Chapter 51: Tournament Ends, Surging Popularity Points
Chapter 51: Tournament Ends, Surging Popularity Points
Harrison recalled his Dragonite and walked toward Ron with a defeated but determined look.
"Damn it, you're just too strong. I guess replacing my cousin Lance as the Dragon-type Elite Four is going to be harder than I thought."
Ron shook his hand and responded, "You just need more experience. But you're too extreme in your training. I was once guided by Hoenn's Champion Steven Stone, and he told me something I'll never forget—'A person's true strength is determined by their weakest aspect.' Your Pokémon have clear strengths, but their weaknesses are just as obvious. If someone exploits those, you won't stand a chance."
Harrison scratched his head.
"Lance told me that too. But this is just my style—I doubt I can change. Maybe I'll find another way to cover for it."
Ron stayed silent.
This was Harrison's chosen path, and he had no right to interfere.
---
Closing Ceremony & Rewards
The tournament officially ended, followed by the award ceremony and closing remarks.
Ron wasn't just waiting for his trophy—he was also eagerly anticipating the system rewards. After all, once he got his prize, he could rest up before heading to Alola with Lillie for his next challenge—taming Tapu Lele.
---
During the closing ceremony, all the competitors were called onto the stage.
President Mr. Goodshow personally handed out commemorative medals to each contestant.
Even Lillie received a medal—
A black base, with white wings on both sides, and a crystal-crafted golden Poké Ball emblem in the center.
"It's actually quite beautiful," Ron thought.
---
Then came the top three players.
Ron, Harrison, and Kuma stepped forward.
Ron received a gold medal and a golden trophy—
The trophy's top featured a Poké Ball design, flanked by golden, outstretched wings.
---
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the Main Quest: Path to Mastery!"
Rewards:
Master Ball ×1
Charizardite X (Complete Set) ×1
Random Legendary Pokémon Location Map ×1
"Ding! Main Quest 2 has been unlocked!"
Objective:
Capture six Pokémon from Johto (No Legendaries, No System-Granted Pokémon)
Participate in the Silver Conference
Rewards:
Master Ball ×2
Mewtwo X (Complete Set) ×1
Random Legendary Pokémon Location Map ×1
Healing Powers & Psychic Abilities Unlock
---
"Damn, it just got a lot stricter," Ron muttered.
His Silver Conference team could only have Johto-native Pokémon.
That meant he couldn't use most of his current team except for Charizard and Sylveon.
Or wait—what about his Larvitar and Dragonair?
They hadn't competed in the Indigo League!
---
Ron quickly asked the system.
The system confirmed—Larvitar and Dragonair were eligible.
"Thank god."
That meant he already had three Pokémon for the Johto team—
He just needed to capture three more.
---
After the awards, fireworks exploded across the night sky, illuminating the stadium.
Lillie leaned against Ron's shoulder, gazing at the lights.
"It's beautiful."
Ron didn't reply, simply enjoying the moment.
---
Returning Home & Celebration
After the ceremony, all competitors spent one last night at the Pokémon Center before parting ways.
Ron and his group headed back to Pallet Town.
They originally planned to celebrate at Professor Oak's lab, but Lillie's Alolan friends insisted on visiting Ron's ranch, so the venue changed to his estate.
---
Ron didn't mind.
He bought ingredients and drinks, letting his two Blissey help cook.
Even Delia Ketchum (Ash's mom) joined in, preparing a feast for everyone.
Before long, everyone started having fun.
---
However—
Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, and Sophocles wandered into the ranch to explore…
And each of them came back with a Pokémon.
Four people, four rare Pokémon.
Lana: A high-quality Gyarados
Mallow: A high-quality Gloom
Kiawe: A high-quality Ponyta
Sophocles: A high-quality Magnemite
---
Ron almost coughed up blood.
400 MILLION POKÉDOLLARS… GONE.
Just like that.
"You guys sure are lucky… but damn, my wallet!"
---
Professor Oak's Request & System Check
Professor Oak asked Ron to bring back Alolan-form Pokémon from his trip.
Ron readily agreed—after all, his ranch needed more Pokémon.
With his newfound wealth from winning the league, capturing Pokémon was no longer a concern.
---
Oak also requested to study Ron's Ash-Greninja and Mega Beedrill.
After some thought, Ron agreed.
Most of his Pokémon were already near level 90, and he had taught them everything he could.
Now it was up to them to improve further.
Before handing them over, he planned to buy more upgrades for them from the system.
---
Speaking of the system…
Ron hadn't checked his new popularity points yet.
Would it be enough?
---
He opened the system panel.
Then—he froze.
Rubbing his eyes—he counted again.
"HOLY— 1.2 MILLION POINTS?!"
---
"I FINALLY FEEL RICH! SYSTEM, MAX OUT EVERYTHING! BUY ALL THE MODIFIED MOVESETS!"
---
Winning the Indigo League had skyrocketed his popularity points to 1.2 million.
For the first time, he didn't feel broke.
He immediately selected his purchases and hit confirm.
---
"Ding! Insufficient balance."
---
"…WHAT?"
---
"Ding! Breakdown of purchase costs:"
Max Attack EVs: 50,000 points
Max Special Attack EVs: 50,000 points
EXP Multiplier ×8: 300,000 points
Modified Move Sets: 1.1 million points
---
Ron: "...How the hell did 1.2 million points disappear THAT fast?!"
---
After recalculating, Ron prioritized his purchases:
Maxing out Attack & Special Attack EVs
Upgrading EXP Multiplier for easier leveling
Selecting special move sets for:
Charizard
Ron-Greninja
Mewtwo
Mega Beedrill
Then, with his remaining 300,000 points—
He purchased modified claw techniques for Charizard, sword techniques for Ron-Greninja, and weapon mastery for Mewtwo's Psychic Spoon.
---
Charizard's Power-Up
That night—
After the celebration ended, Ron climbed to the ranch's second floor, where Charizard rested.
Hearing his footsteps, Charizard opened its eyes.
---
Without a word, Ron handed it a glowing pill.
Then he turned and walked away.
---
Charizard watched him leave.
Then—without hesitation—it swallowed the pill.
---
A fiery aura erupted, engulfing its entire body.
The flames burned brighter than ever before.
---
From above—Mewtwo hovered silently, watching Charizard's transformation.
The second Mewtwo—Ron's original—stepped forward, nodding at its clone counterpart.
Without a word, the two disappeared into the night.
---
The flames raged for hours.
When they finally died down, Charizard stood stronger than ever.
Its muscles tightened, its wings burned with renewed vigor.
It glanced around—its resting spot now a scorched battlefield.
With a satisfied grunt, Charizard relocated… and drifted into a deep slumber.