Paul's Chimchar is undoubtedly a genius Pokemon, but its growth time hasn't been enough. Now, at the advanced level, it's still too early for him to step onto this stage. Ash also doesn't understand why Paul would let Chimchar appear here.
And what exactly is that Super Blaze ability of Chimchar? Is there any difference from the normal Blaze ability?
While Ash was puzzled, the battle in the arena had already begun. The opponent, Axel's Pokemon, was a Golem, which was a rock and ground type, having a considerable restraining effect on Chimchar.
Not to mention that Golem is currently at the elite peak level, making it significantly stronger than Chimchar. Additionally, Chimchar's ability values haven't been pushed to the limit. Combined with its Pikachu-like fluctuating attack abilities, Chimchar defeating Golem is extremely difficult.
Or rather, it's simply impossible to win.
Even if Ash were to operate it, the winning odds wouldn't exceed thirty percent, and this is Ash's estimated win rate without understanding what Super Blaze entails.
After all, advanced junior level, even using Aura Power augmentation, at most reaches the elite junior level, which is still quite a gap from Golem's level. With the ability values not maximized and form not evolved, Ash doesn't know what Chimchar can rely on to fight beyond its level.
If that's the case... why did Paul choose to send out Chimchar?
Onstage, Chimchar, under Paul's command, used Flame Wheel to charge forward. However, Golem neither dodged nor avoided, enduring the attack head-on.
After the Flame Wheel collided, the scorching flames splattered, yet had no impact. Instead, Golem raised its fist and punched down from above. The flame wheel burning on Chimchar was instantly extinguished, and its entire body was hammered to the ground!
A deafening sound erupted in the arena, with even some cracks appearing on the rocky ground, showcasing the immense force of that punch.
Chimchar's face revealed extreme pain, looking quite uncomfortable, but as Chimchar's trainer, Paul had no expression, just coldly watching Chimchar.
This behavior made Ash frown slightly, wondering what was up with this guy?
Sending a weaker Pokemon to the field was one thing, but the commanding lacked any strategy, appearing as if randomly attacking. Even when his Pokemon was heavily struck to the ground, he showed no concern.
It seemed as if the Pokemon battling on the field wasn't even his, which was excessively harsh, wasn't it?
The struggling Chimchar on the field managed to get back on its feet, appearing very hurt but still choosing to stand up and fight for its trainer. Seeing this, Axel showed no mercy, continuing to let Golem use Rock Slide to attack.
Paul ordered Chimchar to use Flame Wheel to evade, but the level gap between the two sides was too vast. Even with speed increased by Flame Wheel, Chimchar still couldn't dodge the Rock Slide attack.
Fortunately, the flames on its body buffered much of the force; otherwise, Chimchar would have already lost its ability to fight.
Even so, Chimchar was now in a flickering stage, looking as if another hit would make it lose its ability to battle.
At this moment, Paul's expression finally showed slight change, with his cold demeanor turning a bit grave. He spoke icily yet with some anticipation, "It's time, Chimchar, show me that power, ignite that flame inside you!"
Chimchar turned to glance at its trainer, clenching its teeth, desperately squeezing out all its inner strength.
It knew what power its trainer expected, but after being alongside its trainer for a long time, it had never managed to ignite that power before. Now, with its physical strength nearly at its limit, it's the moment most likely to unleash that power.
Yet, even as Chimchar exerted all its effort, the flame on its tail didn't become more vigorous, not to mention the Super Blaze ability; it couldn't even activate the most basic Blaze ability.
Axel had no idea what Paul and Chimchar were up to, but she wasn't about to let them get away with their antics. So, she commanded Golem to launch an attack directly, hitting with Rollout. Desperately trying to muster its inner strength, Chimchar couldn't dodge in time and was struck directly!
The Rollout attack took away Chimchar's last bit of physical strength, and after being severely hit, Chimchar slid to a stop beside Paul. Yet, Paul showed no comfort towards Chimchar, his eyes full of disappointment.
"Useless creature." Paul said, retrieving Chimchar into the Pokeball, then taking out his next Pokemon, Torterra.
Paul's voice wasn't deliberately suppressed, but even Ash and his friends who were relatively close didn't really hear it due to the noisy surroundings, though Ash's ears were rather sharp, so he heard what Paul said.
This made Ash's face show a barely controllable anger: "This guy... is simply too much!"
"What's wrong, Ash?"
"Just now, when Chimchar slid to his side, Paul not only didn't comfort him but told him he was useless!"
Ash's words shocked Brock and the others, and then their faces also showed anger and indignation.
"This is too much. When a Pokemon loses the ability to fight, the first thing isn't comforting it but saying it's useless. How can there be such a trainer?"