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Several more seconds passed. Just as Misty was accepting the reality and preparing to declare Toxicroak unable to battle, Toxicroak slowly propped itself up from the ground and stood up once again!
Seeing this, Misty breathed a sigh of relief, silently swallowing the declaration she was about to make.
It was good that Toxicroak hadn't fallen. That unexpected situation could only happen once at most.
Although she didn't know what method the opponent used, her brother was definitely prepared now. So as long as Toxicroak hadn't lost its ability to battle, victory in this fight still belonged to her brother!
Koga, who had been silent, finally spoke when he saw Toxicroak stand up: "What was that move just now? I don't recall Charizard being able to use colorful flames. It was almost like..."
It was almost like the Sacred Fire, the flame that only the legendary Ho-Oh could use!
Koga didn't utter that last sentence aloud, because such a guess was simply too fantastical.
How could an ordinary Charizard possess Sacred Fire?
Indeed, in Koga's view, this Charizard was quite ordinary. Despite its strong ability to battle above its level, it likely relied entirely on Ash's power.
Without Ash's power, to what extent could this Charizard reach?
But just now, the multicolored flames Charizard used directly made him look foolish. Was this an ordinary Charizard? Heh.
Ash listened to Koga's question and replied evasively: "Is this really a topic to discuss during a battle, Mr. Koga?"
Koga paused, then slowly nodded: "You're right. I'll ask you after the battle. Toxicroak, Poison Jab!"
Koga had Toxicroak attack again, and this time, it was still a frontal assault!
However, this frontal assault seemed more forced than before.
Because Toxicroak's stamina was already depleted after that inexplicable attack. It currently has no extra energy to use other moves like Toxic or Swagger.
Now, Toxicroak could only use its remaining stamina to forcefully attack Charizard and secure victory in this battle.
And he also needed to figure out what was going on with the move Charizard used to break through his attack just now.
Toxicroak's toes touched the ground, and its body instantly lunged forward. A dark purple energy covered its claws, making whooshing sounds in the air.
Charizard didn't dodge or evade. It simply clenched its claws, and flames fiercely ignited on its fist!
Fire Punch!
However, this was an ordinary Fire Punch; the flames on it were unremarkable, just like normal fire.
A hint of doubt flashed in Koga's mind. Why wasn't it using those flames from earlier?
Could it be that those flames were still a power Charizard hadn't fully mastered?
No matter what, if it were just this level of flame, then in a head-on collision, Toxicroak couldn't possibly lose!
In the blink of an eye, Toxicroak arrived in front of Charizard. Its right fist, covered in dark purple energy, smashed fiercely towards Charizard's massive body.
Charizard lowered its body, delivering a side strike with its left hand to Toxicroak's wrist. Although it couldn't completely knock Toxicroak's hand away, the blow numbed Toxicroak's arm, causing its attack to deviate slightly, grazing Charizard's arm and shoulder.
At this moment, the flames on Charizard's fist instantly turned into seven colors!
Koga's pupils constricted, and his fists involuntarily clenched.
Yes, this was that power! The power that Charizard used to break through Toxicroak's Sludge Bomb and hit Toxicroak with earlier was this very power!
Although this power was slightly stronger than Charizard's current enhanced strength, perhaps already reaching the mid-to-high Gym Level, the focus wasn't on the power, but on the quality of these flames!
Koga felt a terrifying power in these flames, a power that made him tremble. As he mentioned before, as a ninja, although he didn't possess special powers, his energy perception surpassed many special ability users.
This was a perception honed through countless trials, so at this moment, he could clearly sense the terrifying divine power contained within the multicolored flames on Charizard's fist!
This was no longer a question of the flames' destructive power; rather, the quality of those flames was simply too terrifying!
The difference in quality completely compensated for any lack in the flames' power, allowing Charizard to successfully break through the Sludge Bomb at that time.
While Koga's thoughts raced, Charizard's fist had already smashed fiercely into Toxicroak's face!
The immense force disfigured Toxicroak's entire face. The scorching flames burned on its face, charring its skin.
"Bang!!"
"Whoosh!!"
"Boom!!"
The sound of the fist connecting, the sound of Toxicroak flying backward, and the sound of Toxicroak crashing into the surrounding defensive barrier.
Slight cracks appeared on the indestructible barrier but quickly healed. Toxicroak slowly slid down the barrier, finally falling to the ground, its entire body limp.
This time... Toxicroak was truly unable to battle.
For a moment, the entire venue was silent. No one believed this scene was real, not even Misty or Brock.
One advantage could be attributed to the opponent being careless, but now?
Charizard not only dodged Toxicroak's attack head-on but also retaliated with a heavy punch!
And this punch directly took down Toxicroak.
Koga's face turned incredibly dark. He indeed didn't expect that Poison Jab to hit Charizard. Although Charizard's speed wasn't as fast as Toxicroak's, its reaction time was extremely terrifying.
Koga had already realized it when the first Poison Jab missed.
However, he intended to turn the tables. When Toxicroak failed to hit Charizard, Charizard would definitely counterattack. As long as Toxicroak endured one of the opponent's moves, Toxicroak could, like before, directly counter Charizard!
Even if it hit Charizard once, Charizard would inevitably fall!
This was the advantage that level brought.
You can hit me many times, but you cannot be hit by me once!
But now the situation was different... Charizard's attack had seen a leap in improvement. Even an Elite Four Class Toxicroak, when hit by that Fire Punch containing who-knows-what, couldn't endure it.
Actually, Koga was also gambling, betting that Charizard couldn't use the flames that erupted in the sky earlier.
But unfortunately, he lost the bet.
The result of losing the bet was that Toxicroak was now utterly defeated. An Elite Four Class Pokémon was taken down by an Elite Level Pokémon... Haha, that joke really isn't funny!
"Misty, announce the result." Koga took two deep breaths, suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, and said to Misty.
Misty then belatedly reacted, waving her small hand and shouting: "Toxicroak is unable to battle, Charizard wins!"
Whoosh!!!
Lost! Koga actually lost?!
Everyone in the venue who could see the Gym arena was in an uproar. The Elite Four Candidate Koga had actually lost to a seemingly very young boy!
And the scene of the loss was so inexplicable. Even the audience, watching from a God's-eye view, didn't know how Koga lost.
It was even more so for the viewers watching the live broadcast on TV. They knew more than the on-site audience: Elite Level versus Elite Four, this was a battle that was completely impossible to win.
But now, the Pokémon standing on the field at the end was actually the Elite Level Charizard!
What has the world come to? Is it challenging above one's level so casual now? And this wasn't challenging one or two small ranks above, but a battle spanning three major ranks!
With this level-breaking combat ability, who would even want to play with you?!
...Oak's Laboratory backyard—
After learning that Ash was challenging the Fuchsia Gym and that it was being broadcast live, Professor Oak moved the television to the backyard and watched the battle with Ash's Pokémon.
After seeing the ups and downs, Ash ultimately defeated Koga, and even the usually composed Professor Oak couldn't help but exclaim.
"Well done, Ash!! You actually won this! If you don't win the Indigo Plateau Conference this year, who will? It seems our Kanto region is about to rise again!" An Elite Level defeating an Elite Four Class, even if you had Leon commanding, he couldn't do it!
Even with the Dynamax system, it wouldn't work!
The level gap between them was indescribable; it was an insurmountable chasm.
Yet Ash had crossed it so forcefully. This was the super genius Trainer he had taught since childhood, who had come out of Pallet Town!
Ash was definitely going to win the Indigo Plateau Conference this year! If he could even take on an Elite Four, and still not win the Champion title, then that would truly be unreasonable.
As for Gary... who is Gary? Don't know him well.
"But those flames... why do they look so familiar? Could it really be Sacred Fire? Charizard can use Sacred Fire? Haha, you must be joking." Professor Oak shook his head, dismissing the thought from his mind.
Sacred Fire is Ho-Oh's exclusive flame. Only Ho-Oh and Entei can use it. The reason Entei can use Sacred Fire is that Entei was revived by Ho-Oh.
Entei and Ho-Oh share the same source of Fire-type power, allowing Entei to inherit part of Ho-Oh's fire power, and thus use Sacred Fire. But what about Charizard?
Moreover, Ho-Oh hasn't appeared for a long time. Ash has only been traveling for two months; there's no way he could have encountered Ho-Oh, right? So this conjecture is, in the end, just a fantasy.
Charizard's special flames might be a new power developed by Ash and Charizard together. After the Fuchsia Gym battle, he'd call Ash and ask...
On the streets of Lavender Town, which were usually not very crowded, were now packed with people.
The sole reason was the Fuchsia Gym battle being broadcast on the streets. This battle between a Rookie Trainer and an Elite Four Candidate attracted countless people to stop on the streets, their legs like lead, unable to move.
And upon seeing Koga surprisingly lose the first round, a series of gasps instantly erupted on the street. An Elite Four member was taken down by a Rookie Trainer?!
Good heavens, where did this person come from, popping out of a rock crevice?
Among the crowd, Gary, who knew the situation, had a complicated gaze and a dark expression.
Popping out of a rock crevice? He popped out of Pallet Town!
And he even set out on the same day as him!
Damn it, this guy is a poet! An Elite Level fighting an Elite Four Class, is he not leaving anyone a way to live?
What was with those colorful flames just now?
Unbeknownst to him, had he already been left so far behind by Ash? How was he supposed to catch up?!
No matter how he thought about it, he felt so powerless.
Maybe he should just wash up and go to sleep, accepting being the eternal second place... In a house on Indigo Plateau, a woman wearing glasses and lightly dressed was watching the scene on TV intently.
Her wine-red eyes showed deep interest.
"Besides Gengar, he actually has other trump cards? An Elite Level defeating an Elite Four Class, how interesting. This kid won't become the Kanto Champion in a few years, will he? Haha, if he can break Cynthia's monstrous record, that would be truly interesting."
Cynthia became the Sinnoh region Champion at eighteen.
If Leon is the strongest Champion in history, then Cynthia is the youngest Champion in history. Give Cynthia a little more time, and she might not be unable to catch up to Leon.
Cynthia is currently known as the Sinnoh Valkyrie, hailed as the Trainer with the most hope of defeating Leon.
If Ash could achieve Champion status in three years, then the whole world would become lively.
Lorelei thought for a moment, picked up the phone beside her, and dialed her friend's number... Fuchsia Gym—
Ash didn't know that he was already being watched by countless people. He took a deep breath, slowly suppressing and withdrawing the surging power within him.
Even though Toxicroak was defeated by Charizard, Charizard was also at its limit now.
Was Sacred Fire that easy to use?
With Charizard's original strength, it would have been impossible to use Sacred Fire. The reason it could use it now was partly due to the high pressure created by Toxicroak, and partly because Ash used Aura Link to boost Charizard's power.
This allowed Charizard to use Sacred Fire with its current strength.
But the burden of using Sacred Fire far exceeded what others imagined.
This was the flame of a deity, and it allowed Charizard, at its professional peak, to knock out an Elite Four Class Toxicroak in two punches.
How could using such a level of power come without a price?
As a Fire-type Pokémon, if Charizard's body wasn't protected by Ash's Aura, it would probably have been burned through by Sacred Fire by now.
Because Charizard's current power was not enough to use Sacred Fire normally.
That last punch was also the final punch Charizard could deliver. After that punch, Charizard now didn't even have the strength to lift its arm.
Ash, feeling the same as Charizard, also felt a wave of weakness within him.
However, after withdrawing the power from Charizard, his feeling of weakness vanished, but Charizard swayed and directly collapsed!
"Bang!"
Charizard didn't fall to the ground but was supported by a strong shoulder. Charizard looked sideways and found Ash had appeared beside him at some point.
"Well done, Charizard, you worked hard." Ash grinned, giving Charizard a thumbs-up.