Pokémon: Starting with a Pokémon Ranch.

Chapter 367 The semi-finals: Su Yu vs. Daigo, Xiao Zhi vs. Alain!

Several days later.

With the conclusion of the World Championship preliminaries, the schedule for the eight masters has finally been announced.

Ash was matched with Alain, Leon was matched with Cynthia, and Lance was matched with the champion of Padia.

"As for my opponent, it's actually—Daigo?"

Thinking back to when Daigo first came to the ranch, it was only after his riding sheep used their combined three-in-one tactics that they managed to stop his Metagross from going berserk.

Unfortunately, there were no three-on-three battles at the World Championships, which meant that the lambs' biggest advantage disappeared.

On Steven's side, the team mainly consists of Steel-types. It seems... Arcanine can carry this battle.

He ruffled the Arcanine's head, kneading it into various shapes. The good-natured Goblin didn't seem to mind.

After fully mastering the "Holy Flame," Arcanine's strength reached Champion level. When Ho-Oh visited the ranch recently, it also praised Arcanine, saying it had the potential to be on par with Ho-Oh's guards.

Therefore, He left behind a wisp of divine fire and a rainbow-colored feather for Growlithe to observe and learn from.

Since it was a gift from Ho-Oh, Su Yu didn't immediately cook it. However, it seems Arcanine has already mastered the power of the Sacred Flame on its own?

"Or... how about we cook this rainbow feather?" Su Yu suddenly said, looking at the feather.

Upon hearing this, the feather, which had been radiating rainbow light as if breathing, suddenly stopped shining. Then, an extremely strong will to survive emanated from within.

"Huh, does this feather actually have its own consciousness?" Su Yu was stunned for a moment, and then he thought of the fragment of the Sky-Sitting Fist from back then.

That's true... It's quite normal for something that falls from a mythical beast to have consciousness.

"In that case, I won't cook you then," Su Yu said with a smile.

……

Before we knew it, the day of the competition had arrived.

Arriving at the official seats arranged by the organizers, we found many of the contestants' families and friends, as well as the top players from various leagues, gathered to watch.

On Leon's side, there's his younger brother, parents, and Sonia; on Cynthia's side, there's Dr. Mulan.

On the other side, the entire direct descendants of the Imperial Dragon Clan had arrived.

Seeing this, Yang Wen and Zhao Anna, who were following behind Su Yu, were a little embarrassed, and Yang Hao even said:

"With so many big shots here, is it really appropriate for us to follow you...?"

Su Yu: "Don't worry, the venue here is very large, and the organizers have reserved many seats for me."

"I even brought a lot of Pokémon from the ranch with me."

As he spoke, Su Yu released his Pokémon, including Alcremie and Dragonite. Since they were his own Pokémon, it was only right that he brought them to sit in the VIP seats to watch the match.

After Su Yu took his seat, the competition began.

The results of the first two matches were predictable, with both Leon and Wataru advancing to the next round. After all, Wataru was the runner-up in the previous World Championships in the anime, and his formidable strength was undeniable.

On the other hand, many viewers are unfamiliar with Su Yu, which leads to numerous doubts about him.

However, for him, all doubts will be shattered after the battle.

"Contestants, please take your positions!" As referee Deng Pei waved the flag, Su Yu and Dai Wu walked out of the contestant tunnel.

Upon seeing Su Yu, Daigo was overwhelmed with emotion:

Every time I see you again, I can feel how quickly you've improved during the time we were apart!

Daigo remembered that when they first met, Su Yu seemed a bit inexperienced, even struggling to stop Metagross. But after that, everything changed.

He had even heard about Su Yu's exploits in stopping the Spirit Horse and fighting Regirock. Some time ago, he had even heard about Su Yu's victory over Kyurem and his rescue of Desert City from danger.

It can be said that Daigo is the only champion who has watched Su Yu grow step by step.

At this moment, Daigo was also brimming with fighting spirit. "Since the organizers matched me with you, let me see just how far you've climbed!"

"I choose you, Aggron!" Steven threw out his Poké Ball first.

Su Yu sent out Blastoise to lead the charge.

Both sides are known for their formidable defensive capabilities, but the difference is that Su Yu's Blastoise, in addition to being incredibly tough, is also exceptionally strong.

"Kame, Kame, Kame—!"

After engaging in close combat, Blastoise landed punch after punch on its opponent, leaving significant wounds with each blow.

Keep in mind, this is Aggron, whose defensive capabilities are among the strongest of all Pokémon! Just how powerful must this Blastoise be to be so terrifying?

Blastoise's fierce fighting style has amazed audiences around the world, especially trainers who own Blastoises.

They all looked at their own Blastoises and questioned whether Blastoises could be bred like this.

"An extremely terrifying power," Dan Di commented.

What Su Yu had done in Carlos, United States, and other places was no secret among these champions. Therefore, Dan Di regarded Su Yu as an extremely powerful opponent.

At this moment, he was observing the other party even more carefully, collecting all kinds of information about Su Yu.

After all... he carries the hopes of the Galar League on his shoulders, and he cannot afford to lose this tournament.

After Blastoise defeated Aggron... Steven then sent out Cradle Lily.

With its type advantage, Cinnabar fought with all its might, ultimately perishing alongside Blastoise. Thus, in this 3v3 battle (all eight Masters' first-round matches were 3v3), Steven was left with only one Metagross.

"So the gap between us has widened to this extent..." Daigo's feelings were complicated upon seeing this. But this did not mean that he had given up.

After all, every trainer who has reached this level has gone through a period of arduous effort. Their willpower is not that weak.

Facing Steven's Metagross, Su Yu also sent out Arcanine.

"Awoo~!"

Despite having an advantage in attributes, even if it is not as strong in terms of raw power, Arcanine can easily deal with this opponent.

……

As the icon representing Metagross gradually fades.

Metagross was somewhat helpless after being defeated by the very "child" it had once led.

After that, Su Yu returned to the stands with Arcanine. The next match was between Ash and Alain.

At the start, Ash sent out his Charizard. However, Alain started with his Grass-type Bricannon.

He hadn't expected Ash to put Charizard first.

The type advantage put Alain at a disadvantage from the start. After one round of combat, Alain urgently recalled Bricaron and sent out his ace Charizard.

Alain's gaze towards Ash was filled with fierce fighting spirit. He touched the Key Stone, causing Charizard to Mega Evolve.

To his surprise, Ash's Charizard also possessed Mega Evolution. Perhaps... this was a new power they had recently acquired?

Seeing this, Alain made a claw-like gesture with his hand and roared, "Charizard, Dragon Claw!"

Ash then commanded, "Dodge, then use Seismic Toss!"

Both sides' commands were completed in a very short time, and their Pokémon acted extremely quickly after receiving the orders.

AiPen took the lead, flapping its wings and charging towards ZhiPen. But to its surprise, ZhiPen actually managed to dodge its dragon claws with its extremely fast reflexes.

The two Charizards stared at each other, and at the same time, the intelligent Charizard grinned. It's worth noting that after leaving the team, it hadn't slacked off, but had instead stayed in the Charizard Valley, constantly training and honing its skills.

Because it knew that Ash would need it someday.

At this moment, the Airspray, still propelled by its charge, was unable to dodge for a moment. This gave the Smart Spray an excellent opportunity to counterattack.

Grabbing the opponent's Charizard by the shoulder, the old Charizard flapped its wings and took off quickly. As it gained more and more speed, it unleashed its signature move - Seismic Toss.

"boom--!"

With a huge impact, a massive crater was created in the ground by the impact.

"Charizard!" Alain shouted immediately upon seeing this. Fortunately, his Charizard was strong enough.

Emerging from the deep pit, Aipen was covered in wounds. But its fighting spirit remained undiminished, and its energy was still abundant.

Xiao Zhi then said:

"Then let's continue, Alain. Let's end that battle we fought in Carlos when it was still undecided!"

"Charizard - Use Steel Wings!"

Upon hearing this, Ai Lan nodded. For some reason, their final match at the Carlos Tournament was temporarily terminated by the organizers.

He made the dragon claw shape with his hand again and shouted, "Charizard, let's do it again—use Dragon Claw!"

With straightforward commands, the two Charizards clashed in an instant.

……

Meanwhile, in the audience.

"Speaking of which, there seem to be quite a few Charizards participating in this tournament..." Daigo, who had already finished his competition early, sat down next to Su Yu. He casually crossed his legs and asked.

Upon hearing this, Su Yu nodded. Dan Di, Xiao Zhi, and Alain all had a Charizard as their main attacker, and all of them were quite powerful.

To be honest... of all Pokémon, Charizard really gets preferential treatment from the official developers.

As the two continued to clash, Alain's Charizard soon gave out.

It fell to the ground first, and seeing this, Ash's Charizard raised its head and let out a triumphant roar.

"Charizard, you did a great job!" Ash smiled and gave Charizard a hug. After that, to everyone's surprise, he recalled Charizard.

Because next... he wants to send out a special Pokémon to fight the next enemy.

"I choose you, Pidgeot," Ash said softly, as if he were talking to a friend he hadn't seen for over twenty years.

The appearance of this Pokémon caused a sensation among the audience—who is this, why have they never seen it before, and why did Ash send out this Pokémon?

(End of this chapter)