Ah Hong's Charizard is stronger than his Pikachu, its strength has already reached the Professional Senior Level. Although it is nominally considered a main force alongside Pikachu, in reality, Charizard is Ah Hong's true ace.
However, in terms of the degree of care and affection during nurturing, Pikachu is preferred. Otherwise, Ah Hong's Pikachu wouldn't have been able to reach the Professional Level.
In terms of sheer strength, Ah Hong's Charizard is much stronger than Pikachu. After all, with two stages of evolution and a higher Level, unless Ah Hong's Sparky is on a freakish level like Ash's Pikachu, it would be impossible to surpass his Charizard in terms of sheer strength.
Of course, whether it's Zane or Sparky, neither could defeat Ash's Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu's strength is not an opponent that can be surpassed just by leaping from Professional Middle Level to Professional Senior Level.
But...
"Pikachu, come back." Ash chose to recall Pikachu. Facing Ah Hong's Charizard, he had already prepared a suitable opponent, and this was part of the lineup he planned after studying Ah Hong's information.
Pikachu was initially eager to continue fighting. Throughout the Quartz Conference, it finally had the chance to battle with all its might, and simultaneously recover some of the confidence it had lost against Cynthia. But was it really over before it even started?
However, Ash's commands couldn't be ignored, so Pikachu reluctantly sprinted to Ash's side.
Ash noticed Pikachu looking slightly displeased and amusedly knelt down to pat Pikachu's little head, saying, "Alright, don't be upset. Stronger opponents are still ahead, and for now, give your partners some space to take the stage. You've already been leading the charge, right?"
Pikachu thought about it and felt Ash was somewhat right. After all, it had been the lead and had received such enthusiastic cheers, so perhaps it was enough.
So, the displeasure in its heart dissipated for the most part, and it agreed with Ash, indicating it had no issues.
Seeing this, Ash stood up again and took out a Pokeball from his waist. "Next up is the second one, be careful, Ah Hong... it's decided, Charizard!!"
Ash threw the Pokeball with force, and with a flash of light, a Charizard even more robust than Ah Hong's appeared on the field. This was Ash's second prepared Pokemon, Charizard!
Though it's a bit of a psychological blow, Ash initially planned to use the same Pokemon as Ah Hong for the battle. He thought such a battle would be more meaningful; otherwise, to put it bluntly, it would be a one-sided crush.
Unless he used his second-tier Pokemon, Ah Hong might have some resistance, but using second-tier Pokemon would be somewhat disrespectful to Ah Hong. He had said he wanted to battle Ah Hong with all his might.
So, here came a Pikachu vs. Pikachu, Charizard vs. Charizard showdown.
When Ah Hong saw Ash also using Charizard, his expression turned a bit more solemn. Despite knowing Ash's Pikachu might be stronger than Charizard, in terms of appearances, Charizard was more imposing.
Furthermore, this was a battle between the same type of Pokemon. Zane's self-esteem was stronger than Sparky's. If he lost to Pikachu, it would be acceptable, but losing to the same type of Charizard would be a significant blow to Zane.
So... this battle must be won with all efforts, no matter how indescribable the gap between them was!
"Zane, Flamethrower!"
"Roar!!"
Zane took a deep breath and then sprayed a scorching pillar of fire. Facing the incoming flames, Ash's Charizard didn't dodge or evade, directly enduring the opponent's flames head-on!
The scorching flames completely engulfed Charizard, but Ah Hong's expression showed no joy. During the previous battle between Sparky and Pikachu, a similar situation occurred where Ash's Pokemon first endured an attack without dodging and then reversed to defeat Sparky instantly.
Now, with Flamethrower hitting the opponent directly, given the Level difference, it was unlikely to cause much damage.
"Sizzle!" The sound of the flames being torn apart was heard as Charizard bathed in flames. Rather than harming it, the flames seemed to add a fiery effect to Charizard.
Bathed in flames, Charizard resembled a resurrected dragon god, walking out from the flames step by step. The flames barely obstructed it, an unexplainable pressure felt immensely vast to Zane.
His best move landing on the opponent felt like tickling, having no effect. This was a greater blow to Zane than being instantly defeated by the opponent. Being ignored while executing his finishing move was worse.
"Our turn, Charizard, Flamethrower!!" Ash commanded Charizard with a grand gesture.
Charizard spread its wings, instantly dispelling the flames encircling it. It then took a deep breath and unleashed a blast of scalding flames.
The color of the flames had turned entirely crimson, with no yellow visible. Compared to Zane's flames, Charizard's fiery column was slightly thinner, but the temperature was on an entirely different level.