The solid wall instantly exploded into dust.
The creature that moments ago even Charizard's full power could barely repel was sent flying through multiple walls with a thunderous roar of exploding air, disappearing into the distant cloud of debris!
The corridor fell into deathly silence.
The remaining grotesque Pokémon that had been prowling forward seemed stunned by Charizard's sudden surge of power.
Their purple-glowing tentacles froze mid-air, emitting uneasy hisses as they instinctively began retreating.
Ethan stared blankly at the Charizard standing protectively before him, radiating an overwhelming aura.
Its gray-black body gleamed coldly in the dim light, deep blue flames surging from its maw.
This appearance… felt foreign.
But the sensation? That was familiar.
On the contrary, in this moment, an unprecedented intimate connection formed, as if invisible threads linked his heart directly to Charizard's.
He could not only sense Charizard's surging power and burning fighting spirit, but also vaguely touch upon something deeper… He didn't know what it was, but…
"ROAR!"
Charizard's low bellow snapped Ethan out of his momentary daze.
Explosions and screams continued echoing throughout the city, reminding him this crisis was far from over.
Right… now wasn't the time to zone out!
Ethan shook his head hard, forcing down the complex emotions roiling inside him.
His gaze sharpened once more. He pointed toward the chaotic street outside the corridor and shouted, "Charizard, we need to help! There are still people out there who need us!"
Charizard rumbled in response.
Those pupils burning with deep blue flames glanced at Ethan, conveying perfect understanding without words.
Using its powerful body, it crashed through the already crumbling corridor entrance, wings beating as it charged first into the more open but far more dangerous street.
Ethan took a deep breath of air mixed with smoke and dust, then quickly followed.
The bizarre Pokémon simply cowered to the side, making no attempt to stop them.
Right now, the scene on the street was obviously far more devastating than inside the corridor.
Under the purple, twisted sky, people ran and screamed like startled animals. Vehicles had collided and blocked the roads.
Scattered trainers commanded their Pokémon to resist desperately.
A Poliwrath used Doubleslap to beat back one of the grotesque Pokémon diving at it, only to be violently struck by tentacles from the other side, collapsing in pain.
On Ethan's side, the moment his Charizard appeared, it immediately drew everyone's attention.
"There's someone else who can fight?! Help us!"
"What… what is that?"
"Is that… Charizard? The color's wrong!"
"Such terrifying pressure!"
"So strong!"
The survivors cried out in disbelief, their voices carrying both shock and hope!
Ethan had no time for explanations. His gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield like radar.
"Charizard! Right side, that thing's trying to ambush the overturned car! Use Flamethrower, stop it!"
"Watch out, three on the roof to the left!"
In battle, Charizard now displayed overwhelming power.
What erupted from its mouth was no longer ordinary orange-red flames, but deep blue fire containing destructive energy!
Wherever the flames passed, the air itself seemed to scorch and sizzle.
One grotesque Pokémon failed to dodge and was instantly consumed by the flames, disappearing without even leaving ash behind!
Its Dragon Claw carried terrifying force.
Each strike brought the sound of tearing air, easily swatting away enemies that dared approach and smashing them into shops along the street.
Just then, four or five grotesque Pokémon seemed to reach some consensus.
They lunged simultaneously from different directions (from the air, the ground, and a broken sewer entrance), tentacles flailing madly, flashing deadly purple light as they tried to surround Charizard!
"Watch out, Charizard!! Blast Burn!!"
Ethan issued the command almost instinctively!
The blue flames in Charizard's eyes blazed brighter.
It drew in a massive breath, chest swelling high as blue and dark red light compressed and collided intensely in its mouth, crackling with energy!
Ethan could even feel the air temperature around them rising rapidly.
The next second, an incredibly dazzling giant character "大" [representing the Blast Burn attack pattern], seemingly formed from pure destructive energy, erupted from Charizard's mouth!
"BOOM!!!"
Blast Burn roared forth with crushing momentum.
This wasn't a simple linear attack, but rather, under Charizard's precise control, it pushed forward like a massive, burning wall of death!!
Those grotesque Pokémon attempting to charge forward evaporated instantly upon contact with this destructive energy, like ice cubes dropped into lava!
The explosion's shockwave cleared abandoned vehicles and debris from the street corner, exposing the scorched ground beneath.
This single strike brought silence to the chaos across the entire block.
However, this was only the beginning!
Ethan stayed close behind Charizard, shouting commands as he dashed forward to pull a terrified little girl out of the road and into safety.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but from something else. A forgotten feeling. The sharp, steady tension of being in control.
In that life-or-death battle, he moved on instinct, drawing on the training his parents had drilled into him as a child—reading the opponent's movements, predicting the next strike, seizing every fleeting chance.
He wasn't that frightened boy anymore. In protecting others, he'd found his rhythm again… and something deeper stirring within him.
Yet what struck Ethan even more deeply was that continuous mental connection.
This wasn't language, but intense emotions flowing directly into his heart!
He could see all of Charizard's emotions and innermost thoughts!!!
He seemed to sense… Charizard's deep longing for the days of fighting alongside his father.
That was a scorching flame wrapped in sorrow.
He could feel it now, the bottomless grief and loss that had filled Charizard's heart when he'd said he wanted to give up being a trainer.
And now, burning brighter than anything else, was Charizard's determination to protect him, even if it meant its own life.
So pure. So unshakable. That fierce, protective will flowed through their bond, melting the fear that had frozen Ethan's heart.
In that moment, he understood.
When his parents had rushed into danger all those years ago, maybe it hadn't been just duty as trainers that drove them…
Power itself isn't right or wrong. What matters is what you choose to protect with it.
The realization hit like lightning, scattering the fog that had clouded his heart for years.
At the same time, as Charizard's tail swept through the battlefield, the rainbow light around its body began to flicker violently, the massive form wavering—translucent, unstable, like a signal about to fade.
Clearly, this form couldn't be maintained much longer.
"…" Charizard let out a low roar tinged with exhaustion and slight pain.
The dazzling light of evolution finally dispersed completely, and its figure rapidly shrank within the light, reverting to its original orange-red color.
Restored to normal, Charizard panted heavily. The injuries from earlier battles and the effects of poison made it appear very weak.
The edges of its wings showed signs of corrosion, but it still stood firmly in front of Ethan, refusing to fall. Its eyes remained vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
Just at this critical moment, the dense, massive roar of engines echoed from the sky!
"WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!"
Several large aircraft bearing the distinctive markings of the Pokémon League suddenly tore through the purple sky and descended!
Hatches opened, revealing trainers in uniform with stern expressions and their powerful Pokémon at the ready.
Following that, the reassuring sound of sirens rang out from the end of the street!
Multiple League trainers and city security personnel in standard uniforms, some riding majestic Arcanine and Pidgeot, rapidly flooded into the battlefield, immediately stabilizing the situation!
"It's League reinforcements!"
"The security forces are here! We're saved!"
The surviving crowd erupted in cheers and tears of relief. The light of hope rekindled in everyone's eyes.
An Officer Jenny riding an Arcanine rushed forward. Her voice rang clearly through the megaphone across the block:
"All units, attention! Prioritize civilian evacuation! Establish a perimeter! Combat teams, fire at will! Eliminate all invading entities!"
Following the order, trainers immediately launched their attacks!
"Machamp, clear a path with Dynamic Punch! Remove obstacles!"
"Blastoise, target that group in the sky! Use Hydro Cannon!"
"Raichu, blanket the left area with Thunderbolt! Cover the evacuation!"
Instantly, various dazzling attack lights erupted in succession, weaving into a dense and efficient network of firepower that precisely struck the remaining grotesque Pokémon.
City security personnel quickly formed human barriers, guiding the panicked civilians to evacuate orderly to safe zones.
Once professional rescue forces intervened, the chaotic situation immediately came under effective control.
Just like that, under the powerful coordinated assault of League trainers and security forces, the surviving grotesque Pokémon were rapidly eliminated.
They seemed to realize defeat was inevitable and began retreating like a receding tide toward the massive Ultra Wormhole in the sky.
Finally, after the League launched a concentrated volley of ranged attacks, the last few grotesque Pokémon retreated into that twisted purple void.
Immediately after, the Ultra Wormhole radiating ominous energy began violently fluctuating and contracting, like a reluctant eye closing.
Ultimately, with a final twist, it vanished completely.
The purple light shrouding the sky instantly dissipated. Warm sunlight finally poured down, illuminating the block that had just survived catastrophe.
People who'd narrowly escaped death embraced and wept, or collapsed to the ground, gulping fresh air.
The streets were devastated.
Damaged vehicles, scorch marks, and scattered building debris all silently testified to how brutal the recent battle had been.
League and security personnel busily treated the injured, assessed damage, and comforted frightened civilians.
Ethan supported his exhausted but still bright-eyed Charizard, standing in the sunlit center of the street, watching everything around him. It felt like a lifetime ago.
A League official and someone resembling a security captain quickly approached. They looked at Ethan and his battle-scarred yet imposing Charizard, eyes filled with surprise and undisguised admiration.
"Young man, were you and your Charizard resisting these invaders?"
The League official asked warmly, his gaze falling on the obvious wounds covering Charizard.
Ethan nodded, emotions complicated. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
He just instinctively reached out and touched Charizard's rough skin.
"Excellently done!
Your bravery and your Charizard's power bought us precious time and saved many lives."
The security captain patted Ethan's shoulder, tone filled with affirmation. He carefully examined Charizard's injuries and said with concern, "It's badly hurt and needs professional treatment immediately. Come with us to the temporary Pokémon aid station.
It's set up in the square just ahead."
Ethan didn't refuse.
He nodded gratefully, recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball, and followed them toward the temporary white tents bearing the Poké Ball symbol erected in the block's square.
Along the way, many rescued civilians looked at him with gratitude and admiration. Some children even gave him a thumbs-up directly.
"Thank you!"
This left Ethan, who'd grown accustomed to solitude and being nearly forgotten, somewhat flustered, his cheeks slightly flushed.
But deep in his heart, a feeling he'd never experienced before quietly took root.
This feeling was warm.
Half an hour later.
While Charizard received emergency treatment from Nurse Joy and Blissey, Ethan sat alone on the steps outside the aid station, gazing at the bustling scene in the distance and the gradually recovering order on the streets.
Yet his heart churned restlessly, unable to calm down.
During the battle, Charizard's feelings sensed through that miraculous mental connection replayed in his mind over and over.
That bond, that burning desire to fight side by side, that pure and unwavering determination to protect… compared to the fear and sorrow buried deep in his own heart, it was overwhelmingly more powerful.
He'd chosen the most complete form of avoidance because he feared losing.
But did avoidance truly prevent problems?
These years of loneliness and pain, constantly refusing to face reality… wasn't that itself another form of continuous, slow loss?
Losing the chance to connect spiritually with Charizard, losing the ability to protect others, losing the possibility of becoming someone like his parents who, though their time was brief, lived with brilliant radiance…
He'd almost failed to become a trainer at all.
He unconsciously touched his pocket.
The two stones that had saved his and Charizard's lives and altered his fate had returned to normal temperature, resting quietly there.
It was that game called Pokémon Emerald that had given him this crucial item and helped him overcome the crisis.
At the time, he'd been somewhat self-deprecating about it. But now…
Perhaps heaven itself had been guiding him all along.
If that was the case…
Should his own thinking change as well?
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones