Leaving the Battle Tower behind, we made our way to the Pokémon Center to heal our exhausted friends.

"So, what's next on the agenda?" Eric asked.

Kat hummed as she took out her phone.

"Well, the next city is Cianwood City, but we can't get there unless it's by boat, and none of us has any experience driving a boat." Kat said.

"Right." Rina said sadly.

"We could use our Pokémon to fly over there," Nina suggested, "I'm sure it shouldn't be that hard."

"Yeah, but to get to Cianwood City, we've gotta pass through the Whirl Islands. Not only that, constant storms are occurring there," I said, glancing at Kat's phone, "I don't want to risk our Pokémon getting caught in one of those storms."

"I agree," Elsu said, "Having them scale a mountain is different, but if they have to fly through a potential storm? Yeah, I don't want to risk that either."

The others nodded as we stepped into the Pokémon Center.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy said.

We smiled at the pink-haired woman as we handed over our Pokémon.

"How're we gonna get to Ciamwood City from here?" Rina asked.

"I have no idea." I commented

"I can take you there." said an unfamiliar voice.

We turned around and saw a young man with light skin and matching brown hair and eyes. He wore black glasses, a sweater with golden flames, black jeans, and sneakers with a fire design on them.

Why does he look so familiar?

Next to him was a strong-looking Charizard with a Mega Stone attached to its wrist.

I figured Charizard was able to mega evolve.

My eyes widened when I recognized the man before us.

"Y-You're Vincent, Suncam City's Fire-type gym leader!" I exclaimed.

Nina's eyes widened at my claim.

"This is Vincent?" she asked, glancing at the man, "My mother says you're the strongest gym leader in Ezonia!"

"Word travels fast, I see." he said.

I shook my head to calm my thoughts.

"No, you see, Nina and I are from Ezonia," I claimed, "Her mother is Rachel, Maidbury City's gym leader."

"And her grandmother is Elise, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of Ezonia." Nina said.

Vincent's eyes widened as he took a step back.

"You two are related to Rachel and Elise?" he asked in surprise.

"They sure are!" Kat said.

Vincent chuckled and shook his head fondly.

"Well, I'm even more willing to take you guys with me." Vincent said.

"What do you mean by that?" Elsu asked.

Vincent grinned as he glanced back at his Charizard.

"Charizard and I were gonna rent a boat and head to the Whirl Islands to do some Lugia hunting," Vincent claimed.

"Lugia?" Eric parroted, "Isn't that the counterpart to Ho-Oh?"

"Sure is! Lugia's said to be in an underwater cave in the center of the Whirl Islands, but many say it's not. Charizard and I are goin' out to find it and battle it!"

The Flame Pokémon smiled and roared.

"We just got back from Ho-Oh hunting not too long ago," Rina said, pulling out the feather, "We met it face-to-face, and it gave me this."

Vincent's eyes widened with his smile.

"Alright, that settles it," Vincent said, "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

The others and I glanced at one another, then at the gym leader.

"And if you win, I'll take you guys to Cianwood City," he said, "What do you say?"

The others glanced at one another and smiled.

"Alright, then, we accept!" I said.

"Awesome, only I want to battle you in particular." Vincent said, pointing at me.

What? Why me?

"Why me?" I asked politely.

"You're the granddaughter of the strongest Elite Four member in Ezonia," he claimed, "I wanna see what you're capable of."

Libby bounced on my shoulder, letting out happy cries.

"Libby's right! Era can beat him, no problem!" Elsu said.

"Yeah!" Kat exclaimed

I chuckled as I patted my Eevee's head.

"Alright, I'll battle you, but I want a Charizard battle," I said, "Your Charizard against my Charizard."

Vincent chuckled and nodded.

"You're on!" Vincent exclaimed.

When we received our Pokémon, we made our way to the battlefield. Vincent and I stepped onto the battlefield and smiled.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Vincent said.

The Flame Pokémon roared as it leaped onto the battlefield. I smiled as I pulled out a Pokéball.

"Charcoal, light it up!" I cried.

At my command, my Charizard appeared with a roar.

"So, your Charizard's name is Charcoal, huh?" Vincent asked, "Nice name; it fits for a Pokémon like him."

"Thanks, Vincent!" I said.

Both Charizard growled at one another as they stared each other down.

"Your move, Eragona." Vincent said.

"Thanks," I said, "Okay, Charcoal, use Flamethrower, full strength!"

Charcoal groaned before releasing a ribbon of fire.

"Use Flamethrower, too!" Vincent cried.

The opposing Charizard growled before roaring out a flame of its own. When the attacks collided, black smoke arose. When the smoke cleared, both Charizard growled at one another.

"Now, up in the air!" I said.

Charcoal spread his wings and propelled himself into the air.

"Follow it!" Vincent exclaimed.

The gym leader's Charizard roared as it chased Charcoal into the air. The two Charizard chased one another through the air, trying to 1-up the other.

"Use Dragon Claw!" Vincent cried.

The opposing Charizard growled as its claws began to glow green.

"Counter with Metal Claw!" I said.

Charcoal roared as his claws extended and shimmered silver. When the two attacks collided, an explosion occurred. The smoke cleared, and both Charizard were undeterred.

"You're Charizard's strong," Vincent said, "But allow me to show you why I'm the strongest gym leader in Ezonia."

The gym leader reached down his neck and pulled out a Key Stone.

Is he's gonna mega evolve his Charizard!?

"Charizard, hear my fiery heart; set this battlefield ablaze and mega evolve!" Vincent cried.

Then, the Key Stone started glowing. The Mega Stone on his Charizard soon glowed, and the light engulfed the Flame Pokémon. When the light dimmed, the Charizard that was once orange had turned black and blue with blue flames coming from its mouth.

Whoa! That's Mega Charizard! It looks awesome!

"If you're interested to know, when Charizard mega evolves, its typing changes from a Fire/Flying-type to a Fire/Dragon-type." Vincent explained.

"Really?" I questioned eagerly.

Good to know...

"Dragon Claw, again!" Vincent cried.

The Mega Charizard roared as its claws glowed green. It then flew over to Charcoal with amazing speed.

"Wing Attack!" I cried.

Charcoal growled as his wings began to glow. When Mega Charizard brought down its claws, Charcoal swung his wings and blocked the incoming attack.

"Now, use Dragon Pulse!" I said.

Charcoal obeyed as he roared out a multicolored shock wave. The Mega Charizard groaned as it got knocked out of the sky.

"Ah, Charizard!" Vincent cried.

The Mega Charizard growled before spreading its wings and floating back to the ground.

Whoa! Impressive recovery, especially from a super-effective hit like that!

"Flamethrower!" Vincent said.

The Mega Charizard groaned as it released a ribbon of blue flames.

Even its Fire-type attacks have blue flames. That's pretty cool!

"Use Flamethrower, too!" I cried.

Charcoal grunted before releasing a ribbon of fire on his own. When the attacks collided, the flames started pushing the other back.

"Come on, Charcoal!" Kat cheered.

"You can do it!" Nina and Elsu cheered.

"Keep it up!" Rina cried.

"You can win this!" Eric cried.

I couldn't help but smile at my friends' cheering.

"Let's go, Charcoal!" I cheered.

Charcoal grinned as he continued to add pressure. Vincent smiled and shook his head fondly.

"You're a strong opponent, Eragona," Vincent began, "But I'm afraid I'm gonna have to end this."

What does he mean by that?

"Charizard, fly up and use Dragon Claw!" Vincent said.

The opposing Charizard obeyed and ceased its flames. The blackened Charizard roared as it propelled itself with glowing green claws.

"Quick, counter with Metal Claw!" I cried.

Charcoal growled as his claws turned silver. When the opposing Charizard was in front of him, I glanced at Vincent to see him smirking.

"Now, Wing Attack!" Vincent exclaimed.

In a split second, the opposing Charizard's wings glowed, bringing them down on Charcoal's head.

"Charcoal!" I cried.

How did he change his move coordination so fast?

"Don't let up! Track it and use Dragon Claw!" Vincent said.

The Mega Charizard obeyed and followed my falling Charizard with glowing green claws.

"Quick, block with Metal Claw again!" I exclaimed.

When Charcoal crossed his claws, they began to glow silver.

Please be able to block it...

When the opposing Charizard was close, he tackled Charcoal to the ground, kicking up dust. When the dust cleared, the Mega Charizard stood over an unconscious Charcoal.

"Charcoal, no!" I cried.

Vincent sighed with a shrug as he approached his partner.

"Excellent work, as always, buddy." Vincent said.

His Charizard grunted as it reverted to its standard form. I sighed as I approached my fallen friend. Placing a hand on his snout, Charcoal awoke and let out an annoyed groan.

"I know, buddy, I know," I said sadly, "I don't like that feeling either."

My Charizard stood and huffed out black smoke.

He's certainly not a fan of losing...

Vincent's Charizard let out a cry and held out its fist. Charcoal glanced at the other Flame Pokémon and smiled, happily fist-bumping the other.

"Glad they got along in the end." said a familiar voice.

I turned around and saw my friends.

"That was an intense battle, you two." Kat commented.

"Yeah! That was a really blazing match!" Elsu joked.

I chuckled before my smile fell.

"Well, since I lost, how're we gonna get to Cianwood City now?" I asked.

"I'll take you." Vincent commented.

The others and I looked at the gym leader in surprise.

"You'll still take us?" Nina asked.

"B-But I lost." I said.

"Yeah, but I saw how much you poured your spirit into this battle, into your Pokémon," Vincent said, "A trainer who strives to pour their love, trust, and time into their Pokémon is far stronger than any trainer who does the opposite."

That's similar to what Grandma Eli told me before I left home.

"I've been with Charizard ever since he hatched from an egg, and we've been best pals ever since," Vincent said, glancing at his partner, "Right, buddy?"

The Charizard smiled and let out a roar in response.

"Now that I think about it, I've been with Charcoal for quite a while since he was a Charmeleon," I said, "We've been through a lot together, and we've grown closer together as partners as well,"

"I can tell," Vincent said, "You have a unique bond with him that only you two understand. It's like that for every trainer's Pokémon. A unique bond that only they understand."

"But we've still got room to grow before we're anywhere near your level."

"We all do." Rina commented.

The others agreed with silent nods. The Fire-type gym leader smiled and laughed.

"It's been a while since I've met trainers your age so attuned to what's important when raising and caring for Pokémon," he said, "You all love your Pokémon; it's obvious."

"We sure do!" Elsu said.

"Would be nothing without them!" Eric said.

Libby, Angel, Snubbull, and Charcoal all happily cried out.

"C'mon, kids," Vincent said, "Let's heal up and rent a boat to get you guys to Cianwood City."

Agreeing with the gym leader, we followed him into the Pokémon Center. Vincent and I retracted our Charizard and handed them over to Nurse Joy.

"So, what are you kids gonna do in Cianwood?" Vincent asked.

"Oh, probably just go sightseeing, play on the beach," Nina said, "Tourist stuff."

Vincent let out a hearty laugh at Nina's comment.

"Y'know, if you guys aren't in any rush, you wanna come to hunt Lugia with me?" Vincent asked.

"Really?" Rina asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah! The more, the merrier, right?"

The others glanced at one another and smiled as we shared a nod.

"We'd love to join you!" I said.

"Awesome! Let's grab our Pokémon and go Lugia hunting!" Vincent proclaimed.

After receiving our Charizard, the six of us followed the gym leader to the port to rent a boat. Before we knew it, we pulled away from the docks and sailed to the Whirl Islands.

I wonder if the rumors about Lugia being in the center of the Whirl Islands are true. Well, only one way to find out!