So after Ash's Charizard evolved, it likely inherited both Dragon and Fire attributes, making it even more formidable than before!
Originally, the Dragon Type, which was weak to Ice, is now not a weakness at all with the Fire Type's support.
Moreover, the Rock Type attack that could deal four times the damage to Charizard is now only double... it's really a troublesome evolution!
"Cloyster, it's our turn to counterattack, use Rock Blast!" Even though it's only double the effectiveness now, it's better than nothing. Lorelei decisively commanded Cloyster to use its Skill Link attack, Rock Blast.
With Cloyster's "Skill Link" ability, Rock Blast can directly hit up to a maximum of five hits!
"Spah!" Cloyster opened its massive shell, forming a giant rock in front of it, which flew towards Charizard!
"Dragon Claw!" The current Charizard was fearless in facing opponents head-on. Against the Rock Blast, Ash did not intend for Charizard to dodge but to charge forward!
"Roar——!" A bright green energy claw flashed on Charizard's claws, and it suddenly swung its arms, delivering a fierce strike! In an instant, the approaching rock was shattered into pieces, with fragments flying everywhere!
After smashing a Rock Blast, Charizard flapped its wings, quickly closing in on Cloyster. One after another, large rocks rapidly formed in front of Cloyster's shell, shooting towards Charizard.
Flying in the air, Charizard's green Dragon Claw drew sharp arcs under the sunlight. As the second rock approached, it swung its left claw horizontally, the energy blade slicing into the rock's texture like a sharp knife. With a crisp "crack," the whole rock disintegrated into scattered debris.
The third, the fourth... all the stones were sliced apart like tofu by Charizard, easily smashed, inspiring awe, and stirring hot-blooded excitement.
This kind of intense, melee combat is what makes the battle exciting!
Several seconds later, Charizard broke through Cloyster's skills and reached Cloyster, causing Lorelei's expression to grow solemn. At this moment, using Protect would be pointless, as it would only repeat their previous scenario.
Thus, Lorelei chose to let Cloyster fight back directly: "Cloyster, use Hydro Pump!!"
At this distance, using Hydro Pump means that no matter how fast Charizard is, it won't be able to dodge!
In a blink of an eye, a massive water ball gathered before Cloyster, which then erupted into a water column, the blue flow reflected in Charizard's eyes.
"Dragon Rush!!" Charizard maintained its charging momentum, so using Dragon Rush, which requires charging to unleash, was not a problem in this situation.
"Roar——!" Charizard's roar reverberated across the battlefield, its body wrapped in intense blue Dragon Attribute energy, wings taut like blades, accelerating fiercely as it dove! The forward-charging figure turned into a dazzling stream of light, heading straight for the core of the Hydro Pump!
"Boom!" The blue Dragon Attribute energy collided violently with the blue water flow, and the furious power tore a path through the water, spraying it like torrential rain, misting the air. Charizard thundered through, tearing a gap in the Hydro Pump directly!
The once unstoppable Hydro Pump was ripped apart into a mist, not even a drop wetting Charizard's scales! Lorelei's pupils contracted, her face showing shock; she never expected Charizard's Dragon Rush to hold such terrifying penetration power!
Even the power of Hydro Pump couldn't budge it an inch, showing that its strength had surpassed Cloyster's.
And this time, Dragon Rush's damage was unusually high, probably also benefiting from the ability bonus, indicating Charizard's characteristic was Tough Claws!
Tough Claws—Increases the power of contact moves by 30%.
Though it's described as claws, in reality, any close combat move benefits from this trait, and Dragon Rush is a melee move.
Dragon Rush, already potent, nearly matches explosive moves like Overheat or Flare Blitz under the boost of Tough Claws.
Furthermore, Charizard's inherent strength exceeds Cloyster's, making it able to tear through Hydro Pump effortlessly.
"Spah?!" Before Cloyster could recover from the shock of Hydro Pump's breach, Charizard crashed into it like a meteor!
The blue Dragon Attribute energy exploded with immense force, making Cloyster's massive shell emit a sharp "crack," already marked with many scars, its entire body launched backwards toward the stands. The audience on Cloyster's side instinctively shielded themselves, closing their eyes.
But with a boom, they found they weren't hurt. Lowering their arms, they realized Cloyster seemed to hit an invisible barrier, not falling outside the arena.
It was then that the audience finally understood that an invisible shield seemed to cover the whole arena, preventing the attacks from spreading outside the arena.
Otherwise, such intense battles would already have left the surrounding stands in ruins.
The condition of the arena itself was proof enough, as the once solid ground became potholed and tattered.
"Charizard, the final strike, Flare Blitz!!" Ash shouted, giving the final order.
"Roar!!" Charizard's roar carried the blazing heat, wings flaring wide, igniting in vivid multicolored flames! Even the air warped with heat, leaving a sizzling sound!
Under the Tough Claws trait, the potency of Flare Blitz increased further, surpassing even moves like Overheat in power!
The next moment, Charizard dove down like a scorching meteor, leaving a long trail of brilliant flames in the sky.
"Protect!" Lorelei's face was grave; if this strike wasn't blocked, the battle might truly be over.
"Spah!" Cloyster struggled, half-opening its eyes, gathering scattered internal power to form a pale blue barrier, thin but capable of deflecting any attack.
"Boom!!!" An ear-splitting boom erupted, visible shockwaves expanding outward, a terrifying storm surging in the arena!
The entire arena filled with swirling dust and heat, but those outside the field felt none of the impact from inside.
Under normal circumstances, they might wonder about the protective shield, which even resisted such impacts without releasing a single echo, but now, their focus was wholly on the clash itself.
Flare Blitz pressed hard against the Protect barrier, colorful flames scattering as if bounced away, yet at its center, Charizard remained firm, pushing furiously against the recoil!
Seconds passed, with everyone outside almost forgetting to breathe, as though they were ones fighting in the arena.
A full half-minute later, the standoff finally shifted!
The glow of the Protect barrier dimmed gradually, then seconds later, under everyone's gaze, began to crack, ultimately shattering with a roar!
"Roar!!" Breaking through the Protect, Charizard roared once more, its colorful flames growing denser. Besides Ash, no one noticed a flicker of black within those flames!
While Ash was stunned by that flicker, Charizard's flames had already fully engulfed Cloyster!
Unmatched flames spread across the arena, turning it into a fiery battlefield!