After capturing Chikorita, about the eighth day after leaving Violet City, Ash and the others arrived in front of a valley.
This valley had two giant Charizard statues as decorations placed at the entrance, making the entire valley look incredibly solemn and majestic. Even though they were just statues, these two Charizards gave an unparalleled sense of pressure, surely sculpted based on two powerful Charizards.
This place is the famous Charicific Valley in the Johto Region!
There are many famous places in the Johto Region, but among them, Charicific Valley is a standout, just as the name suggests, the valley is filled with Charizards!
As the final evolution of the Three Starter Charmander, Charizard is not only beloved by countless people but also recognized for its strength.
A valley composed entirely of Charizards must be spectacular, there's no need to elaborate. The reason why there are so many Charizards in the valley is because there are specialized training methods for Charizards here.
Most of the Charizards in the valley are wild, but there are a few domesticated Charizards sent by other Trainers. However, those Charizards usually don't last a week in the valley—not because they learned something and left, but because they couldn't endure the environment and left!
In a valley full of wild Charizards, domesticated ones often struggle to adapt to such harsh conditions, and many times, unexpected battles break out in the valley.
It's like you're eating, and suddenly an opponent comes knocking to punch you, and both sides end up in a brawl!
Sometimes, you even get attacked by other Charizards in your sleep!
For domesticated Charizards, this kind of environment is quite overwhelming, and many don't last even seven days before returning to their Trainers.
But then again, if you can withstand the hellish environment of Charicific Valley, even without using its unique training methods, your Charizard will undergo a transformative change.
It's said that Dragon Envoy Lance, known to be invincible in battle, once sent his Charizard to Charicific Valley, and that Charizard successfully dominated the valley. When it returned to Dragon Envoy Lance, the Charizard had undergone a transformative change.
Leon once wanted to send his Charizard here to test the waters, but ultimately didn't due to distance, time, and work commitments.
Nonetheless, Charicific Valley still gained a lot of fame.
Ash also came because of its reputation, and since it was on the way to Azalea Town, they found themselves standing at the entrance of Charicific Valley now.
"What a magnificent entrance, is this the legendary Charicific Valley? Just standing at the entrance, you can feel an unparalleled wave of heat." Brock commented with admiration.
It's spring, and the weather outside is just right, but standing at Charicific Valley's entrance is like standing at a volcanic crater, with a wave of scorching air hitting you, making people sweat profusely.
"I wonder how strong the Charizards inside are... Charizard, are you excited too?" Ash said as he looked at the Pokeball in his hand with an excited smile on his face.
Charizard hadn't even come out of its Pokeball yet, but it was already excited by the vibes from Charicific Valley, showing just how stimulating the valley's Charizards were to him.
"Is anyone there?!" Ash took a deep breath and shouted towards the entrance, his loud voice echoing throughout the valley.
A moment later, the two giant doors slowly opened, a ray of light streamed through the crack, and what greeted Ash and the others was not a Charizard, but a slender figure.
"Who's shouting here early in the morning, coming to cause trouble?" a mature female voice sounded from behind the door. The next second, everyone could see the real appearance of that slender figure.
She was a fair-skinned girl with green high ponytails and sharp, determined blue eyes full of confidence.
Wearing a red crop top and shorts, revealing a toned, healthy waist and limbs, with pink wristbands and a pink belt around her waist, her look was brisk and full of energy, and it showcased her slender, sexy body to the fullest.
Upon seeing the girl, Brock's eyes started emitting hearts, and almost instantly, he appeared in front of the girl, half-kneeling on the scorching ground, one hand on his heart, showing a sincere expression.
"Ah, I'm sorry that my companion startled such a beautiful lady, I apologize on their behalf, and I'm willing to offer you everything as a sign of apologies!!"
"Alright, alright, no one cares about your everything, you are the one who's really scaring others, alright!" Misty's forehead popped a "井" character as she held Togepi in one arm, and skillfully pinched Brock's ear with the other, dragging him away from the confused girl.
"Ahem, sorry, my friend here doesn't have much resistance to beautiful girls." Ash bowed apologetically to the girl, showing a slightly awkward smile.
"I'll take that as a compliment then... So, what brings you here?" Upon hearing Ash compliment her appearance, the girl's expression softened a bit though she still maintained a serious demeanor while examining Ash and his friends.
In the past, there were people who came to Charicific Valley to cause trouble, but they were beaten thoroughly, and over time, people realized Charicific Valley was not a place to mess with, so fewer people came.
Could it be that Charicific Valley has been too quiet recently, and some clueless people decided to stir things up again?
"Ahem, we are here to…"
"Wait… sniff sniff… you have the scent of Charizard on you, are you a Charizard Trainer?" the girl suddenly interrupted Ash, moving closer to him, her small nose sniffing near Ash, then changing from her earlier serious expression, she looked pleasantly surprised as she asked.
"Umm… yes, you can tell just from that??" The girl's sudden action left Ash a bit stumped, it was his first time seeing someone who could sniff out a Charizard, was she a bloodhound?
"Hehe, I'm the guardian of Charicific Valley, if I didn't have this skill, I'd be unfit for the role. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Liza, the current guardian and Trainer of Charicific Valley." Liza extended her fair hand to greet Ash.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ash from Pallet Town… I didn't expect the valley's guardian to be so young, I thought it would be an old man." Ash shook Liza's soft hand, teasing her.
"Haha, not all guardians are old men… Ash from Pallet Town, huh? I think I've heard that name somewhere… Oh, right, you're that Superstar from the Kanto Region!!" As Liza held Ash's hand, her pretty face showed a thoughtful expression, and before Ash could speak, she looked enlightened, tightening her grip on Ash's hand.
In the first meeting with Ash, ninety percent of people mention the title "Kanto Superstar", it is the most widely known and easy to remember.
To adults, this title might seem a bit childish, but for Ash, it fits his flair for the dramatic perfectly!
"No wonder, the scent of Charizard on you is so strong, I can smell it without it even being out. Normally, smelling it outside is expected, but being able to smell it in Charicific Valley through the Pokeball means your Charizard is unbelievably strong!"