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Generally speaking, the speed referred to in Pokémon has two meanings: one is its own movement speed, and the other is attack speed.
Skills or abilities that increase speed will boost both, though the increase in attack speed will be slightly less compared to movement speed.
But even so, the twofold speed increase brought by Chlorophyll was an incredibly terrifying boost for Venusaur!
Furthermore, with Sunny Day active, Solar Beam didn't require any charging, allowing this powerful ultimate move to be fired instantly.
The light of Solar Beam was reflected in Charmeleon's eyes; at this range, even if he could predict the attack, he couldn't dodge it.
'Envelop yourself in Flare Blitz, then use Fire Punch from within to block it!'
Ash's command instantly transferred from his brain to Charmeleon's mind. Charmeleon's body immediately burst into vibrant crimson flames. Within the crimson flames, Charmeleon swung his claw, unleashing a powerful punch!
"Boom!!"
An unprecedented explosion erupted in the center of the arena. Waves of shock from the explosion continuously impacted the barrier, creating ripples.
The impact caused by the aftermath alone was no weaker than when Vileplume directly used Solar Beam earlier. It was hard to imagine how powerful the energy at the center of the explosion truly was!
Misty and Brock's hearts were in their throats. At this range, even a Solar Beam weakened by Light Screen would likely inflict terrifying damage on Charmeleon.
Could Charmeleon block it?
A second later, a figure flew out from the smoke, tumbling two or three times on the ground. Ash also grunted, instinctively clutching his arm, a hint of pain on his face.
The figure sent flying was, of course, Charmeleon. At that distance, even with two Fire-type moves for defense, the level gap between them was significant. Moreover, in his haste, Charmeleon couldn't fully mobilize all his energy.
If it weren't for Ash, he wouldn't have been able to use Flare Blitz plus Fire Punch, or even a single Fire Punch!
Under Aura synchronization, Ash also had a certain degree of initiative. After giving the command, he began to mobilize the energy within his body along with Charmeleon, barely managing to use those two moves before Solar Beam hit.
But Charmeleon still sustained considerable damage, and Ash, linked to Charmeleon, also empathetically endured Charmeleon's pain.
Frankly, if that move had hit him, it wouldn't even have broken his defense, just like Gengar's Shadow Ball back then.
But with that move hitting Charmeleon, he, being linked to Charmeleon, would also suffer the pain Charmeleon felt, both physically and mentally.
"To take that move head-on with Fire Punch, but in terms of damage dealt, we still have the upper hand. Go, Charmeleon, victory is in sight!" Ash straightened up and encouraged Charmeleon.
Charmeleon also supported himself and stood up from the ground, looking a bit disheveled, but his fighting spirit was undiminished, and the flame on his tail burned even more fiercely.
An opponent who could give him such pressure was much more interesting!
After two Fire Punches, Venusaur's stamina was not much left. These were Fire Punches under Sunny Day, plus Charmeleon's ability value far exceeding his peers. Two punches down, even a Professional Level beginner would find it hard to bear!
"Victory is in sight? That's not necessarily true. Venusaur, Synthesis." Seeing Venusaur counterattack Charmeleon, Erika's heart, which was like a volcano about to erupt, was instantly doused with a massive amount of ice, making her feel incredibly refreshed!
She had now regained her composure and commanded Venusaur to use Synthesis.
Previously, Vileplume wanted to use Synthesis but was stopped by Kirlia's annoying Confuse Ray.
As for now... try using Confuse Ray on me again? Or at least try Teleport plus Fire Punch?
You can't, right? If you can't, then just watch Venusaur use Synthesis!
At Charmeleon's speed, it was impossible to stop Venusaur.
Ash's expression stiffened. It was his turn to be annoyed. Synthesis under Sunny Day could almost fully restore Venusaur's stamina in one go, rendering all their previous attacks basically useless.
How could there be such an annoying move as Synthesis?
"Charmeleon, Fire Blast!!"
"Roar!!" Charmeleon took a deep breath, then roared, spewing a Fire Blast in the shape of the Chinese character 'big' (big) from his mouth. The scorching temperature raised the temperature of the entire arena by dozens of degrees; the air seemed to be evaporated by the flames at this moment.
"It's useless. Solar Beam."
Venusaur, having recovered somewhat, stopped Synthesis and then once again spewed a golden beam of immense energy from its flower, colliding with Fire Blast.
"Boom!"
The two attacks were locked in a stalemate, but after a moment, Fire Blast showed signs of faltering.
An Advanced Peak-level Pokémon battling a Professional Level one was ultimately too much, even with Aura synchronization.
"Sizzle!!"
Despite having a type advantage, Fire Blast was the first to crumble.
The burning Fire Blast was directly pierced by Solar Beam, aiming straight for Charmeleon!
"Boom!!"
Charmeleon, continuously outputting Fire Blast, couldn't possibly dodge, so he was hit by Solar Beam once again. Smoke billowed from where Charmeleon was, making it seem like the outcome of this match was already decided.
Misty even turned her head away, unable to watch.
Since traveling with Ash, when had Ash ever been beaten so badly?
However, this time there was truly no way. Even with the advantage of time and terrain, the human factor was lacking.
If Charmeleon's strength had been just a little bit greater, the outcome might have been different. Advanced Peak and Professional Level Beginner... that's a difference of two major stages!
Unless a Legendary Pokémon intervened, what Pokémon could cross these two major stages?
Ash and Charmeleon had done their best.
As the smoke slowly dissipated, Charmeleon lay on the ground, and Ash also knelt down, his expression clearly showing pain.
"Hey, Ash, are you okay?" Erika keenly noticed that Ash's condition wasn't right. Charmeleon was fighting, but why did Ash look as uncomfortable as Charmeleon?
She heard that Psychics could share their Psychic power with Pokémon, thereby boosting the Pokémon's strength, but similarly, the damage taken by the Pokémon would also rebound on the Psychic. Once the Pokémon was injured or lost its ability to battle, it would be a mutually destructive outcome.
Ash couldn't possibly have such an ability, could he?
If so, that would explain why Charmeleon could display such terrifying strength at Advanced Peak level.
"I'm fine, let's continue..." Ash took a deep breath and slowly stood up from his kneeling position.
"Continue? Your condition isn't good, and Charmeleon has already lost its ability to battle. Even if you want to fight, you should recall him and send out your next Pokémon."
Erika said, looking at the beautiful Gym official serving as the referee. The referee nodded and waved the flag in her hand: "Charmeleon has lost its ability to battle, Venusaur wins..."
"Roar..." A low growl interrupted the referee's announcement. Both the beautiful referee and Erika cast surprised glances at the Charmeleon lying on the ground.
They saw Charmeleon's arm slowly moving, eventually supporting itself and slowly standing up from the ground!
That last attack didn't make him lose his ability to battle?
Erika's pretty face showed obvious surprise. Even with Light Screen for defense, given his opponent's level, after taking two Solar Beams and using so many moves himself, he should have been unable to stand.
Was he standing purely on willpower now?
"We... can still fight!"
"Roar!!" Charmeleon stood up completely, a thunderous roar echoing through the Gym. Scorching flames shot into the sky; those weren't flames spewed by Charmeleon, but the flames on his tail!
At this moment, the flame on Charmeleon's tail was even larger than his entire body!
Blaze!!
"Did he activate the Blaze ability? But isn't this flame a bit too big?" Erika knew what was happening when she saw the flames behind Charmeleon.
The Blaze ability is activated when a Pokémon's stamina drops below one-third. It boosts the Pokémon's Fire-type damage by fifty percent, making it a formidable boosting ability.
However, Erika had never encountered Blaze of this magnitude before. Judging by the intensity of the flame, it didn't seem like it was only a fifty percent increase.
But the appearance of Blaze also indicated that Charmeleon's stamina had truly reached an extremely low point. If he was hit by one more move, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold on.
At this point, they were merely putting up a desperate struggle.
"Venusaur, use Synthesis!"
This time, Erika learned her lesson. She no longer actively attacked but chose to restore Venusaur's stamina.
If she attacked proactively, she might be dodged by Charmeleon's strange movements from before, which would only create an opening for herself.
But the reverse was different.
Erika had already discovered Charmeleon's weakness: attacking!
Charmeleon's overall strength was far inferior to Venusaur's. The reason he could dodge Venusaur's attacks was due to some unknown pre-cognition ability.
By perceiving Venusaur's attack trajectory and then dodging in advance, he was able to evade all of Venusaur's attacks.
However, the two attacks Venusaur landed were both because Charmeleon attacked, and she seized the opportunity of Charmeleon's attack to counterattack him.
As long as their attack timings overlapped, Charmeleon would be unable to make predictive dodges because he was attacking.
If he waited until his attack ended to dodge, it would be too late.
So... now she just needed to wait for Charmeleon to attack. The moment he blew his attack horn would also be the time of his defeat!
"Synthesis again... Charmeleon, go, Flare Blitz!!" Ash's expression hardened, and he crouched slightly. Charmeleon also took the same stance as Ash.
At this moment, their synchronization seemed to have improved once again.
The next instant, Charmeleon shot forward, his entire body instantly engulfed in raging flames. The scorching flames burned on the field as Charmeleon, like a giant fireball, shot towards Venusaur!
The sunlight from the Gym ceiling streamed down, making the flames on Charmeleon burn even more intensely. At the same time, Venusaur also used the light to restore its stamina to almost full.
"Take it, then finish him with Stomp!" Erika calmly commanded.
The damage from Flare Blitz stacked with Sunny Day was undeniable, but at this level, it was impossible to one-shot a full-stamina Venusaur. As long as Venusaur withstood this attack, it could then counter and finish off the opponent.
As for the stamina lost and damage taken, it could still be recovered later using Synthesis.
At least this victory, she was determined to claim.
The scorching flames reached Venusaur's front and exploded directly!
Blazing fire burned on Venusaur's body. Charmeleon's head collided with Venusaur's head, and both their faces showed a ferocious expression.
The burning pain caused Venusaur's face to show an extremely uncomfortable expression, but he still endured it and raised his two feet, preparing to deliver the final blow to Charmeleon!
"Don't lose to him, Charmeleon!"
"Roar!!!"
Amidst the flames, light shone brightly!
Before everyone's eyes, Charmeleon's body grew increasingly massive, its size gradually becoming comparable to Venusaur's.
The next second, the light within the flames dissipated, revealing its transformed figure.
Even under the shroud of flames, it was clearly visible that the newborn Charmeleon's single horn had split into two, its tail had become thicker and longer, its body had grown larger, and a pair of massive wings had sprouted from its back!
Evolution — Charizard!
Erika: ...Evolved again? Is this never-ending?
First Gardevoir, now Charizard. Are your Pokémon specifically targeting me to exploit? Am I the only one left with evolution forms?
Erika, who had just managed to calm down, felt her mental defenses crack slightly again. It wasn't that her psychological barrier was weak; it was just that the events she encountered today could only be described as unbelievable.
She tolerated the annoying tactics, she tolerated the inexplicable power boosts, she tolerated the pre-cognitive dodging, but how could she tolerate these two consecutive evolutions!
Was this guy here to challenge the Gym or to mess with her mind?
Just when she was about to win, what was with a sudden evolution?
"Venusaur, stomp down! Even if he evolved, it can't change his current state of being on his last legs. Finish him off directly!"
"Fly up!"
"Block it with Fire Punch, then use Fire Blast!" Ash chose not to dodge, but to directly take Venusaur's Stomp head-on!
After evolving, it was a time of surging momentum. How could he dodge at such a moment? Even if he lost, he would lose standing!
"Thud!!"
Venusaur's two front limbs stomped down hard. The flames on Charizard's body dissipated at this moment, but his fists still burned with scorching flames. Fists against feet, a muffled sound rang out, and the vibrating shockwaves flew out in rings of air current.
Both Charizard and Ash grunted, but they gritted their teeth, enduring the attack. Then Charizard opened his gaping maw, and a fierce, incomparable blaze gushed forth!!!