'ROAR!!!'
A sky-shattering dragon's roar tore through the night, and with it came a wave of searing heat. The source? None other than Charizard, who'd been in deep sleep ever since its breakthrough.
Post-evolution, Charizard looked drastically different from before. Its hide had returned to a bright orange-gold, the black flames on its tail completely gone, replaced by a flickering platinum flame. It was less showy, more composed than before.
As soon as Charizard entered the scene, the brawl between Dragonite and Tyranitar came to a dead halt.
Right now, Tyranitar looked battered, its armor-like skin split and bleeding in multiple places, green eyes dulled, and the whole Pokémon looking the worse for wear. Dragonite, by contrast, was scratched up but still brimming with energy; its wounds clearly meant nothing.
But the way both Pokémon stared at Charizard—Tyranitar in open shock, Dragonite in wary dread—was weird as hell.
Silas caught the looks each Pokémon gave Charizard and couldn't figure it out. Had Charizard advanced past mere "pinnacle of Champion power" with that evolution somehow?
'Charizard!'
Just as Silas was still puzzled, Charizard suddenly unleashed a furious roar at Dragonite. It was like an open challenge. Dragonite's wings snapped wide as it ignored Tyranitar and flew straight to face Charizard.
Battle was about to erupt!
Neither Charizard nor Dragonite bothered with small talk. They dove straight into combat!
They still fought up close and personal, but this hand-to-hand was very different from the earlier slugfest with Tyranitar.
Charizard seemed almost like a fire god incarnate, every strike trailing platinum flames. The heat radiating from those flames stung the skin of everyone watching below. Dragonite didn't fall behind either; it conjured white light in its fists, an energy that looked like it could slice through anything. Anytime Dragonite hit Charizard with that light, it left a mark.
"So... so strong," Misty gasped staring up at the battle. "Pokémon can really get this powerful?"
"I have no idea." Brock, totally floored, managed a bitter laugh. "I just know there's no way our Pokémon are ever getting near this level."
"Unreal." Their conversation snapped Professor Bill out of his daze. He sprinted for his laboratory, shouting as he went, "I've gotta record this battle right now! Even at League Headquarters, Legendary-level battles like this are crazy rare. This'll be pure gold for research!"
Silas, hearing the three of them, could only rub his temple. He didn't care about that—he was focused on why Charizard and Dragonite insisted on brawling. Clearly, either could have gone all-out with signature moves, so why not actually use them?
Still, as much as he felt like griping, Silas didn't interfere or give Charizard any commands. He trusted that if Charizard chose this kind of fight, it had a reason. So he took up some healing spray and walked over to Tyranitar, determined to patch him up—at least stabilizing his injuries.
…
As Silas approached, Tyranitar, already plopped down on the sand, spoke in a tired, dejected tone. "Sorry."
"Sorry?" Silas, halfway through treating wounds, froze, then chuckled softly as he climbed onto Tyranitar to tend to him. "What are you apologizing for? If anything, I should be apologizing to you. This all comes down to my own lack of knowledge—otherwise, you wouldn't have taken such a beating."
Tyranitar was taken aback, then just quietly watched as Silas treated him with care, at a total loss for words. After all, in the fight just now, Dragonite had clearly held back, and it wasn't even close; Tyranitar couldn't keep up at all, which for him and Silas both was a real kick in the gut.
"All done!"
While Tyranitar was lost in thought, Silas finished tending the wounds. But he didn't get down—instead, he stayed sitting on Tyranitar, watching Charizard and Dragonite still locked in their bloody brawl, worry in his eyes. "Charizard's gonna be okay, right?"
"No idea." Tyranitar shook his massive head, but there was longing in his voice. "But you don't need to worry too much. Sure, this fight could seriously injure them both, but afterward, their abilities will be scarier than ever."
"What do you mean?" Silas was confused, so he pressed, "And why do they have to slug it out hand-to-hand? Why not just use their moves?"
"That's the trademark of pseudo–legendary Pokémon," Tyranitar explained, eyes shining with awe. "Any Pokémon that hits pseudo-legendary tier has basically stepped halfway into the Legendary zone. Their mastery of elements is at a whole different level. No matter how badly they're wounded, as long as they're not killed outright, they can recover through elemental power alone. And as that power repairs them, it deepens their affinity for the element, so they grow stronger from every battle. It's a cycle."
"And the reason they're brawling instead of using special moves? At their level, signature moves just don't matter anymore. There's no way to clinch victory at this tier with just special attacks! But wow, I never expected Charizard to master fire so thoroughly, to jump straight from upper Champion level into pseudo-legendary status!"
Tyranitar's explanation suddenly made everything clear for Silas. He'd never imagined that a single top-grade Fire Crystal could push Charizard so far—straight into the pseudo-legendary ranks. With that thought, his heart finally settled down. Leaning against Tyranitar, he watched the duel above, silently cheering Charizard on...
BOOM!
Half an hour later.
The battle finally ended.
Charizard may have just broken into pseudo-legendary status, but Dragonite, before fighting Charizard, had already spent a lot of energy on Tyranitar, so the fight ended with Charizard's victory. Not that he was unscathed—after Dragonite fell, Charizard crashed to the ground and passed out cold.
Seeing that, Silas rushed forward, tossing out three Master Balls—one each for Tyranitar, Charizard, and Dragonite—to recall them. Then he turned urgently to Professor Bill: "Uncle Bill, book me a plane!"
"Already on it!" Professor Bill nodded, grabbing Silas and running for the nearest open space.
...
Vermilion City Pokémon Center.
By the time Professor Bill and Silas arrived, it was already ten at night.
Just as they got off the plane, Professor Oak met them, flanked by three Nurse Joys, all brisk and serious. "Silas, I've already pulled together every bit of recovery equipment and medicine from the entire League—times three sets! Hand your Pokémon over to Nurse Joy, quick."
"Right." Silas nodded, handing over the three Master Balls. "Nurse Joy, I'll leave them in your care."
"It's our duty!" all three Nurse Joys said at once, grabbing the Master Balls and rushing off for urgent healing.
"Professor Oak," Professor Bill said after finishing up his part, "I'll take my leave here. There are still five kids back at the lab—I'll send them over tomorrow."
"Alright," Professor Oak replied with a smile. "Be careful flying."
"Got it." Professor Bill nodded, then departed.
After Bill left, Professor Oak led Silas into the Pokémon Center's lounge. Normally, the lounge would have closed by now, but for someone with Oak's status, nothing ever closes.
"Silas." Oak sipped his coffee, looking relaxed as ever. "Ready to tell me what's going on? Even though you're my grandson, getting me to marshal so many emergency resources in such a short time just about wore my old bones out."
"Sorry," Silas apologized, eyes narrowing as he leaned in. "But I've got a plan you're definitely going to want in on, Grandpa!"
"Oh?" Silas's tone piqued Oak's curiosity. He set down his cup, suddenly serious. "Let's hear it."
"Here's how it goes…" Silas began, and Oak's expression turned from interest to full-on shock.
Because Silas's plan was simple: build a Champion-class team while still traveling Kanto, and go for the Champion title!
It sounded crazy, but it was actually possible.
First, Silas needed at least two Champion-tier Pokémon. This was the most critical part. That's why, after snagging Tyranitar, he'd decided without hesitation to put this wild plan into motion.
Next, he would use those two Champions to catch Dragonite at Bill's Lighthouse and Gastly at Maiden's Peak. He already knew what Dragonite could do—no further explanation needed—and though Gastly was "just" a Gastly, it had survived for a thousand years, so Silas was sure its abilities wouldn't disappoint.
"And what about the rest?" Silas stopped at that point, just as Professor Oak was getting really invested. Oak pressed, "You want to build a full Champion team, right? Besides Charizard, Tyranitar, Dragonite, and that Gastly at Maiden's Peak, who are your last two Pokémon?"
"No idea," Silas said with a regretful shake of his head. "The rest is up to fate. Strong Pokémon like that are hard to find."
"No way!" Professor Oak immediately cut him off, his tone dead serious. "You can't just stop at four Champion-class Pokémon after coming this far! Leave the other two to me. I'll help you scout out where to find more Champion-level Pokémon, then send you the details."
The severity in Professor Oak's expression made Silas want to laugh and cry at the same time. Of course, he had ideas for the last two, but he couldn't say a word about them here—otherwise, Oak would probably think he was crazy. So Silas just said, "Grandpa, you really can't force these things."
"This isn't just your business!" Professor Oak's face hardened with resolve. "If your plan works out, then when the Kanto League ends, that'll be the day you take the Champion's seat. If we're aiming to reach that stage, we've got to be the absolute best—so this is all of Kanto's business, got it? If you embarrass yourself, the whole Kanto region will be embarrassed!"
The whole Kanto region?
Isn't that a bit much, Grandpa?
Silas's lips twitched, but he fell silent—knowing nothing he could say would stop his grandpa now. When it came to Champions, his grandpa was basically a maniac.
"Enough, then."
Seeing Silas at a loss, Professor Oak waved a hand. "Get some rest! I'm going back to the lab right now to hunt down any supernatural events or rumors in the Kanto region. I'll text you as soon as I get any leads on Champion-level Pokémon!"
"..." Silas stared helplessly at his grandpa. Why is it always you getting the last word?