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Charizard has been carrying the rainbow wing since it was a Charmander, and it has never taken it off.
During long periods of training, Charizard unconsciously developed the power of the rainbow wing. It could also be said that as Charizard grew, the rainbow wing continuously transmitted Ho-Oh's power to Charizard.
The Ho-Oh Power contained within the rainbow wing was not extensive, but its advantage lay in its ability to be continuously consumed and restored. In this subtle way, Charizard inherited Ho-Oh's most crucial power—Sacred Fire!
Previously, during the battle against Primeape, the power of Sacred Fire had already shown its first signs, but that could only be described as having a tiny bit of Sacred Fire within its own flames.
Compared to Ho-Oh, whose every move and all flames released were Sacred Fire, Charizard was not even close.
Forget about casually releasing Sacred Fire; Charizard cannot even use Sacred Fire as a move right now.
But that power was actually hidden within Charizard's body. What was needed now was a high-pressure battle to completely force that power out.
That's why Ash chose to challenge an Elite Four Class Pokémon today.
To ignite the Sacred Fire, Ash's assistance was necessary, meaning they had to enter Aura Fusion. However, after entering Aura Fusion, ordinary Gym-level Pokémon could not exert much pressure on Charizard.
So, the Rainbow Hero in the group suggested that Ash find an Elite Four Class opponent to fight. Success or bust!
As long as the full power of Sacred Fire could be unleashed, coupled with Aura Fusion, even an Elite Four Class opponent would not be unbeatable!
The premise was that it could be unleashed.
Now, just after a brief encounter with Toxicroak, Ash already felt immense pressure!
He and Charizard now shared perceptions, acting as one. The pressure and pain Charizard felt, he also felt.
So now, he was essentially facing an Elite Four Class Pokémon with peak professional strength. It would be strange if there were no pressure.
This battle was absolutely the most disparate battle Ash had ever fought since his debut, without exception.
"Oh? You can even use the force of Drain Punch to create distance. An attack at such close range was dodged. It seems this must be related to that special power on your body, right?" Koga raised an eyebrow, saying with an inscrutable expression.
"Special power? Can Mr. Koga sense Aura?"
"Heh heh, I am a ninja, after all. Although a ninja's power cannot compare to you, special ability users, I believe I am quite exceptional when it comes to sensing energy."
"At the start of the battle, you transmitted your special energy to Charizard, didn't you? This method of enhancing a Pokémon's power is quite similar to Sabrina's. So this power is called Aura."
Koga said with a sudden realization, while Ash was a bit surprised. His Aura hadn't sensed any special power in Koga, yet Koga could sense his Aura.
He even confirmed that he was using Aura to boost Charizard's strength.
For an ordinary person, this ethereal sensing ability was quite miraculous.
However, knowing or not knowing actually didn't affect the outcome of this battle; at most, it just solved the mystery of Charizard's sudden increase in strength.
For example, Erika was completely bewildered by Charmeleon's sudden increase in strength previously and didn't know what was happening until after the battle, but it didn't affect the battle's outcome.
"No matter how arrogant I am, I wouldn't think an Elite Level Charizard could contend with an Elite Four Class Pokémon. Without some special means, how could I possibly challenge an Elite Four Class opponent?" Ash said noncommittally.
"But it seems now, even with your special power, your Charizard is still no match for Toxicroak," Koga said, slightly mockingly.
If this was Ash's ultimate move, then it could only be said that this move... was nothing special.
"Charizard hasn't fallen yet, Mr. Koga. Isn't it too early to say such things?"
"Is that so? Then let it fall. Toxicroak, Astonish!" Koga, who had been chatting casually, suddenly commanded Toxicroak to attack.
Toxicroak took a deep breath, then suddenly let out a piercing shriek!
This sudden shriek almost stopped Misty and Brock's hearts; it was too terrifying!
And Charizard on the field was not only affected by the sharp sound but also by the Ghost-type power carried within the sound.
If there was even a tiny flaw in Charizard's heart, that Ghost-type energy would invade, causing it to flinch.
But unfortunately, in Aura Fusion state, Charizard's mental defense was impregnable!
This level of mental attack did not affect Charizard. Charizard, on the other hand, took a breath and then violently spewed out a scorching flame.
"Toxicroak, Poison Jab, Slash." Seeing the flames approaching, Koga did not let Toxicroak dodge but directly took it head-on with brute force!
When the level difference is large enough, there's no need to think about fancy moves to counter the opponent. Instead, the focus should be on how to make every attack hit the opponent. Even if it's a trade, the higher-level side always profits!
"Kulo!" Toxicroak's hand once again glowed with a purplish-black light, then it fiercely slashed at the oncoming flames!
The scorching pillar of fire was directly split in half by the purplish-black energy, and Toxicroak quickly closed in on Charizard along the Flamethrower!
This scene instantly reminded Ash of how Venusaur had exploited Charmeleon's openings when they battled.
Are these Gym Leaders only capable of using this method to catch people? Too bad, the same move wouldn't work on him a second time.
The biggest difference between Charizard and Charmeleon back then was that it now had wings!
With a thought from Ash, Charizard quickly flapped its wings, its large body directly ascending, while the flames from its mouth continued to spray, even growing more intense!
"Flying up? Sludge Bomb!!" Koga saw Charizard fly up and then changed his attack move.
The energy in Toxicroak's hand suddenly intensified, then it slashed fiercely, scattering the flames. Before the subsequent flames arrived, Toxicroak had already opened its mouth, spewing out dark purple, mud-like energy.
Sludge Bomb was extremely fast and had a large area, instantly surrounding all possible dodging positions for Charizard.
Charizard, in mid-air, was completely encircled by Sludge Bomb, with no gaps to dodge.
Ash's Aura was utilized to its maximum, yet he couldn't find a dodging gap among the surrounding bombs.
This was the effect of the level difference; the opponent's attacks were fast and wide-ranging. Even with Aura, which was comparable to Future Sight in attack detection, there was no way to dodge.
'Fire Spin!' Ash's calm voice echoed in Charizard's mind. Charizard cut off the Flamethrower, then reopened its gaping maw, its body suddenly spinning!
An extremely scorching flame formed a vortex, enveloping Charizard in layers.
"Oh? Using Fire Spin as a barrier to block Sludge Bomb? It's useless, the strength difference is too great." Ash's countermeasure made Koga look at him a little higher.
Although he couldn't hear Ash's command, he knew it was definitely a move Charizard used under Ash's command.
Since the battle began, Charizard had been using moves without a Trainer's command. It was obvious that Ash was using some special method to transmit commands into Charizard's mind, similar to a Psychic's telepathy.
This command method could indeed gain an advantage in battle, but for an experienced Trainer like him, it could only create a few tenths of a second of information difference in judgment.
Moreover, the strength difference between the two sides was too great. In the face of absolute strength, such minor tricks would have no effect.
The flaming vortex in the sky illuminated the entire area. Dark purple Sludge Bombs bombarded the Fire Spin, and in less than a second, the seemingly brilliant flames were directly corroded!
Just as Koga said, the strength difference between the two sides was simply too great.
However, Koga didn't notice that Ash had already closed his eyes, clenching his fists, his expression very grave.
In the sky, as the Fire Spin was corroded away, dense Sludge Bombs rushed towards Charizard. If hit, even if Charizard was at full health, it would immediately lose its ability to battle!
The next moment, Ash suddenly opened his eyes. Charizard also turned its body to face the incoming Sludge Bombs, and its claws instantly burst into raging flames!
"Fire Punch? Useless." Koga shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
He had actually thought Ash had a way to contend with Toxicroak, but his words were full of bravado, and his methods were just so-so.
Using Fire Spin for defense was somewhat interesting, but unfortunately, its strength was too weak. As for using Fire Punch to break through Sludge Bomb... Heh heh, with this strength difference, even if Charizard used ten Fire Punches, it would be impossible to escape the Sludge Bomb encirclement.
The sun in the sky was obscured by the Sludge Bombs, its radiance slowly diminishing, as if the sun itself had gone out at that moment.
"Boom!!"
A violent roar exploded in the air, and a wild gust of wind swept across. The surrounding protective shield rippled, and Toxicroak on the ground revealed a sinister smile.
It's over.
"Screech!!"
From within the smoke, a sound suddenly emerged. Toxicroak and Koga initially paid no attention, thinking it was just the sound of the defeated Charizard falling from the sky.
Unexpectedly, a dazzling rainbow light tore through the smoke, blinding everyone present!
"Fire Punch." A calm voice sounded, and the light in the sky plummeted like a meteor!
"Boom!!" Neither Toxicroak nor Koga had anticipated that Charizard still could battle.
So, when Charizard descended from the sky, Toxicroak had no time to react. Even if it did react, at Charizard's speed, it wouldn't be able to dodge.
A deafening collision exploded on the field, and visible shockwaves in circles slammed into the surrounding barrier. The ripples on the barrier were even deeper than the turbulence caused by the Sludge Bomb earlier!
Smoke filled the field, and an orange-red figure shot out from the smoke, landing on the other side of the field.
This figure was Charizard. Although it was covered in various injuries, its Aura and demeanor gave off a feeling of vigor!
The smoke on the other side also slowly dissipated, revealing Toxicroak's figure. The arrogant Toxicroak from before now lay on the ground like a dead dog, with a huge burn wound on its back, even revealing its internal flesh and blood.
The damage caused this time was completely on a different level from the Flamethrower Charizard used earlier!
If the previous one was a superficial wound, this time it had injured Toxicroak's major artery!
Koga now looked completely bewildered. Even with his extensive experience, he had no idea what had just happened.
How could Charizard, which had been completely at a disadvantage, suddenly turn the tide in the blink of an eye?
Not only did Sludge Bomb fail to defeat Charizard, but Charizard also retaliated, inflicting extremely severe damage on Toxicroak.
What exactly happened in those few short seconds?
Misty and Brock, next to him, couldn't help but gulp. The former unconsciously asked, "Do you know what just happened?"
Brock shook his head blankly: "I didn't see anything. Ash, that guy, he's hiding another trick!"
Although Brock didn't know what had just happened, he knew Ash was definitely hiding something again, which left him puzzled.
They were almost always together, whether training, eating, or sleeping; at most, Ash woke up a little earlier than them to train.
How could Ash always reveal a power they had never seen before in a battle they thought was difficult to win?
Who taught him to hide his strength like this!
Besides Misty and Brock, the surrounding spectators were also stunned. Just moments ago, Koga clearly had the upper hand in all aspects, and Charizard looked like it was about to be defeated. How did the situation suddenly reverse?
The most shocked people were those watching the live broadcast on TV and computers. Compared to the live audience, they knew a little more information: Toxicroak was Koga's main Pokémon.
This was an Elite Four Class Pokémon!!
Charizard's strength was only Elite Level, Elite Level!!
How could an Elite Level Charizard beat an Elite Four Class Toxicroak into such a state?
Was he cheating?
Aya, who was serving as the referee on the field, was also completely frozen in place. Toxicroak had been on the ground for almost ten seconds now. Should she declare Toxicroak defeated?
But this fact, she still couldn't completely accept!
Her brother was clearly about to win. How could this happen?