Thump! Thump! Thump!
Having pinpointed Chimchar's landing spot, Rhyhorn immediately kicked off into a furious charge.
At the same time—the horn atop its head began spinning rapidly like an electric drill.
"Chimchar, [Flamethrower]!"
Seeing this, Hu Yan'er could only instruct Chimchar to fire a Flamethrower in mid-air, hoping it could halt Rhyhorn's advance.
Whoosh!
Chimchar opened his mouth wide, unleashing a scorching serpent of flame roaring toward Rhyhorn.
But Rhyhorn was highly resistant to fire and thus showed no sign of fear!
"Rhyhorn, full-power charge!"
Ishimori knew such chances were rare.
Never mind Rhyhorn's fire resistance—even if flames were its weakness, he'd still make the same call.
Whoosh!
Hearing his trainer's order, Rhyhorn sped up even more.
In an instant—the blazing flames engulfed Rhyhorn completely!
However the earlier Swords Dance had boosted Chimchar's physical attacks, but Flamethrower belonged to special attack, thus gaining no benefit.
For Rhyhorn, this Flamethrower was no more than a cozy sauna session.
Bang!
Bursting through the fire, Rhyhorn's sharp horn slammed solidly into Chimchar.
The immense force sent Chimchar flying across the battlefield.
"Chimchar!"
Hu Yan'er called out worriedly, her voice tinged with anxiety.
Rhyhorn's Drill Run, a Ground-type move, dealt significant damage to Chimchar.
For a moment—Chimchar lay sprawled on the ground, waves of agony continuously surging through his small body.
He struggled to get up—but lacked the strength.
Is…this the end?
Chimchar silently questioned himself.
Ever since becoming Hu Yan'er's Pokémon, Chimchar had experienced a life unlike anything he'd known before.
Sure, his trainer was often playfully scolded by her teacher and senior apprentice-sister for being naïve and simple-minded.
But she trained her Pokémon in her own way, growing alongside them.
Caring. Affection.
These were emotions Chimchar, who had lived alone from infancy, had never known before.
And so...
To protect these feelings, Chimchar trained with all his might, and his strength skyrocketed.
Although he wasn't the strongest among the initial trio, his growth had certainly been the fastest.
Yet now...
It seemed he would lose in the very first battle of his debut.
But…
Chimchar genuinely wanted to bring victory home for his trainer; he genuinely wanted to lighten the burden on his big sister Pikachu; and above all, he genuinely wanted to become stronger!
"Chimchar, stand up!"
But Hu Yan'er hadn't given up, her voice continuously calling out to him.
I need… POWER!
Perhaps hearing Hu Yan'er's voice, Chimchar's desire for strength surged to an unprecedented intensity.
Driven by his fierce emotions, a terrifying power began awakening deep within him.
But Chimchar's consciousness was also slowly swallowed by this emerging power.
Nearby, the referee quietly began the countdown. Chimchar hadn't completely lost consciousness yet.
But if he couldn't stand up within ten seconds the referee would have no choice but to declare him unable to battle.
"Nine—"
"Ten—"
Just as time ran out, and the referee raised his flag to announce Chimchar's defeat—an unexpected change erupted.
Whoosh!
A scorching wave burst forth from Chimchar's body, accompanied by an unimaginably fearsome pillar of fire shooting straight into the sky.
...
The dazzling flames instantly seized the attention of every referee, competitor, and spectator present.
"What…what's that? Such terrifying flames!"
"Is that really a Qualified-tier Pokémon? Even Veteran-tier fire moves aren't usually this horrifying!"
"As expected from Teacher Guo's disciple—this potential is off the charts!"
Amidst the uproar, Chimchar slowly struggled back onto his feet.
"Blaze!"
From the sidelines, Bai Cai's eyes widened in shock.
One glance told her Chimchar had activated his Blaze ability.
But—
Isn't this Blaze a little too strong?!
She soon spotted Chimchar's abnormal state.
"His eyes are vacant?"
"Has he…lost control over his own power?"
Bai Cai's expression grew grave.
If a Pokémon lost control over its power, the backlash could easily harm its trainer.
After all, Pokémon were always double-edged swords.
When perfectly mastered, they could slash through every obstacle on a trainer's path—but once out of control, the destruction wrought could be catastrophic.
Just as Bai Cai prepared to intervene, Guo Yi stood nearby, watching with evident interest.
"Monkey Bro with Champion-tier potential… Are you finally revealing your sharp edge?"
Every Pokémon capable of reaching Champion-tier possessed unfathomable potential.
At the same time—each had inevitably experienced things ordinary Pokémon could scarcely imagine.
Like Su Qingxue's Beedrill, who accidentally swallowed a Thunder Crystal as a larva and later fed on Thunderstrike Wood; or Guo Yi's Vulpix, who endured millennia of cultivation combined with the Rainbow Feather's power, finally achieving Master-tier potential.
It could be said—every Pokémon with Champion-tier potential had their own unique past.
And this Chimchar was no exception.
Though Guo Yi knew nothing of Chimchar's history...
He was certain this Pokémon possessed something extraordinary befitting Champion-level potential.
And right now—
This abnormally terrifying Blaze was precisely why Chimchar had Champion-tier potential!
Yet—even Guo Yi himself failed to notice a brief flicker of azure fire hidden within Chimchar's blazing flames.
...
On the battlefield—Chimchar had already lost all reason. Only one thought remained in his mind:
To utterly defeat this damned Rhyhorn standing before him.
"Ho-cha—!"
Chimchar roared ferociously, the flames bursting from his body coalescing into a massive Flame Wheel as he charged straight toward Rhyhorn.
Ishimori frowned deeply at the sight.
A Pokémon beyond its trainer's control was, in a sense, already out of the battle.
Even if Rhyhorn ended up losing here, this fight would still count as his victory.
"Referee!"
Ishimori signaled urgently to the referee before immediately commanding Rhyhorn to evade.
Since the outcome was already clear, he wasn't foolish enough to clash head-on with this frenzied Chimchar!
After all, Hu Yan'er's Ace-tier Pikachu still made him incredibly wary.
Even though his Pokémon held a type advantage—Ishimori wouldn't dare drop his guard!
"Hu Yan'er, please recall your Pokémon immediately, or I'll have to declare your direct defeat."
At this moment, the referee sternly reminded Hu Yan'er.
Controlling one's Pokémon was the most basic ability of a trainer.
If one couldn't even control their own Pokémon, such a trainer was undeniably negligent.
"Ah...alright."
Hu Yan'er was still dazed, unable to fully grasp the situation of Chimchar's rampage.
Hearing the referee's warning, she instinctively reached for Chimchar's Poké Ball to recall him.
Yet, in the very next second—her movements abruptly stopped.
Because just then, she heard the voice of her teacher clearly ringing by her ear.
[Don't forget—the power of Aura!]
This was a critical opportunity for Chimchar. If he could grasp and control this surge of Blaze now—perhaps in the future, Hu Yan'er might be able to manually trigger Chimchar's Blaze state.
As for how?
Was there any power better suited for communication with Pokémon than the power of Aura?
"Student Hu Yan'er, please hurry!"
Seeing Hu Yan'er frozen in place, the referee urged again.
But this time, Hu Yan'er decisively put away Chimchar's Poké Ball, turning to the referee with firm determination in her eyes:
"Referee, please give me two minutes…"
"If I can't wake Chimchar within two minutes, I'll forfeit the match myself."
Hearing Hu Yan'er's request, the referee's brows knitted slightly.
He glanced at Chimchar, who was still rampaging recklessly across the battlefield.
"Wake Chimchar…in two minutes?"
"Is that even possible?"
Though he was skeptical, since it was the competitor's own request, he had no grounds to refuse.
Trading a chance at victory for an attempt to wake her Pokémon—the referee thought this was quite fair to Ishimori.
"Very well!"
Nodding, the referee replied firmly, "You have two minutes. If Chimchar doesn't regain consciousness by then, Ishimori wins the match."
With the referee's approval, Hu Yan'er immediately closed her eyes, beginning to connect with Chimchar using her Aura.
Aura is with me!
Hu Yan'er whispered to herself.
The previously calm Aura inside her began to surge violently.
In the next instant—Chimchar suddenly froze in place, halting his reckless attack mid-motion.
Yet, the horrifyingly intense flames still enveloped him entirely.
"Rhyhorn, come back!"
Seeing Chimchar halt, Ishimori quickly recalled Rhyhorn to his side.
Since the referee had made the ruling, all he had to do now was wait quietly.
...
Meanwhile, Bai Cai, standing next to Guo Yi, teased lightly:
"Teacher Guo, it seems like you interfered a bit just now."
Though Bai Cai herself had no special ability, her Lucario clearly sensed the use of Aura by Guo Yi.
After all—when it came to Aura, Lucario was one of its original wielders.
In fact—for a Riolu to evolve into Lucario in real life, mastering Aura Sphere first was a necessity.
Facing Bai Cai's questioning, Guo Yi had no intention of hiding anything.
"This is a rare opportunity for both Chimchar and Yan'er."
"It won't be so easy to replicate this out-of-control state again."
"As long as Pokémon and trainer can grow from this experience, winning or losing this battle isn't important at all."
One of the primary purposes of competitions was precisely to test the trainer and Pokémon's abilities.
If Chimchar and Hu Yan'er could use this opportunity to become stronger—then even losing would still be worthwhile.
As for tournament prizes...
Did Guo Yi lack anything?
Bai Cai nodded approvingly at Guo Yi's words.
Competitions were only a means.
The true goal behind them was to help trainers grow stronger.
Of course—Guo Yi had merely provided verbal guidance to Hu Yan'er earlier.
He hadn't physically interfered in the battle.
Otherwise, Bai Cai would definitely have argued with him fiercely—no matter how influential Guo Yi's background was.
Interfering with the fairness of a match was something Bai Cai could never tolerate.
And so—everyone present watched silently as Hu Yan'er attempted to awaken Chimchar.
...
At this very moment...
Using the power of Aura, Hu Yan'er had entered Chimchar's inner spiritual world.
There—she saw Chimchar's past unfold before her eyes.
From the moment Chimchar was born, he never saw his parents again.
To survive—Chimchar had lived like a street punk, fighting constantly.
He fought Spearow over berries.
He battled Poochyena over water sources.
Injured, he was left alone, licking his wounds in solitude.
Though a Fire-type Pokémon, Chimchar had lived like a lone wolf, struggling fiercely to survive in the wild.
These experiences had shaped his aggressive, battle-hungry personality.
Yet...
The scenes flickered by quickly, seemingly unrelated to Chimchar's current loss of control.
Until...
A terrifying rainy night appeared before her eyes.
Chimchar was running through the jungle in panic, desperately fleeing from something.
Not far behind him, the figures of three cat-like Pokémon rapidly closed in.