I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
Colorful flames surged from Charizard's body, and at the sight of them, Lorelei's pretty face showed extreme solemnity.
It's here! This is the super flame, the colorful flame, that defeated Koga by nearly three major levels back then!
The color of this flame was very similar to Ho-Oh's Sacred Fire of legend, and Lorelei also speculated that this flame might be the legendary power of a god.
After all, besides the legendary Sacred Fire, what other power could allow a Superior-level Charizard to defeat an Elite-level Pokémon by so many levels?
The power of a god is the most mysterious and terrifying power, and the realm Trainers seek their entire lives is that exalted divine realm.
Therefore, Elite and above Trainers pay close attention to the appearance of a god's power.
Ash's Charizard had long been noticed by most high-level Trainers, and many wanted to know where the power Charizard possessed came from.
The rumors fermenting online, besides certain individuals with ulterior motives, might also have Alliance members stirring trouble.
They all wanted to confirm what power Ash's Charizard truly possessed. This match was broadcast live, with cameras all around the Gym.
It was imaginable that countless Elite and Champion Trainers were probably glued to their televisions or computers, watching this match.
They didn't care about Ash's strength; no matter how many special methods he used, Ash was still far from being a true Elite. They only cared about the special power within Charizard.
After its brief appearance last time, Ash and Charizard had not been mentioned in external rumors again.
This time, they finally got to see Charizard's power for the second time, and it was against the even stronger Lorelei!
They would be able to further discern the upper limit of this power and its true nature.
In the sky, Charizard, wreathed in colorful flames, descended like a meteor, its scorching flames almost causing the entire space to ignite.
"Glaceon, Blizzard!" Lorelei waved her small hand, giving Glaceon the command.
Glaceon crouched, its small limbs standing steadily on the edge of the pool, then an extremely cold power emanated from its body.
Immediately after, howling cold winds began to rise in the arena, and the cold and heat split the entire Cerulean Gym in two, allowing everyone present to experience what it was like to be in both ice and fire.
Although Ash had set up an Aura barrier, this barrier would not completely block all power. At least in terms of temperature, as long as it wouldn't cause substantial damage to the surroundings, the barrier wouldn't activate.
So the live audience could clearly feel the extreme cold and extreme heat emanating from the two Pokémon.
The biting cold wind blew from behind Glaceon, carrying a few Powder Snow particles that sprayed onto Charizard, which was burning with colorful flames.
However, those Powder Snow particles were instantly incinerated, leaving not even a drop of water. The temperature on Charizard's body was no longer something this level of ice and snow could contend with.
Lorelei also knew that relying solely on Ice-type moves would be difficult to stop Charizard in its current state. The best option was to either block with a defensive move or dodge Charizard's attack.
However, facing those colorful flames, if Glaceon used Protect, Lorelei's intuition told her that she might lose this match!
As for dodging Charizard's attack… with Blizzard currently slowing it down, Charizard's speed had only slightly decreased. Even so, Glaceon had no room to dodge, so dodging the attack was unrealistic.
Now, there was only one word—attack!
"Glaceon, Hydro Pump!" Lorelei's voice rang in Glaceon's ears. Glaceon took a deep breath of cold air, then fiercely spat out a torrent of water.
During its projection, the Hydro Pump was affected by the temperature of the Blizzard, instantly transforming into an ice-blue icicle!
The next second, the icicle collided with Charizard, which was burning with scorching flames!
"Boom!"
A deafening roar erupted. The ice shards on the surface of the icicle were instantly melted by the flames, while the flames on Charizard's body were slightly stalled by the icicle's coldness. Hot and cold air currents furiously intertwined, creating visible energy ripples in the air.
The moment the icicle melted, the water inside was also revealed. It turned out that the previous Blizzard hadn't managed to freeze all the water; it had only covered the surface of the Hydro Pump with a layer of frost.
That layer of frost was meant to create a substantial impact on Charizard. Charizard's Flare Blitz is a move that harms the user as much as it harms the opponent. As long as it collides with a substantial force, it will cause some damage to Charizard itself.
And the Hydro Pump was not completely frozen into an icicle, so the move would not be countered by Charizard's Flare Blitz.
This was the combination move Lorelei had thought of on the fly, and it was quite effective.
Flare Blitz collided with and incinerated the outer layer of frost, which not only consumed Flare Blitz's power but also caused Charizard to suffer some recoil.
And now that the Hydro Pump had shed its frost, only its Water-type power remained. Even after being weakened by Sunny Day, this power was still formidable due to type advantage!
The clash of water and fire was at a stalemate in the air. Charizard, within the colorful flames, grimaced, constantly squeezing out the last of its strength.
He was no longer the same as when he first battled an Elite-level Pokémon. Back then, he had to use all his might to force out this flame from his body, but now he could use it at will!
This power, belonging to a god, had completely become his own power, and it was the key to his ability to battle above his level!
At his current level, even with a god's power, what he could unleash was very limited. But his opponent hadn't reached Champion status yet. He was much stronger than before, not just a little bit, he had a fighting chance, he could win!
He had to win!!
"Roar!!"
The intense desire to win made the colorful flames around Charizard burn even more fiercely. The extreme heat caused visible distortion ripples in the space around him!
The tiny ice crystals that were originally suspended nearby instantly evaporated, and even the distant mist retreated in all directions, as if fearing the unstoppable power of these blazing flames.
And the Hydro Pump, which had been in a stalemate with Charizard's Flare Blitz, was completely suppressed at this moment!
The scorching heat instantly turned all the water into a vast expanse of white steam.
Large amounts of steam surged like a tide across the arena, but upon approaching Charizard, they were re-evaporated by the high temperature, creating a momentarily clear area around him.
Blizzard had completely vanished in the terrifying heat. Glaceon's continuous Hydro Pump output was also rapidly overwhelmed by Charizard. In Glaceon's horrified gaze, Charizard's flames tore through the remaining Hydro Pump and fiercely struck Glaceon's body!
"Boom!!"
A deafening sound echoed across the entire arena. The Cerulean Gym seemed to be experiencing an earthquake; the entire venue shook violently, and visible shockwaves surged from the edges of the arena, colliding with the azure barrier.
The ultimate burst of power did not affect the surrounding audience. They didn't even pay attention to this, but instead focused intently on the scene in the battle arena.
However, dense smoke filled the arena, making it impossible to see anything.
But Charizard's Flare Blitz had directly hit Glaceon just now. With that terrifying power, plus the current Sunny Day boost, and the type advantage against Glaceon, Glaceon should have fallen by now, right?
"Charizard, the final Seismic Toss!!" Ash's voice suddenly rang out, startling the surrounding audience.
Glaceon hadn't fallen yet?
The next second, an orange-red figure flew out from the smoke in the arena. Charizard tightly gripped Glaceon with both hands, quickly ascended to the top of the Gym, and then began to spin continuously in the air.
Slowly, a sphere formed in the air. Virtual energy coalesced into an image of the Earth, hanging in mid-air. Charizard spun continuously along the virtual Earth, its speed growing ever faster!
Glaceon, tightly held by Charizard, was also feeling dizzy at this point. Seismic Toss is a very difficult move for the attacked Pokémon to escape.
On one hand, if the attacked Pokémon could be subjected to Seismic Toss, it meant they were already restrained by the attacker. On the other hand, the continuous spinning of Seismic Toss would make the attacked Pokémon dizzy, leaving them completely without the strength to resist.
Glaceon was a typical example now. If she had any remaining strength, she should have unleashed Ice-type or Water-type moves in the air.
But the earlier Flare Blitz had significantly depleted Glaceon's stamina, and combined with this dizzying spin, it could be said that Glaceon had no means of retaliation left!
In the air, Charizard's spin also reached its end. He still gripped Glaceon tightly with both hands, stifling her weak struggles in their infancy, and plunged downwards like a meteor!
Just then, Ash paused, his right arm trembling slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted, "Go, Charizard!!"
"Boom!!"
In the dry pool, Charizard slammed into it fiercely with Glaceon. The reason Ash and Charizard had cleared all the water from the pool earlier was for this move!
If there had been water to cushion the impact, even with Fighting-type power, the damage from Seismic Toss would have been negligible. But if it crashed directly onto the ground, then this was a conceptual move!
As long as the opponent's remaining stamina was less than a quarter, it could basically take them out in one go!
This Seismic Toss should have completely finished off Glaceon.
However, before a smile could appear on Ash's face, his Aura instantly alerted him—
'Get out of there!!' Ash didn't even have time to shout, only able to issue the command to Charizard in his mind using the power of Aura.
Charizard also felt a threat approaching. He wanted to flap his wings and leave, but Flare Blitz and Seismic Toss had already exhausted all his strength. He could barely even stand, let alone fly away.
"Ice Shard." Lorelei coldly uttered two words. The next second, in the smoke-filled arena, tiny Ice Shards shot out like a hail of bullets!
Charizard could only choose to block with his wings, placing his two massive wings in front of him, intercepting all the Ice Shards. However, the slight damage caused by the Ice Shards still drained Charizard's last bit of stamina.
Charizard collapsed weakly, and Ash plopped down on the ground, his eyes somewhat vacant.
He lost… he lost this match.
Since leaving Pallet Town, although he had experienced Pokémon losing their ability to battle, it was basically always a one-for-one trade. He had never truly been defeated.
And he had never lost a major match, but this time he lost, losing to the Kanto Ice Elite, and against her second-string Pokémon at that.
Although Ash had mentally prepared himself before the battle, after all, he was facing an Elite-level Pokémon at its peak. Winning would be pure profit, and losing was completely normal. But when the moment of defeat actually arrived, he felt as if his heart had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his brain couldn't react at all.
This is… the feeling of defeat?
"Clap, clap, clap, clap!!" Intense applause rang out around him. Ash finally snapped out of his trance and looked around.
All the spectators had excited expressions on their faces, and many were shouting his name with their hands cupped to their mouths.
The applause was not for Lorelei, but for him.
"Well done, Superstar!"
"To be able to push Elite Four Lorelei to that extent, your strength is undeniable! Don't be discouraged, maybe you'll win next time!!"
"If you lose, you lose. Just figure out how to win next time. You're facing Elite Four Lorelei, after all!"
"Exactly, losing isn't shameful. It would be shameful if Elite Four Lorelei lost. You're the challenger, so stand tall with your head held high. You're glorious even in defeat!"
"…"
A myriad of voices were all encouraging him. Ash slowly regained his composure amidst these cheers.
Although he lost this match, he received no curses or disappointment, but instead, words of encouragement.
Victory doesn't mean everything. At this moment, Ash had a concrete understanding of this phrase; even in defeat, one could still receive cheers.
Of course, if he could win, who would want to lose?
However, the surrounding spectators thought he was sitting on the ground due to being too affected by the defeat, so they encouraged him. But in reality, he was feeling a surge of weakness because Charizard had lost its ability to battle, and being in a state of oneness with Charizard, he felt the same, which is why he sat down.
Ash felt the weakness in his body and showed a bitter smile. Stand tall with his head held high, huh? He was so weak now that even raising his hand was difficult.
This Aura fusion… its side effect on him was the greatest!