"Roar--!!"
Charizard appeared at the forefront, the flames at the tip of its tail suddenly flaring up. It spread its arms, puffed out its chest, and unleashed a torrent of searing hot fire.
Alakazam moved behind Charizard, crossing its spoons, its psychic powers extending to form a psychic shield that covered the narrow cross-section of the tunnel.
At the same time.
From the 'cannon' on the opposite side, enough power had also accumulated as crimson flames surged forth.
They clashed head-on with Charizard's Flamethrower.
But the result.
Lance's expression shifted slightly.
Charizard's feet gripped the ground tightly, continually retreating, leaving deep claw marks in its wake.
The collision with the flames on the other side left Charizard at an absolute disadvantage the instant they connected.
And this could only mean one thing.
The Pokémon on the opposite side had the strength of an Elite Candidate level!
Charizard was exerting every effort just to withstand it.
The most frustrating thing was the narrowness of the space, which made it impossible for Lance's Pokémon to fully spread out and fight.
The opponent evidently had it all planned out, deliberately leaving such a narrow passage as a trap for them to walk into.
It was an open conspiracy.
Even though Natsuhiko and Lance knew the opponent was very likely waiting for them at the tunnel's exit, they had no choice but to press on.
As Charizard struggled to hold its ground.
The attacking Pokémon finally appeared in their sight.
Its body was rotund, with red and yellow interspersed, the fur seemed to burn like flames, and a flame-encircled pattern adorned its belly. Its thick lips curled into a smile like a duck's bill, and each breath it exhaled turned into fire.
But the most striking feature was undoubtedly its arms, which resembled enormous cannons.
One of them was constantly spewing fire, forcing Lance's Charizard to retreat step by step.
"What kind of Pokémon is that?!" Lance exclaimed in bewilderment upon seeing it.
For he had never encountered such a Pokémon before.
But Natsuhiko knew.
Magmortar!
The evolved form of Magmar, a pure Fire-type Pokémon.
Upon seeing the cannon-like arms, Natsuhiko considered the possibility of it being such a Pokémon.
Yet he remembered that the alliance hadn't discovered Magmortar's further evolution.
But actually seeing Magmortar forced him to acknowledge it.
Under the watchful eyes of Natsuhiko and Lance, Magmortar disdainfully glanced at Charizard, slowly lifting its other cannon.
Their expressions darkened at the sight.
This situation...
"Heh, didn't expect this, did you?" A raspy and deep voice sounded from behind Magmortar.
A middle-aged man, roughly in his forties, with disheveled hair and a stained lab coat, hands in his pockets, appeared slowly.
His face was a bit pale, yet his expression was unmistakably maniacal.
Their target this time, Baird, a researcher in the alliance and one of the genetic database administrators!
"Magmortar, continue, Jet Flame!" Baird commanded.
At his words, the other cannon of Magmortar gathered energy.
At this moment!
They had to devise a plan.
Natsuhiko's eyes flickered.
He indeed knew a way.
They could have Alakazam use Instant Movement to escape, but that would exclude Charizard, which was currently holding back Magmortar's attack with all its might.
Abandon Lance's Charizard?
Even if Lance knew Natsuhiko meant well, it wouldn't be long before their relationship fractured.
If the space weren't so confined, they might have been able to let a few Pokémon team up, at least making it less taxing.
To use Snorlax... Natsuhiko considered.
His hand unconsciously reached towards his waist.
No, there's another way!
"Natsuhiko!"
Just then, Lance's voice suddenly rang out.
He kept a stern gaze on Charizard, not noticing Natsuhiko's action, and simply continued, "Don't worry about me. I know you can leave; it's my fault for not being thorough enough this time. You go first, we'll cover the rear!"
No one could have anticipated Baird possessing a Magmortar.
An Elite Candidate at that.
This was not information provided by the alliance.
So the fault lies not with Lance but with the alliance.
But now, arguing blame would be foolish.
"Lance, are you willing to take a big gamble?" Natsuhiko growled.
Confidence shone brightly on Lance's face.
Even though Charizard was suppressed, his confidence remained unshaken.
"Why not?" Lance grinned.
"Have your Dragonite and Aerodactyl... blow this place up!" Natsuhiko's eyes glimmered.
Hearing this.
Lance paused.
Without even asking about their escape, he unwaveringly placed his trust in Natsuhiko.
"Dragonite! Aerodactyl!"
The two Pokémon understood.
"Alakazam." Alakazam withdrew its psychic shield and moved beside Natsuhiko.
Without Alakazam's obstruction, the terrifying heat wave surged forth, instantly soaking their backs with sweat.
The next second.
Almost simultaneously.
The second cannon on Magmortar's arm gleamed with a blinding white light, firing a second flame.
Dragonite and Aerodactyl opened their mouths, ejecting two relatively smaller flame pillars that shot through the gaps on either side of Charizard towards the others.
Natsuhiko recalled Beedrill and Togekiss, then placed a hand on Alakazam's shoulder.
The psychic powers fused instantly and rapidly expanded, enveloping Natsuhiko and Lance.
In a corner hidden from Lance's sight.
A brilliant rainbow light emanated from Natsuhiko's pocket, barely noticeable in the fire-red tunnel.
The super evolution energy flickered on Alakazam's chest.
Natsuhiko's Keystone resonated with Alakazam's Super Evolution Stone.
Mega evolution?
No!
But Natsuhiko never utilized the Keystone to activate Alakazam's Super Evolution Stone, merely using the strength of their shared connection to help meld their psychic powers more completely.
Alakazam's psychic ability was inherently unique, while Natsuhiko's powers had recently been greatly enhanced.
What's key to merging psychic powers?
Balance!
Natsuhiko's psychic powers had always fallen short compared to Alakazam's; even when their powers merged, the strength limit was still dictated by Natsuhiko's weakness.
Now, Natsuhiko's psychic powers might lack compared to Alakazam's, but he resembles the weakest plank in the barrel theory.
The shortest plank is now longer, naturally allowing for more water to be held.
Besides.
They didn't need to endure the brunt of the impact; they only needed to withstand a portion of the relatively direct aftermath.
So... it was enough!
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion resounded within the narrow tunnel, with countless rock fragments erupting from the blast.
Baird, at the entrance, was standing behind Magmortar but was still forced to stagger back from the blast wave.
Magmortar, too, had to halt its flame release.
Avoiding the blast impact.
As the noise from the explosion subsided, and only the sound of rocks colliding and rolling echoed incessantly within the tunnel.
Hum—
A sudden spatial ripple emerged behind Baird.
Within the distorted space, accompanied by psychic fluctuations, stepped out two seemingly a bit disheveled figures.
Natsuhiko, adjusting his hat and lowering his gaze, and Lance, head held high with a glowing gaze and a billowing cloak behind him.
Yet, Lance grinned at Baird, revealing his pearly white teeth.
"Thanks for the gift... now, it's our turn!"
-------
Chapter Seven! More, more~~ Continue, continue~~