"Oh? You know Ash?"
Liza froze for a moment, glanced at the scrawny Charizard beside her, then nodded."Yes, that's right. This Charizard is indeed the one Ash left here in Charizard Valley."
Yozora nodded slightly."I'm from Pallet Town as well, just like Ash."
"I see…"
Liza finally understood, then once more cast her eyes on Ash's Charizard."Funny enough, even though Ash's Charizard looks weak and thin, its willpower is quite strong. Honestly, I thought it wouldn't last long here and would end up killed. But it managed to survive, stubbornly holding on…"
Yozora said nothing.
Ash's Charizard had now reached Gym Leader level, even edging toward the higher tiers of that rank.
In the wild, that level of power would make it unmatched—able to dominate both land and sky. Yet in this valley, it was nothing more than bottom tier, barely scraping by.
It had no choice but to fight desperately just to survive.
Fortunately, it truly worked hard, with fighting spirit and willpower that were far from ordinary. Its potential and aptitude were leagues above most Charizard, which allowed it to gradually adapt to life here in the valley.
"Rooaarrr!"
As Yozora and Liza spoke, Ash's Charizard strode over with heavy steps, its eyes locked firmly onto Yozora's Charizard. With a taunting grin, it crooked a claw, inviting the challenge.
"Rooaaarrr!"
Yozora's Charizard wasn't about to back down. It stepped forward, unleashing a deafening roar in response.
Their eyes met. Sparks flew. A clash was inevitable.
Ash's Charizard struck first—its maw opened wide and a stream of blazing fire burst forth. But the torrent was swatted aside effortlessly, blocked by a single sweep of Yozora's Charizard's mighty wings.
The wings formed an impenetrable wall, dispersing the Flamethrower with ease. Not even an inch of progress.
"Graaaahh!"
Furious that its proud flames had no effect, Ash's Charizard roared, then lunged forward, charging recklessly at its foe.
But—
Just as it reached striking distance, Yozora's Charizard casually slammed a claw down on its skull, pinning it in place. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't move an inch.
Only now, standing side by side, did the difference become starkly clear.
Ash's Charizard's head barely reached Yozora's Charizard's neck. The height gap alone was intimidating enough. And when it came to build, Yozora's Charizard was vastly more powerful—towering over the other like a boss standing over a subordinate.
The contrast in strength was even more crushing. With just a single claw, Yozora's Charizard completely restrained Ash's.
"Roooaaarr!"
With a guttural roar, Yozora's Charizard shoved hard.
Boom!
The impact resounded like thunder. Ash's Charizard was flung back like a cannonball, its body hurled through the air for more than ten meters before crashing headfirst into the ground. It lay there motionless—knocked out cold.
One move.
Yozora's Charizard had defeated Ash's with a single strike.
And not even a real move—just a simple physical shove. The difference between the two was simply too vast.
"Sigh… how many times has he passed out today already?"
Liza and her Charla exchanged looks, both sighing helplessly."That one is really troublesome. He knows he can't win, yet he still insists on challenging stronger opponents again and again."
Shaking her head, Liza hurried over and pulled out a healing spray to tend to Ash's Charizard's wounds.
Normally, she wouldn't bother with other wild Charizard. They understood their limits—when beaten, they rested at least a day before fighting again.
But Ash's Charizard fainted several times every single day. If she didn't intervene, she worried it might end up with lasting injuries.
She could only feel helpless at its stubbornness, not knowing that Ash's Charizard was already paving the road to its future rise. All this suffering now was building the foundation for a soaring flight later.
…
Under Liza's treatment, Ash's Charizard soon woke again.
This time, instead of rushing into another reckless battle, it quietly slunk off toward the orchard to feed. Clearly, it was exhausted.
Meanwhile, Yozora pressed on, his Charizard continuing to challenge every opponent in the valley. With each victory, Liza's astonishment grew.
Before long, only one foe remained on the outskirts of the valley—a Charizard even more imposing than Yozora's. Standing at a towering 2.3 meters, its body was built like solid stone, every muscle rippling with power. A vicious scar ran down the left side of its face, radiating menace and dominance.
Elite Four peak. Quasi-legendary potential!
A Charizard with the aptitude of a pseudo-legendary!
"Yozora, be careful!"
Liza's expression changed instantly."That one is called Scarface. He was once the king of this valley!"
The former king!
Yozora's heart shook.
Of course—at Elite Four peak, with quasi-legendary potential, it had the undeniable qualifications of a ruler.
Compared to Scarface, all the other Charizard he had fought seemed like mere warm-ups.
But if Scarface was the former king… then what kind of terrifying power must the current king hold? Could it be Champion level?
"Rooooaaaarrr!"
Yozora's Charizard let out an excited roar, eyes blazing with fighting spirit as it stared at Scarface.
"You still want to keep going?" Yozora blinked in surprise.
After so many battles, his Charizard was already carrying injuries. This wasn't its peak state anymore.
And Scarface was no ordinary opponent.
"ROOOOOOAR!!"
His Charizard bellowed in determination, leaving no room for doubt.
"…Alright. I understand."
Yozora nodded firmly. His hand clenched over his Key Stone."Mega Evolution—now!"
Light burst forth, engulfing his partner.
With a roar that shook the skies, Mega Charizard X descended onto the battlefield.
Through Mega Evolution, its potential surged, pushing it to mid-Elite Four level. Still, compared to Scarface at peak Elite Four, there remained a significant gap.
But Yozora believed in his Charizard.
Thanks to its Tough Claws ability—stacked fourfold in this special evolution—it could unleash far more power than its raw level suggested.
And more importantly—
Mega Charizard X, with its Dragon typing, held a dominant advantage over fire.
Fire resisted fire, dragon resisted fire.
That meant Mega Charizard X possessed quadruple resistance against fire.
Just that alone was enough to make this battle possible.
The showdown with Scarface was about to begin.
(End of Chapter)