Charmeleon braced itself, arms crossed as it forcefully absorbed Sceptile's Leaf Blade.
Grass-type moves weren't very effective against Fire-types.
The impact only pushed Charmeleon back two steps before it dug its claws into the ground, stabilizing itself.
At the same time, a fierce aura surged from its body. With a sudden counterattack, Charmeleon's fist—wreathed in blazing flames—smashed into Sceptile's face. The terrifying force twisted Sceptile's expression and sent its body skidding violently backward.
Sceptile slid for more than ten meters before barely regaining its footing.
But even standing, it was badly battered—its stamina nearly gone, chest heaving with ragged breaths.
One side dealt double damage. The other barely did half.
The gap was simply too great.
What's more, under the pouring rain, Charmeleon's life force and base abilities had surged.
That Fire Punch, swift and merciless, landed before the rain could weaken its flames. Instead of being diminished, the attack's power had only grown stronger.
In other words, Charmeleon's Fire Punch had struck with power above its usual standard.
Gradually, the rain ceased. The dark clouds thinned, and the battlefield returned to ordinary weather.
Rain Dance, like Drizzle, could only gather moisture temporarily. It was impossible for such rain to last long—usually just a few minutes at most.
Of course, the move could be cast again.But compared to the instant activation of Rain Dance, the slower Prayer for Rain left an obvious disparity.
"The rain… stopped?" Sherry wiped the droplets from her face, her anxiety growing heavier.
While the downpour had weakened Charmeleon somewhat, now that it had cleared—things would only worsen for her.
"We have to finish this quickly!"
Her heart tightened as she shouted:"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!"
With a low roar, countless green energy leaves whirled into existence around Sceptile, forming a tornado of emerald blades. The storm howled, lifting sand and stone as it hurtled toward Charmeleon with devastating force.
Leaf Storm—a Grass-type special move of enormous power!But its drawback was equally dire: a drastic drop in Special Attack afterward. For this reason, it was not a move used lightly.
Yet Sherry had made her decision. Sceptile couldn't endure a prolonged battle against Charmeleon. She had to gamble everything on one decisive strike!
"Good! Charmeleon—Fire Spin!" Yozora commanded loudly.
"Boom—!"
A torrent of blazing fire erupted from Charmeleon's jaws, colliding head-on with the whirling Leaf Storm.
In the next instant, the flames engulfed the storm, wrapping the spinning leaves in searing heat until the whole vortex transformed into a firestorm that exploded with a deafening blast.
"Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh—!"
Fiery embers scattered in every direction like a rain of miniature fireballs, each carrying fierce explosive force as they crashed outward.
Both Charmeleon and Sceptile raised their arms to shield themselves.
But Fire resisted Fire—Charmeleon withstood the backlash of the flames with only minor scorch marks.
Sceptile, however, took the full brunt of it. After several cries of pain, its body finally collapsed to the ground, eyes closing as it lost consciousness.
"Sceptile is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"The match is over! Congratulations to Yozora—advancing to the Top Eight!" the announcer followed up, microphone raised.
The stadium erupted in thunderous cheers. The audience shouted their admiration for Yozora and his Charmeleon.
Without a doubt—
Ever since Charmander had evolved, everyone's expectations for Charmeleon's strength had only grown higher.
That evening, Yozora and Ritchie were having dinner at a restaurant when Sherry suddenly approached, holding a glass of champagne.
During the match earlier, her clothes had been soaked through by the rain. Now she had changed into a fresh evening gown. Smiling, she raised her glass toward Yozora.
"Congratulations, Yozora. I didn't expect your Charmander to evolve at such a critical moment!"
Though Sherry could be prideful, her respect for Yozora was genuine. Talented rookie trainers like him were exceedingly rare.
She herself had been traveling for years, even participating in several regional Conferences.
And yet—even as a seasoned Senior Level Trainer, she had lost to Yozora. That alone proved the terrifying potential he possessed.
"It was just luck," Yozora replied with modesty, patting Charmeleon on the head.
Sherry shook her head with a smile. She didn't believe that excuse for a second.
Just luck? Impossible.Without preparation, accumulation, and true potential, how could that Charmeleon have been so strong right after evolving?
"Yozora," Sherry said, sipping her wine with a playful grin, "although you've beaten me and advanced to the Top Eight, becoming one of the favorites for the championship—there are still three mountains before you."
Yozora nodded. He already knew who she meant. "The Captain, the Blond Gentleman… and that Bald Monk?"
Sherry gave an approving nod, then asked: "Do you know who among them is the strongest?"
"The Captain?" Yozora guessed instinctively.
She shook her head.
"Then… the Bald Monk?" Ritchie tried.
Again, Sherry shook her head. Her tone grew serious."The strongest is the Blond Gentleman. His name is Derek. He hails from the Unova region. They say… he's a Silver-rank Trainer."
"Silver-rank Trainer?" Both Yozora and Ritchie froze in shock.
Just as Pokémon were ranked, so too were Trainers.
First came ordinary Trainers, whose Pokémon matched Rookie, Junior, and Senior levels.
Above them stood the Senior Trainers, whose Pokémon were Elite-level: Elite, Commander, and Lord tiers.
The so-called Commanders and Lords were not ordinary leaders but the pinnacle of the Elite class—Pokémon so strong they could dominate entire groups.
In the wild, even a single Elite-level Pokémon could stand on its own, usually becoming the ruler of its pack.
A Commander-level Pokémon could command an even larger domain.
As for a Lord-tier Pokémon—it could rule mountains, rivers, valleys, even whole stretches of ocean. These were the true kings of the wilderness.
Stronger still were Gym Leader-level Pokémon, or even those at the Elite Four level. While such Pokémon could occasionally be found in the wild, their numbers were vanishingly rare.
The hierarchy of the Elite class was deep, complex, and daunting—not just for Pokémon, but for Trainers as well.
(End of Chapter)