The Road to the Championship Hits a Bottleneck

Chi Hong said nothing. He merely released his three thousand-year Soul Rings and held a Poké Ball in his hand.

"Three thousand-year Soul Rings? That's impressive, but a Soul Elder can't beat seven people alone, can he?"

In the stands, Ma Rulong of Sun Moon Imperial Academy looked doubtful. Shrek was supposed to be their biggest rival for the championship this year.

But sending out only one Soul Elder? Wasn't that a little overconfident?

The captain of Tianling Academy breathed a sigh of relief. It was just one Soul Elder. No matter how strong he was, there was a limit.

They could win!

[The road to the championship has begun. Congratulations on qualifying for the Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Defeat every opponent and become champion. (Opponents defeated in this tournament will grant double experience.)]

[Championship rewards: Ho-Oh's Sacred Flame and a permanent contract with a random Legendary Pokémon.]

Chi Hong tugged his cap brim down again, a smile curling his lips.

"At last, the moment has come. I choose you, Charizard!"

He hurled the Poké Ball.

Pop! A brilliant white light flashed, and Charizard's form gradually appeared in the arena.

"ROAR!"

The moment Charizard appeared, he spread his wings and roared at the sky. His voice seemed powerful enough to shake the heavens, drowning out even the cheers of the crowd.

Along with that roar came the scorching heat of Charizard's Solar Fire. Though he did nothing but stand there and swish his tail, the spectators felt the temperature rise.

"A Soul Beast? Someone from Shrek can summon a Soul Beast?"

"No, wait, that's a dragon—a true dragon! That aura, and the flames on its tail... There's no doubt about it. That's Ultimate Fire."

"Good lord, Shrek really has become an academy of monsters."

The Tianling Academy students all ducked and covered their ears. Charizard's roar had nearly stunned them.

Their captain stood at the front. He was braver than the rest and hadn't ducked, though he swallowed to soothe his dry throat.

Then he accidentally met Charizard's cold, piercing gaze and saw his fearsome face.

A shiver ran through him. His whole body stiffened, and he couldn't move.

If their status panels could have been brought up just then, each would have displayed the same condition: "Flinched."

This was Charizard's move: Scary Face.

"I-is that a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast? Are we going to make it out of this arena alive?"

The captain kept glancing at the referee, as though hoping the man would Detect his shattered courage and step in to save him.

To them, Charizard was a savage, powerful Soul Beast—the kind they would flee from on sight in the wild.

And now they were supposed to fight a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast?

With just seven people? Were they trying to make a snack of themselves for the fire dragon?

His teammates huddled behind him, trembling just as badly.

"Captain, maybe we should surren—"

Chi Hong had no intention of letting these bundles of experience slip away. He pointed at them.

"Charizard, Fire Spin. Take them all out in one move."

Flames ignited in Charizard's mouth. He raised his head, then snapped it forward, unleashing a spinning ring of fire.

Whoosh!

The flames rose like a tornado, trapping all seven Tianling Academy students at its center. Scorching tongues of fire lashed against their bodies.

Their screams rang out from within the fire tornado, shrill and agonized.

Some spectators couldn't bear to watch and closed their eyes.

The referee finally snapped out of his shock and rushed forward, desperately trying to break apart the fire tornado.

"What? This Ultimate Fire is so strong!"

Fear flashed across the referee's face. It took considerable effort to disperse the Fire Spin and rescue the seven barely conscious members of the Tianling Team.

All seven bore burns of varying severity, and none could fight any longer.

After checking their conditions, the referee stood and announced,

"Shrek wins this match."

The crowd froze in unison. Then, a moment later—

"Whoa! Shrek! Shrek!"

Cheers thundered through the stands. This extraordinary one-move victory had sent the crowd into a frenzy.

A Soul Beast against Soul Masters.

Wasn't this an eight-sided Beast Arena?

That kind of wild, thrilling fight made for the best spectacle!

The referee sighed and said to Chi Hong,

"Shrek student, I know you're strong, but your opponents are people too. Please don't hit them so hard again."

Chi Hong stopped and looked back at him in confusion. He gave a helpless shrug.

"Sorry. That's the weakest move I have."

There really was nothing he could do about it. Fire Spin was meant to hit a group and deal damage over time. A single hit was even a little weaker than Charizard's Scratch.

Of course, that was without accounting for the boost to his flames. Even so, it was his weakest Fire-type move.

The referee's mouth twitched. He had no reply.

"Wow! That's so arrogant. Just what you'd expect from Shrek."

"Man, the teams coming up are in for it. They spent all this time studying the Official Team, only to be caught off guard by some unknown kid with a Soul Beast."

Over by the Sun Moon Imperial Team, Ma Rulong couldn't help punching the railing.

"Shrek is a formidable opponent. Where did that Soul Beast of his come from? There's no information about anything like it on the continent."

A white-haired boy with eyes of different colors leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

"What are you so afraid of, Brother Ma? That Soul Beast hasn't even reached ten thousand years of cultivation. Even with Ultimate Fire, it's only about as strong as a Soul King or Soul Emperor. What's there to fear?"

Meng Hongchen smiled faintly.

"We're humans. We know how to use our heads. A mindless beast like that could never stand against the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Tools."

Ma Rulong paused. On reflection, she had a point.

He clasped his fists, confidence blazing in his eyes.

"Just wait, Shrek. I'll crush you with my Soul Cannons."

Back at the hotel, Chi Hong let all three of his Pokémon out.

That single battle had raised Charizard's cultivation to 9,999 years. He was just one step away from becoming a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast.

"Ice Empress, why has Charizard hit a bottleneck? How do I get him past it?"

Chi Hong looked puzzled.

The Ice Empress studied Charizard for a moment before giving her assessment.

"Ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts are different from thousand-year ones. As they cross that threshold, their intelligence grows rapidly, eventually reaching a level no lower than a human's. Their bodies and Inner Focus also improve by leaps and bounds."

"Your Charizard is already highly intelligent, no less so than a human. But there's something strange about his bloodline. He doesn't seem to be affected by this world's heavenly tribulations. To break through to ten thousand years, though, he may need a special item to awaken his potential and bloodline."

Chi Hong frowned. Finally, he made up his mind.

[Ding-dong! Calling Professor Oak...]