Time slipped by in the blink of an eye. A week had passed since Ash and his companions left Violet City, and they were back in the rhythm of their peaceful, lively journey. The week's worth of travel had brought them much closer to Azalea Town. By their estimate, they were another week out at most.
In truth, Azalea Town wasn't far from Violet City. The slow pace came down to the things they fit in along the way. Training, rest, and the recurring annoyance of Team Rocket all added up. Plenty happened in that stretch.
Along the way, Ash caught a tsundere Chikorita.
The odds of running into a starter Pokémon in the wild were extremely low. Earlier in Kanto, Ash had collected all of Kanto's starters, but he hadn't expected he'd run into another starter line out here in Johto.
Catching one of the three starter-line Pokémon in the wild was rarer than winning the lottery. Starters weren't exactly rare in the official League pipeline. They wouldn't be starter Pokémon if they were truly impossible to obtain. But the conditions for getting one through the League were still nothing compared to the conditions for a pseudo-legendary.
Encountering one in the wild was much less likely than encountering a pseudo-legendary. Despite all that, Ash kept running into them. Like fate itself was steering him.
This Chikorita's raw talent wasn't a step behind Bulbasaur's at the same age. Bulbasaur had only started with three A-rank stats; the rest of his growth into the present-day Venusaur was thanks to the Xerneas branch he carried. Chikorita, here and now, was roughly on Bulbasaur's original level.
[Species: Chikorita]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Grass]
[Level: Mid]
[Ability: Overgrow]
[Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Magical Leaf, Poison Powder, Light Screen]
[Stat Spread: Physical Attack B(A), Special Attack C(A), Defense C(B), Special Defense C(B), Stamina A(A), Speed B(B)]
Chikorita's profile balanced offense and defense well. Her speed was a little on the slow side, but it wasn't a problem in the bigger picture. Once she reached her final evolution, Meganium, the species was naturally bulky and didn't rely on speed in combat. Abundant stamina was exactly what a Grass-type wanted most, and this Chikorita's spread suggested a strong future.
That was what Ash had seen in her at first.
What sealed it was something else.
Even battered and covered in injuries, this little one refused to be subdued by Ash. Her willpower was the strongest Ash had ever seen in a Pokémon outside his own team. Among the wild Pokémon he'd encountered, that kind of will was one of a kind.
Finally, just before Chikorita was about to lose her ability to fight, Ash stepped in and healed her. If the battle had kept going at that pace, Chikorita would likely have ended up as the first Pokémon ever to lose her life before losing her ability to fight.
The little one was completely set on it. She didn't care if she died.
Ash wasn't the type to put a Pokémon's life on the line just to subdue her. Even if he couldn't win Chikorita's approval through battle, there were other methods. There was no need to rush.
Compared to taming Chikorita, Chikorita's body still mattered more. This little one was stubborn enough that she wasn't going to look out for her own safety.
After Ash healed Chikorita's injuries, her attitude toward him pulled a one-eighty.
A creature who, moments before, had sworn she would rather die than enter a Poké Ball had, after one quick round of healing, been completely transformed. Once she'd recovered, Chikorita not only showed no resistance to Ash, she became outright affectionate, going so far as to enter his Poké Ball on her own.
The scene left Ash blinking.
This worked? He'd put serious effort into defeating her in battle to earn her approval, only to find that healing her had earned it instead. The method of capturing this Pokémon was certainly bizarre.
Then again, Ash had collected plenty of Pokémon through unusual methods. Straightforward battle catches were almost the exception. So he ended up half-laughing, half-shaking his head, having successfully recruited Chikorita and added another future ace candidate to his team.
Now, beyond his Big Three and Mewtwo, Ash had a steady rotation of newer Pokémon at his side. Togepi was Misty's, not counted under Ash's roster. On Ash's side, the current rotation in active travel included Heracross, Chikorita, and Crystal Onix. Outside of his locked-in Big Three and Mewtwo, the rest were cycled regularly to ensure balanced development.
As for why the Big Three weren't rotated, the answer was obvious. The team still needed its top-tier fighters. They grew fastest in Ash's hands, no question. Setting aside the fact that Pikachu and Gardevoir didn't want to go back to Oak's research lab even if asked, even if Charizard had been willing to return, his rate of growth at the lab would have been nowhere near what it was at Ash's side.
The growth rate of his top fighters couldn't be allowed to slow. In a crucial campaign, the team would still need its aces on the field. So while the other Pokémon could be cycled and trained on a balanced schedule, those three couldn't. They became fixed members of Ash's traveling team.
After catching Chikorita, eight days had passed since the group left Violet City.
Ash and the others arrived at a mountain valley. The entrance was flanked by two enormous stone Charizard statues, set at the front of the valley's main gate, lending the whole place a majestic, imposing presence. Even as stone, the two carved Charizards radiated unmistakable pressure. They had almost certainly been modeled on two real, powerful Charizards.
This was the famous Charicific Valley of Johto. Johto had many famous places, but Charicific Valley was arguably one of its most outstanding.
As the name suggested, the valley was filled entirely with Charizards. As the final evolution of one of the Kanto starter trio, Charizard was loved by countless people and respected for sheer raw power.
A mountain valley populated entirely by Charizards was a magnificent sight on its own. The reason so many Charizards gathered here was that the valley had specialized training methods for raising them. Most of the Charizards in the valley were wild, with a small number brought in and kept here by other Trainers.
Charizards. Or more accurately, similar lineage of Charizards usually found in mountain valleys. Most Trainers who brought their Charizards in would leave before a week was out. Not because they felt they'd learned everything they came for, but because they couldn't take the environment in Charicific Valley anymore.
In a valley packed with wild Charizards, a domesticated Charizard often struggled to adapt. Out-of-the-blue battles broke out all the time. You could be in the middle of a meal when an opponent kicked your door in and threw a punch, and you'd have no choice but to fight.
Sometimes, you knew that even in your sleep, another Charizard might be waiting to ambush you. The pressure was too much for a domesticated Charizard. Many couldn't even last seven days before being recalled by their Trainer.
That said, if a Charizard could withstand the hellish environment of Charicific Valley, then even without using the valley's special training methods, that Charizard would undergo a complete transformation on its own.
The legend ran that even Lance, the so-called undefeated Dragon Master, had once brought his Dragonite to Charicific Valley, and the Dragonite had successfully come through the experience. After Dragonite returned from the valley to Lance's side, it had also undergone a transformation, a full metamorphosis.
Leon had once considered sending his own Charizard out to explore the place too, but ultimately, between the distance and his work obligations, he hadn't been able to bring it over. None of that diminished the wide-reaching fame of Charicific Valley.
Ash had come here drawn by that same reputation, and since they'd been passing by the valley on the way to Azalea Town anyway, the group now stood at the main gate of Charicific Valley.
"What an impressive entrance. Is this the legendary Charicific Valley? Just standing at the gate, you can feel the heat pressing in on you." Serena sighed in wonder.
It was spring, and the outdoor temperature should have been mild. Standing at the entrance of Charicific Valley, though, felt like standing at the mouth of a volcano. A wave of scorching heat rolled into their faces, and they were sweating in minutes.
"I wonder how strong the Charizards inside are. Charizard, you're excited too, aren't you?" Ash looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, his face bright with anticipation. Charizard hadn't even emerged yet, and he was already getting excited from the aura pouring out of the valley. You could imagine how much the Charizards inside would set him off.
"Excuse me, is anyone there?" Ash took a deep breath and shouted toward the gate, his voice ringing through the entrance.
A moment later, the two enormous doors slowly opened, and a slim figure stepped out through the gap, framed by the light.
"Who's making all that noise this early in the morning? Are you here to wreck the place?" A mature woman's voice came from behind the door, and a second later everyone saw her clearly. A fair-skinned girl with a high green ponytail, sharp resolute blue eyes, and a confident bearing.
The moment Brock saw her, his eyes lit up. In an instant he was kneeling on the hot ground in front of her, one hand to his chest, his face the picture of sincerity.
"Ah, I'm so sorry. My companions frightened a young lady as beautiful as you. I apologize on their behalf. As an apology, I'm willing to offer everything I have"
"All right, all right, no one wants everything you have. You're the one who actually scared people!" Misty's brow furrowed. With Togepi tucked under one arm, she grabbed Brock's ear with practiced precision and dragged him back from the bewildered girl.
"Ahem. Sorry about that. My friend has zero resistance against beautiful girls." Ash gave a slight bow, an apologetic smile on his face.
"I'll take that as a compliment. And then? What are you here for?" Hearing Ash's compliment, the girl's expression softened slightly, but she kept her gaze serious as she sized up Ash and the rest.
There had been times in the past when people had come to Charicific Valley to cause trouble, but every wave had been beaten back. Gradually, the wider world had figured out that Charicific Valley wasn't a benevolent place, and the troublemakers had stopped coming. Was somebody making the mistake of trying again because things had been too quiet here lately?
"Ahem. We're here..." Ash started.
"Hold on. Sniff." The girl suddenly cut him off, stepping closer and giving the air around him a careful sniff. Her serious expression flipped into open surprise. "You have the scent of a Charizard on you. Are you a Charizard Trainer?"
"Uh. Yes. You could smell that too?" Ash blinked.
This was the first time he'd met someone who could literally smell Charizard. Did this person have a dog's nose?
"Hmph. I'm the manager of Charicific Valley. If I couldn't even do that much, what would be the point of the job? Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Liza. I'm the current manager of Charicific Valley and a Trainer here." Liza offered Ash a pale hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ash, from Pallet Town. I didn't expect the manager of the valley to be so young. I thought you'd be some old grandpa." Ash teased her lightly as he gripped her small, pale hand.
"Haha. Managers don't always have to be old grandpas. Ash, from Pallet Town. I think I've heard that name before. Right. You're that Supernova from Kanto!" Liza had been holding Ash's hand thoughtfully, and her face suddenly lit with realization. Then her grip on his hand tightened.
Ninety percent of people who met Ash for the first time would utter the phrase "Kanto Supernova." That title was the most widely circulated, the easiest to remember. For most adults the name might sound a touch theatrical, but for Ash, the chuuni-flavored nickname fit perfectly.
"No wonder you've got such a strong Charizard scent on you. I can pick it up even without you releasing him. Outside of the valley, that would be one thing, but here in Charicific Valley, with this much Charizard scent in the air, I can still smell yours straight through the Poké Ball. That means your Charizard is genuinely powerful."
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