Pokémon: I just became a Gym Leader, and Cynthia proposed to me.

Chapter 851 Forging the Strongest Power of Nine Dragons!

The black fire-breathing dragon leaped out of the golden lava.

His body stretched out in the air, his wings flapped violently, bringing up a gust of hot wind.

He tilted his head back towards the opening above the cave and breathed out a mouthful of blue flame.

Pure as the deep sea, it drew an arc in the air, illuminating the entire cave.

Then his body was enveloped in a layer of blue-purple light, and he used Dragon God Dive to shoot into the sky like a cannonball.

It pierced through the opening above the cave and disappeared into the sky.

A few seconds later, a muffled thud came from above.

A white cloud was dispersed from the very center, its edges as neat as if it had been cut by a knife.

The blue flame lingered in the clouds for a moment before dissipating.

Ash stood at the cave entrance, head tilted back, mouth agape, neck stretched to its limit.

"So handsome..."

Xiao Gang also looked up, but his expression was more focused on analysis: "The power of that Dragon God Dive attack just now... was stronger than any Charizard I've ever seen use."

"That black fire-breathing dragon already had high base stats, and after being soaked in the Sacred Heart, its dragon bloodline was further activated, making the power of the Dragon God's Dive at least double."

Xiaoxia crossed her arms and tilted her head to look at the sky: "With that power, even if the opponent is a Water-type Pokémon, it probably wouldn't be at a disadvantage."

"When the flame temperature reaches a certain level, the effect of type advantage will be reduced. Even if a blue-flame Charizard is facing a Water-type, it can still boil and evaporate the water."

A black fire-breathing dragon swooped down from the sky.

He folded his wings and landed as precisely as a falling leaf on the open ground in front of the cave, his feet touching the ground without making a sound.

The flames on his tail had turned a stable blue, and the blue flames at the corners of his mouth burned silently like two small torches.

Li Shuwen walked over and patted his neck.

"I will train hard in the Charizard Valley and strive to become the strongest Charizard."

The black Charizard turned its head, looked at him for a moment, and then let out a low growl.

The voice was much softer than before; it didn't sound like a roar, but more like an answer.

At the entrance to Charizard Valley, Ash put on his backpack and stood in front of his Charizard.

His Charizard was almost a head taller than him, and at that moment its eyes were lowered, and the flames on its tail were dimmer than usual.

Ash reached out and hugged Charizard's neck, burying his face in the scales on the side of its neck.

"You need to train hard here." His voice was a little muffled. "When I come back next time, we'll have another match."

"You definitely won't lose to that black fire-breathing dragon then!"

Charizard let out a low growl and gently nudged Ash's back with its head.

Xiao Zhi let go, took two steps back, and waved at him.

Then he turned around, strode out of the valley gate without looking back, and ran.

Xiaogang and Xiaoxia followed behind him, waving goodbye to his Charizard.

Charizard stood at the entrance, watching their backs recede into the distance, then took a few more steps forward and stood behind the iron fence of the valley, the flames on its tail swaying slightly.

He didn't chase after them, he just watched until the three figures disappeared around the bend in the mountain road.

Ash stopped at the corner and looked back at the direction of the valley.

Then he took a deep breath, turned back, and quickened his pace.

Li Shuwen and Shirona stood side by side on the path outside the valley.

The black Charizard has returned to the cave, and Ash's Charizard has also returned to the depths of the valley.

Li Shuwen turned to look at Cynthia: "Where would you like to go next?"

Cynthia took a folded map out of her pocket, unfolded it, and pointed to a spot with her fingertip.

There's a lake marked on the map, with a line of small text on its surface.

"The Lake of Rage." She looked up, her eyes brightening. "They're holding a tournament called 'Leaping the Dragon Gate' there. It's a competition to see whose Magikarp can jump the highest, who can swim upstream the fastest, and finally, a gluttony contest to see whose Magikarp can eat the most Orange Berries."

Li Shuwen looked into her bright eyes and smiled slightly: "That sounds interesting."

"Then let's go."

The two boarded a long-distance bus bound for the Lake of Wrath.

Cynthia sat by the window, and Li Shuwen sat next to her.

The scenery outside the window changed from mountains to plains, from plains to sparse forests, and then a vast lake slowly unfolded at the edge of the view.

The Lake of Wrath is vast, its waters a deep blue, with white waves billowing in the wind.

A resort has been built on the lakeside, with wooden houses lined up along the shoreline, their roofs covered with dark brown tiles, and wind chimes hanging in front of each house.

In the distance, in the middle of the lake, there is a small island, and you can vaguely see figures moving around on the island.

They booked a wooden room at the resort's front desk.

The room wasn't big, but it was very clean, and you could see the lake when you opened the window.

A pot of unidentified flowers sat on the windowsill, swaying gently in the lake breeze.

The receptionist was a young woman who enthusiastically introduced the services while processing check-in:

"The boss organized this Dragon Gate Leap Tournament to promote the resort. There are hundreds of Magikarp trainers who signed up, and the village has been quite lively these past few days."

Cynthia took the room key and glanced out the window: "When does the match start?"

"The first event tomorrow morning is the high jump preliminaries."

The competition venue is located on a small island in the middle of the lake.

A floating bridge connects the island to the lake shore, and spectators walk across the bridge and sit in the stands around the island.

The stands were packed with people, some holding up support signs, others leading their Magikarp to warm up by the pond.

Cynthia found a good spot to sit down, and Li Shuwen sat next to her, holding a glass of lemonade he had just bought.

The first competition was the high jump.

Trainers carried their Magikarp to the edge of the pond, released the fish into the water, and then retreated beyond the marked line.

With a whistle from the referee, Magikarp leaped out of the water, its red body arcing through the air before plunging back in, splashing water everywhere. A number appeared on the electronic screen next to the ruler.

"Thirty-six meters!"

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

Not high, but not bad either.

The next few Magikarp jumped higher and higher.

Forty-two meters, fifty-one meters, and sixty-seven meters.

A slender Magikarp leaped 83 meters, causing the entire audience to erupt in cheers.

Cynthia, watching the battle unfold by the pool, turned to Li Shuwen and asked:

"As a fellow Magikarp trainer, how high do you think these Magikarp can jump?"

Li Shuwen took a sip of lemonade and his gaze fell on the Magikarp that were preparing to jump over the edge of the pool.

"Talent is just the foundation. With hard training, jumping 100 meters is not difficult for Magikarp."

A burly man nearby heard this and turned around.

He was strong and dark-skinned, wearing an open leather jacket and a thick gold chain around his neck.

He sized Li Shuwen up and down, then spoke in a gruff voice:

"It's possible for Magikarp to jump 100 meters, but it's unlikely that Magikarp can jump 100 meters."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow: "What makes you say that?"

The burly man stretched out his short, thick finger and pointed to the measuring tape by the pool:

"Magikarp does have the potential, but a Magikarp that can do that must have already met the conditions for evolution."

"Compared to Magikarp, which is useless except for jumping high, Gyarados is definitely more popular. Who would want to keep a Magikarp that can evolve at any time just for jumping high?"

Li Shuwen shook his head: "In order to cultivate a stronger Gyarados, we should definitely delve deeper into the Magikarp stage."

"By building a more solid foundation, the qualitative changes that occur during evolution will bring greater improvements to Gyarados."

The burly man's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's a great idea!" he exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Why didn't I think of that before!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of Poké Balls, holding them in his hand as if they were some precious treasure.

"My name is Arno, and my goal is to breed the world's most powerful Gyarados, Charizard, Rhyperior, Lapras, Kangaskhan, Magmar, Ampharos, Tropius, and Kecleon."

"To forge the strongest power of the Nine Dragons!"

Cynthia blinked: "Could it be that you are...?"

Arno puffed out his chest: "That's right! I am a dragon tamer!"

Cynthia's lips twitched slightly: "...Monster Maniac?"

Arno's smile froze on his face: "Why do you say that?"

Li Shuwen spoke up calmly from the side: "Because none of the Pokémon you mentioned are Dragon-type."

Arno was stunned. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a carp that had been pulled ashore.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible!" Arno suddenly stood up and threw all the Poké Balls away.

A red light spread across the open ground, and nine Pokémon appeared simultaneously.

The nine Pokémon standing side by side certainly exuded a powerful aura, their imposing presence was truly awe-inspiring.