"This place is called Rikishii Town," Brock noted as the group entered a new settlement. The entire town exuded a hearty, robust atmosphere that felt quite welcoming.
Boom! Boom!
The sound of heavy impacts drew their attention. Intrigued, they followed the noise and found a Feraligatr engaged in a test of strength with a Nidoking. The Feraligatr hoisted the Nidoking entirely off the ground and tossed it aside. It was a true powerhouse, a display of raw strength that made the blood pump.
"Alright, next!" a fit young man shouted. He was clearly the Feraligatr's Trainer.
"Wow, a Feraligatr!" Misty exclaimed. As a Water-type specialist, she adored the species for its power and sleek design, though she hadn't been lucky enough to catch one herself.
Ash's Croconaw was also nearing evolution. A rotation of PokémonNidoking, Ursaring, Heracrosstook turns wrestling the Feraligatr as part of its special training. The Feraligatr was exceptionally formidable, remaining unfazed and energetic even after consecutive matches. Ash's own Croconaw had been sent back to train under Slowking; otherwise, he might have let it observe its senior.
Ash's current active team had become somewhat consistent. Aside from his constant companions Pikachu and Meganium, he still had Raikou and Snorlax with him. His newest additions to the traveling party were his recently evolved Typhlosion and the newborn Lapras.
While Pikachu and Meganium had already achieved Bond Evolution, Meganium remained in the party primarily to carry Molly. Ash was reluctant to simply dump Legendary Pokémon back at Professor Oak's lab, only summoning them when he needed their power. He wanted to complete the Bond Evolution with Raikou, to help it become a true God of Thunder.
Typhlosion's affinity had risen steadily since its evolution, reaching 232. It was only 9 points away from the threshold needed for Bond Evolution. As for the infant Lapras, Ash wasn't in a hurry to train it; he would wait until they reached the coast and let it grow a bit more.
After the Feraligatr defeated a few more opponents, the young man called for a break.
"That was quite the performance!" a white-bearded elderly man nearby praised.
"I'm going to win this year's Sumo Conference with this Feraligatr, I'm sure of it!" the young man replied confidently.
The Pokémon Sumo Conference!
After a brief introduction, Ash and his friends learned that the young man was Raiden, the owner of the local Pokémon Sumo gym. The elderly man was Shimonosuke, the president of the Pokémon Sumo Association.
He smiled at Ash. "You kids have arrived at the perfect time. Today is the day of the conference!"
Pokémon Sumo was a unique competition where moves like Water Gun or Flamethrower were strictly forbidden. It was a contest of raw, physical grappling. By stripping away elemental skills, the battle returned to its most primitive, visceral form.
Ash decided to enter Snorlax. Its affinity had been climbing daily and currently sat at 243only 12 points away from the limit!
Their first stop was the Rikishii Town Pokémon Center to register. According to the rules, any participating Pokémon had to weigh at least 80 kilograms. Nurse Joy was busy weighing the entries.
Ash spotted the Team Rocket trio again. They had managed to squeeze Wobbuffet into a Miltank suit, which just barely brought its weight up to the 80kg requirement. The grand prize was a year's supply of Pokémon fooda literal fortune for the perennially broke trio. It was no wonder they were resorting to such schemes.
Ash looked at the small scale Nurse Joy was using and felt a bit hesitant. "Nurse Joy, if I break that, I don't have to pay for it, do I?"
Joy laughed and assured him it was fine. Ash, however, decided to be cautious and summoned Snorlax to the side. With its high affinity, Ash could wake Snorlax with a simple thought.
The current Snorlax stood over 2.5 meters tall and weighed nearly 600 kilograms. Just its appearance caused a slight tremor to run through the Pokémon Center. Had it actually stepped on that small scale, the device would have been crushed instantly.
"Well, there's certainly no need to weigh this one. One look is enough to tell it's over 80kg! You're in!" Nurse Joy said, looking at Snorlax with professional admiration. "I've never seen a Snorlax raised so well. It's magnificent!"
"It feels like it keeps getting bigger!" Misty remarked. She often napped on Snorlax's stomach like it was a giant mattress, and it felt more spacious every time.
Molly ran over and pressed herself against the Pokémon's soft, springy belly. "Haha! Snorlax is so comfortable!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! The annual Pokémon Sumo Conference is about to begin! Which Pokémon will seize the title this year? We look forward to a white-hot battle!" Shimonosuke announced.
Ash stood with Raiden as the opening ceremony concluded. "Ash, your Snorlax has an incredible presence," Raiden noted. Unlike most drowsy, lazy Snorlax, Ash's Pokémon radiated a palpable sense of power just by standing there.
That was to be expected. Aside from Charizard and Pikachu, Snorlax was the Pokémon Ash trusted most. It was one of the few that had reached maximum affinity from the very beginning.
"Raiden's Feraligatr is very impressive as well," Ash replied modestly.
Aside from Feraligatr, Ash noticed a particularly sturdy-looking Blastoise. He figured one of those two would likely be his final opponent.
Shimonosuke announced the start of the first match. The pairing was "Miltank" (Wobbuffet in disguise) against a towering Ursaring.
Jessie, desperate to win, ordered "Miltank" to use Counter. The Wobbuffet successfully repelled the Ursaring's charge, but the referee immediately disqualified them for move usage.
Jessie was furious and about to cause a scene, but Ash stepped in and shoved them out of the arena.
"Twerp!"
"Stay quiet and behave, or I'll blast you off for real!" Ash warned.
Snorlax is about to undergo Bond Evolution!
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