Ritchie's Charizard was stronger than his Pikachu. Although he often spoke of the two as equals, in truth, Charizard was Ritchie's real ace.
That wasn't to say Pikachu was neglected.
In terms of time invested and sheer affection, Pikachu actually won out, otherwise, it could never have reached High level in the first place.
But raw power was another matter entirely.
Charizard surpassed Pikachu by two evolutionary stages and a full rank. Unless Ritchie's Pikachu were as monstrous as Ash's Pikachu, it simply couldn't compete with Charizard head-on.
Of course, whether it was Zippo or Pikachu, neither stood a chance against Ash's Pikachu anyway. And yet...
"Pikachu, come back."
Ash recalled Pikachu.
Against Ritchie's Charizard, Ash had long since prepared the perfect response. This lineup wasn't improvised, it was chosen after carefully studying Ritchie's data.
Pikachu froze for a split second.
After holding back for most of the Indigo Plateau Conference, he had finally gone all-out, crushed an opponent, and even begun to rebuild the confidence Cynthia had shaken.
Only for it to end immediately?
With a soft pika, Pikachu dashed back, ears drooping just a little.
Seeing that expression, Ash crouched down with a chuckle and ruffled Pikachu's head.
"Hey, don't sulk. The really tough opponents are still ahead. Let your teammates have some stage time too, you already opened the show."
Pikachu thought about it.
Yeah, that made sense.
He'd had the opening act. He'd heard the cheers. Enough was enough.
Most of his irritation melted away, and he chirped a short reply to show he was fine.
Reassured, Ash straightened and drew a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Second round," he said calmly. "Watch yourself, Ritchie."
"I choose you, Charizard!"
The Poké Ball flashed open, and a Charizard even more imposing than Zippo emerged onto the field.
Ash's second Pokémon.
Charizard.
It was a little brutal, perhaps, but Ash had intended this from the start.
He chose to mirror Ritchie's lineup deliberately. Anything else would feel disrespectful.
Unless he sent out his B-team, Ritchie might still struggle to keep up, but that would be an insult. Ash had promised to fight seriously.
So this was how it would be:
Pikachu versus Pikachu. Charizard versus Charizard.
Seeing Ash release Charizard as well, Ritchie's expression darkened.
Compared to Pikachu, Charizard was far more intimidating on the surface. And in a same-species matchup, Zippo's pride burned fiercely.
Losing to Pikachu was one thing.
Losing to another Charizard?
That would be unbearable.
So, victory at any cost. No matter how vast the gap.
"Zippo! Flamethrower!"
"RROOOAR!!"
Zippo reared back, inhaled deeply, and unleashed a roaring torrent of flame.
Faced with the onrushing inferno, Ash's Charizard didn't dodge.
He stood his ground, and took it head-on.
The fire swallowed him whole.
Ritchie felt no joy.
It was the same pattern as before: Ash's Pokémon absorbed the opening blow… and then turned the tables.
At this level difference, Flamethrower should barely leave a mark.
A ripping hiss tore through the air.
Ash's Charizard stepped forward through the flames as if walking through a warm shower. The fire clung to him, not as damage, but like a blazing mantle.
Bathed in fire, he looked reborn, a draconic god wreathed in flame.
Each step carried crushing pressure.
For Zippo, this was worse than being knocked out instantly.
His signature move… dismissed as a tickle.
"Our turn," Ash said, sweeping his arm.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Ash's Charizard spread his wings. The surrounding flames scattered, drawn inward as he inhaled.
Then, a searing jet of fire erupted.
It was pure crimson, without the faintest hint of yellow. Thinner than Zippo's, yet existing on an entirely different plane of heat.
The temperature spiked the instant it appeared.
Spectators in the front rows broke into a sweat.
"Zippo, dodge!" Ritchie shouted, sweat dripping down his face, whether from heat or fear, he couldn't tell.
A direct hit wouldn't be shrugged off like before.
But the difference between the two Flamethrowers wasn't just power.
It was speed.
The crimson blaze arrived in a flash, leaving Zippo no room to evade.
Ash's Charizard never needed to dodge.
Zippo couldn't.
BOOM!
Zippo was swallowed by the raging flames, the fire roaring as if it intended to reduce everything within it to ash.
Ritchie's face twisted with dread.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds…
By the time the flames finally began to recede, it felt to Ritchie as though hours had passed. His heart burned alongside the inferno, every beat pounding with helpless anxiety.
Within the blaze, Zippo made no sound.
No roar.
As though he had fallen completely silent.
Only when the fire dissipated did Zippo reappear before the audience, and before Ritchie.
His once-vibrant orange hide was now scorched with patches of charred black. For a Fire-type Pokémon as heat-resistant as Charizard to be burned to this extent spoke volumes about the terrifying temperature of that attack.
And this was without invoking Sacred Fire directly.
Had Ash's Charizard fully unleashed that authority, Zippo's entire body might have been blackened instead of merely scorched.
With a defiant roar, Zippo tried to move.
But his body betrayed him.
Before he could even attempt another move, his legs buckled, and he crashed to the ground.
One-hit knockout.
Despite resisting Fire-type attacks, despite outleveling Pikachu, Zippo still fell to a single blow, because this wasn't Quick Attack.
This was Charizard's upgraded Flamethrower, a technique whose raw destructive power rivaled that of Elite Four–level Fire-types.
That Zippo had remained standing even briefly was a testament to his toughness.
But after one final struggle, he succumbed.
"Charizard is unable to continue battling!" the referee announced decisively.
"Ash wins this round!"
Having learned from the previous exchange, the referee didn't hesitate this time.
A low murmur swept through the stadium.
Though this defeat hadn't been as instantaneous as Pikachu's earlier Quick Attack, watching a Fire-type Charizard be overwhelmed by fire carried no less impact.
Residual heat still washed over the audience, undeniable proof of the move's overwhelming power.
Some spectators had witnessed Ash's Charizard battle Lorelei's Glaceon. From that moment on, they had become fans.
Compared to that day, Ash's Charizard didn't seem as overwhelmingly oppressive.
But he was far more refined.
Less brute force. More control.
This was growth.
The true difference lay in Charizard's precision, his mastery over flame had reached an entirely new tier.
In short, he had grown stronger.
Ritchie exhaled deeply and recalled Zippo.
Defeat had been expected; victory was only possible if Ash faltered, or if Zippo achieved a miracle breakthrough mid-battle.
Even a one-in-ten-thousand chance was worth chasing.
Still… being one-shot hurt.
With Charizard withdrawn, Ritchie drew his final Poké Ball.
"This is my last one," he said steadily.
"Go, Butterfree!"
Light flashed, and a Butterfree appeared on the field.
It stood at High level.
Bug-types grew painfully slowly. This Butterfree had been with Ritchie since the very beginning of his journey, rarely rotated out. Countless battles had finally raised it to this point, a ceiling it would struggle to surpass.
Even Ash's own Butterfree, with a similar lifelong bond, had only reached High level.
Aside from Pikachu and Charizard, Butterfree was one of Ritchie's strongest Pokémon.
A head-on confrontation was impossible.
Against Ash's Pikachu or Charizard, no amount of raw power would suffice.
So Ritchie would fight indirectly.
Butterfree's strength didn't lie in damage.
It lay in status conditions, sleep, poison, paralysis.
If Sleep Powder landed, everything changed.
If it didn't, the battle would end in a single exchange.
"So it's Butterfree…" Ash said calmly.
"Return, Charizard."
He showed no surprise as he recalled his Pokémon.
"Good work," he said quietly.
"Now then, my final Pokémon. Go, Butterfree!"
Ash released his last Pokémon as well.
Butterfree.
The lineups were now perfectly mirrored.
Ritchie stared, then gave a small, self-deprecating smile.
"Outmatched in Pokémon… and outplayed as a Trainer," he said softly.
"No shame in losing like this."
Teams were locked in before the match began.
Ash's choices meant he had already anticipated Ritchie's lineup.
Total dominance.
Of course, it wasn't clairvoyance.
Ritchie's options were limited.
Predicting that didn't require genius.
Still, the gap was undeniable.
Ritchie straightened, eyes sharp.
"Then let's begin the final clash," he declared.
"Butterfree, Tailwind!"
Opening with Tailwind to boost speed.
In a mirror match, initiative was everything.
Already outleveled, if his Butterfree lost the first move, it would be over.