The back mountain.
Charizard's attacks poured down like a torrential storm—Hyper Beams, Dragon Rages, Overheat, and more rained furiously toward Tyranitar. Tyranitar, for its part, countered with every trick it knew, matching the onslaught and striking back. Neither side could gain the upper hand. The battle quickly reached a stalemate!
Seeing this, a flash of anxiety crossed Silas's eyes once more.
Charizard, after all, was only holding its own against Tyranitar by relying on its Blaze Ability and the move Outrage. Both were extraordinary powers but ultimately external boosts, which meant they came with limits and a punishing cost. When that window closed, Charizard's abilities would return to ordinary high-Champion level. And then? Tyranitar would dominate, and those very costs of Blaze and Outrage might force Charizard to collapse without another blow being struck.
After a moment's hesitation, Silas made his call. He shouted up to Charizard in the sky: "Dragon Claw!"
"Charizard!"
Charizard let out a furious bellow. Light radiated from its right claw, black flames cloaking its talons. With a powerful surge of its wings, it dove straight toward Tyranitar.
"Close combat?!" Tyranitar's deep, resonant voice betrayed its surprise—then excitement glimmered in those green eyes.
Since becoming the Kanto guardian deity, not a single Pokémon or Trainer had dared challenge Tyranitar head-on with true close combat. On the rare occasion one actually tried, they didn't even live to make contact. Their courage was already reduced to ashes by Tyranitar's crushing might. After so long, to encounter such a challenge again—how could Tyranitar not be thrilled?
Excited or not, that didn't mean it would go easy!
As Charizard closed in, Tyranitar clenched its right fist, a wave of brown energy enveloping it, and—almost as if playing fair—called out loudly: "Let's see—will your Dragon Claw win out, or my Mega Punch?"
"Hmph!"
Silas merely snorted coldly, a wild gleam flashing in his dark eyes. As Charizard drew near, Silas gave the order: "Go for it!"
"ROAR!"
Charizard unleashed a deafening cry—both a battle roar to Silas and a direct challenge to Tyranitar.
And then—
Claw and fist met!
—or rather, scraped past each other!
The Mega Punch vs. Dragon Claw clash Tyranitar had imagined never actually happened. Instead, Mega Punch landed squarely in Charizard's belly, tearing a bloody hole that made Charizard howl in pain.
Feeling its fist punch through Charizard's abdomen, Tyranitar instantly sensed a surge of danger. It wanted to retreat, to brace itself for whatever counterattack was coming. But it was already too late—Charizard's left arm was locked tight around Tyranitar's right, its right claw driving Dragon Claw straight into Tyranitar's body!
Maniac!
The moment Tyranitar realized Silas and Charizard were fighting with their lives on the line, blow for blow, it cursed inwardly—then immediately raised its left arm to block the incoming strike!
With a sickening sound, Charizard's right claw, as sharp as any blade, plunged through Tyranitar's left hand, pierced brutally through, and sank deep into Tyranitar's abdomen!
"Tyranitar—!"
This time it was Tyranitar's turn to cry out in agony.
Seeing this, Silas's eyes lit up and he barked out a command: "Burn! Fire Claw!"
Those simple words were all Charizard needed. Instantly, the left claw gripping Tyranitar's right arm burst into black fire, the flames spreading over both fighters and engulfing them completely. Charizard's right paw balled into a fist, an eerie glow of black and white crackling there as it slammed again and again at Tyranitar!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
BAM!!
Each hit landed with brutal force, blood spurting everywhere. Tyranitar's body was riddled with wounds, the entire mountaintop soaked in its blood by the time Charizard finally stopped.
"ROAR!"
Charizard tore its claw away from Tyranitar's battered form and let out a resounding roar, proclaiming its victory for all to hear.
Was it over?
For a brief instant, Silas relaxed.
That's when he heard a calm, chilling voice that made his face go pale—Tyranitar, sounding almost casual: "Not bad. It's been ages since I was hurt like this. But… isn't it unfair that only I take the beating?"
Monster!
Silas's face changed instantly. He shouted, "Get airborne!"
"Roar…"
Charizard heard him and immediately tried to soar upward. But it never even cleared a meter. Tyranitar's hand clamped onto its tail, yanking Charizard back down. Then Tyranitar's left claw slashed across Charizard's face, drawing another roar of pain.
"Fight back!"
Silas barked a single word. If escape was impossible, there was nothing left but to see who held out the longest.
"ROAR!" One of Charizard's eyes was already swollen shut, but it let out another war cry and slammed its Fire Claw at Tyranitar again!
BAM!
Tyranitar didn't dodge. It countered with a savage Dark Claw aimed straight at Charizard.
"Charizard!"
"Tyranitar!"
"Charizard!"
"Tyranitar!"
And so, high on that lonely mountain, Charizard and Tyranitar waged pure, unrestrained war—a spectacle of raw violence without pretense or mercy. All strategy and defense were abandoned. Each was consumed with the need to scar the other, not with technique or control, but with sheer will, grit, and perhaps madness. Blood quickly stained the entire summit red.