The Path of Ponyta to Experience
"Delphox is down!"
"Therefore, the winner is Bruce Bayne!" The referee blew his whistle and announced loudly.
Immediately, cheers erupted like a mountain roar and a tsunami.
"Huraa!"
"This is Bruce from Avalon!"
"Bruce is incredible!" An international trainer spoke in a clumsy Avalon dialect.
Even though he was battling in a rainy environment, this Blaziken displayed its powerful strength and continuously overwhelmed Delphox. "The final Thunder Punch directly defeated Claire's hopes."
Well, when Thunder Punch meets a rainy setting, one can imagine its power, as the terrifying force easily drained Delphox's health bar.
Claire froze for a moment, remaining silent, then sighed softly and raised her hand to recall the fallen Delphox.
After that, she lifted her head to look at Bruce, who stood in front of her, her light brown eyes shining, her red lips parting slightly as she said, "You are very powerful."
"Thank you for the compliment," Bruce replied with a smile, also recalling Blaziken.
Then, the referee took out a tablet, entered the results of the evaluation for both, and said: "Congratulations to both of you, you have passed the evaluation."
"You are now qualified to enter the volcanic eruption area."
Bruce thanked him, then turned and left to join Liam.
Claire remained silent for a moment, watching Bruce's figure gradually fade away, her brown eyes flickering slightly.
"Let's hurry and enter," Bruce said.
"Alright." The two nodded in agreement.
It was close to ten in the morning at this time, and Kīlauea's sunshine was very brief, with sunset occurring after five in the afternoon, so they were on a tight schedule by 10.
The sooner they entered the eruption area, the sooner they would reach the lava pile.
After submitting the evaluation results to the Pokémon Association staff, they first bought enough supplies at a nearby store and then returned to the Pokémon Association building.
Next, they would enter the eruption area of the Volcano under the unified agreement of the Pokémon Association.
The small town of Whitby was still a bit distant from the true eruption zone of the volcano, so they had to drive there.
Under the staff's guidance, the three got into a commercial vehicle, which had three empty seats.
Bruce glanced around and noticed that these were trainers who had previously undergone the battle evaluation, with Claire among them.
Upon noticing the three getting into the vehicle, the other trainers turned their heads and enthusiastically greeted Bruce when they saw him.
Claire slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Bruce, she nodded slightly and then closed her eyes to rest.
The commercial vehicle started moving quickly, and the staff member sitting in the front passenger seat handed everyone a waiver agreement.
After seeing everyone sign their names, the staff cleared his throat and spoke loudly: "Next, let me go over the precautions."
Everyone sat up straight and listened.
"First, we will distribute a map of the eruption area and a guide for introducing the local wild Pokémon, please keep it safe."
"Second, the environment of Kīlauea is extremely fragile, please protect the environment..."
"Third, unruly battles between trainers are prohibited, and offenders will be dealt with according to the law."
"..."
The staff member provided many precautions all at once, and everyone nodded in acknowledgment.
The vehicle gradually drove on, and everyone closed their eyes to meditate, whispered to each other, or gazed at the scenery outside the window.
Bruce looked out the window as the car sped down a flat road, the scenery on both sides was very sparse, lacking vegetation, just a somber view.
In the distance, snow-capped mountains loomed imposingly.
The cold wind mixed with snow particles swept by, making Bruce momentarily lose his thoughts in the vast snowy field.
The car drove continuously for two to three hours along a road with few vehicles until they passed a checkpoint, crossed a barrier, and slowly came to a stop.
"Arrived."
"Continue ahead, and you will enter the volcanic eruption area." The staff clapped and pointed forward.
"Then, I wish everyone good luck." Finally, the staff nodded slightly and said.
After that, everyone got out of the car one by one onto the solid, icy ground.
The cold, biting wind howled as if monsters were baring their teeth and claws in the air. Bruce couldn't help but pull his sleeves tighter and looked ahead.
The snow wasn't too heavy, and visibility was decent, but dark clouds covered half the sky, giving people a gloomy and depressing feeling.
Moreover, the wind was very strong, howling, making it difficult for ordinary people with slender bodies to walk here.
Everyone took a moment to observe their surroundings, and then some pulled out maps to compare carefully, while others sent out their Pokémon to lead them toward specific parties.
Not long after, the crowd dispersed, each heading in their own direction.
Claire turned around, looked at Bruce, moved her lips, and said, "Good luck."
"You too." Bruce replied.
Claire didn't comment further, slowly walking ahead, while simultaneously tossing a Poké Ball with her right hand; a burst of white light flared, and Delphox appeared by her side.
Watching the figures of the trainer and her Pokémon gradually disappear into the wind and snow, Bruce turned to the two beside him and smiled, saying, "How are you guys?"
Luka replied lightly, "I'll go to the left."
"Then I'll go to the right." Liam smiled.
"Alright, I'll head straight ahead." Bruce nodded.
Then the three looked at each other and said in unison: "Good luck."
Following the direction of the warning, the three took a step forward, gradually moving farther apart, their figures slowly covered by the wind and snow, until they vanished.
"Come out, Ponyta."
Bruce took a Poké Ball from his waist, pressed the button, and a beam of red light shot out, revealing the magnificently red Galar Ponyta in front of him.
"Ha~"
As soon as Ponyta appeared, it bounced against Bruce, then rubbed its head against his pant leg, its fluffy rainbow tail swaying gently.
"The rest depends on you." Bruce crouched down, looked into Ponyta's eyes, and said with a smile.
"Ha!"
Ponyta nodded vigorously, its eyes filled with determination.
The current Ponyta was close to the professional level, with just a few experience points needed.
This was its best training ground.
However, since Ponyta's level was slightly lower, Bruce still sent out Blaziken for support.
Bruce's goal was very clear now: to let Ponyta reach Ace level and evolve into Rapidash at the same time.
Then, he would let Gardevoir reach Gym level.
The latter required more experience points, so Bruce left that for later.
"According to the data, the closer to the center of the volcano, the more fire energy is contained in the lava pile."
"Blaziken's current strength is at Gym level; the closer we get to the center, the better." Bruce thought to himself.
Reflecting on this, Bruce looked down and said.
"It's one-thirty in the afternoon, and there are over four hours until sunset."
"Let's hurry."
"First, Ponyta needs to level up and reach the next rank as soon as possible."
"Secondly, we need a shelter."
After determining the next objective, Bruce wasted no time and headed directly forward with his two Pokémon.
This area was nearly a hundred miles from Kīlauea, which wasn't too far.
The path was uneven, covered in fine particles of rock and unmelted snow, but fortunately, it didn't hinder their progress.
Ponyta seemed a bit excited, jumping up and down on the path, occasionally hitting the rocks by the roadside with the sharp horn on its forehead.
Its strength wasn't too weak, and it would often split rocks in two and scatter them.
Then, Ponyta raised its front hooves and neighed loudly.
Bruce silently watched this scene, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and then scanned the surrounding environment.
At the edge of his vision, a river appeared, flowing peacefully.
Looking closely, the river water was dark blue, a striking hue like a blue gem.
Beside the river, a blue Pokémon lifted its head and stared at Bruce.
It looked like a blue duck, with a red bead on its forehead and small but penetrating eyes. Its beak was narrow and pointed, and four spike-like protrusions grew on top of its head.
【 Pokémon: Golduck (Water)
Ability: Swift Swim
Qualification: Ace
Level: Lv 37 (Professional)】
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Golduck and Ponyta locked eyes, confirming their intentions for battle.
The next moment, Golduck's eyes froze, a layer of shallow water waves formed under its feet, and immediately a jet of water shot up into the sky, enveloping it.
Ponyta steadied itself, a flash of anger shone between its brows as it fiercely glared at Golduck in front of it.
Ponyta raised its head, gathering a wave of psychic energy on its forehead, which exploded in an instant, hitting Golduck head-on!
"Ha!"
"Zen Headbutt!"
Seeing Ponyta's reaction, Bruce couldn't help but chuckle, and then gave instructions.
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
The rising water column struck Ponyta in the middle, splashing water in all directions, soaking its body, while also causing Ponyta to feel some pain, forcing it to take a half step back.
Golduck at the professional level was indeed a perfect target for leveling.
Golduck let out a painful sound, as if a heavy block of iron had been shoved into its brain, making it drowsy.
Seeing Gol duck not too far away, Ponyta's eyes lit up; it extended its limbs and charged towards it.
Immediately after, Golduck was engulfed in the water column and shot towards Ponyta with lightning speed!
p treon / Thenamealreadyexis
50 chapters ahead