"What do you think, Gengar?"
"Wasn't I right about what I said?"
"Evolution is the sublimation of life; it has no limits. Not only Magmar— even you can continue evolving."
After returning Magmortar to its Poké Ball, Ethan smiled and looked at the Gengar floating beside him.
"...Kekeke?"
Gengar's eyes widened slightly.
Could he also evolve?
Gengar felt that such a thing was impossible, but seeing that Ethan had successfully evolved Magmar into Magmortar, he began to doubt his own judgment.
"Then how about we make a bet?"
"If I manage to help you complete your evolution, you'll become my Pokémon."
Ethan turned his head and smiled at the Gengar floating beside him, a playful hint in his tone.
Hearing those words, Gengar froze for a moment, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the Poké Ball of Magmortar in Ethan's hand.
He didn't know why, but deep down, he began to believe in Ethan a little.
Ethan also noticed Gengar's hesitation, and the corner of his lips slowly curved upward.
Since Gengar was tempted, that meant there was still a chance to capture him. However, merely obtaining Gengar's recognition didn't seem enough; he still needed the League's approval.
But if he could successfully capture Gengar, his team would gain a Quasi-Elite–level Pokémon, directly raising the overall strength of the team to a whole new level.
"There's no rush about this. Right now, I don't have many clues on how to make you evolve again either."
Seeing Gengar's uncertainty, Ethan smiled and spoke, giving him time to think it over calmly.
Gengar seemed to let out a sigh of relief; his figure flickered and slipped into the shadow behind Ethan, disappearing.
"Next, I'll start working on the paper about Magmortar's evolution. And there's also the Cross Cup in July—it'll be the best opportunity for Magmortar to shine."
Ethan pondered his next steps as he mounted Charizard and left the Secret Kingdom.
...
At the same time, in the Volcanic Mountain Range.
"Still haven't found that Secret Kingdom where the Legendary Pokémon is hiding?"
Brandon Jones's voice carried a trace of irritation. Quite some time had already passed since they deduced the approximate location of that Legendary Pokémon, yet they still couldn't find the Secret Kingdom where it was concealed.
"Not yet..."
The man in the red robe frowned. The sphere in his hand, which emitted a red glow, had gone dark at some unknown point.
"Damn it, that Legendary Pokémon is a key piece of our 'Demonic Beast Awakening Plan.' We can't let it slip away."
Brandon's expression grew increasingly unpleasant. They had gone to great lengths to trace that Legendary Pokémon and even managed to obtain the position of Gym Leader of Emberfall City. Yet that Legendary Pokémon was hiding far too well!
"The opening of Secret Kingdoms follows no pattern—we can only wait. As long as we keep watch over the Volcanic Mountain Range, that Legendary Pokémon won't be able to escape."
"Also, the Pokémon Trainers' Guild of Emberfall City has just sent a notice: the challenger for the gym evaluation has already arrived."
The man in the red robe shrugged helplessly and suddenly remembered the message sent by the guild, informing Brandon.
"A gym challenger? Right now?"
Brandon frowned, a look of displeasure on his face.
"Forget it. Go prepare everything. Deal with him quickly— the gym evaluation isn't important."
After a moment, Brandon waved his hand and spoke.
...
Pokémon Trainers' Guild of Emberfall City.
After successfully completing Magmortar's evolution, Ethan went to the guild to register and undergo the gym evaluation.
"Leader Brandon has already responded. We can head to the Emberfall City Gym right away."
After receiving the response, the staff member smiled at Ethan.
"Alright, thank you very much."
Ethan smiled lightly, completely at ease.
After so many gym evaluations, he already felt quite calm about this kind of challenge.
Soon, guided by the staff, Ethan arrived at the Emberfall City Gym.
Inside the gym, Brandon was already standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, clearly having waited for quite some time.
"You finally arrived, challenger."
"Then let's begin right away."
Seeing Ethan arrive, Brandon immediately opened his eyes.
"Hello, Leader Brandon. I am the challenger, Ethan Black."
Ethan nodded politely and took his position on the opposite side of the battlefield.
Seeing this, the staff from the Trainers' Guild quickly set up the devices around the field.
"The gym battle between the Emberfall City Gym Leader, Brandon Jones, and the challenger, Ethan Black, begins now."
With the referee's announcement, Brandon took out a Poké Ball. A flash of white light shone, and a Camerupt appeared on the field.
Camerupt resembles a camel; its body is primarily reddish-orange. The humps on its back have a rock-like structure, resembling volcanoes. It is said that it stores magma inside its body, reaching temperatures of nearly ten thousand degrees Celsius.
"Camerupt? And its aura is really strong."
Ethan's gaze turned serious. After hesitating for a moment, he sent Charizard into battle.
"Charizard, this opponent isn't simple—be careful," Ethan warned. "Use Sunny Day!"
"Charrrzz!"
Charizard responded with a roar, opened its mouth, and spat out a small sun that quickly rose into the sky.
"So it's the move Sunny Day?"
A hint of interest appeared in Brandon's eyes, and he didn't try to stop Charizard from using Sunny Day.
After all, the Emberfall City Gym was famous for specializing in Fire-type Pokémon. Under sunny weather, his Pokémon could display their power even better.
"And now, use Flamethrower as a greeting!"
Seeing that Sunny Day had been successfully established, Ethan smiled slightly.
Although the opponent's Pokémon was also Fire-type, Sunny Day mainly benefited Charizard, which possessed the ability Solar Power.
"Charrrzz!"
Feeling the energy continuously pouring down from the small sun in the sky, Charizard roared upward. Fire-type energy gathered around its mouth and then transformed into a massive blaze that shot forward.
"That Fire-type power..."
"I see—Solar Power?"
Worthy of being a Fire-type specialist, Brandon recognized the extraordinariness of Ethan's Charizard at a glance.
"Camerupt, we'll use Flamethrower too!"
Even though he already knew about Charizard's ability, Brandon chose to confront it head-on.
Camerupt moved instantly; energy surged from the "volcano" on its back, and as it opened its mouth, it released a pillar of fire.
Boom!
In an instant, the two torrents of flames collided.
Then, to Ethan's disbelief, Camerupt's Flamethrower completely suppressed Charizard's Flamethrower, pierced straight through it, and struck Charizard directly, blasting it into the air with scorching force.
(End of chapter)