Two pillars of fire surged once again, colliding midair.
Under the intense heat, the temperature across the entire battlefield kept rising.
At this point, both Blaziken and Charizard had used Flame Charge to raise their speed to the limit, making their attacks even fiercer.
Before the flames could fade, Blaziken used Aerial Ace and disappeared from sight.
It was said that Blaziken could leap higher than a thirty-story building.
Though that claim referred to stronger Blaziken, it still proved just how incredible its jumping power was.
Empowered by Aerial Ace and the speed boost, Blaziken moved through the air as if it had teleported.
Yet Charizard's reaction was no slower.
Almost at the same moment Blaziken launched its attack, Charizard followed Gu Yuan's command and used Heat Wave.
The hot air descended, immediately suppressing Blaziken's offense.
Holding the advantage in the air, Charizard was difficult to approach, no matter how fast or how high Blaziken could leap.
"Now, use Dragon Rush!"
This time, Gu Yuan didn't let Blaziken land safely. Instead, he continued attacking, intending to finish the match.
"Blaziken, use Fire Blast!"
Neil had already prepared for this and instantly ordered a counterattack.
Blazing fire erupted, forming a massive fiery kanji in front of Blaziken.
"Boom!"
When Dragon Rush and Fire Blast collided, an explosion occurred, sending powerful shockwaves across the field.
At the center of the blast, Charizard inevitably took some damage, but Blaziken lost its balance.
"Charizard, use Heat Wave to disrupt Blaziken's stance, then Air Slash!"
The hot air gathered again, and even though Neil ordered Blaziken to retaliate with Heat Wave, the air currents spread violently.
Blaziken completely lost its balance.
Facing two Air Slash attacks from Charizard, it managed to destroy only one.
The other hit Blaziken directly.
Because of Charizard's Flying type, Air Slash was especially effective.
Pain spread sharply, and though Blaziken endured it, it still gave Charizard a chance to strike again.
Two more Air Slash attacks landed, carving an X-shaped wound across Blaziken's chest.
Before it could recover from the pain, Charizard unleashed another Dragon Rush.
Flames gathered.
Through sheer willpower, Blaziken followed Neil's order and used Flamethrower, but it couldn't stop Charizard's charge.
The fire scattered, and Blaziken was slammed into the ground.
Two more Air Slash attacks fell; just as Blaziken's Blaze ability triggered, it fainted, losing the ability to battle.
The fight ended, and the entire arena fell silent for a moment.
No one had expected that the once unremarkable Gu Yuan could defeat Neil, one of the favorites for the top three.
Watching the referee announce the result, Gu Yuan recalled Charizard and left the field.
Charizard had taken heavy damage in the final exchange and was exhausted. Gu Yuan needed to let it recover quickly before the afternoon battle.
When he returned to the waiting room, no one dared underestimate him anymore.
Everyone had seen the match. Gu Yuan's victory wasn't due to luck but pure strength.
What worried them most was that no one knew if Gu Yuan still had hidden power, since his performance so far had left a deep impression.
That afternoon, the elimination rounds continued. With his current strength, Gu Yuan easily advanced.
By then, he, Reima Mizutani, and Ayako were recognized as the top three competitors of the tournament.
After the elimination matches ended, Gu Yuan returned to the hotel to study strategies for his upcoming Gym battle.
"By now, that kid should have arrived. I hope he succeeds, so the reward I prepared will surprise him even more."
At a secret base, Shadow murmured softly after glancing at the date.
***
"Excuse me, please come with me."
In the waiting room of the Saffron Gym, a staff member's voice pulled Gu Yuan out of his deep reading.
Following the staff member, he arrived at an ordinary battlefield. On the opposite side stood Sabrina, already prepared.
This Sabrina was different from the one Ash would meet later. She hadn't lost her sanity yet, but the pressure she unconsciously gave off still made Gu Yuan tense.
"Release your strongest Pokémon. One battle will decide the winner."
Without the referee even explaining the rules, Sabrina's voice echoed directly in Gu Yuan's mind.
A moment later, an Alakazam appeared on the battlefield.
"Go, Charizard!"
The Poké Ball opened, and the fire-clad Charizard launched an attack immediately.
Blazing flames surged toward Alakazam.
In the next instant, Psychic energy enveloped Alakazam, blocking the Flamethrower.
But Charizard's offense had only just begun.
It used another Flamethrower, which spread into a fiery net raining down over Alakazam.
Seeing this, Sabrina's eyes glinted, but her expression remained calm.
Psychic energy spread out, instantly shattering Charizard's Flamethrower.
Opening his data panel, Gu Yuan couldn't help but check Alakazam's stats again.
There was no helping it; the power of its Psychic was astonishing.
Suddenly, a thought struck Gu Yuan.
It was said that once a Psychic broke through to the Advanced stage, they could merge their psychic power with their Psychic-type Pokémon, enhancing the Pokémon's strength.
To test this theory, Gu Yuan ordered, "Charizard, Fire Blast again!"
Flames surged, forming a massive fiery kanji that fell toward Alakazam.
With just another calm Psychic, Alakazam shattered the Fire Blast instantly.
Confirming his suspicion, Gu Yuan gave up on winning. He only wanted Charizard to show its full spirit.
"Charizard, charge with Flame Charge, then trap it with Flamethrower!"
Flames rose as Charizard dove, launching Flamethrower first.
Psychic light flashed; Alakazam countered with Psychic, easily breaking the flames apart.
"Dodge!"
Gu Yuan shouted, and Charizard quickly veered aside.
In the next second, Alakazam waved its hands, sending two Psycho Cut blades flying.
"Charizard,use Fire Blast!"
Stabilizing its stance, Charizard released the burning kanji.
"Charizard, soar with Flame Charge, then use Dragon Rush again!"
Fixing his eyes on Alakazam, Gu Yuan had only one goal left: to see if Charizard could seize even a brief advantage.