Chapter 104: Whirl Islands Tournament

Chapter 104: Whirl Islands Tournament

Ron put the little Lugia down. The little Lugia looked at Ron with a somewhat dazed and adorable expression. Then, without any fear, it snuggled up to Ron and called out. Celebi flew in front of the little Lugia, stretched out its small hands to pat its head, and gently comforted it.

Ron chuckled and took out a few Pokéblocks to feed the little Lugia. It seemed like this little Lugia was quite the foodie.

It turned out that Lugia had gone out to search for food, and the little Lugia was hungry. Smelling the scent, it followed it and ended up getting caught by Ron while he was fishing.

Rosa and Ruby also came over to look at the little Lugia, patting its head. Rosa smiled and said, "So this is Lugia."

"The legendary guardian of the sea, but isn't the ocean vast beyond measure?" Ruby asked.

"That's just what people call it," Ron said, patting the little Lugia's head. "Lugia often rescues people who fall into the sea, and since it lives in the ocean, it was revered as the guardian of the sea. But its actual types are Psychic and Flying, not Water-type at all."

After feeding the little Lugia, it was no longer afraid of people. It sat beside Ron and the others, watching them fish. From time to time, it would move over to nibble on the Pokéblock used as bait. Its adorable appearance was quite endearing.

After a while, Ron and his companions felt a powerful presence approaching. Ron patted the little Lugia and said, "Your mother is here. Hurry back now."

The little Lugia seemed reluctant, rubbing against Ron affectionately before flying into the sea and disappearing.

"Lugia, it's not safe here anymore. We just wiped out a Rocket Team secret base, and news of your presence here has likely spread. If you want to leave, head to Pallet Town. I have two Legendary Pokémon there who are still growing. You could help train them. Besides, it's a League-protected area, so no one will dare target little Lugia. Even if someone does, you'll have some allies to help out, right?" Ron said.

Lugia let out a deep cry from beneath the sea, then fell silent.

Ron nodded, stood up, and said, "Let's go check on how Elite Four Bruno is handling things. If everything's settled, we should head to Red Rock Isle and start training for the Whirl Islands Tournament."

Rosa and Ruby nodded in agreement. The three of them left to confirm if they could depart.

After receiving permission to leave, they requested a small boat from the League to travel to Red Rock Isle. The League assigned personnel to ferry them there.

A few days later, Ron and his companions arrived at Cark Town on Red Rock Isle, riding on Gyarados.

They hadn't planned to ride Gyarados there, but they had no choice. On their first day at sea, they encountered a storm.

Had Lugia not been nearby, they might have been in serious trouble. After rescuing them, Lugia thanked Ron and the others before departing for the waters around Pallet Town.

After that, Ron and his companions had no choice but to ride on Gyarados to Red Rock Isle. Several days of travel had left Gyarados utterly exhausted. Unlike Lapras, Gyarados wasn't a Pokémon specialized for carrying passengers, so fatigue was inevitable.

"Sorry about that. The League's ship will be coming to pick me up in a couple of days. Thank you for the rescue," the League officer said.

"It's no problem. It was a natural disaster; no one could have predicted it," Rosa said.

Back then, it was Rosa's Alomomola that saved him. Otherwise, who knew where the waves might have carried him?

After parting ways with the League officer, Ron and his companions went to the Pokémon Center in Cark Town to register for the tournament. Afterward, they found a room in the Pokémon Center and waited for the Whirl Islands Tournament to begin.

Two days later, Ron was training on the beach when a familiar voice called out from a distance: "Hey, Ron!"

Ron turned his head and saw Ash and his group approaching. Ash ran over, grinning. "Ron, I knew you'd be here for this tournament! Let me tell you, I've gotten a lot stronger!"

Misty and Brock also walked over. Misty said, "Ron, I'm competing too this time! If we face off, let's have a great battle—one that honors the pride of Water-type Pokémon!"

Rosa and Ruby glanced at Ash and his group. Ron introduced everyone before continuing his training. Ash looked at Ron and said, "I won't lose to you! Feraligatr, let's train too!"

Ash then released his Feraligatr. Seeing it, Ron was momentarily stunned and asked, "Feraligatr? When did you catch a Feraligatr?"

"Oh, it was not long after we parted ways. I fished it up, but it was just a Totodile back then. It's evolved into Feraligatr now," Ash said. "Oh yeah, let me show you my Pokémon. You'll be surprised!"

Ash released his Pokémon, including Pikachu and Feraligatr, as well as Typhlosion, Meganium, a shiny Noctowl, and an Articuno.

"Whoa." Ron and his friends inhaled sharply. Rosa said, "That Noctowl looks like the one I didn't capture, and that Articuno was the one Lance stopped Ron from capturing, right?"

"Huh? You guys know them?" Ash asked in surprise.

Ron was speechless, looking at Ash's current team. As the system had indicated, Ash was gradually getting stronger. If he traveled through a few more regions, he might even catch up to Ron. After all, with Legendary Pokémon practically seeking him out and his natural luck, it would be hard for him not to grow stronger.

But that made things more exciting, didn't it? Ron felt a thrill. The stronger the opponent, the more exhilarating the battle!

However, Ron still gave Ash a reminder: "Ash, the preliminary round only allows one Pokémon. But after reaching the Top 64, you'll need two. Are you planning to bring your Kingler?"

"Oh, right!" Ash suddenly realized. He quickly told Ron he would be back later and rushed to the Pokémon Center to swap his Pokémon.

"He's really reckless," Ruby shook his head.

"But he's strong. You might not see it now, but Ash has incredible potential. Give him two more years of training, and he might even match me," Ron said.

Ignoring the shocked expressions on Rosa and Ruby's faces, Ron also headed to the Pokémon Center. The preliminaries would start tomorrow, and he needed Greninja and Gyarados to get enough rest.

However, the preliminary matches disappointed Ron. His opponents were too weak to ignite his battle spirit. After all, could a Magikarp really put up a fight? The second round was slightly better—a Tentacruel—but Gyarados ended it with a single Hydro Pump.

Frustrated by weak opponents, Ron was eager to face Ash. Judging by Ash's current strength, he had a good shot at reaching the finals.

With the preliminaries over, the Top 64 were set. The real Whirl Islands Tournament was about to begin!

Looking at the match table, Ash and Misty were surprisingly pitted against each other in the third match of Group B. Ron was in the second match of Group E. Unless they reached the finals, they wouldn't be facing each other.