Chapter 49: This is a limiter, right?

This bright pink really suits you!

Never mind being a female ninja; being a top-tier beauty is enough!

The shuriken in Aya's hand whistled with a fierce wind as it lunged at Ash and his group. At that moment, Ash's senses seemed infinitely amplified; he keenly caught the trajectory of the flying shuriken and promptly led them to dodge its attack.

But Brock hardly paid attention to the shuriken; his eyes were fixed on the appearing Aya, and he stepped forward, extending his hand, wanting to get to know Aya.

Ill again!

Ash and Xiaoxia were a bit embarrassed.

Smack!

Aya slapped away Brock's outstretched hand and bluntly replied, "This is a training ground; there will definitely be many traps, but you're so alert that you actually managed to dodge the traps we set."

Your skills aren't bad; how about a battle?

Sure.

Ash glanced sideways without changing his expression and smiled, "Sure!"

【Xiba: Black Satoshi must have detected Ajun's position, right? The Wave Guide Power is just too handy.】

【Ajun: Probably. I hid myself well; if it weren't for Black Satoshi's Wave Guide Power, you probably couldn't find my spot.】

【Yulongdu: Hard to say; every time I watch Black Satoshi train with his Poké Ball, I feel it's not simple—maybe even without Wave Guide Power he could locate your position.】

【Jiadeliya: I really have that feeling.】

Hairball, come out!

Aya sent out the Hairball that had lured Ash and the others earlier.

Charmander!

Straight to a type advantage......

Ash looked at the Hairball.

Aya noticed the iron rings on Charmander's tail and arms, and its trainer seemed unwilling to have it remove them.

Won't you take off the iron rings on Charmander?

No, Charmander feels this is just right.

Charmander itself thinks so; only greater pressure can release its inner potential.

Suit yourself, but if I beat you, don't later claim it was an unfair win.

Hairball, use Paralysis Powder!

Aya gave the order first.

Hairball floated up lightly, and a mist of Paralysis Powder instantly spread around its body; fine particles drifted in the air toward Charmander.

Flamethrower!

Taking a deep breath and opening its mouth, a fierce flame quickly gathered inside. With a 'Bang!' the Flamethrower surged out like a fire dragon, instantly consuming the Paralysis Powder mist. Moreover, the Flamethrower's momentum did not wane; it continued at astonishing speed toward Hairball.

Hairball, thanks to its excellent flying ability, dodged the deadly blow of the Flamethrower. It nimbly tumbled in midair, successfully avoiding the flame's coverage.

Charmander quickly adjusted its posture, leaping up from the ground, its claws flashing with white light.

Unable to dodge in time, Hairball was fiercely struck by Charmander's claws, letting out a miserable wail before crashing heavily to the ground.

Gewa~

Just as Charmander was preparing to press the advantage and finish the battle, it suddenly sensed something abnormal on the side.

It swiftly turned its head, eyes blazing, locking onto the new threat: Electrode.

Charmander unhesitatingly used Flamethrower again, this time aiming straight at Electrode. The flame, like an angry fire dragon, instantly engulfed the Electrode.

Accompanied by another wail, the Electrode lost its fighting ability in the flame's consumption and fell limp to the ground.

Ajun suddenly appeared beside Aya, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, scanning Ash and company: "You're Gym challengers, right?"

Taking another look at Charmander, he felt this Charmander was no ordinary creature; just now it actually sensed where he had launched the Electrode, and its Flamethrower move was so strong it instantly knocked out his Electrode.

Yes, Gym Leader Ajun!

Ash looked at Ajun, his eyes filled with even more fighting spirit.

Hmm, if you can beat us, this Pink Badge will be yours.

Ajun revealed the Pink Badge.

How about we do this match in a two-on-two format?

Ash readily agreed.

Afterward, he also released his Hairball.

Hairball again; facing Charmander, the outcome would be the same.

Xiaoxia muttered a comment.

No, it's different; my Hairball is about to evolve.

As soon as the words fell, the Hairball was instantly enveloped in Evolution Light, evolving into a Venomoth.

Just released and already evolving...

Ash glanced in slight surprise at the Venomoth, then looked at Charmander: "Take off those iron rings!"

Sensing the disturbance caused by the iron rings, Ajun's gaze toward Ash grew solemn.

【Xiba: I thought Black Satoshi's Charmander would evolve too, but instead they're taking off the iron rings; however, Charmander is truly strong—even wearing those heavy iron rings weighing dozens of jin, its speed doesn't fall short against the earlier Hairball.】

【Kenan: Just look at Black Satoshi's Pikachu—without the iron ring restriction, a flash of its electricity is comparable to lightning speed; it can be called a yellow flash.】

【Ailan: Look at the performance of Charmander after removing the iron rings; even if it can't match Pikachu, it shouldn't be far behind.】

Paralysis Powder.

The battle unfolded again in the same pattern, but Charmander's performance was even better than before.

Facing the Moluo moth sent out by Ajú, the little fire dragon had no hesitation at all and immediately unleashed a jet of flame.

This time, the power of Flamethrower was greater than when facing the Fur Ball, and its speed was also faster, almost instantly incinerating the paralysis powder released by the Moluoe.

The flames were like a raging fire dragon, charging toward the Moluoe with unstoppable momentum.

The Moluoe obviously hadn't expected the Little Fire Dragon to have such a swift attack; it tried to dodge but was already too late. The flames burst with tremendous energy upon contacting the Moluoe, accompanied by a loud 'Bang!' and the Moluoe was completely engulfed in the flames.

Afterward, the Moluoe fell helplessly from midair, obviously having lost its Battle capability.

This scene shocked both A Jie and A Ya present, especially A Ya, who watched the Moluoe helplessly fall to the ground, then looked at the iron ring casually tossed aside by the Little Fire Dragon, feeling a sudden surprise.

"Is this thing really that restrictive for the Little Fire Dragon?" A Ya muttered to herself. She recalled how the Little Fire Dragon, wearing the iron ring, had performed when battling her Fur Ball earlier, and comparing that to the Little Fire Dragon's current display of great strength, she couldn't help feeling somewhat confused.

A Jie also stared at the Little Fire Dragon, a flicker of disbelief crossing his eyes. As a Gym Leader, he had naturally seen many strong trainers and Poké Ball, but he had never before seen a Pokémon like the Little Fire Dragon capable of bursting forth with such great strength in a short time.

"This trainer and Poké Ball really aren't as simple as they appear on the surface."

A Jie pondered silently.

Xiaoxia and Brock were not surprised that the Little Fire Dragon could have such great power after removing the iron ring, because they had seen that a Pikachu with the iron ring removed was even more terrifying than the Little Fire Dragon, with a greater increase in ability.