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"I choose you, Charizard!" Ash shouted, and an orange-red dragon flew out of its Poké Ball, soaring with outstretched wings!
"Hello, everyone, I'm Misty, the Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym, and also the commentator and referee for this exhibition match. As we can see, Elite Four Lorelei has brought out a Glaceon, which is very rare in the Kanto region. Not to be outdone, Ash has brought out Charizard, a Pokémon that counters Ice-type Pokémon. This battle is sure to be a fierce showdown!"
"Regarding Ash's Charizard, as you all know, it defeated the ace Pokémon of Johto's Elite candidate Koga a month ago. There were rumors online saying that Charizard used forbidden drugs and was now useless, but the vibrant Charizard on the field tells us that online rumors are, after all, just rumors!"
Misty's loud shouts into the microphone ignited the atmosphere, and the cheers from the crowd rose in waves. Sakura and the others, who had just returned from the entrance, were startled.
When they held their synchronized swimming performances, the venue had never seen such cheers. This was also their first time realizing that their Gym could erupt with sounds that shook the entire building.
This is the difference between Pokémon battles and synchronized swimming!
Even though the people involved in this Pokémon battle were quite extraordinary, it had to be admitted that Pokémon battles were the mainstream in this world. So, unless their synchronized swimming incorporated elements of Pokémon battles, they would probably never hear such cheers in their lifetime.
Misty was chosen as the referee for this match, partly because she volunteered. She greatly admired Lorelei, and being able to watch her idol battle up close was an immense joy for her!
On the other hand, Misty's Pokémon knowledge was far Superior to that of the three Sakura sisters. If the three Sakura sisters were the referees, they would probably only say 'Wow!' 'Charizard seems to be gaining the upper hand!' 'Glaceon seems to be gaining the upper hand!' 'Is Ash going to lose?' and other nonsensical remarks during the battle.
After all, their skill level was what it was, so it was absolutely impossible for them to provide commentary. Brock wasn't from Cerulean Gym, so Misty was the most suitable choice for this commentary.
As Misty's shouts and the crowd's cheers filled the air, the two Pokémon on the field began to clash.
"Let's go, Charizard, Aura is with me!" Ash held nothing back from the start, immediately activating Charizard's strongest form. Facing an Elite-level Pokémon at its peak, even with Aura fusion, Charizard would likely be no match for it.
Even with Sacred Fire... the gap between them was simply too vast. Unless he used an overwhelming ability, with Ash's current means, even amplified to the extreme, he couldn't hope to contend with an Elite-level Glaceon at its peak.
However, this was an exhibition match, and winning or losing wasn't important. Besides, Ash had no intention of backing down before the battle even began!
"Roar!!" The amplified Charizard let out a sky-shattering roar, revealing its current level — Professional Peak!
In the few days since arriving at Cerulean Gym, Charizard and Gardevoir had also made breakthroughs, reaching the pinnacle of the professional level. For a rookie Trainer, having two Professional Peak Pokémon was practically impossible.
Even without considering various amplification methods, Ash was undoubtedly the strongest rookie Trainer in Kanto, and perhaps the strongest rookie Trainer ever!
But no matter how strong he was, the word 'rookie' still preceded his name, and standing before Ash was one of Kanto's top Trainers, the Ice Elite Lorelei!
A Professional Peak Pokémon was simply not enough to contend with her.
"This level... it's much stronger than when you battled Koga, but I still find it a bit incredible. Even with Charizard's current level, it shouldn't have been able to defeat Koga," Lorelei's pretty face showed a hint of doubt. Even she found the victory in that battle somewhat baffling.
What was Charizard's level when it battled Koga? From watching on TV, it was somewhat uncertain, but it was definitely not above the Professional level, at most Superior Peak.
Yet, a Charizard of that level actually defeated an Elite-level opponent... Besides the amplification Ash provided to Charizard, another reason was the colorful flames Charizard used at the very end.
In Lorelei's impression, colorful flames seemed to be unique to the legendary Ho-Oh and Entei. Why Charizard's flames were colorful and how powerful they truly were would be revealed in this battle.
"My Pokémon can't be judged by ordinary standards! Let's go, Charizard, Sunny Day!" Faced with the opponent's level advantage, all Ash could do was apply every buff he could!
It's a shame his Charizard's ability was Blaze, not Solar Power. Otherwise, Sunny Day plus Solar Power, combined with the power of Aura fusion, unleashing Sacred Fire, would have annihilated even an Elite-level Glaceon at its peak!
"Roar!" Charizard roared, and a brilliant small sun rose from its body. As the sun ascended into the sky, Lorelei calmly commanded, "Use Ice Shard."
Ice Shard, a priority move similar to Quick Attack. Glaceon let out a soft cry, and countless tiny ice shards appeared around her.
Though small, the ice shards contained a chilling cold that made one shiver. The next second, the Ice Shards shot out like bullets around Glaceon!
The dense, tiny ice shards blocked all of Charizard's retreat routes. Even if Ice Shard wasn't very powerful, the level difference between them was so great that if Charizard were hit, he wouldn't fare well.
"Burn them all with Flamethrower!" Under the detection of Aura, Ash and Charizard couldn't find any space to dodge.
It seemed Lorelei already knew from the battle against Koga's recording that he possessed a special power to predict attack trajectories.
So Lorelei simply had her Pokémon use wide-range attacking moves. This way, even if he could predict attacks, it wouldn't matter, because he had no space to dodge. Moreover, Ice Shard was incredibly fast; trying to escape its attack range directly was impossible with Charizard's current speed.
Charizard's only option now was to meet it head-on!
"Roar!!"
Charizard opened his gaping maw, and an extremely scorching flame shot out. Under the influence of Sunny Day, the flames became even more intense, seemingly causing space itself to slightly distort.
The boiling ice shards in the air, upon contact with the flames, didn't melt immediately. Instead, they held their ground for a moment before melting into water. The remaining flames directly blasted towards Glaceon, but Glaceon leaped, dodging the Flamethrower.
The flames struck the floating platform where Glaceon had been, and in an instant, the platform was completely incinerated, taking a large portion of the water below with it.
The power of this Flamethrower was evident. In terms of sheer power, it was definitely on par with a typical Elite-level Fire-type attack.
All those rumors online were debunked at this moment!
"Who said Ash was faking it? Is this what you call faking it?"
"Holy moly, a Professional Peak fighting an Elite Peak, two major levels apart, and they can still trade blows?"
"It's indeed a bit abnormal. Although Ice Shard is an extremely weak Ice-type move, it depends on who uses it. Elite Four Lorelei's Glaceon using Ice Shard is stronger than other Pokémon using Blizzard."
"However, it also shows that the gap between Charizard and Glaceon is still very large. Flamethrower against Ice Shard only achieved this effect, and that's with Sunny Day's boost. If Glaceon were to use a powerful Ice-type move, or even a Water-type move, Charizard would likely be defeated like a crumbling mountain."
"..."
Among the spectators who came to watch the match, there were quite a few powerful Trainers who knew their stuff.
They not only discerned the levels of Charizard and Glaceon but also had a very clear analysis of the situation.
Don't let it seem like Charizard, at Professional Peak, was effectively retaliating against Glaceon. From the earlier exchange, Charizard was actually in a state of absolute disadvantage.
Under Sunny Day, he could only barely use Flamethrower to burn away the opponent's Ice Shard move. Once Glaceon used a more powerful move, how would Charizard cope?
...On the field, Lorelei looked at Ash and Charizard with an appreciative expression, praising them: "Excellent flames. It seems that with the boost of Aura, Charizard already has the power to contend with Elite-level Pokémon."
"So leisurely, huh... Charizard, Fire Blast!" Seeing Lorelei still had the leisure to comment on Charizard's condition, Ash's expression subtly hardened, and he once again had Charizard launch an attack.
He had fought Elite-level Pokémon before. As long as he found an opportunity to create an opening for Glaceon, and then used Sacred Fire, he could defeat the opponent in one hit!
This was also why Ash chose to use Charizard. Among the team's three powerhouses, only Charizard had absolute confidence in being able to take down the opponent directly after hitting them!
In other words, his goal for this battle was very clear: create an opening for Glaceon, then use Sacred Fire to instantly defeat her!
The moment the command fell, Charizard's wings flapped fiercely, and the rising heat caused the surrounding air to ripple. He tilted his head back, opening his fanged maw, and orange-red flames condensed in his throat, their temperature steadily climbing. The next second, a column of flames, carrying scorching Heat Waves, roared out, quickly forming a powerful 'big' (big) character in the air, like a burning meteor, hurtling towards Glaceon with a world-destroying momentum!
Lorelei gazed at the roaring Fire Blast, a cold glint appearing in her beautiful eyes. Her previously calm expression gained a hint of sharpness, and she issued her command in a steady voice: "Glaceon, Hydro Pump."
Glaceon shot out a stream of water as thick as a bucket. The small sun hanging in the sky made the water element sparser, so the power of this Hydro Pump was only about two-thirds of its usual strength.
If Charizard's attack had been Gym-level, perhaps the Sunny Day he used could have reduced Hydro Pump's power to half of its usual strength.
The scorching flames and the azure water clashed violently, the intense heat instantly transforming the water into a large expanse of Mist, which swiftly enveloped the entire battle arena, even concealing the two figures within the white, misty expanse.
"Roar!!"
From within the Mist, Charizard let out a pained Growl, then his body was sent flying backward from the Mist, finally stopping just above Ash. His left arm hung limply, showing signs of being hit. It seemed the Hydro Pump had broken through the Fire Blast and struck Charizard's arm.
Ash also clutched his arm, a pained expression on his face. The Mist couldn't obscure them, as they were using Aura, but having his move directly blocked by the opponent just now made it difficult to dodge afterwards.
In the end, Charizard could only barely manage to twist his body, minimizing the damage. Even so, Charizard paid the price of an arm to escape the attack. This arm would likely be unusable for a while.
"This is a bit tricky, Charizard..." Ash said in a low voice.
"Roar..." I won't give up.
"I feel the same way. Then let's execute our plan, the plan for victory!" Ash said, clutching his arm, his eyes sharpening.
"Charizard, Fire Blast!!" The moment the command fell, Charizard already had a wisp of flame in his mouth, which he then forcefully spewed downwards!
The flames collided fiercely with the water surface!
"Sizzle—"
A deafening roar instantly erupted, and a surge of water vapor, even more torrential than before, billowed up from the pool like a white tsunami. The scorching Mist, laden with fine water droplets, splashed outwards. Glaceon, who had just descended from the Mist, quickly leaped from the floating platform to the edge of the pool. Even so, she felt the entire field continuously heating up.
Terrifying Heat Waves rose from the pool in layers, making even the distant spectators sweat slightly from the heat.
In the blink of an eye, all the water in the pool was completely evaporated, leaving behind only an empty space made of reinforced concrete.
Lorelei's face showed a hint of confusion. Why would Ash attack the field?
Charizard could fly, so the pool had little effect on him. Instead, it was more restrictive for Glaceon. Although Glaceon was an Ice-type Pokémon, she wasn't a Water-type, so she could only move quickly on the pool using floating platforms.
If she went into the water, her movement speed would be less than a tenth of her usual speed.
So, this evaporation of the field actually benefited Glaceon!
"Charizard, Flare Blitz!!" After evaporating the field, Ash once again had Charizard launch an attack. This time, it was the powerful physical Fire-type move, Flare Blitz!
Colorful flames rose from Charizard's body...