Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"Duckbill Flame Dragon, using mental interference... What?!"

Boom! !

Having just launched a devastating attack, Blaine knew his old buddy must be extremely exhausted. Facing the Charizard high above, he could only command the Magmar to use its psychic powers to barely hold on.

However, this could not stop the latter's charge. Charizard instantly extended its claws and actually grabbed the Magma Dragon and plunged headfirst into the lava!

"Oh no..." Even Xiao Lan was a little unsteady on her feet.

She knew that Ash and Blaine would have a fierce battle, but she never imagined they would fight to this extent!

Blaine's Magmortar must have spent most of its time in lava, but Ash's Charizard wasn't primarily trained in fire abilities, so this...

boom! !

Just when everyone was holding their breath, the magma at the bottom of the volcano suddenly exploded, and the fire-breathing dragon, covered in flames, used its arms to lock the duckbill dragon and carried it into the sky!

"Rathyrium, use Thunderbolt to break free!!"

Blaine anxiously reminded his old friend, and bursts of electricity erupted around the Duckbill Fire Dragon, but the Charizard stubbornly held on with its willpower, and even began to circle around it continuously above the crater!

One week, two weeks, three weeks!

"A full-power ground ball! Throw it out of bounds!!"

"Roar!!" With a deafening roar, Charizard swung up the Magmortar's arm and flung it away with all its might!

Its target was not the crater below, but the open space outside the volcano!

"Oh no... Rammus, quickly use Psychic Interference!"

Knowing that if he crashed into the ground like that, the battle would be over, Blaine immediately had the damselfly use its superpowers to control itself.

If it can manage to fly back into the lava, the Duckbill Flame Dragon might still have a fighting chance...

"You've missed your chance! Dragon Claw!"

But just then, Charizard caught up with Magmortar and slammed its claws into Magmortar's chest, crashing down the mountainside with it!

Boom! !

The earth roared deafeningly, and the entire volcano shook violently.

"What exactly happened?"

The people on the hot air balloon were extremely anxious, wondering what the final outcome of this battle would be.

But Blaine knew he had already lost.

Even if Charizard and Magmortar are both unable to battle, Ash still has a third Pokémon he can use...

"Mr. Blaine, the outcome is decided!" Ash suddenly revealed an extremely confident smile.

"Roar!"

The dragon's roar was like a thunderclap, and the battered fire-breathing dragon soared into the sky again from the mountainside!

In its hand, it also carried the already unconscious duck-billed flame dragon.

It won!

"Charizard!!" Ash shouted with almost all his might.

Charizard flapped its wings and flew back to the top of the volcano. It handed the Magmortar to Blaine and then went to Ash, extending its fists to him and the equally wounded Dragonite.

"Roar!"

"Well done!" "Whoosh~"

The three fists collided again, a victory shared by all!

Ash's command, Dragonite's support, and Charizard's efforts until the very last moment were all indispensable!

slap~

Little Blue on the hot air balloon was the first to clap, and it quickly spread to everyone else, as well as all the Pokémon present, and then thunderous applause erupted!

The Charizard, which was teetering on the brink of collapse, looked around the scene... especially when its gaze swept over Ash's other handheld items, it suddenly let out another roar!

"Roar!!!"

This roar contained not only the catharsis of victory, but also a sense of accountability!

Its partners should realize their own problems by now.

Even a powerful dragon like Charizard needs Dragonite's assistance to defeat a formidable opponent like Blaine.

But if it were any other Pokémon, it's questionable whether it could defeat the original Arcanine in a one-on-one battle!

Do they really believe that simply increasing the strength of their special moves and honing their power and speed is what it means to become stronger...?

"Ash, that battle was amazing!" Blaine had already settled the Magmortar. "I was the one who was burned to ashes. You and your Pokémon possess a passion that surpasses fire and a power that surpasses lava! This Crimson Badge is your well-deserved trophy!"

"Thank you!" Ash immediately accepted the badge with delight.

With the eighth badge in hand, he has successfully secured his qualification for the League Tournament!

"Also, thanks to you, my flame, which had been extinguished, is about to reignite! Let's have another passionate battle sometime in the future!" Xia Bo laughed excitedly. He was no longer the somewhat dejected old man he once was, but a powerful figure who had rediscovered his fighting spirit!

This is perhaps the essence of Fire-type trainers: even when they grow old or fall into depression, they can still burn brightly until they exhaust their last bit of energy!

"Of course I'd love to!" Ash and Blaine clasped hands tightly.

"Keep getting stronger, Ash! I look forward to your future performances... not just this League Conference!"

"Definitely!" Xiao Zhi replied firmly.

Indeed, collecting badges and attending the Alliance Conference are only part of the journey.

Ash will face even more challenges in the future, such as Team Rocket and the Elite Four champions...

And adventures that leave their mark throughout the entire Pokémon world!

Chapter 160 The Authority of Trainers!

After successfully defeating the Cinnabar Gym, Ash and his friends bid farewell to Blaine and headed to the Pokémon Center in Cinnabar Town.

Ash needs to heal his Dragonite and Charizard here, and Misty also needs to find Nurse Joy to get the secret medicine.

"I'll be staying in Red Lotus Town for a while now. What are your plans?"

"I...I've decided to leave." After pondering for a long time, Misty finally made her decision in response to Ash's question.

"With my strength, it's impossible for me to defeat Blaine and obtain the badge... But no matter what, my journey to collect badges will not stop!"

Participating in the League Conference and reaching the quarterfinals... these are the trials that Xiaoxia must complete!

She had secured her qualification for the League Conference, but that was only because Xiao Lan helped her by acting as a substitute.

If she can only participate with that qualifying badge, Ash might not mind, but Misty herself will definitely look down on herself for the rest of her life!

"Then I wish you a safe journey." Ash smiled and extended his hand. "See you at the League Conference."

"Hmm..." Xiaoxia clasped hands together, feeling the warmth from the other's palms, and a strange feeling welled up inside her.

Looking back on her experiences over this period, Xiao Zhi's image in her mind has changed again and again. The initial domineering and vicious image has almost faded into obscurity.

At this moment, she really wanted to say that she could stay too, since it wouldn't take too long anyway.

But she ultimately didn't say it.

She had no time to waste, especially after watching Ash and Blaine's battle. Misty understood even more clearly that, let alone catching up, even just wanting to stay behind someone was something she couldn't afford to waste a single second of!

...

"What does Ash want to do if he stays here?" Brock asked curiously after Misty left.

He had always thought that Ash would want to go home and visit after collecting all the badges.

"Let's find a spacious place. I'm going to give these guys a pre-battle sergeant'!"

"Before the war...isn't it a bit early now?" Xiao Gang was completely confused.

He turned to Ash, only to find that the latter's usual calm expression had been replaced by a serious and profound one!

After receiving that shocking lesson, Ash hopes his Pokémon will reflect on their actions, otherwise he'll truly be disappointed...

Soon, on an open space at the foot of a volcano, Ash simultaneously unleashed his twelve weapons.

They're the only ones here now... As soon as Ash chose a spot, Blue dragged the other two away.

"There are some things that can't be said to our faces, especially since those guys are all so arrogant... It's okay for Xiao Zhi to discipline them, but if we overhear them, they'll lose face big time~"

Ash's fans were so moved by Blue's explanation that they almost burst into tears.

Sister Lan, you're such a kind person!

They're already annoyed enough about getting scolded later; if there are onlookers watching, they'll want to crawl into a hole and disappear.

However, for creatures like the Steel Serpent, it's impossible to find a suitable seam...

"Let me preface this by saying that what I'm about to say might make some of you feel wronged... or even embarrassed. If anyone finds this unacceptable, please let me know immediately so we can discuss a solution together."

Ash looked up and glanced at all his Pokémon: "But if none of you react after I finish speaking, then I'll take that as a yes, and you absolutely must not do it again!"

Starting with Pikachu, every Pokémon that makes eye contact with him shows either dependence or recognition in their eyes, while many others are already nervous and guilty and dare not look Ash in the eye.