Chapter 190: Charizard’s Former Trainer
Rio watched Charizard—who had voluntarily come out of its Poké Ball for the first time—and then looked at the trainer on the television screen commanding a Charizard with such confidence. The man was admittedly handsome. He was being interviewed about how far he thought he’d go in the tournament.
"The championship! My Charizard and I are here for the championship," the man declared confidently.
Could this be the bastard who abandoned Charizard at the underground arena? Rio thought. He looks like a smooth-talking pretty boy—the type who’d live off others.
He observed Charizard’s expression. Its face was blank, but Rio’s intuition told him that inside, it was churning.
"Charizard—you know that person on TV, don’t you?" Rio asked.
Unlike Munchlax’s reaction when it saw its former trainer, Charizard turned back and nodded calmly.
"Roaar~" It let out a low growl.
"What did little Charizard say?" Gengar’s translation service kicked in from Rio’s mind. "That fool on TV is its former trainer?"
Charizard glanced toward the ancient Poké Ball on Rio’s belt. "Roaar~" — That’s right, old ghost—the man is indeed an idiot.
Rio looked at Charizard: "Charizard—is there anything you want to say to him?"
As always, unresolved emotions never disappear—they just get buried, until one day they explode. Charizard coming out of its ball on its own meant it still hadn’t let go, just like Munchlax had before.
"Roaar~" Charizard shook its head.
"It says it has nothing to say," Gengar translated.
Rio frowned slightly—was it going to be like Munchlax, needing psychological counseling before opening up? But then Charizard growled again.
"Roaar~" — "It says it only wants one thing: a proper Pokémon battle against that man. Once he recognizes it, it wants to crush his Pokémon, then walk away without looking back. Oh, that’s a great way to get revenge—just thinking about it gets me excited!"
Rio’s frown eased. If that was how Charizard wanted to process its emotions, that was fine. A solid plan.
"But Charizard—that plan only works if he makes it to us. What if he gets eliminated before we even face him?" Rio considered. "He’s getting all the spotlight right now, but who knows if he’ll win his next match? Not to brag, but that trainer we fought today? He had top-eight potential—he just had the bad luck to run into us. Otherwise, he’d be the one getting interviewed."
Charizard froze. Rio had a point—if its former trainer lost before they met, there’d be no stage for its revenge.
"Roaar~" — "Charizard asks what it should do. It’ll follow your lead."
"Charizard—I’ll let you fight in all the matches from now on. I’ll make you a legend of this tournament. Whether or not we face him directly, he’ll know who you are."
"Roaar~" — "Charizard says it’s fine with that. You’re its trainer—it trusts you."
The next day.
The stadium roared with excitement.
"The sixth match of the Ice Stadium is about to begin! On the red side—from Lavender Town, contestant Rio! Most of you will remember his Annihilape from yesterday. Will he bring it out again today? Or maybe that shiny Gyarados? Ooh—the crowd seems eager to see them again. I can hear the chants from here! Will Rio answer their call..."
"On the blue side—from Saffron City, contestant Kiki! He also performed well yesterday, guiding his Venusaur to a narrow victory over a Nidoking. Let’s see if he can keep it up today!"
"Alright—the match begins!"
As the referee’s flag dropped, both trainers threw their Poké Balls.
"Come out, Ninetales!"
"Come out, Charizard!"
But when Rio sent out Charizard, the crowd’s cheers faltered. Many had come to the Ice Stadium specifically hoping to see Annihilape and the Red Gyarados. After last night’s official explanation—that Annihilape needed to vent its rage before returning to its ball, and that the Red Gyarados actively sought out beatings—people had grown fascinated by the pair. And with Rio scheduled to appear at the Ice Stadium, many had bought tickets hoping to see the duo in action. Instead, they got a Charizard—a shiny one, yes, but still a letdown.
"Why Charizard? I wanted to see Annihilape and that shiny Gyarados! Rio doesn’t care about his fans!"
"Go, Ninetales! Beat Charizard—then you’ll face Annihilape and the Red Gyarados!"
"Yeah—take down Charizard!"
Some in the crowd started rooting against Charizard just to force Rio to send out the fan favorites.
Seven seconds later, they all fell silent.
Kiki had Ninetales use Flamethrower. Rio gave the same command. The two moves collided midair—and Charizard’s Flamethrower completely overwhelmed Ninetales’s in a devastating display of power. Ninetales’s Drought ability turned the sun harsh, boosting both Pokémon’s fire attacks—but Charizard’s base stats were so much higher that its boosted flames far surpassed Ninetales’s. By the fourth second, Charizard’s flames had pushed through and struck Ninetales. By the seventh, Ninetales collapsed. One-hit knockout.
Everyone except Rio was stunned—including Kiki, who stared blankly at his fallen Ninetales. Then the announcer’s voice broke the silence.