[Wallace: A Pokémon that didn't train in its youth will struggle to improve after reaching its final form… That's indeed a simple, easy-to-understand truth. But I have to mention one Pokémon that breaks this rule!]
[Lance: Ash's Charizard, right?]
Without Wallace even needing to name it, Lance gave the correct answer—or rather, most viewers already knew it.
The first thing everyone thought of when seeing Clair's Dragonite was Ash's Charizard. And Ash's Charizard's case was even more extreme! Stunted growth from childhood rain and forced evolution left it smaller than the average Charizard. Yet, this same Charizard… had soared to unimaginable heights!
In White World's footage, Charizard had already reached peak Gym-level when it dueled Clair! Remember, before going to Charicific Valley, Charizard was at most low Gym-level. Yet, in less than half a year, Charizard overcame countless hurdles to reach peak Gym-level! This shows just how terrifying Ash's Charizard's talent and willpower are! Of course, the bond between Ash and Charizard likely played a part too.
Furthermore, White World's Charizard is on a path of counterattack. Black World's Charizard is downright exaggerated—the unparalleled, invincible Charizard! Encounter level suppression? Just cheat! Can't beat a smaller foe? Fight a bigger one! Aura Fusion, Mega Evolution, Aura Mega—three tiers of plug-ins, each more outrageous than the last. That's the power of an ace!
White World showed everyone Charizard's perseverance; Black World showed everyone Charizard's talent. The comparison between the two highlights just how outrageous Charizard is!
[Clair: Ash's Charizard truly is powerful… Who would have thought that not long ago we were saying Charizard might never even reach Elite Four–level…] Clair lamented. She was talking about how 'weak' Charizard seemed some time ago, yet it caught up in the blink of an eye. However, she wasn't one of those who called Charizard weak back then—she had already witnessed its true strength firsthand. Charizard defeated her. What right did she have to call it weak?
Ah… we must name a certain bald old man here. He got thrashed by the not-yet-fully-grown Charizard and retorted harshly. He hasn't spoken for a while now…
...
In the Black World —
After listening to Clair's little story, Ash took out his last Poké Ball. "To battle you today, Miss Clair, I specially prepared this one."
"Let's go—Articuno!!"
Click—
With the crisp sound of the Ball opening, an icy blue figure soared freely through the air! Flecks of icy blue light drifted down like a salute to Articuno's arrival. Icy blue feathers, an elegant figure, a clear cry—the Ice God, Articuno, appeared!
Clair and the referee, Kogane, were dumbfounded. What were they seeing? Articuno, one of the legendary Legendary Birds?! Was this an illusion? Please! This was Articuno! So far, no one had ever been heard to have caught any of the Legendary Birds or Beasts. And Ash had quietly caught one of them?!
After the initial shock, Clair felt her brain tremble again. The Ice-type Articuno… had a 4x type advantage against Dragonite! Good grief! For this final round, the 'gift' you prepared is really something, Ash!
After silently complaining, Clair's expression gradually turned serious. Battling Articuno… wasn't just a tough fight; it was a duel ordinary people could only dream of! After all, it was a legendary avian. Most people might never even see one, let alone battle it! And she… regardless of the outcome, she at least got to fight Articuno. After the battle, she might even get to brag about it and maybe touch its feathers.
If Articuno knew Clair's silly thoughts, it'd probably freeze her solid when using Blizzard.
Since the match had reached the third round, the aerial field unlocked. The gym's ceiling retracted, revealing the endless blue sky. Articuno cried out excitedly, spread its wings, and flew skyward, spinning three or four times in the air in its excitement. Like the red Gyarados, this was also Articuno's first formal battle. For this newborn Legendary, it was a novel experience. Staying in the ice cave at Professor Oak's lab could improve its strength, but it felt like it was turning into a moldy bird—bored stiff!
Fortunately, Blackthorn Gym was relatively remote. Articuno's appearance didn't cause much commotion—or rather, it caused none at all.
After the initial excitement, Articuno finally hovered in the air, waiting for Kogane to announce the start.
"Then… Articuno vs. Dragonite… let the match begin!"
"Dragonite, Dragon Breath!" After the announcement, Clair commanded Dragonite without hesitation. She was now fully in battle mode!
"Articuno, Blizzard!"
Whoosh!
An emerald-green breath shot out. Articuno swung its body, dodging the breath, then frantically beat its icy wings. A series of violent winds began to howl; fine white snow fell from the sky, turning the entire arena into a world of ice and snow. In the middle of summer, a blizzard fell as if they'd entered deep winter!
Clair's expression tightened. "Dragonite, hold on!"
Oom!
An emerald-green barrier unfolded before Dragonite. The violent, fine snow struck the barrier with crisp sounds but caused no harm. Clair's command level had returned to normal—even improved! People progress most easily in desperate situations. If they don't progress… they fall into the abyss. She belonged to the progressing group. Her earlier confusion was gone; her grasp of the battle had risen to a higher level!
"Now that's more like it… Articuno, Ice Beam!" Seeing Clair regain her spirit, Ash was pleased. If Clair had stayed in her earlier state, she probably wouldn't have lasted two minutes against Articuno—meaningless…
A cold, sky-blue light shone from Articuno's beak, spraying forth. The powerful cold air streaked across the sky with a blue trail, as if even the air was freezing!
"Dodge and use Thunder Wave!" Though Dragonite's level was slightly lower than Articuno's, dodging a narrowly-focused Ice Beam was no problem with sufficient stamina and without using a move. Quick Dodge was indeed a miraculous technique when a Pokémon had ample stamina. Dragonite flapped its short wings, dodging the Ice Beam by a hair. Then, a golden current appeared on the two antennae on its head, quickly gathering into a large electromagnetic wave that shot toward Articuno above.
"Block it with Ice Beam!"
Hearing this, Articuno didn't stop the Ice Beam from its mouth but simply changed its direction, colliding with Dragonite's Thunder Wave! Two moves collided—one a non-damaging Thunder Wave, the other a somewhat weakened Ice Beam. The two attacks dissipated together mid-air.
"Tailwind!" Ash had already anticipated this outcome. Before Articuno's Ice Beam fully dissipated, he had it prepare the next move. Articuno beat its wings, and a strange breeze blew from behind it. As the wind passed…
Clair wanted to stop Articuno's Tailwind, but Dragonite couldn't make a corresponding move in time. The gap between Legendary and pseudo-legendary began to show. After using a move, Articuno could immediately use the next one thanks to its immense stamina—a seamless connection. Though Dragonite's stamina was formidable, it still needed a brief pause. Plus, Articuno used the aftermath of Ice Beam for defense, so only Articuno could seize the initiative in this exchange!
Once Tailwind started, the match became less suspenseful. Articuno was already faster than Dragonite; the doubled speed from Tailwind let Articuno toy with Dragonite! To be safe, Ash also had Articuno set up Hail. With the Snow Cloak ability, Articuno was even more at home in the entire arena!
What was expected to be a thrilling aerial battle turned into a one-sided beating for Dragonite. Clair's command had improved… but that didn't mean she was on par with, let alone surpassing, Ash! A gap was still a gap.
In the end, Dragonite fell to Articuno's Ice Beam.
As Kogane announced Articuno's victory, Clair could only recall Dragonite.
"That was amazing, Ash… I'm no match for you! From the moment Articuno used Tailwind, my defeat was pretty much sealed."
"Hehe, one step ahead, step by step. You were great too, Miss Clair. What a wonderful battle!" Ash gave Clair a thumbs-up, making her burst out laughing.
"Hahaha… What a wonderful battle… I got completely and utterly thrashed by you!"
"But… I'm also very grateful to you, Ash. You taught me a lesson today about 'there's always someone better.' I used to think I was the strongest of the younger generation besides my cousin, but now it seems…" Clair shook her head self-mockingly, then took a badge from Kogane and handed it to Ash.
"Take it, Ash. This is the proof of defeating the Blackthorn Gym—the Rising Badge."
Ash took the badge and thanked Clair.
With this, Ash had successfully obtained eight badges and qualified for the Silver Conference!
...
P.S.: In the original version, Mystical Fire was used as a defensive move, which is outrageous. Whose Mystical Fire can block Flamethrower? What the heck…
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