<h4>Chapter 1223: Preliminary Round Begins</h4>


    The instant the ice wall shattered, the Aurorus countered with Rock Slide. Several massive boulders descended from the sky, aimed at Mega Charizard X. Without hesitation, Mega Charizard X used Dragon w, swiftly smashing the rocks to pieces in just a few moves.


    "Roar!"


    Mega Charizard X let out a thunderous roar, unleashing a surge of searing mes from its entire body. The Aurorus, caught at close range, was instantly engulfed in the fire.


    This was Charizard''s Inferno.


    The crimson mes consumed the entire battlefield, casting a deep red hue in the spectators'' eyes. The audience reacted with gasps and exmations of awe and amazement.


    The intense mes immediately dispelled the snowy weather on the field, freeing Mega Charizard X from the sticky difort of melting snow dripping across its scales.


    When the mes cleared, the Aurorus was nowhere to be seen. In its cey a peculiar block of ice, its shape slightly distorted by the intense heat, but it had remarkably withstood the mes without melting.


    As everyone wondered where the Aurorus had gone, cracks began to spread across the block of ice. In moments, the Aurorus emerged,pletely unharmed, from within.


    "Auuurooo!"


    The colorful membranes on its head and neck quivered gently, releasing a burst of cold air that instantly neutralized the oppressive heat on the battlefield.


    Both Amaura and Aurorus are extraordinarily sensitive to temperature. As a Pokémon that thrives in frigid environments, the Aurorus managed to endure the harsh heat thanks to its ability to regte the temperature in its immediate surroundings.


    Seeing the Aurorus safe and sound, the audience erupted into enthusiastic cheers.


    Observing the scene, Yuga mused to himself: <i>As expected, it''s the gracefuldies that win the crowd''s favor.</i>


    Breaking free from the ice, the Aurorus let out a tremendous roar, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield. The reverberations hurled Mega Charizard X far into the distance.


    But that wasn''t all. With the Aurorus''s powerful roar, dazzling auroras suddenly illuminated the sky. The stunning disy captivated everyone''s attention instantly.


    However, these auroras were not merely a feast for the eyes. Beneath their beauty lurked danger.


    As Mega Charizard X stabilized itself midair after being flung back, beams of multicolored light shot out from the auroras above, each targeting it with precision.


    Mega Charizard X, quick to react, pped its wings and darted through the air, skillfully dodging the iing Aurora Beams. Each beam narrowly missed its mark.


    When the final beam descended, Mega Charizard X retaliated by unleashing a methrower. The intense fire dispersed the aurora''s light in an instant.


    At this moment, mes began to surge from Mega Charizard X''s body once again, enveloping it entirely. With a deafening roar, the zing Mega Charizard X dove from the sky, charging directly at the Aurorus in an unstoppable descent.


    Seeing the situation, Diantha called out from the sidelines, "Aurorus, Zen Headbutt!"


    "Auroruuus~"


    With a resonating cry, the Aurorus rapidly pped the membrane-like fins on its head, creating a surge of airflow above its forehead. nting its four legs firmly on the ground, it sprang forward, charging headfirst toward the approaching Mega Charizard X.


    Neither Mega Charizard X nor the Aurorus was a petite Pokémon. In particr, the sheer size of the Aurorus was enough tomand attention.


    The collision of these two massive Pokémon created powerful shockwaves that blew across the battlefield, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes.


    One young man, standing behind a girl in an ultra-short skirt, unintentionally cracked his eyes open. Immediately, he felt tears run down his face. <i>Mom, I think I just caught a glimpse of heaven...</i>


    The battle continued relentlessly. In terms of raw strength, the Aurorus was indeed at a disadvantagepared to Mega Charizard X.


    Despite itsrger size, the Aurorus wasn''t built for power. Coupled with the added boost from Mega Charizard X''s ability, the Aurorus was sent tumbling backward, rolling over several times before sprawling across the ground.


    "Auroruuus~"


    The Aurorus gasped for breath, struggling to stand. Meanwhile, Mega Charizard Xnded beside it, raising a glowing, blue-tinted Dragon w, ready to strike.


    At that moment, Diantha shouted, "Aurorus, Barrier!"


    Just as Mega Charizard X''s Dragon w was about to connect, a transparent shield materialized around the Aurorus, sessfully absorbing most of the attack''s force.


    "Auroruuus~"


    The Aurorus let out a pained cry and swung its tail, now enveloped in swirling water, at Mega Charizard X. The strike forced Mega Charizard X to retreat.


    "Whew..."


    Seeing Mega Charizard X withdraw, the Aurorus, still lying on the ground, opened its mouth and unleashed a freezing st. The icy stream pressured Mega Charizard X to retreat even farther.


    Taking advantage of the reprieve, the Aurorus braced itself on its legs and struggled to rise. However, its massive weight and the injuries from its earlier tumble made standing excruciatingly difficult.


    Due to its injuries, the usually docile Aurorus became agitated, and its attacks grew erratic. It continuouslyunched streams of Ice Breath at Mega Charizard X, but every shot missed.


    "Aurorus, calm down!"


    Diantha quickly noticed the Aurorus''s frustration and called out to soothe it. Gradually, the Aurorus steadied its emotions and regained itsposure.


    "Aurorus, Thunder Wave!"


    Given the Aurorus''s bulky frame, it was at a clear disadvantage against the nimble, airborne Mega Charizard X. Diantha aimed to use Thunder Wave to paralyze Mega Charizard X, limiting its mobility.


    <strong>Boom. Boom. Boom.</strong>


    Golden electric orbs wereunched one after another by the Aurorus, but Mega Charizard X was too agile and managed to dodge every single one of them.


    "Aurorus, Hail!"


    Following Diantha''smand, the Aurorus once again summoned a hailstorm.


    "Auroruuus~"


    At its call, the sky darkened with dense clouds, and thick snowkes began to fall steadily.


    As the snownded on Mega Charizard X''s body, it immediately melted due to its high body temperature, creating ayer of dampness. The moist air not only made Mega Charizard X ufortable, but its skin also started to feel a faint stinging sensation.


    The snowy weather sessfully reduced Mega Charizard X''s agility.


    "Aurorus, use Thunder Wave again," Diantha instructed.


    With the Aurorus repeatedlyunching Thunder Wave, Mega Charizard X found itself unable to close the distance. Left with no other choice, it unleashed a massive methrower.


    The enormous, zing fire descended from above like a fiery curtain, crashing down on the Aurorus and pinning it to the ground. However, Mega Charizard X was also hit by Thunder Wave, leaving it paralyzed.


    Seeing the Aurorus struggling to get back on its feet, Yuga shouted to Mega Charizard X, "Charizard, use methrower toward the sky!"


    Mega Charizard X attempted to lift its head and unleash the mes, but the paralysis hindered its movements, and the methrower failed.


    At that moment, the Aurorus finally managed to rise, making Yuga tense up, only for it to copse again.


    The Aurorus''s injured leg had worsened under the pressure of Mega Charizard X''s attack. Its body, already heavily damaged, bore multiple burns on its once-beautiful blue skin.


    However, before it fell, the Aurorus had taken measures to protect itself by casting both Barrier and Light Screen, forcing Yuga to abandon his n to have Mega Charizard X exploit the moment to attack.


    "Charizard, use methrower toward the sky again!"


    This time, the attack seeded. The massive mes surged into the sky, instantly dispersing the dark clouds and halting the snowfall.


    With the snow no longer interfering, Mega Charizard X seemed visibly relieved and in higher spirits.


    After clearing the snow, Yuga noticed that the Aurorus still hadn''t managed to stand. He quicklymanded Mega Charizard X to charge forward. Fortunately, the paralysis didn''t trigger this time.


    As Mega Charizard X rushed in, the Aurorus raised its head and unleashed a stream of icy frost. Mega Charizard X attempted to counter with methrower, but its luck ran out, and the paralysis struck again. It was engulfed by the icy torrent.


    "Roarrr!"


    Mega Charizard X emerged from the frost, battered and disheveled, but managed tond near the Aurorus. It attempted to use Brick Break to attack, aiming to shatter the Aurorus''s Light Screen, but another surge of paralysis coursed through its body, causing the move to fail.


    Brick Break could have destroyed the Aurorus''s defenses, but luck was not on Mega Charizard X''s side.


    At that moment, the Aurorus''s Aqua Tail struck. Though Mega Charizard X took the hit, it managed to grab hold of the Aurorus''s tail.


    Initially, it tried to lift the Aurorus into the air directly, but the paralysis forced it to abandon the idea. Instead, it swung the Aurorus around and hurled it away.


    <strong>Boom!</strong>


    With a thunderous crash, the Aurorus mmed into a nearby wall, causing it to crack under the impact. The Aurorus copsed to the ground and didn''t get back up.


    The battle was over, and a wave of thunderous cheers erupted from the audience.


    As Yuga and Diantha tended to their Pokémon and escorted them for treatment, the announcer, Vivian, took to the stage. With electrifying energy, she addressed the crowd.


    "How incredible was that battle between Gym Leader Shimizu and Champion Diantha just now?"


    "INCREDIBLE!"


    The audience responded in unison, their excitement filling the air.


    "It was absolutely incredible! Even as someone who''s not a Trainer, I felt my blood boiling!" Vivian eximed excitedly. "But the next stage belongs to all of you! I hope you can bring us equally thrilling battles. Can you do it?"


    "Yes!!!"


    The participants responded with exuberance, as if infused with boundless energy.


    "Then I''ll be eagerly looking forward to your performances," Vivian said yfully, winking at the contestants below.


    After the exhibition match concluded, the preliminary rounds for thepetitors began.


    The Verdanturf Town Gym, having undergone renovations, now boasted additional arenas. The contestants were assigned to different venues for their matches. Each venue was equipped with Rotom Cameras, which Mayor Ishida had specially requested from the League. These cameras could dynamically capture and showcase the contestants'' performances for both the audience and judges.


    Rotom Cameras were the League''stest technological innovation, allowing Rotoms to inhabit them for flexible andprehensive coverage of matches.


    Verdanturf Town was fortunate to acquire these cameras as they were still undergoing performance testing, with the town''s Duel Tournament serving as one of the testing grounds.


    Given therge number of participants in the preliminary rounds, many matches took ce simultaneously.


    Ash''s group included two other contestants: a man in his thirties and a woman in her twenties, both older than Ash.


    Ash''s first opponent was the man, a local of Verdanturf Town who wasn''t a professional Trainer. He had only started raising Pokémon after Yuga''s campaign to promote Grass-type Pokémon in Verdanturf Town. His participation in the tournament was just for fun.


    However, the preliminary rounds were designed to weed out such casual participants. His Gloom was defeated by Ash''s Meganium in just two moves.


    In the original series, Ash''s Bayleef didn''t evolve, but now it had not only evolved but also grown significantly stronger.


    The female contestant, on the other hand, was much more skilled. A genuine Grass-type Trainer, she was more serious than Ash, the "pseudo" Grass-type Trainer, though her overall strength was still inferior to his.


    Her Pokémon was a Tangrowth, known for its high defense and stamina. After losing to Ash''s Meganium, it quickly recovered and managed to defeat the male contestant''s Jumpluff.


    As for why she didn''t switch Pokémon, spectators spected she might be conserving her strength.


    In the three matches within their group, the male contestant was eliminated with zero points, while Ash and the female contestant advanced to the next round.


    Meanwhile, Erika''s matches proceeded smoothly as well. She didn''t use her signature Pokémon like Vileplume or Bellossom, opting instead for a lessmon Carnivine.


    This Carnivine was ferocious, attacking with relentless aggression and swiftly dispatching her two opponents, even faster than Ash''s battles.


    In her group, one person also ended up eliminated due to Erika''s undefeated record.


    Ryo had also returned for this tournament. He and May arrived just before thepetition started, without notifying their family in advance. Yuga was quite surprised when he found them at home.


    Though May wanted to participate in the tournament, herck of three Grass-type Pokémon prevented her from joining, leaving only Ryo to sign up.


    Ryo''s chosen Pokémon was a Ludicolo, not one from their home but likely captured during his travels. It performed well, easily defeating his two opponents to advance.


    Then came Anya''s turn topete.


    Anya''s strength was unexpectedly impressive. Her performance in the preliminaries was on par with Erika''s, drawing Yuga''s attention.


    The Pokémon Anya used was a Maractus, a species simr in habits to Cea and Cacturne, native to deserts and known for their resilience.


    This was Yuga''s first time seeing such a Pokémon. With every movement, its body emitted a pleasant rustling sound, almost musical.


    In the desert, Maractus typically uses this sound to deter predators.


    Anya''s Maractus was exceptionally strong, no less capable than Erika''s Carnivine. Yuga could see its prowess at a nce.


    In the matches, it disyed remarkable efficiency,nding crushing blows with its spiked fists. Its swift and ruthless attacks left no chance for its opponents, wrapping up the battles in no time.