In the Black World—
Just as Ash was about to send out Pikachu,
Charmeleon burst out of his Poké Ball on his own.
He couldn't hold back anymore.
Even inside his Poké Ball, Charmeleon could see what was happening outside.
First, the newly captured Aerodactyl had shown off its power.
Then the newly evolved Wartortle had flexed with a clean win.
He, the first one to evolve… had barely gotten any real battles.
And then—Venusaur, who had only just evolved not long ago, was out there showing off again.
Charmeleon had trained hard, even fighting wild Trainers out in the wilderness.
(Yes, wild Trainers.)
But Venusaur?
Venusaur had simply accepted nature's blessing and instantly soared to its final form.
Who could just accept that?
So now… he needed more battles. More training.
He had to evolve faster.
And this time, the opponent was a Fire-type as well.
There was no way he was sitting this one out.
"Do you want to battle, Charmeleon?"
"Rooaar!"
"The opponent is really strong."
"Roar."
Charmeleon nodded firmly, eyes burning.
Just standing here, he could feel the other Pokémon's presence…
This was nothing like the small fry he'd fought before.
"In that case, if you still want to fight…" Ash grinned. "Then let's go!
Let them see our strength—
and your fighting spirit as a Fire-type Pokémon!"
"ROAR!!"
[Blaine: You're sending a Charmeleon to fight me? Then Black Ash might really lose this one.]
[Ash: No way, right? My Charizard beat your Magmar before! As much as I hate to admit it, this Charmeleon of mine should be even stronger than my Charizard was back then…]
[Blaine: Hah, didn't I say it already? I used to be very strong in my prime, but I'm old now…]
[Blaine: Besides my strength dropping a bit with age, the real issue is stamina. Back then, my Magmar had already fought your Pikachu, then tanked a Rock Slide. It had used up a lot of energy—that's why it lost.]
[Blaine: If I'd been at full stamina, my Magmar's strength would at least have brushed the Elite Four threshold! If your Charizard had fought me in that state, it might not have lasted even two moves.]
[Ash: …H-huh… Is that… is that for real?!]
Seeing Blaine's words, Ash felt a chill run through his heart.
So basically… that Cinnabar Badge he'd been so proud of
had also been given to him?
Other than the Electric-type Gym, most of his badges had either been handed to him…
or were won under heavily weakened conditions.
He'd thought he was incredible, earning eight badges in his first year as a Trainer.
If what Blaine said was true…
Then his other self was in real danger here.
In the Black World—
After seeing Ash send out Charmeleon, Blaine was a little surprised.
From the very first battle, he'd already seen that this boy was a Trainer who paid close attention to tactics and type matchups.
So for Ash to withdraw his Water-type and instead send out a Fire-type
was not something Blaine had expected.
"Ash, are you sure you don't want to switch to another Pokémon?" Blaine asked.
"I'm not bragging when I say this—your Charmeleon can't beat my Magmar.
Why not bring in a type that has the advantage and give it a try?"
"Heh, we won't know till we battle! Don't underestimate my Charmeleon, Uncle Blaine!"
Since Ash clearly had no intention of switching,
Blaine didn't try to persuade him any further.
The wrinkles on his face smoothed as his expression hardened.
This time, it wasn't just type advantage on the line.
With both sides using Fire-types, this battle was about the pride of Fire-type Pokémon and Fire-type Trainers.
He couldn't afford to lose.
Tick. Tick. Tick—
Above them, the rain clouds thinned and broke apart.
The downpour gradually faded until the rain stopped entirely.
In this superheated arena, Rain Dance had never lasted long—
and now that Charmeleon had entered the field, the rain finally ended.
"It's starting—
Charmeleon, greet them properly! Flamethrower!"
"ROAR!!"
"We'll fire right back—Flamethrower!"
"Bruuuh!"
Twin pillars of scorching flame burst out from both sides,
colliding in midair with a thunderous roar.
For a moment, the two were evenly matched, the flames swelling into a blazing sea of fire between them.
But that balance only lasted two seconds.
Very quickly, Magmar's flames began to overpower Charmeleon's,
pushing his fire back.
"Cut the flames and roll! Dodge it!"
At Ash's shout, Charmeleon snapped his jaws shut and abruptly broke off his own attack,
then dropped into a tumbling roll across the ground, barely avoiding the incoming flames that blasted past where he'd been standing.
"Good! Keep it up—use Flame Charge!"
Flame Charge—a Fire-type move that boosts the user's Speed each time it's used.
Whether as Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard,
that evolutionary line always had one clear advantage—speed.
Unlike the other two Kanto starters, who leaned more toward bulk,
the Charmander line was built for fast offense.
So after Charmander evolved, Ash had specifically bought a TM for Flame Charge and had painstakingly drilled it into Charmeleon.
It hadn't been easy, but after intense training, he'd finally mastered the move—
and now, he could use it freely in battle.
"Roar!"
Charmeleon lunged, his body lighting up as it was wrapped in blazing flames,
and shot forward in a streak of red light.
In the blink of an eye, he reached Magmar.
"Meet him with Fire Punch!"
"Bruuuh!"
Magmar's clawed fist flared with hot, intense flames as it swung forward to meet Charmeleon.
"BOOM!"
The fiery collision sent Charmeleon flying backward,
tumbling across the arena until he skidded to a stop right at the edge,
nearly falling into the magma.
"He's still a little weaker in raw power…" Ash murmured.
"Charmeleon, one more Flame Charge!"
Charmeleon roared and once again cloaked himself in fire,
charging forward even faster than before.
Blaine frowned.
If this went on and Ash kept stacking speed boosts,
he might actually lose this fight.
In that case—
"Take it head-on!"
"Bruuuh!"
Magmar crossed its arms in front of itself and braced,
enduring Charmeleon's full-force Flame Charge.
The impact forced it back step by step as the flames crashed into its guard.
"Now! Fire Blast!"
"This is bad—Charmeleon, dodge!"
Ash tried to call for an evasive maneuver,
but at such close range, there was no time to react.
Magmar's small beak spat out an intense blaze that blossomed into a flaming kanji-shaped burst,
slamming into Charmeleon's chest.
He was sent flying backward instantly,
hurtling off the edge of the battlefield—
And straight into the magma below.
Brock, watching from the sidelines, winced.
Magmar could walk in the magma safely because it had long adapted to the extreme heat.
Charmeleon, on the other hand…
Falling into molten lava meant taking terrifying damage.
Misty instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth, her blue eyes wide.
In her memory, Charmeleon had never lost before.
Even against Sabrina the Psychic Gym Leader, he hadn't fallen.
Could it be that today…
"The match is decided, Ash," Blaine said calmly. "Magmar, go down and pull Charmeleon out of the magma."
"What's the rush? It's still early."
"Hm?"
Blaine looked up at Ash, only to see that Ash's expression was perfectly calm—
And his eyes were glowing with a clear, blue light.
The Aura spilled from the corners of his eyes like ribbons,
giving him an entirely different presence.
This Ash felt… like someone else entirely.
Even from across the arena, Blaine could feel an overwhelming pressure from him.
"Gulup—"
The magma where Charmeleon had fallen suddenly began to ripple.
One huge bubble after another broke the surface.
In the next instant, lava erupted upward like a geyser,
and a figure shot out of the molten sea,
landing firmly back on the battlefield.
It was Charmeleon.
Contrary to Blaine's expectations, he hadn't been knocked out.
His body was battered and scorched, but his fighting spirit was burning brighter than ever.
And, most importantly—
In his dark eyes, that same blue light now flickered as well.
"This energy…" Blaine narrowed his eyes. "Ash, are you a Psychic?"
"You could call it that," Ash said lightly.
"Impossible! Even if you are a Psychic, you shouldn't be able to channel your power into a non–Psychic-type Pokémon!"
"That's why," Ash replied, "I'm not a normal Psychic.
Anyway, we're still in the middle of a battle, Blaine—
it's time for our counterattack!
Charmeleon—evolve!"
As Ash spoke, a brilliant blue Aura exploded around Charmeleon's body.
His silhouette swelled and shifted within the light.
Blaine: …
You've got to be kidding me.
It had taken everything he had to secure one advantage—
And now the opponent's Pokémon decided to evolve mid-battle?!
Were they seriously doing this?
When the light faded, an even larger figure stood opposite Magmar.
Orange-red skin, pale yellow belly, a pair of horns on its head,
and wide wings spread behind its back.
The final evolution of Kanto's Fire starter—Charizard.
"ROOAAAAAR!!"
Charizard roared at the sky, disgorging a column of flame that lit the air above the arena.
[Blaine: Are you serious?! Evolving in the middle of the fight?? Outrageous!]
[Steven: Hehe, at this point, mid-battle evolution is almost the least shocking thing here. Black Ash and his Charmeleon—no, now Charizard—are in an Aura Fusion state.]
[Sabrina: In that state, even my Alakazam fused with my Psychic power couldn't beat Black Ash and Charmeleon. Now that Charmeleon has evolved into Charizard, their combined strength should be at least doubled…]
[Professor Kukui: Mr. Blaine's really unlucky! Just when he thought he'd secured the win with his ace, Black Ash flipped the script again.]
[Korrina: Honestly, this is just embarrassing for Blaine at this point. Even if Charmeleon hadn't evolved, Black Ash still had Wartortle and Aerodactyl in reserve. He could've won by running Magmar down in a rotation battle.]
[Bruno: Exactly. Magmar's biggest weakness is its stamina. Once you force it into a war of attrition, it's almost impossible for it to win. But…]
But this was even worse than a clean sweep.
Now Charmeleon had not only evolved,
but also fully fused with Ash's Aura.
Magmar was about to get flattened.
In the Black World—
Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose and forced himself to relax,
steadying the turmoil in his heart.
He knew his chances of winning had become extremely slim—
But surrendering before the fight was over just wasn't his style.
"So it evolved… big deal," he said quietly.
"Magmar, don't be afraid! We'll just finish this quickly—Fire Blast!"
"Bruuuuh!"
Magmar spat out another massive, blazing kanji-shaped flame,
sending it roaring toward Charizard.
Ash didn't bother to call for a dodge.
Instead, Charizard simply thrust out a claw,
caught the Fire Blast head-on—
And grabbed it.
The dense flames scorched Charizard's silver claws,
forcing him back two steps…
But he refused to yield,
and with a roar, he swung his arm and hurled the Fire Blast aside.
The blazing kanji broke apart midair—
Into a medium-sized blast, then a smaller one,
until it dissipated completely over the volcano.
Blaine: …
You've got to be kidding me.
Even with evolution, this was ridiculous.
Catching Magmar's Fire Blast bare-handed?
Had this Charizard already reached Elite Four level?
That shouldn't be possible.
As a Charmeleon, he definitely hadn't been Elite Four level—
he might not even have been truly pseudo-Elite.
An evolution alone wasn't enough to explain this.
Then Blaine saw the blue light burning in Charizard's eyes and understood.
It wasn't just evolution—
there was something else powering him up.
Aura Fusion.
Great.
"If we're going to fight back," Ash called, "there's no reason to keep using Fire moves against another Fire-type!"
"Let's go, Charizard!"
"ROAR!!"
Charizard roared again, his body bursting into crimson flames as he shot forward like a meteor.
Not only that—
the flames around his fists flared even thicker and hotter.
Flame Charge stacked with Fire Punch.
Most Charizard naturally leaned toward Special Attack.
But this Charizard's body had been forged through intense physical training.
His physical Attack was even higher than his Special Attack.
Men fought with their fists.
"BOOOM!!"
After stacking Flame Charge three times, boosted further by Aura Fusion,
Charizard's Speed had reached a terrifying level.
Even a true Elite-tier opponent might not be able to match it.
In an instant, Charizard appeared in front of Magmar.
Before Magmar could react, Charizard smashed a fiery punch square into its face.
As Magmar was sent flying,
Charizard's speed exploded again as he chased it down,
grabbing it firmly from behind.
With a mighty leap, Charizard shot upward,
dragging Magmar into the sky,
tracing a blazing arc overhead before plummeting straight down like a falling star.
A textbook Seismic Toss—Charizard-style.
"BOOOOOOM!!"
The field shook violently.
The four heavy iron chains supporting the platform rattled and creaked,
spiderweb cracks spreading along them.
When the impact's smoke finally cleared,
a massive crater had appeared in the center of the platform.
Magmar lay motionless at the bottom, completely unable to battle.
The winner of this match was, without a doubt—
Charizard.
At the end of the footage, Blaine reluctantly returned Magmar to its Poké Ball,
then handed Ash the Cinnabar Badge.
"The younger generation really does surpass the old…" he sighed.
"Hehe, it was nothing special~" Ash replied. "But Uncle Blaine,
I really think you should move your Gym back to the original location.
This place is way too dangerous.
Look at those chains—they're about to snap."
Blaine glanced up at the chains, which were now clearly cracked in several places,
and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Those are high-grade metal, you know.
If this battle hadn't been basically a clash at near–Elite Four level,
they never would've broken.
This kid was an absolute monster.
The black screen faded out slowly.
In the real world's live chat, everyone exploded into heated discussion.
Almost all of it was about just one thing—
The terrifying combat power of Black Ash's newly evolved Charizard.
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