Ash and the others came over to meet them.
Before they could congratulate Natsui on his victory, Max sneezed loudly. In this world, sneezing like that meant someone was talking about him.
Seeing him like this, Noland looked back at the battle arena. He gave Ash a helpless smile.
"The cleanup might take a long time. Also, Articuno is injured, so I'm afraid I'll have to wait until the afternoon to battle you."
"That's no problem!" Ash laughed. He did not mind at all. "As long as I can battle Articuno, I'm happy to wait as long as it takes! Especially after watching your battle with Natsui, my blood is pumping! I can't wait!!"
If there was anything Ash liked most, it was Pokémon battles. Even eating, sleeping, and catching new Pokémon were not as important to him as a battle.
The group left the battle arena area. They felt the temperature rise suddenly. However, the blizzard had not fully stopped yet. It was not as warm as they thought it would be.
Fortunately, there was a way to stop this long blizzard.
Noland called out one of his Magmar. It used Sunny Day. The blizzard went away quickly. The weather became very clear. Warm sunlight fell on them again.
After doing this, Natsui and the others went to rest. Noland and Sergio gathered many Fire-type Pokémon. They went to the battle arena to clear the ice and snow. Before long, they had melted all of it.
However, the real trouble was helping Articuno recover.
The Battle Factory had its own medical equipment. There was no need to go to a Pokémon Center. The treatment could be finished right there. But healing wounds and getting energy back took time. This could not be rushed.
This made Ash very restless. He could not wait. He had already prepared the Pokémon he wanted to use against Articuno. He could not start the fight immediately. This made him feel very impatient.
In the lounge, everyone watched him walk back and forth. They thought it was funny.
"Honestly," Max said, spreading his hands.
"Aren't you tired? Just sit down and rest for a bit. Don't run out of energy yourself before the battle starts this afternoon."
Ash wanted to sit, but he was too excited. He could not stay still.
Natsui sat on the sofa. He already knew the answer, but he still looked at Ash. He asked, "Who do you plan to send out for the next battle?"
At his question, everyone in the room looked at Ash.
Ash did not hide it. He held up a Poké Ball and grinned. "It's this guy, of course! I specifically had him transferred back from Liza!"
May and Max were confused. They did not know who Ash was talking about. But Brock understood.
"I see. It's that guy," he said with emotion. "Speaking of which, whether it's the type advantage or its own strength, I also think it's your best choice."
Max was still lost. However, he had something more important to do. He did not want to guess the Pokémon anymore.
He walked up to Natsui shyly. He felt very embarrassed. He asked, "Um... Natsui, may I play with your Articuno for a little while?"
Natsui had felt Max watching him earlier. The boy really wanted to see his Articuno.
"Of course you can." He laughed. He knew Max loved Pokémon very much and was a friend. He would not say no. "Then I'll let it carry you for a flight in the sky. But remember to stay warm!"
Natsui took out an Ultra Ball. It had a snowflake pattern on it. He released his Articuno again.
There was a flash of blue light. The temperature in the room dropped quickly. Everyone got goosebumps on their arms because of the chill.
No one cared about that. They all looked at the beautiful blue bird that appeared in the lounge.
Ash and the others saw more details from close up. From far away, Articuno looked beautiful and noble. Now, it seemed almost to glow under the lamps.
Ash had seen many Legendary Pokémon before and talked to them. But his heart still beat fast. The other Legendary Pokémon were wild. This one was caught by Natsui.
He felt envious. But he was not jealous.
Natsui gave Articuno some instructions. Then he lifted Max onto Articuno's back. Pikachu was fast and jumped into Max's arms. Natsui gave an order. Articuno flew out of the open window. It carried Max up into the blue sky.
Articuno was not huge, but it could carry a young boy and a small Pikachu easily.
After Articuno flew away, May and Ash ran after it. They went outside the lounge. But Articuno was already in the clouds.
"That Pikachu..." Ash looked at the sky. He felt happy but helpless. He shook his head. "He actually left me behind to go play on his own. How mean!"
Brock walked out of the lounge too. The group stood on the grass and talked for a while. After ten minutes, they heard Max cheering loudly. Articuno came out of the distant clouds. It returned to them and landed slowly in front of Natsui.
Max and Pikachu hopped down. They had big smiles on their faces.
"How was it?" Natsui asked.
"It was so much fun!" Max's smile was very wide. "Articuno is so fast! It took us through the clouds, to a distant lake, and over the forest. But the flight was always very steady, right Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
"Of course..." Max said this and scratched his head. "My butt is a little frozen."
Everyone laughed.
By the afternoon, the arena was ready. The Pokémon at the Battle Factory had worked hard. Noland's Articuno was healthy again. Its energy was fully restored.
Sergio came to tell them the news. Ash's eyes changed immediately.
"It's finally my turn! I've been waiting so long!!"
"Then don't lose," Natsui smiled. "We'll be watching your winning performance from the stands."
"Don't worry," Ash said. He hit his chest. "I will definitely beat him!"
The group returned to the battle arena. There was no ice or snow left. Everything looked normal. The Fire-type Pokémon had dried all the water from the melted snow.
Everyone admired how hardworking these Pokémon were.
Noland was standing in the trainer box on the other side. He had been waiting for Ash for a long time.
Noland saw Ash walk over. He crossed his arms and laughed loudly. "Come on, Ash! Let me see how good you are!"
Noland shouted. His Articuno appeared again and landed on the field.
The roof above the arena was open. This made it easier for Articuno to fight. It was still daytime, but the sun was slowly setting in the west.
Ash looked at Articuno. He pulled out a Poké Ball and released his own Pokémon.
"I'm counting on you! Go, Charizard!"
"Roar!"
Ash brought Charizard to fight Articuno. He had asked Liza to send it to him. As soon as Charizard appeared, it let out a loud roar. It wanted to fight Articuno.
Natsui and Brock looked at Charizard.
"Charizard looks like it's in great shape. Its body seems to have grown even stronger," Brock said. He nodded. "You can tell it has been training very seriously at the Charicific Valley. I just wonder how much its strength has grown."
Natsui agreed. But in his heart, he thought of his own Charizard.
He talked to Liza sometimes through messages. He knew about the situation at the Charicific Valley.
The strongest Pokémon there was a wild Charizard. Natsui's Charizard was about to challenge it. Ash's Charizard was in the next group below that.
Natsui's Charizard was stronger than Ash's. It also worked just as hard.
Ash's Charizard had a powerful presence around it. This made Natsui excited to visit the Charicific Valley soon.
He wondered how much his own Charizard had grown. It would surely be stronger than Ash's!
Noland and Ash talked. Natsui's group met Scott and sat in the stands. May and Max made their hands like trumpets. They cheered loudly for Ash.
On the field, the two Pokémon faced each other. They watched each other closely.
Articuno had just lost a match. It was against another Pokémon of the same level, but it was still a loss. It was a Legendary Pokémon. It did not want to lose a second time!
Ash and Charizard also wanted to win this battle.
Charizard had trained for a long time at the Charicific Valley. It also had a type advantage. Everything was in their favor. They could not lose!
Ash wanted to be as good as Natsui. Natsui had defeated Articuno, so Ash did not want to lose here.
Sergio gave the signal. The match officially began.
Just like in Natsui's battle, both Pokémon flew high into the air.
Ash shouted loudly, "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Charizard turned in mid-air. It breathed out hot flames toward Articuno.
Noland expected this. He told Articuno to use Ice Beam. But Charizard's flames were very strong. Fire-types have an advantage over Ice-types. The flames melted the Ice Beam. They hit Articuno's body!
Articuno was hit. The fire pushed it to the ground. A cloud of dust rose up.
Fire beats Ice. Even a Legendary Pokémon needed a moment to recover.
"Great job, Charizard!" Ash's eyes were bright. He was proud. "Just as I expected! With Charizard's strength, it can hold its own even against an Articuno!"
The people in the stands saw him looking proud. They all thought the same thing.
Ash is getting cocky again!
But Ash was happy too early. The battle had just started. One success did not mean the match was over.
Articuno flew again and charged at Charizard. Ash tried to use Flamethrower again. But Articuno used Agility. It became very fast. It dodged the Flamethrower easily.
It did not stop there. Articuno moved in from another direction. It used Mist. A thick cloud of mist covered both Pokémon!
People could not see what was happening inside the Mist. Then there was a loud sound. Charizard flew out of the mist. It hit the ground hard!
"Charizard!"
Ash shouted. He was surprised. He was very worried.
This move was familiar. Natsui had used it against Noland earlier. Now Noland was using it against Ash!
Ash had seen the previous match, so he should have been careful. But he was still caught off guard!
Fortunately, Charizard was not hurt too much. It rubbed its head and stood up again.
Articuno flew down again. Ash told Charizard to use Dragon Breath many times. He wanted to stop Articuno!
Green-blue energy came from Charizard's mouth. Articuno was fast because of Agility and dodged the first attacks.
But Charizard had a lot of experience. It had trained at the Charicific Valley. It did not panic. It used Dragon Breath to force Articuno into a specific spot. Then, it used a faster Dragon Breath. It hit Articuno right in the stomach!