Bill's Beach.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Fists collided again and again.
It was the sound of fist meeting fist, the thud of flesh hitting flesh!
Tyranitar and Dragonite had given up on all defense, all moves, everything—they fought with nothing but their fists!
Silas watched silently from the sidelines. He already knew Dragonite was holding back; if Dragonite really wanted to, it could finish Tyranitar from a distance with Hyper Beam or some other signature move. But instead, it chose to brawl up close. So Silas didn't keep giving Tyranitar commands—he just watched them go at it, blow for blow.
"Silas!" Just then, Professor Bill and the others arrived.
Catching sight of Tyranitar and Dragonite brawling, Professor Bill anxiously asked, "Where's that giant Pokémon?"
"There." Silas pointed to Dragonite.
"What?!"
Everyone stood there dumbfounded, staring at Dragonite. Professor Bill couldn't believe his eyes: "No way! That Pokémon couldn't possibly be that small!"
"It transformed," Silas replied with a wry smile. "That Dragonite's probably reached Legendary Pokémon level. Size is nothing to it—it can change however it wants."
Legendary Pokémon?!!
Everyone except Ash was left speechless by that; they all knew what it meant to reach that level. Only Ash asked curiously, "What does 'Legendary Pokémon level' mean?"
"..." The group.
"Ash," Brock sighed, "do you even know about Pokémon rankings?"
"What's a ranking?" Ash was the perfect picture of a clueless rookie.
"It's how abilities are divided." Professor Bill answered patiently, giving Ash a crash course: "Every new Trainer's first Pokémon is just a basic one. With enough training, it becomes Elite level. Beyond Elite, there's quasi–Elite Four, then Elite Four, then quasi–Champion, then Champion. Very few Pokémon ever reach Champion Tier. And above that is the Legendary Pokémon level. Any Pokémon on that level has abilities that rival the legends you've heard about!"
Legendary Pokémon!
Professor Bill's explanation was as clear as it could be, and Ash understood right away. Then he asked, "So, if Silas's Tyranitar can fight Charizard to a standstill, does that mean Silas's Tyranitar is Legendary level too?"
"No," Silas shook his head honestly. "Tyranitar is still a step away from being Legendary. The only reason it can hold its own with a Legendary-level Dragonite is because Dragonite is holding back. If Dragonite went all out, Tyranitar would have lost a long time ago."
This admission thoroughly shocked everyone present.
And probably no one was more stunned than Professor Bill himself. He had all the data on Silas's Tyranitar. He knew a Champion-tier Pokémon could hardly compete with a Legendary, but he never imagined the gap was so massive—or that Silas would speak so highly of Dragonite.
"Uh..." Ash, after the surprise, asked in confusion, "Then, Silas, why aren't you calling Tyranitar back?"
"Why would I?" Silas narrowed his eyes and said coolly, "Whether you're the rival or not is one thing—but whether you dare fight is another. If you want to reach the top, you have to fight. And my Tyranitar isn't weak!"
Ash and his friends were totally baffled by Silas's words. In their eyes, fighting a losing battle was just pointless suffering for your Pokémon.
The confusion on Ash and crew's faces didn't escape Silas, but he just smiled and didn't bother to elaborate.
Dragonite truly was as powerful as a true Legendary Pokémon—something Silas couldn't possibly tame at this stage. But since this Dragonite was pulling its punches, the result was anyone's guess. Either way, he would never recall Tyranitar—doing that would mean he didn't trust Tyranitar's power, which would only wound the Pokémon's pride.
As they chatted, the fight between Tyranitar and Dragonite grew even more intense!
Tyranitar threw out a Mega Punch, and Dragonite countered with an Ice Punch. On the surface it looked even, but the reality was that Tyranitar was the one falling behind. He just didn't have Dragonite's stamina. Even with elemental boosts, it wasn't enough—defeat was just a matter of time.
So, there's really nothing he can do?
Watching the battle, Silas could only sigh with regret in his heart.
He desperately wanted to help Tyranitar, but there wasn't a single thing he could do. Dragonite's power was far, far too overwhelming—no trick or technique could stand up to that kind of raw force. All he could do was silently watch and hope Tyranitar could pull off a miracle.
But just as Silas felt himself running out of hope, he suddenly felt a faint heat at his waist.
As the seconds ticked by, the warmth grew more and more intense, finally catching everyone's attention.
"Uh…" Ash finally spoke up, looking puzzled. "Guys, is it just me, or is it getting seriously hot?"
"Yeah," Misty nodded, also looking confused. "It's been getting warmer for a while now."
"Something's not adding up!" Brock felt the heat, frowning. "It's summer, sure, but we're right on the coast. And nobody sent out a Fire-type Pokémon. There's no reason it should be this hot."
Fire-type Pokémon!
Brock's words made Silas's face change. Suzie, Giselle, and Professor Bill immediately turned to look at him.
"Charizard?" Silas fought back his excitement and called out hesitantly, "Are you awake?"
"ROAR~!!!"
The moment he called out, the Master Ball at his waist sprang open—an overwhelming wave of heat erupted forth, and with it, a terrifying dragon's roar thundered into the night!