lunatone prepare Wake-Up Slap, timing it perfectly.

“Release, Wake-Up Slap!”

Lunatone’s Wake-Up Slap struck Grovyle, dealing immense damage.

“Lunatone, use Psychic!”

Psychic hit the already weakened Grovyle, leaving it unable to continue.

“Grovyle is unable to battle. The winner is Cheng Cheng!”

“Come back, Grovyle. You did well.”

“Thank you, Lunatone.” Cheng Cheng returned Lunatone as well.

“Cheng Cheng, you’re amazing! If you entered the League, I might not be able to beat you.”

“Nah, honestly, these three are the only strong Pokémon I have. Besides, I’m not that interested in the League. I’d rather become a Pokémon Breeder.”

“Either way, thank you for today.”

“It’s nothing. The preliminary round is tomorrow, right? Let’s head back to the Pokémon Center and rest!”

Cheng Cheng and Ash’s group parted ways. Since Ash was a contestant with League credentials, he could stay at the Pokémon Center, while Cheng Cheng had to find accommodations elsewhere.

At this point, the city was packed, and Cheng Cheng couldn’t find a single hotel room. Tents dotted every park, forest, and open space—some belonging to participants, others to spectators.

“What now? Looks like we’ll have to camp out tonight.”

“It’s fine! I used to sleep outside with my Pokémon all the time,” Muci said calmly.

“Alright, good thing I brought a tent. Otherwise, we’d have to sleep under the stars. I bet all the tents in town are sold out.”

Cheng Cheng and Muci picked a patch of open ground, set up their tent, and lit a campfire. After a simple meal, they went to sleep.

Of course, Cheng Cheng didn’t sleep so early. Every night, he practiced his psychic abilities. Lately, he’d found he could begin to communicate remotely with Pokémon, though not for long.

If he could maintain long-range communication during battles, it would drastically reduce reaction time and boost his team’s combat prowess.

The next day was the League’s preliminary round. Ash had already given Cheng Cheng a ticket, so they could go straight in to watch his match.

The venue was vast, divided into several zones where matches took place simultaneously, saving a lot of time.

Cheng Cheng and Muci didn’t spot Ash’s group, but they saw the match list on the big screen. Cheng Cheng found Ash’s arena and took a seat.

Ash’s opponent was a trainer named Yuan Qi. Ash sent out Pikachu, and his opponent used Hitmonchan.

All trainers who qualified for the conference were strong, but Ash still easily defeated his first opponent, winning the preliminary and advancing to the main event.

Once all preliminaries ended, the grand opening ceremony of the Lilycove Tournament began. The ceremony was indeed magnificent, with tens of thousands in attendance and millions watching remotely.

Ash, it seemed, had helped out and was chosen as the final torchbearer for the sacred flame—a testament to his powerful protagonist aura.

It was said the sacred flame originated from Moltres, and likely from the legendary one itself. Cheng Cheng truly wished he could see it.

And so, the Lilycove Tournament of the Hoenn League officially began, and Ash’s journey in the competition was about to start.