Mega Charizard X was a completely different existence from an ordinary Charizard.
Charizard's physical strength was only average, but its Special Attack was outstanding.
That was why moves such as Fire Punch, Dragon Claw, Flare Blitz, or Wing Attack never hit particularly hard.
But when it unleashed moves like Flamethrower, Fire Blast, or Explosion, its destructive force was truly overwhelming.
Yet once Charizard underwent Mega Evolution into Mega Charizard X, everything changed. Its body became a fortress of raw strength, its physical attacks growing terrifyingly powerful.
With the added boost from Tough Claws, its power became even greater.
In other words, when Mega Charizard X used Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, or Dragon Claw, the results were devastating.
"Tough Claws… claw-based moves are boosted by fifty percent!" Yozora's heart stirred with excitement.
With Triple Tough Claws, the boost reached one hundred and fifty percent.
At present, Yozora's Charizard only knew one claw-based move—Dragon Claw.
But Dragon Claw was already the strongest among claw-based techniques.
Its base power was 80. With a one-hundred-and-fifty percent boost, that became 200, and with the same-type attack bonus stacked on top, its might rose even further.
To think—even Z-Moves capped out at a base power of 200.
And Z-Moves could only be used once in a full six-on-six battle.
But Yozora's Mega Charizard X could casually unleash a Dragon Claw rivaling the force of a Z-Move.
What's more—
For Mega Charizard X, Dragon Claw cost almost no energy to use. It could strike again and again without pause.
A terrifyingly destructive attack, unleashed continuously as if firing off consecutive Z-Moves… who could withstand that?
"Even though Mega Evolution makes it lose Triple Blaze, having Triple Tough Claws is just as good. Dragon Claw will be an instant kill." Yozora smiled faintly.
Of course, in its normal state, Charizard still possessed Triple Blaze. If a battle couldn't be won in base form, Blaze would activate.
And if even that wasn't enough, then he could always call upon Mega Evolution.
"So cool! Mega Charizard!" Reina's eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at the blazing dragon.
Mr. Fuji, too, was filled with awe and satisfaction. To see such a magnificent Charizard in person—he had no regrets left.
That evening, Yozora stayed overnight at Mr. Fuji's home.
A week later, Yozora arrived at a new city: Eastlin City.
Eastlin City was home to the Eastlin Gym—the final Gym Yozora planned to challenge.
By the time he arrived, the sun was setting. Yozora decided to head to the Pokémon Center first, and leave the Gym for tomorrow.
Not long after, with Dratini perched on his shoulder, Yozora passed by a large plaza.
The plaza was packed with people. From the sound of the cheers, a Pokémon battle was underway.
"Ryūnan is way too strong! His Dragonair is sweeping through everything! As expected of the Blackthorn Clan's core disciple!"
"Yeah! He only debuted this year, and I heard he already has ten badges! No way he's just an ordinary rookie!"
Curious, Yozora squeezed through the crowd for a better look—
And sure enough, it was Ryūnan.
His long blue hair flowed behind him, his sharp features brimming with confidence. The last time Yozora had met him was half a year ago at Mt. Moon.
Six months later, Ryūnan carried himself with even more refined poise.
But the pride in his expression had not diminished in the least.
"Dragonair, use Dragon Pulse!"
Ryūnan's Dragonair overwhelmed its opponent with ease. Watching the scene, Yozora couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
Back at Mt. Moon, Ryūnan had also dominated battles—back then, with a Dratini.
Now, half a year later, that Dratini had evolved into Dragonair.
[Dragonair] (Dragon): Lord-tier, pseudo-legendary potential.
"Pseudo-legendary potential…" Yozora's eyes flickered as he read over its stats.
That it had reached Lord-tier was expected. What surprised him was its potential rising to the rank of pseudo-legendary.
Back then, that Dratini had only possessed Champion-level potential.
Perhaps this was the mysterious power of Dragon Force?
It was said that trainers born with Dragon Force, when raising Dragon-types over time, could subtly increase both their levels and their hidden potential.
Gary Oak also had a Dragonair he had raised since it was young. But compared to Ryūnan's, its limits could never reach the same height. The influence of Dragon Force created a gap too wide to bridge.
Of course, Yozora also had a Dratini—one that would one day evolve into Dragonite.
He didn't have Dragon Force, but he had his system. With it, he could easily raise his Dragonite's potential to the highest level.
As for Gary—he too wasn't to be underestimated. After all, Gary's own "cheat" was money.
Ryūnan's Dragonair easily defeated its opponent. He rewarded it with a gentle stroke along its head, then swept his gaze across the crowd.
That was when his eyes locked onto Yozora.
"Yozora… it's you!"
Ryūnan's talent was extraordinary. His journey had been smooth sailing, with almost no true setbacks. Among his peers, aside from Yozora, he had never tasted defeat.
It was precisely because of this that Yozora had left such a deep impression on him.
Ryūnan had long desired to defeat Yozora, to erase the stain upon his pride. Yet even after winning ten badges, their paths had never crossed again—
Until now.
"A Dratini—you've caught one too?" Ryūnan's sharp gaze fell upon the small serpent coiled on Yozora's shoulder.
Dratini were exceedingly rare in the wild, almost mythical in their scarcity.
As a scion of the Blackthorn Clan, Ryūnan knew better than anyone just how precious they were.
And with one look, he could tell Yozora's Dratini possessed Champion-tier potential. Even in the Blackthorn Clan, that was considered excellent.
Of course, there were even rarer cases of pseudo-legendary potential. Those were true kings among dragons.
"Your Dratini should be about three to five years old, right? And it's already preparing to molt. That's unusual. Most Dratini don't shed their skin for the first time until eight, sometimes even ten years old. For yours to be ready this early… you've raised it well."
Ryūnan's words carried genuine admiration.
The crowd immediately began buzzing:
"What?! Three years old and already about to molt?"
"That's unbelievable! Normally it takes at least eight years!"
"This Yozora guy must be a truly incredible trainer!"
Admiring murmurs swept through the plaza.
Yozora only smiled faintly, reaching up to stroke the little dragon on his shoulder.
Dratini let out a soft cry, its bright eyes locked unflinchingly on Ryūnan's Dragonair.
The atmosphere between the two trainers shifted—the clash of dragons was inevitable.
(End of Chapter)