"Now—come and witness the charm of the Fighting type!"
Grey tossed out a Poké Ball.
Machop landed firmly on the field.
[Pokémon: Machop]
[Type: Fighting]
[Level: 28]
[Ability: Guts]
[Moves: Bullet Punch; others omitted.]
Ash's choice was a lizard Pokémon with a burning tail.
[Pokémon: Charmander]
[Type: Fire]
[Level: 26]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Moves: omitted.]
"Oh? A Charmander?"
Grey's gaze shifted. One of Ash's future mainstays—Charizard—nicknamed by netizens as "Professor Charizard": after it evolved, it ignored Ash's commands for a long time.
It even threw a match at the Indigo Conference,
stopping Ash in the round of sixteen.
But right now, Charmander hadn't evolved yet.
At this level…
It was close.
Just one trigger away.
"Charmander, show Gym Leader Grey your power!"
Ash shouted, marching forward in spirit: "Use Flamethrower!"
"Raaah!"
At this stage Charmander was still a good kid, obeying Ash to the letter.
Its jaws opened, a surging pillar of flame roared out, carving a charred line across the floor as the heat ripple warped the air.
Being able to use Flamethrower this early—and with decent power—meant this Charmander was pretty solid.
Grey didn't want to clash head-on: "Machop, Bullet Punch to close in!"
[Yes, that one!]
[Feels like the streamer can't live without Bullet Punch and Mach Punch—his openers are always those.]
[And Riolu's Vacuum Wave—he loves hyper-aggression! Too evil, Gym Leader Grey!]
Hearing Grey's call, many once-traumatized Trainers felt a chill down their backs.
Priority gap-closing was just too nasty. Even if you found an answer, Grey would flip it in the next second!
Machop, especially, excelled at those reversals.
If you didn't know better, you'd think it had No Guard.
"Mach!"
Machop barked; a metallic silver gleam flowed over its forearms, sheathing its fists in an instant.
It pounded forward in heavy strides, scoring faint tracks in the floor, and slipped around the incoming Flamethrower from the side.
"Raaah!"
Charmander twisted its head, bending the flames to head Machop off and keep it at bay.
But Machop only accelerated, even looping around—no telling where it would strike from.
Charmander's head spun; the fire stream began to thin.
Seizing the gap, Machop slipped behind it,
then drove a silver-flashing fist hard into Charmander's body.
Taptaptap—
A crisp string of impacts rang out; several same-sized marks blossomed across Charmander's orange hide.
The Flamethrower vanished in an instant, only sparks scattering in the air.
"Charmander!"
Ash's heart clenched. Seeing it staggering back, he yelled, "Counter with Ember!"
"Raaah!"
Charmander's claws scraped the floor, leaving white gouges; the tail flame flickered brighter and it whipped out a cluster of fireballs!
Swish, swish, swish!
A trident spread screamed through the air, thin black smoke trailing behind and swallowing Charmander's outline.
Facing this, Machop halted. Both hands came up to guard; the silver light aimed into the oncoming shots, power gathering.
Grey chose to go straight through: "Charge in with Fire Punch—ignore the move!"
At the command, the silver on Machop's fists flashed into raging flame.
It refused to yield; the right fist rose like a dragon to meet the Embers head-on!
The instant the flames collided, a blast roared skyward!
Fire on Machop's knuckles devoured the Embers and, without losing momentum, punched into the smoke!
Ash saw Machop plunge into the haze and called, "Fire Fang!"
"Rooo!"
Charmander gaped wide; a red current flared between its fangs, its mouth glowing like a furnace.
It kicked off hard, lunging with burning teeth for Machop!
At that moment a gust split the smoke.
Reading the outline, Machop swung first—the flame-wrapped fist smashed into Fire Fang midair!
BOOM!
Twin blasts of flame rolled outward into a ring, sweeping the smoke clean.
Bathed in firelight, the two Pokémon locked eyes; in each other's pupils, they saw the flicker of battle-lust.
"Raaaugh!"
Charmander went feral—its jaw flexed wide and it bit down, swallowing Machop's right fist along with the flames!
Scorching fangs sank deep into Machop's wrist; the air filled with the stink of char.
Machop's right arm trembled; the fire on its fist flickered.
"Thunder Punch."
Grey's command landed.
Machop's left arm went taut—blinding lightning exploded along it.
Brilliant gold wrapped the whole forearm; snapping arcs leapt from the knuckles straight for Charmander's undefended belly!
"Charmander, let go! Spit it out!"
Ash's shout cut the air—but half a beat late.
BANG!!!
Another piledriver smashed into Charmander's soft underside.
A savage current surged—golden arcs raced over its whole body.
Charmander's eyes bulged; its jaws sprang open on reflex.
Machop tore its scorched right hand free as Charmander flew like a severed kite, skidding a long, burned groove across the floor, electricity still crackling over it.
That punch nearly made it spit up breakfast.
"Grrr…"
Charmander growled low, spraying a few trails of black smoke and hacking hard.
Seeing its condition, Ash's eyes tightened. "Charmander, hold on!"
"Raaah!"
At his voice, Charmander planted both palms and forced itself upright, staring at Machop standing motionless across from it.
That punch would be repaid.
"Raaa!!"
The tail flame swelled—not quite a full Blaze flare, but its fighting spirit burst forth.
It charged; both hands lit with white light!
Grey glanced at it and called, "Vital Throw."
Thud, thud, thud…
Charmander's claws threw sparks across the scorched floor, both claws shrouded in white light.
It became an orange blur and dove straight for the braced Machop!
Machop sank its weight and crossed its arms in a guard.
Shhk!!
A tearing screech split the air.
Charmander's claws raked three white lines across Machop's forearms.
But Machop didn't so much as frown.
It stepped in, clamped Charmander's neck with precision, and heaved backward!
BOOM!
Charmander's head slammed into the floor; the heavy thud of the over-the-shoulder throw made the ground quiver.
"Rr…!"
Charmander reeled, the "upside-down" Machop in front of it seeming to split into three, like a Double Team afterimage.
"Charmander!"
Ash cried out, trying to jolt it back up.
[This the level that beat Lt. Surge? Did Surge throw? Looks like the streamer's steamrolling!]
[For real—Charmander's too reckless. Fire-types have hot tempers, sure, but you can't charge brainlessly. It's literally a punching bag.]
[Ash, you've disappointed me!]
[Who tf are you?]
[Gary Oak, at your service!]
[Oh! The one whose Kadabra was too scared to come out of its Poké Ball on his first challenge, right?]
[…]
"Ash, hot-blood alone won't turn a fight around. Did you forget what I told you before?"
Grey frowned and reminded him.
He hadn't expected that in just over a week, Ash had forgotten most of the techniques he taught.
Grey's cue made Ash freeze.
"Play to your Pokémon's strengths… cover its weaknesses…"
He muttered, eyes falling on Charmander, which had forced itself up again.
"Rr…"
Charmander was panting hard.
But its tail flame was oddly bigger than before.
Ability: Blaze!
When HP drops below one-third, Fire-type moves grow stronger!
"Raaah!"
Charmander turned its head; the searing, battle-bright gaze met Ash's in midair.
In an instant, a silent understanding flowed between them.
"Then… go all out!"
Ash's hand clenched into a fist as he roared, "Use Flamethrower—at full power!!"
Charmander's chest heaved; the tail flame shot several feet high.
It threw back its head, the fire glowing in its throat lighting its whole face.
WHOOOM!!!
A blazing column spewed from its jaws, the tail flame's Fire energy flooding in and ballooning the stream's width in an instant!
Air shimmered and steamed in the heat; the scorched track deepened as the Flamethrower's long tail of flame howled for Machop!
"Not bad."
Firelight danced in Grey's eyes, but his mouth curled faintly. "Your flame's fierce, but power alone won't break Machop."
"Machop—Bullet Punch again!"
Before the words finished, Machop's fists were already plated in cold silver.
It kicked off, body blurring; the blazing stream skimmed past its shoulder with a howl.
The dodged flames burst against the wall, nearly melting a hole.
And then the silver fist-light shredded the air—Machop was only an arm's length from Charmander!
"Now! Charmander, use Fire Spin!"
Ash's shout split the air.
"Raa!"
Charmander suddenly tipped its head; the huge column twisted midair, coiling into a whorl, then in a blink into criss-crossing "chains of flame!"
The fiery cords crackled and snapped like giant serpents, lashing for Machop's four limbs!
In an instant, Fire Spin's coils wrapped Machop layer by layer; the burn made its muscles twitch uncontrollably.
But it gritted its teeth, the silver shining on its fists still driving forward stubbornly!
BANG!!!
That full-power, silver-flashing punch slammed into Charmander's chest; sparks burst from its mouth!
Charmander shot backward, rolled several times across the floor, and—barely—stayed on its feet.
"Rr…" (Not yet… I can't fall here!)
In Blaze, Charmander's thoughts were razor-clear. It glanced at Ash's anxious face, then back to Machop, who had stood over it time and again.
For a moment, it saw the figure that once defeated it…
A Poliwag—looking down from above, just like now.
Helplessness surged; the tail flame flared several times higher!
The fireball at its tip swelled monstrously—more than twice its own size!
[Whoa—this is the true power of a starter's Blaze? That strong?!]
[My Squirtle's Torrent never does this. Or is this just a Charmander thing?]
[Don't jinx it—sometimes you faint before Blaze even procs. But yeah, this is rare.]
[Fire-types are so hype!]
[Can you feel Charmander's passion?]
[I—I can!]
[Go, Charmander, go! Is this the first time someone KOs the streamer's Pokémon?!]
A last-ditch burst was every Trainer's favorite scene.
Right now Charmander's surge drew cheers, especially as that fireball burned brighter than a white-hot lamp.
Plenty of Fire-type Trainers stood up in front of their screens, like they were right there on the field.
"Machop, what's your call?"
Before the move landed, Grey chose to ask what Machop wanted.
"Mach!" (Obviously—meet it head-on!)
Machop's chest heaved, but it lifted its chin in pride.
It smashed its fists together; silver light sparked between them with a deep, blood-stirring clang.
Crushing the enemy's ultimate head-on and then landing the finishing blow—that was its favorite road to victory!
"Knew it."
Grey nodded knowingly, then pointed forward. "Machop—charge straight through!"
Machop hammered the floor and sprinted, each step leaving prints across the scorched ground!
"RrrAAH!"
Charmander threw back its head; the tail flame poured into its throat like a tide.
The Flamethrower's diameter expanded in a flash; a white-hot core burned the air around it into warped shimmer!
And within that roaring flood of flame, Charmander's outline began to change—violently!
A sharp horn thrust from the back of its head; the tail flame tripled; its body swelled visibly, moment by moment!
Evolution!
Evolution's light braided with the Flamethrower, turning the whole arena bright as day!
The Flamethrower punched straight through Machop's charge, the heat swallowing it whole.
And in the very next instant, the same light that wrapped Charmander burst from Machop's body too!
Double evolution!!!
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