Pokémon Padea Adventure: The Journey Continues

"Pokémon battle, the two sides are Ash and Duncan. Please send out one Pokémon each to battle. The battle ends when one side's Pokémon is unable to battle. The side with remaining Pokémon health and its trainer is considered the winner..."

As she spoke, Huang Bo raised her right hand high and then swung it sharply.

"...Both trainers, please send out your Pokémon. The battle begins!"

As agreed beforehand, Ash sent out Pikachu, and Dunzi sent out Charizard to fight. Pikachu dashed forward and arrived at the battlefield.

With a flap of its wings, the Charizard flew out from beside the stump and crashed heavily onto the field. As it landed, the Charizard swung its neck and let out a roar, displaying its domineering presence.

"Ouch!"

At the same time, it flapped its wings, creating gusts of wind that forced Pikachu to lower its body and grip the ground tightly with its limbs.

"Pikachu!"

Ash asked Pikachu about its situation with concern, but before Pikachu could respond, Pikachu turned its head and, out of the corner of Ash's eye, caught a glimpse of Charizard moving behind it.

"Charizard, use 'Dragon Tail'!"

Charizard was so fast that by the time Pikachu straightened its head, it was already right in front of Pikachu. Charizard charged headfirst, performing a front flip, its tail, held high and enveloped in a deep purple glow, lashing down towards Pikachu.

"Get out of the way, Pikachu!"

With a loud "boom," the "Dragon Tail" attack kicked up a thick cloud of dust. After a short while, when the dust settled, only a large crater remained in the ground where the attack had been launched, and there was no sound of Pikachu.

"Pikachu, Pikachu..."

It turns out that the moment the "dragon tail" landed, Pikachu used its agility and speed to successfully turn the tide and move to the side, dodging Charizard's attack.

Pikachu, are you alright?

Ash asked Pikachu worriedly as it hid at the edge of the arena. Pikachu was panting heavily and had several scratches on its body. These were from the pebbles that had been kicked up by the "Dragon Tail" attack, scraping Pikachu's body.

"Pickup!"

Pikachu replied firmly, indicating to Ash that he was alright. Ash was relieved and looked at Charizard, who had regained its standing position after the attack, before speaking to Dunzi.

"Dunzi, your Charizard is very well trained. It is indeed your strongest partner, just as you said!"

Dunzi smiled.

"Thank you for your praise, but the training of Charizard wasn't just my effort; it also involved its own training in its home valley..."

After saying that, Dunzi recalled that one day, after losing a gym challenge, she gave up her dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer. At the same time, in order not to let her Charizard see her dejected expression, she decided to put it in a valley called "Charizard Valley", a valley where a group of wild Charizards lived.

Dunzi's purpose was twofold: firstly, he didn't want Charizard to see his dejected state, and secondly, he wanted Charizard to spend some time with its companions and relax, while also giving himself time to reflect on his future.

After traveling alone for a while, Dunzi prepared to visit the Charizard in the valley. Although she had not yet figured out her future, her subconscious movement still pushed her toward the "Charizard Valley", which was a manifestation of the bond between her and the Charizard.

"Little Lisa, over here!"

The speaker was Ji Ke, the manager of this "Charizard Valley." Although the valley was inhabited by a group of wild Charizards and was isolated from the world, Ji Ke's main job was to maintain good relations between visiting trainers and their Charizard partners, as well as the wild Charizards, and to help those who accidentally wandered here.

Dunzi and her Charizard first stumbled upon this place by mistake, which is how they met the wild Charizards and Ji Ke.

A gradually enlarging black shadow was cast from the sky—a Charizard with a basket hanging beneath it and a pink bow on its head. This was Ji Ke's Charizard, Little Lisa. Like Dunzi's Charizard, it was female, but in terms of size, Little Lisa was not only larger than Dunzi's Charizard, but also larger than many male Charizards.

After riding in Lisa's gondola, Dunzi and her friends soon arrived at the two gates of "Charizard Valley". As they pushed open the gate, Dunzi's Charizard seemed to have already smelled Dunzi's scent and was waiting at the gate. The moment Dunzi opened the gate, she and her Charizard embraced.

"Ouch! Ouch!"

Despite having only been apart for a short time, Charizard already missed Dunzi very much, and Dunzi, feeling embarrassed, comforted him.

"I'm sorry, Charizard, for leaving you here alone. I have some time to think things through, but..."

Dunzi hadn't yet come up with a way out for the future, but he hesitated to say it to Charizard. He could only mumble dry, hesitant words of comfort and longing for Charizard.

"Ow!"

Just as they were catching up, a Pokémon roar echoed from the center of the valley. Looking towards the direction of the sound, Dunzi saw a large number of wild Charizards gathered in the clearing in the middle of the valley. In the middle of this group of Charizards, a Charizard, slightly smaller than Lisa, was battling another, much larger Charizard.

"This, this is..."

Dunzi's question was immediately answered by Ji Ke, who was standing nearby.

"You're asking who the Charizard that challenged a group of wild Charizards was, right? It was shortly after you left your Charizard here, Dunzi, that a young trainer and his companions also left their Charizard here to train."

"This is the most warlike and competitive fire-breathing dragon I have ever seen in the valley. It is gradually challenging the level of the entire valley's fire-breathing dragon population."

With a loud bang, the Charizard was defeated by its opponent while Dunzi and the others were talking. A powerful "Flamethrower" swept past, and the Charizard turned into charcoal and fell down, losing its ability to fight.

"Oh no!"

Seeing the fierce Charizard fall, Dunzi and the others rushed forward. Dunzi also took out a mousse cake from her backpack, a "gift" she had made herself beforehand to gain her Charizard's forgiveness.

Dunzi fed the cake to the battle-hardened Charizard while apologizing to his own Charizard.

"Sorry, Charizard! This cake was specially saved for you, but the situation is different now. I need to help this battle-hardened Charizard recover some of its strength."

Dunzi's Charizard also expressed his understanding. After the warlike Charizard ate the cake, its consciousness was restored. Dunzi also observed up close that the Charizard's body was covered in wounds, which showed how severe the various hardships it had experienced before.

At the same time, the cake that Dunzi took out seemed to suit the taste of the wild Charizards around him. After all, it was a cake that Dunzi made for his own Charizards, which caused all the Charizards in the valley to gather around, each with a drooling expression on their face.

Dunzi had a sudden inspiration and offered Ji Ke his help.

“Ms. Ji Ke, I need your help with something, little Lisa…”

Ji Ke looked puzzled.

A short while later, at Dunzi's request, Ji Ke and Xiao Lisa were slowly lowering a heavy basket from the air.

"Dunzi, I've brought what you asked me to bring!"

The stool below set up a table and a stove on the spot, and waved in response to Ji Ke in the air.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ji Ke, Lisa!"

The wild fire-breathing dragons gathered curiously. Dunzi lifted the dust cover from the basket, revealing flour, butter, fruit, and other ingredients for making a cake. This tempted the dragons to feast, but Dunzi stopped them.

"Wait a minute, everyone, this is food for you, don't worry, but I need to process it properly before that..."

After saying that, Dunzi immediately rolled up his sleeves and started making a huge mousse cake. He kneaded the dough, chopped up the tree fruits, and spent a lot of time putting the cake base, which was meant to satisfy all the wild fire-breathing dragons, into the tall steamer.

There was only the original amount of firewood under the steamer, which was not enough to sustain the cake until it was fully cooked. So, the fire-breathing dragon from the tundish joined in the process, using its "flame-breathing" skill to heat the steamer.

One person's strength is limited. Just when Dunzi's Charizard was running out of steam, the newly recovered, warlike Charizard immediately joined in, also using "Flamethrower." Later, Little Lisa and a group of wild Charizards around them also joined in. Under the scorching heat of the flames, Dunzi's mousse cake was freshly baked.

After distributing the cakes to all the wild fire-breathing dragons, Dunzi and Ji Ke finally felt relieved and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Ji Ke thanked Dunzi.

"You've really worked hard, Dunzi. Thank you for your contributions to these wild fire-breathing dragons."

Dunzi waved his hand dismissively.

"You're welcome, Ji Ke. It's all thanks to you, Lisa, and all the Charizards that I was able to make so many cakes. But what makes me most gratified is..."

As he spoke, Dunzi looked around at the faces of those who had finished eating the cake, their faces beaming with happiness. It seemed as if a seed was quietly taking root in his heart, but then he turned his face away, thinking it was unrealistic.

Just then, the sounds of battle rang out again. Dunzi looked up and saw that it was that warlike Charizard once again attacking another huge Charizard.

"how so!"

Ji Ke quickly stopped Dunzi from getting up and making a move, and explained.

"Don't worry, Dunzi! This is how that Charizard interacts with the wild Charizards. Look over there..."

Following the direction Ji Ke pointed, they saw a circle of other Charizards surrounding the two Charizards that were battling, cheering them on.

"Those were all challenged and defeated one by one after that warlike fire-breathing dragon came here. Within this group of wild fire-breathing dragons, there is a strict hierarchical system unique to them. That warlike fire-breathing dragon is at the bottom, and then it cuts them down one by one. The goal is to defeat all the fire-breathing dragons here."

"All the Charizards?"

Ji Ke's answer surprised Dunzi, and Ji Ke continued.

"Yes, that Charizard and its trainer are a perfect match. They both have the personality of relentlessly striving for a goal once they set their mind on it. It is also willing to train 100% for its trainer, with the aim of one day fighting alongside its trainer again and achieving victory!"

Dunzi was moved by the story between the competitive Charizard and its trainer. Despite being weak now, he was willing to make unwavering efforts for his dream when facing a group of wild Charizards that were much larger than him.

Meanwhile, a seed was quietly sprouting in Dunzi's heart, and she made a significant decision: to partner with her Charizard.

"Charizard, I want to apologize for my previous lackluster performance. However, I now have a new goal in life. Would you be willing to help me?"

Dunzi looked at Charizard's face expectantly, waiting for Charizard's next answer.

"Ouch!"

The Charizard responded with an affirmative answer, then unleashed a scorching Flamethrower towards the sky, expressing its willingness to stand with Dunzi. Behind it, a host of wild Charizards also launched Flamethrowers into the sky, seemingly bidding farewell to Dunzi's Charizard. Only the warlike Charizard in the center of the arena remained oblivious to Dunzi's actions, engrossed in a fierce battle with its opponent.

"We're leaving our hometown to find a new place and continue our journey..."

As Dunzi and Charizard described their future plans, Ji Ke smiled slightly at them from behind. Dunzi looked different from when Ji Ke first met her; her eyes were filled with light for the future.

"Ouch!"

The Charizard, still battling Pikachu, let out a roar, pulling Dunzi back from his reverie. The moment Dunzi came to his senses, he heard Ash's command.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu's speed gradually increased as it sped along, and in a short while, it transformed into a bolt of lightning, rushing towards Charizard with lightning speed. Charizard blocked with both hands, facing Pikachu's "Quick Attack" attack head-on. The huge impact sent Charizard's body sliding several meters away.

Charizard bravely parried the attack, gradually coming to a stop sliding. Then, with a sudden burst of strength, it flung Pikachu away. Charizard sustained considerable damage, but it was nothing to its powerful body.

Dunzi apologized.

"Sorry, Charizard! I was distracted for a moment. Let's work together and win this battle!"