"This can't be a simple coincidence. It seems that the force backing the Gullhaven City Gym has definitely obtained an inheritance from a Secret Kingdom. And most likely, it's the inheritance of the Fortree City Gym."
A conjecture arose in Ethan's heart. For a long time now, he had already concluded that the Secret Kingdoms were, in fact, the ancient Pokémon world.
And this prayer ritual passed down from the Secret Kingdom further confirmed his assumption.
"But... for the Gullhaven City Gym to have inherited this prayer..."
"Doesn't that mean they've already managed to decipher the writing of the Pokémon world?"
Suddenly, Ethan grasped the key point of the matter, and his expression froze.
In reality, the rise of many great powers was related to the ruins within the Secret Kingdoms.
However, according to what Ethan knew, those great powers were still unable to fully assimilate those gains. The biggest problem was their inability to decipher the civilization of the Pokémon world.
If the civilization of the Pokémon world were truly deciphered in its entirety, then the Pokémon civilization of the current world would definitely not be limited to what it was now.
"The writing of the Pokémon world..."
Ethan pressed his lips together, a glint of light shining in his eyes.
At that moment, he possessed a text from the Pokémon world related to Regirock; perhaps he could consult it.
"The battle begins, go, Altaria!"
After finishing the prayer, Gym Leader Andrea Williams threw her Poké Ball, and Altaria's figure appeared in the air.
Its sky-blue body and white, cloud-like feathers complemented each other perfectly, displaying an innate nobility.
"You're starting straight away with Altaria?"
Ethan smiled faintly and opened the Poké Ball in his hand; Charizard's figure appeared in the air.
"Charizard, huh? Looks like you want an aerial battle with me."
A smile appeared on Andrea's face; this challenger was quite interesting.
"I'll take the initiative. Charizard, use Flamethrower."
Ethan gave the opening command, and a surging torrent of flames burst forth violently.
"Altaria, use Dragon Breath."
Boom!
The two attacks quickly collided in midair, evenly matched in power.
When the smoke dissipated, both Pokémon reappeared in the field, facing each other from a distance.
However, compared to Altaria's elegant flight, Charizard was completely flushed red, heat constantly radiating from its entire body.
"That heat... Altaria, use Dragon Breath again."
Sensing the anomaly in Charizard, Andrea's expression changed slightly.
"Again, Flamethrower!"
Ethan's voice rang out at the same time, and a blaze even more powerful than before shot forth.
Boom!
This time, Charizard's Flamethrower began to suppress Altaria's Dragon Breath, forcing Altaria to increase the power of its attack.
"Sunny Day."
At that moment of opening, Ethan's voice rang out once more.
Immediately, Charizard spat out a fireball that rose into the sky and transformed into a small sun suspended overhead.
A wave of heat spread from that sun, and the scorching light illuminated the battlefield, rapidly activating the surrounding Fire-type energies.
"Again, Flamethrower!"
Seeing Sunny Day take effect, Ethan revealed an expression of assured victory.
"Altaria, Dragon Breath."
Andrea's expression shifted slightly. At this point, dodging no longer seemed possible, so she could only choose to face the attack head-on.
Boom!
In the next instant, Andrea's face was filled with regret.
Under the dual amplification of Sunny Day and the Solar Power ability, the power of Flamethrower was terrifying. It completely crushed Altaria's Dragon Breath and violently blasted it backward, sending it falling from the sky.
"Altaria, use Roost."
Seeing Altaria's body slightly scorched, Andrea decisively ordered it to recover.
But just as her words ended, Charizard had already arrived in front of Altaria. It executed Dragon Claw and struck violently, forcibly interrupting Roost.
Then, Charizard finished it off with another Flamethrower, causing Altaria to completely lose the ability to battle.
"What astonishing firepower. I didn't expect your Charizard to have mastered Sunny Day."
Andrea silently withdrew Altaria, her expression very calm.
Next, she threw another Poké Ball, and Swellow appeared.
After emerging, Swellow slightly spread its wings and began to circle constantly in the air. Even though it barely flapped its wings, its flight was astonishingly stable.
"What an incredible flying technique. This level of wind control can already compare to my Vibrava with the Levitate ability."
Ethan's expression became serious.
Among his two Pokémon, although Charizard had greater explosive speed, in terms of flying technique, Vibrava was superior.
And now, this Swellow, without using any ability or move, achieved this solely through airflow control, clearly surpassing even Vibrava. Evidently, Andrea had gotten serious and sent out her main Pokémon.
"Charizard, keep going. Use Flamethrower."
"Swellow, dodge."
In the air, Charizard once again spat flames with terrifying power.
But this time, Andrea did not choose a direct clash. Swellow elegantly twisted through the air and easily dodged the attack.
"So this is the technique?"
Ethan frowned slightly. Relying on perception of airflow to dodge attacks rapidly was a common technique among Flying-type Pokémon.
"Then close in and use Dragon Claw."
Ethan knew that against opponents capable of dodging like this, the only option was to reduce the distance.
"Swellow, use Quick Attack."
Andrea showed no fear.
A white flash streaked through the air; Swellow lunged forward at high speed, maintaining a constant spiral flight, circled around Charizard, and slammed into it.
Charizard failed to dodge in time and was struck, sent flying forward. When it regained its balance and turned its head, it found that Swellow had already quickly pulled away, once again circling around it.
"Charizard, don't rush. Observe the opponent's movements first."
Ethan's expression was serious. Although Charizard's burst speed was high, its flying technique could not compare to Swellow's.
"Again, Quick Attack."
After landing the first hit, a smile appeared on Andrea's face.
Swellow let out a light cry, flapped its wings, and chose a direction to charge again.
"Charizard, it's coming." Ethan's face tensed.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard growled and abruptly turned, swinging a fierce claw.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Charizard's Dragon Claw collided with Swellow's wings, unleashing a powerful burst of energy.
"It blocked it!"
Andrea's face was filled with surprise.
But this was only the beginning; she didn't believe Charizard could block every attack.
"Again, Quick Attack."
Swellow quickly pulled away from Charizard and, thanks to its formidable wind control, continued flying through the air. White flashes appeared again and again as it passed by Charizard.
However, Charizard seemed to have grasped a certain pattern. With each Dragon Claw, it managed to block Swellow's attacks.
"A special sensory ability?"
Andrea's expression turned grave.
On the other hand, the corner of Ethan's lips lifted.
The reason Charizard could perceive Swellow's trajectory was naturally its sensitivity to temperature.
Bird Pokémon already have a high body temperature, and with Swellow's constant rapid movements, its temperature had reached a very high level.
Moreover, Charizard was using its thermal control ability to absorb the surrounding heat, causing a sharp drop in ambient temperature.
To Charizard, Swellow was like a flame in the darkness: no matter how fast it moved, as long as it focused, it could detect it.
"In that case, attack with everything."
Seeing that surprise attacks no longer worked, Andrea changed tactics once again.
In the air, Swellow's eyes shone with determination, and its figure surged forward.
Charizard was fully prepared, sensing a heat source rapidly approaching.
Confident, Charizard activated Dragon Claw and attacked toward the perceived direction. But just as it thought it had hit, Swellow suddenly disappeared. In the next instant, Charizard felt a sharp pain in its back and was blasted forward.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard stabilized itself and looked in confusion at Swellow behind it.
"Charizard, don't panic. That was Aerial Ace—it's nothing special."
Ethan spoke immediately to calm it. Trusting Ethan, Charizard quickly settled down.
At the same time, Andrea looked at Ethan in surprise. She hadn't expected him to identify the trick at a glance.
In previous battles, some opponents had even mistaken this move for Teleport, completely warping their strategy and allowing her to win easily.
"Even if you know it, how do you plan to counter it?"
"Swellow, again, use Aerial Ace."
Andrea gave the order once more; knowing it and countering it were two very different things.
"Then I'll show you how it's broken. Charizard, use that move."
Hearing Ethan's words, a flash shone in Charizard's eyes.
At the same time, Swellow attacked from the side.
Charizard hesitated for an instant and extended its claw, pretending to block.
This time, Charizard focused to the utmost, and indeed, its attack struck nothing.
Suddenly, its gaze sharpened, and the power accumulated within it erupted completely.
Boom!
A violent current of air exploded around Charizard. Dragon-type energy mixed with the airflow, dancing wildly.
Within the turbulence, Swellow's figure was caught by the current, losing its stability.
At the same time, Charizard moved. The claw formed from draconic currents descended forcefully, striking Swellow and sending it crashing down from the sky.
"What?!"
The audience was stunned.
Even Andrea, the Gym Leader, lost her composure.
She hadn't expected Ethan to truly break Swellow's Aerial Ace in such a short time.
"I see, is it Dragon Dance?"
"Did he use the airflow generated by the explosion of Dragon Dance to alter Swellow's flight trajectory?"
After thinking for a moment, Andrea understood the method.
"Exactly—Dragon Dance."
Ethan smiled confidently.
If he remembered correctly, Aerial Ace was precisely the specialty of the Fortree City Gym.
In the anime, Ash had managed to break it by kicking up a cloud of dust.
Now, Ethan had used a similar method: as long as Swellow's flight path was disrupted and its position revealed, Aerial Ace was neutralized.
And Dragon Dance, which was one of Charizard's egg moves, had been one of its main training moves recently.
"Swellow has lost the ability to battle. Charizard wins."
After checking Swellow's condition, the referee waved the flag and announced the result.
"Charrzz!"
"Good job. Only one left."
Ethan praised Charizard, which roared excitedly.
All the effort during this time had not been in vain!
"The last one—go, Pidgeot."
Andrea took a deep breath and threw her Poké Ball. The imposing figure of Pidgeot appeared.
"The last one is Pidgeot?"
"Then, Charizard, continue. Use Dragon Dance."
Ethan smiled faintly. Pidgeot's greatest advantage was its explosive speed.
In that regard, Charizard might be at a disadvantage, but with multiple boosts from Dragon Dance, Ethan was confident that Charizard would not lose.
"Stop it! Use Air Cutter."
Andrea had also thought of this and immediately gave the order.
Charizard had already gained a Dragon Dance boost in the battle against Swellow; if it strengthened further, the battle would become very difficult.
"Piiddgeeott!"
Pidgeot let out a long cry and, with a flap of its wings, fired two blades of air.
Charizard was forced to cancel Dragon Dance and unleashed Flamethrower, shattering the blades as it advanced toward Pidgeot without losing momentum.
Pidgeot flapped its wings and left an afterimage in the air, dodging the attack with its speed.
However, Charizard was not slow either. With the boost from Dragon Dance, it appeared instantly in front of Pidgeot and fiercely unleashed Dragon Claw.
Boom, boom, boom!
Pidgeot counterattacked using Wing Attack, clashing with Charizard's Dragon Claw.
While fighting, Pidgeot retreated, but Charizard managed to keep up with its speed, battling in midair.
With the boost from Dragon Dance, Charizard's attack power had increased enormously, giving it a clear advantage.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Pidgeot was violently blasted backward.
"Dragon Dance!"
Ethan shouted upon seeing Pidgeot quickly rise.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard seized the opportunity and used Dragon Dance once more, further boosting its attack and speed.
"This won't work!"
Andrea closed her eyes. With Charizard mastering Dragon Dance, Pidgeot's speed advantage had already been lost, and might even be surpassed.
"Let's go, Pidgeot! Use Sky Attack."
After taking a deep breath, Andrea gave the final order.
"Piiddgeeott!"
Pidgeot roared, and Flying-type energy burst forth violently, enveloping its body and forming the silhouette of a divine bird.
"The final move?"
"Then we will too. Use Flare Blitz!"
Ethan smiled, accepting the head-on clash.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard roared, flames erupting violently and covering its entire body, transforming it into a gigantic fireball.
Boom!
Both Pokémon, using all their strength, charged at each other and collided brutally in midair.
Flying-type energy and Fire-type energy clashed incessantly, producing thunderous explosions until they finally detonated.
Amid the smoke of the explosion, both Pokémon fell from the sky and crashed into the ground.
"Pidgeot!"
"Charizard!"
Both trainers shouted anxiously, staring intently at the field.
Hearing their trainers' voices, both Pokémon struggled to stand.
Finally, due to severe injuries, both collapsed heavily, losing the ability to battle.
"Pidgeot and Charizard have lost the ability to battle at the same time. The challenger obtains victory."
The referee silently counted ten seconds and, seeing that neither stood up, announced the result.
In the end, Ethan, thanks to Charizard, defeated all three of Gym Leader Andrea's Pokémon and successfully cleared the Gullhaven City Gym.
"Congratulations. Defeating me in a head-on aerial duel isn't easy—you're very strong."
After withdrawing Pidgeot, Andrea looked at Ethan and spoke sincerely.
"It was Charizard's effort. We still have a lot to learn."
Ethan smiled modestly—and he meant it. In the time ahead, he planned to stay in Gullhaven City to continue training the flying abilities of Charizard and Vibrava.
Moreover, he intended to see whether the Gullhaven City Gym could help him decipher that Pokémon world text related to Regirock.
(End of chapter)