Slash—A move that was pure physical offense.
Ordinarily, Charmeleon was far more adept at special attacks.
When it came to raw physical strength, its power shouldn't have been anything remarkable.
Yet now, Yozora's Charmeleon had unleashed a Slash so devastating that it completely overwhelmed Gyarados.
Its physical attack power seemed to surpass that of any ordinary Charmeleon!
In fact—
Yozora had once considered giving his Charmeleon the Huge Power Ability.
After all, once Charmeleon evolved into Charizard, it would gain access to two distinct Mega Evolutions.
As long as he obtained the right Mega Stone, paired with their unshakable bond, Yozora could freely choose either form.
One was Charizard X, the Fire/Dragon powerhouse.The other was Charizard Y, the Fire/Flying specialist.
Charizard Y was essentially a reinforced version of the original—possessing greater Special Attack and blistering Speed.
Charizard X, however, became a close-combat warrior. With its Tough Claws Ability amplifying contact moves, its physical attack power reached terrifying levels.
Unlike the glass-cannon fragility of Charizard Y, Charizard X's muscular physique granted it immense strength and endurance.
With Dragon typing added on, its resistances made it both bulky and destructive—a relentless force of power.
If it also carried Huge Power, then every punch and claw strike would hit like an unstoppable hammer.
Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Dragon Claw—each would become monstrously strong.
And yet—
After long consideration, Yozora had abandoned the idea of Huge Power and instead chosen Blaze.
Because to Yozora, fire was Charmeleon's true essence—the core drive that would one day fuel Charizard as well.
If the flames grew stronger, then every aspect of its being would rise with it.
When boosted by Triple Blaze, the surge of power it granted was no less than Huge Power itself.
And unlike a mere attack boost, Blaze reinforced the entire body—stamina, strength, defense, firepower, speed—everything increased together.
That was why Yozora had chosen Blaze.
Even if Charmeleon only had four Ability slots now, he wouldn't hesitate.Even if more unlocked in the future, he would fill every single one with Blaze without question!
"Gyarados is unable to battle!"
"The match is over! Since Captain Edson has lost all of his Pokémon, the winner is Yozora!" the referee declared.
The first quarterfinal match had come to a close—Yozora victorious, securing his place in the semifinals.
"Yozora, congratulations. I didn't expect someone so young to be this strong," Captain Edson said warmly as he walked over, shaking his hand. "I hope you go even further."
"Thank you, Captain. I'll do my best to live up to that," Yozora replied humbly with a smile.
After parting with Edson, Yozora left the battlefield and regrouped with Ritchie and Sherry to watch the remaining matches.
As the day went on, the four semifinalists were decided:
Yozora
The Blond Gentleman
The Bald Traveler
And a girl named Momiji
Momiji was striking—just like her name, she had long, fiery-red hair tied in a high ponytail. Bold and gallant, she specialized in Fire-type Pokémon.
Next came the semifinal pairings:
Match One: The Blond Gentleman vs. Momiji
Match Two: Yozora vs. The Bald Traveler
The first semifinal began soon after. At the announcer's call, both trainers stepped onto the field, facing each other.
When the referee signaled the start, they threw their first Poké Balls.
The Blond Gentleman sent out Gengar.
It was the same Gengar he had used multiple times before, an exceptionally powerful one at the peak of Senior Level.
And yet—
This Gengar still wasn't his true ace.
As a Silver Trainer, his main partner had to be at least Commander-tier!This Gengar, formidable as it was, was still a step below.
Momiji, meanwhile, sent out Arcanine.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" she commanded without hesitation.
But Gengar was too fast, moving like a phantom.
Arcanine unleashed Flamethrower again and again, yet every strike missed its mark.
Then Gengar vanished completely—its ghostly ability to slip into invisibility making it impossible to track.
When it reappeared, it was already at Arcanine's side, grinning wickedly as a chilling aura seeped from its body. Arcanine flinched, every hair on its back standing on end.
"Lick!" ordered the Blond Gentleman.
Gengar lashed out its enormous tongue, slobbering across Arcanine in a grotesque attack.
The move itself wasn't strong, but its paralyzing effect hit instantly.
Arcanine's body stiffened, locked in paralysis. Fear of the ghost before it compounded the effect, leaving it unable to move.
Momiji bit her lip in frustration—there was nothing she could do.
"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
At his command, Gengar darted backward, creating distance before hurling a Shadow Ball directly into Arcanine.
One hit—instant knockout.
With Arcanine down, Momiji sent out Charmeleon and Ninetales in succession.
But one by one, they too fell to Gengar's overwhelming power.
The Blond Gentleman had once again crushed his opponent with nothing but a single Pokémon.
"So strong… that Gengar. Its speed and strength are unbelievable," Ritchie muttered in awe as he watched from the stands.
He couldn't help wishing for such a powerful Ghost-type himself.
But Ghost-types were rare. They only appeared at night, or in places of darkness and mystery.
For most trainers, chances to even encounter them were slim—let alone capture one.
Ritchie himself didn't have a single Ghost-type in his team.
"It's not just speed and power," Sherry added gravely. "Its ability to vanish at will is terrifying too."
Even though the Blond Gentleman hadn't shown his full hand, his mastery of Gengar alone proved his strength.
"…" Yozora, however, remained unmoved by their astonishment.
Gengar? To him, that was nothing.
Invisibility?
That was meaningless.
So what if it disappeared? Aura could never be hidden.
As long as Aura existed, Yozora could pinpoint its exact location.
And now, it wasn't just Beedrill.
Yozora and Charmeleon had reached a state of perfect synchronization—their minds connected as one. Whatever Yozora thought, Charmeleon understood.
One Fire Punch would be all it took.
Without question, it would be a clean knockout.
(End of Chapter)