"Ash, what's the deal with this orb? Why did it glow like that when it came into your hands?" A look of lingering shock remained on Liza's face, and her voice carried a hint of astonishment.
The orb had remained dormant in the valley for over a century, yet the moment it touched Ash's hands, it erupted with such intense radiance. Could it be that this orb was destined for Ash all along?
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but judging by the message it conveyed to me, it seems linked to the Sky Dragon, Rayquaza. Ms. Liza, may I take this orb with me?" Ash didn't mention that he had recognized the green orb from the start, but he did reveal the information connecting it to Rayquaza.
After all, while Liza had stated the orb belonged to the "King of the New Charizard Valley"—Ash's Charizard—meaning it was technically already Ash's property, the situation was delicate. If an ordinary person learned that this green orb was connected to the legendary, god-tier Pokémon Rayquaza, they would almost certainly be tempted to reclaim it.
Ash spoke so candidly about the green orb partly because he trusted Liza's character, and partly because he didn't place excessive importance on the object itself.
It was undeniably a priceless treasure, but with his chat group, his many fully-grown Pokémon partners, and Mewtwo by his side, he was confident he could reach the pinnacle of the world and become a Pokémon Master—even without this orb or Rayquaza's assistance.
Having it was a bonus, but doing without it was fine too; that was the real reason Ash revealed the connection between the green orb and the Sky Dragon.
Upon hearing the name "Rayquaza," Liza's body went rigid. Her emerald-green pupils dilated instantly, and sheer astonishment completely took over her expression. She staggered back half a step, instinctively steadying herself against a nearby rock, her voice trembling: "W-what did you say? Rayquaza? The Legendary Pokémon that rules the skies?"
The heirloom orb of Charicific Valley was actually connected to a Legendary Pokémon that existed only in myths?
She had guarded the valley for nearly a decade, growing up with the legend of the orb; her elders had always described it as a priceless treasure passed down by their ancestors, yet they had never once mentioned a connection to Rayquaza.
A stone that had remained dormant for over a century suddenly glowed in Ash's hands and revealed such an extraordinary origin—it was a lot for Liza to process all at once.
Seeing her flustered reaction, Ash remained perfectly composed. "Yeah, that's the message the orb conveyed to me; it seems to be a treasure belonging to Rayquaza."
He neither exaggerated nor held anything back; his tone was as casual as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather.
This was a treasure belonging to a Legendary Pokémon—something that would likely spark global chaos if the world knew of it—yet Ash spoke of it so lightly. He had even shared the information about the orb with her directly, showing no concern that she might try to reclaim it.
No, it wasn't so much a lack of concern as it was that Ash simply didn't place excessive importance on the orb. Liza saw not a shred of greed in his eyes; to remain so indifferent toward an artifact linked to a Legendary Pokémon—what kind of experiences had this boy gone through on his journey?
Liza took a deep breath, the shock on her face giving way to a smile of acceptance. "Since the orb chose you, then regardless of which Pokémon it is connected to, it is only right that you take it with you."
She paused, then added, "This is an honor you and Charizard earned. The valley's rules won't change; you are free to do whatever you wish with the orb."
If Ash could be so open and unconcerned, how could she do anything that would disgrace the reputation of Charicific Valley?
Rules were rules; since the orb now belonged to Ash, she would not take it back—regardless of its connection to any Pokémon. To be honest, while she was certainly shocked by the connection between the green orb and Rayquaza, the thought of claiming the orb for herself never even crossed her mind.
After all, Charizard was the only Pokémon she was truly interested in and fond of. So, once the initial shock subsided, she unhesitatingly declared that the green orb belonged to Ash and was no longer the property of Charizard Valley.
The only exception would be if a new King of Charizard Valley were elected; if Ash still held the green orb at that time, he would have to return it to the new King.
However, she considered that scenario highly unlikely. Ash's Charizard was only growing stronger by the day, and a newly elected King enjoyed a five-year tenure during which the position could not be challenged.
She found it incredible that a Charizard could reach such a level after less than a year of training; she could only imagine how powerful it might become given five full years!
Therefore, as long as Ash's Charizard didn't step down, he would remain the King for the foreseeable future.
Hearing this, Ash flashed a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Ms. Liza!"
"Don't thank me just yet." Liza shifted the topic, turning her gaze toward Ash's Charizard, which was currently interacting with the other Charizards nearby.
"Your Charizard has just become King, so this is a crucial time for it to consolidate and enhance its strength. The environment of the Inferno Valley offers a superb training opportunity. Do you plan to take it with you and continue your journey?" She wasn't just boasting; training within Charizard Valley—and specifically in the Inferno Valley—was guaranteed to accelerate a Charizard's rate of growth.
She didn't deny that the Charizard could improve rapidly under Ash's care, but the combination of the Inferno Valley's environment and the valley's unique training methods might just take its growth to the next level.
Ash followed her gaze. Charizard seemed to sense their eyes upon him and turned around; his deep blue eyes held a mix of anticipation and conflict. He wanted to stay there to interact and train with the many other Charizards, yet he also wanted to remain by Ash's side—not for the sake of faster power gains or anything of the sort, but simply because he didn't want to leave Ash.
Ash fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "No, let's leave Charizard here in Charicific Valley; this place is better suited for his growth."
"What?" It wasn't just Liza who was surprised; even Misty, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up. "Ash, Charizard is one of your absolute key powerhouses!"
Throughout their journey, Ash had frequently rotated the Pokémon in his team, yet his "Big Three"—Charizard, Pikachu, and Gardevoir—had remained constant.
Charizard had been sent back to Professor Oak's lab once but returned shortly after, while Pikachu and Gardevoir had never been swapped out at all.
These three represented the pinnacle of Ash's combat strength; even though he didn't explicitly prioritize them in his training regimen, the fact that they were never rotated out could be seen as a form of implicit prioritization.
And now, Ash was actually planning to leave Charizard behind in Charicific Valley. This meant not only parting with a key powerhouse but also separating from a Pokémon with whom he shared an incredibly close bond—a prospect Misty knew she herself could never bear.
"I know," Ash said, walking over to Charizard and resting his hand on the Pokémon's upright back.
"Besides, there's Liza's exclusive training regimen for Charizard here, the magma tempering of the Purgatory Valley, and over two hundred other Charizard to spar with. An environment like this is no worse—and might even be better—than staying by my side. Leaving Charizard here definitely offers more benefits than drawbacks."
Liza pouted slightly, unimpressed by Ash's self-praise. She acknowledged that Ash had raised his Charizard well, but felt that the Pokémon's immense natural talent played a bigger role. What did he mean by saying an environment like the Charizard Valley wasn't necessarily worse than being with him?
It was as if he thought his own training environment was superior; yet, the Purgatory Valley and the atmosphere of competition among peers found here were things Ash simply couldn't match.
If Charizard stayed in the valley, its growth would only accelerate!
At the same time, Liza really wanted Ash to leave Charizard there; having such a powerful and exceptionally gifted Charizard around would motivate the others in the valley to become stronger.
She also wanted to try training Ash's Charizard herself to see just how high its potential ceiling really was.
So, in the end, Liza didn't argue with Ash. She let him boast all he wanted—as long as he left Charizard in the valley, he could say whatever he pleased.
Charizard lowered its head and nuzzled Ash's palm, letting out a low, whimpering sound—it was still finding it hard to let go.
Seeing this, Ash pursed his lips, then smiled and said, "Besides, if you stay here, it frees up a spot in my team, allowing me to train other Pokémon. It's a win-win situation! So, really, it's better for you to stay in the Charizard Valley."
Charizard froze mid-nuzzle, then lifted its head and let out two disgruntled roars at Ash—Give me back the sadness and reluctance I just felt, you jerk!
"Alright, I was just kidding. But Charizard... next time we meet, you really need to have reached Champion level. Otherwise, the 'Big Sister' of the team is going to take over as the one calling the shots!" Ash said with a serious expression, extending his fist toward Charizard.
He didn't know if Charizard would reach Champion level by the time they met again, but Gardevoir certainly would. If Charizard didn't make the cut, he would fall behind Gardevoir; after all, the two were constantly vying for the number-two spot on the team.
If Pikachu was the "Big Boss," then they were competing for the roles of "Big Sister" and "Big Brother."
Although Charizard held the lead for now, he couldn't afford to slack off in the slightest. Gardevoir was being trained by Mewtwo, after all—closing that gap wouldn't take much effort.
"Roar!" Charizard nodded and bumped his claw against Ash's fist.
The pact was made: the next time they met, he would be a Champion-level Pokémon!
Watching the bond between the boy and the Pokémon, Liza's eyes were filled with admiration.
"Don't worry, I'll train him personally. With the existence of Charicific Valley and its secret training techniques, by the time you see him again, he'll have surpassed every other Pokémon on your team and become your absolute ace."
"I'm counting on you, then, Ms. Liza!" Ash bowed deeply, then took one last, long look at Charizard. "Goodbye, Charizard."
"Roar!"
...
After saying goodbye to Liza, the group set off for Azalea Town. The scenery along the way gradually shifted from the sweltering valley to a lush forest; the fresh air, tinged with the scent of grass and trees, was truly invigorating.
The sadness of parting with Charizard slowly faded with time, and the pleasant surroundings helped cast aside any lingering gloom.
Seven days passed after leaving Charicific Valley. Nothing major happened during that time—Team Rocket showed up to cause trouble twice, but without fail, they were sent flying by Pikachu.
Those three always managed to bring along new robots whenever they showed up, but against a Pikachu that had already reached the "Elite Four Champion" tier, those contraptions were nothing more than a heap of scrap metal.
However, while Pikachu could destroy Team Rocket's machines, he couldn't crush their spirit; no matter how many times they were blasted off or where they were imprisoned, they would always reappear wherever Ash and Pikachu were.
In a sense, they had practically become "conceptual entities"—unstoppable forces of nature.
Ash even asked the other heavyweights in the chat group how to shake off this persistent trio; the "Champion Ash" among them revealed that even after becoming the World Champion, he still hadn't managed to get rid of them.
Moreover, their potential was virtually limitless; even with a Pikachu that had reached the "Divine Realm" tier, Ash would sometimes still get tripped up by their machines.
The reason Team Rocket was so easily crushed in Ash's world was simply because he had grown too fast for them to keep up.
It was the chat group that accelerated Ash's growth, making Team Rocket's machines look like junk; in the normal timeline, their machines would have posed a significant threat to Ash's Pikachu.
With that realization, Ash gave up on the idea of shaking them off; getting rid of those "conceptual entities" was something he could only consider after defeating Arceus.
By the seventh day, as the setting sun dyed the horizon a brilliant orange, a small town nestled at the foot of the mountains finally came into view.
Wooden houses were scattered artfully across the landscape, with wisps of cooking smoke curling from their roofs; the rhythmic clanging of a workshop echoed in the distance, and a wooden sign at the town entrance bore the characters for "Azalea Town."
They had finally arrived at the town housing the second Gym, and since Mr. Pokémon—or in this case, Kurt—was there, Ash could hand over the GS Ball.
"We're finally here!" Serena stopped and stretched, her graceful curves looking alluring in the glow of the setting sun. Brock rubbed his chin as he gazed out at the town. "Let's get settled at the Pokémon Center first. Tomorrow morning, we can find Mr. Kurt to hand over the GS Ball and ask around about the visiting Gym Leader stationed here."
Standing on the hillside and looking at the town below, Ash stroked the Pikachu beside him, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Let's go! I hope Mr. Kurt can unlock the secrets of the GS Ball—and that I can pull off a win at the Gym challenge, too!"