Baiyang Town, a small town located northwest of Oreburgh City and northeast of Jubilife City.
Modeled after Barcelona, Spain, it's a rather prosperous town, home to a large Time-Space Tower.
Ash and his two companions rode their bicycles along the bike path and promptly returned them at the Baiyang Town turning point.
Because the terrain here is unsuitable for road construction, Trainers can only proceed on foot to attend the upcoming Pokémon Contests held in Baiyang Town.
Along the way, Dawn was exceptionally excited, constantly asking Brock, "How much longer until we arrive?" to the point where she annoyed his mother!
If Ash hadn't timely used his binding move, the girl probably would have pushed her luck even further.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Brock looked at the map provided by his Pokémon Watch, constantly comparing it to the surrounding environment, and finally pointed ahead, saying:
"Dawn, we're almost there! It's just a short distance ahead!"
"Charge, charge, charge!!!"
The girl, who had been a bit sullen from being bound by Ash, instantly transformed into a blur of light and rushed forward upon hearing this exciting news.
Ash and Brock slowly followed behind the girl, not rushing to sprint.
Because…
Before Dawn could run much further, a swift, turbulent river blocked their path, its roaring sound confirming the extreme speed of the current.
Although there was a log bridge not far to their right that they could use to cross the river, setting aside the fear of crossing the log bridge itself, the layers of mountains on the other side made the girl feel overwhelmed.
"Brock, are we sure we didn't take the wrong path?" Seeing the vast river, Dawn couldn't help but turn back and question.
"Of course, we didn't take the wrong path!" Brock nodded unequivocally, "I followed the map strictly. If there's a mistake, it's the map's fault, definitely not mine!"
Observing their reactions, Ash didn't comment but used his Aura to scan the surrounding terrain.
He found that if they came from the bike path, they indeed had to proceed along this rugged road, so it really wasn't Brock's fault.
"Sigh! It seems we can only go this way!" Following the winding mountain path in the distance, even the always optimistic Dawn couldn't help but sigh.
"Let's go!" Ash pulled the dejected girl, preparing to continue their journey, "It's still early for noon; if we hurry, we'll definitely arrive before evening!"
"I guess we have no choice!"
Just as the trio was about to head towards the log bridge to cross the river, a sweet, mature female voice came, "Do you need help?"
A beautiful mature woman, piloting a hot air balloon, was flying at a low altitude with her partner Chimchar, extending an offer of assistance to the three people and one Pokémon.
This made Dawn incredibly happy; she wouldn't have to trudge through mountains and across rivers with steps that looked exhausting just by watching.
And the happiest was Brock, the big pervert, who never expected to meet a beautiful blonde woman in the wilderness.
Brock, believing his spring had arrived, struck a self-proclaimed cool pose, knelt on the ground, and said, "...It's a pleasure to meet Miss Iris here… May I… I'm numb! I'm numb!"
Croagunk, who had been standing behind Brock, eager to act, unleashed a fully charged Poison Jab, hitting Brock's kidney and pulling him aside.
"Don't mind him, Miss Iris, he's just like that!" Ash explained with a smile to the somewhat embarrassed Iris.
At the same time, they all introduced themselves and engaged in a deeper exchange.
After a brief introduction, they learned that Iris was a local resident who practiced music by taking hot air balloon rides every day, doubling as a tour guide.
She guided lost people in the vicinity, just like Ash and his two companions at that moment.
"The scenery below is so beautiful!" Riding in the hot air balloon, Dawn exclaimed as she looked at the scenery of Baiyang Town below.
"Of course, this is the place we are most proud of!" Iris nodded proudly, and even Ash, who was beside her, had to admit it.
However, upon seeing the Time-Space Tower in the distance, his expression became exceptionally solemn.
Although the scenery was beautiful, there was a hint of risk within it, and he had to be careful.
After a while, the hot air balloon quickly landed in Baiyang Town.
As a qualified guide, Iris enthusiastically led the three people and one Pokémon to tour the entire town, enjoying the leisurely and beautiful town scenery.
For a time, the faces of the three people and one Pokémon were filled with laughter and joy.
Until…
Ash successively made eye contact with three Trainers, and at that moment, he knew that a battle was inevitable.
After all, the rules circulating among Trainers were well-known.
"However…" Ash self-confidently pulled out a Poké Ball from his waist and said confidently, "I want to fight three, is that okay?!"
"Roar!"
At the same time, with a gentle flick of the Poké Ball, a Charizard over two meters tall flew out of the ball, flapping its crimson dragon wings, and made a grand entrance with a roar.
It flapped its wings, hovering in mid-air, its gaze burning as it watched the Infernape, Empoleon, and Torterra opposite.
"Naturally, since our little brother is so strong, our three brothers would naturally like to witness it properly!"
The three Trainers discussed among themselves and nodded, naturally having no objection.
Then, the Water-type Empoleon took the field first, facing off against this formidable and arrogant Charizard.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Flamethrower!"
Right from the start, it was a clash between the Water-type big move Hydro Pump and Flamethrower, and the scorching flames were clearly stronger than the opponent's Hydro Pump.
The two moves intertwined, instantly causing evaporation, transforming into steam that enveloped the battlefield under the opponent's astonished gaze.
"Not bad, your strength has improved quite a bit!" Ash nodded with satisfaction, "It was the right decision to let Charizard return to Charizard Valley back then!"
He simultaneously gave orders via Aura for Charizard to battle autonomously while observing Charizard's stats to check the results of its recent efforts.
[Pokémon: Charizard]
[Category: Flame Pokémon]
[Attributes: Fire, Flying]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Individual Values: 6V]
[Moves: Scratch, Smokescreen, Scary Face… Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Dragon Rage, Burn Up, Earth Throw… Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Mega Punch… Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Dragon Dance…]
[Held Item: Charcoal, Charizardite X]
[Strength: Elite (15%)]
"The quality of Pokémon in Charizard Valley is indeed high; in such a short time, its strength has successfully broken through to Elite, impressive!"
Ash glanced at the panel and nodded with satisfaction.
Unlike Sceptile, Charizard's breakthrough was entirely based on accumulating experience from battles with the wild Charizard in Charizard Valley.
Also, before the official journey began, he had exchanged all his remaining gold coins for TM discs, and it seems this guy has now fully learned them.
In future tough battles, Mega Evolved Charizard should become one of the team's mainstays.