"Dragonite... I never expected the phantom-like Pokémon's true form to be a Giant Dragonite."
Even while clutching his head and lying on the ground, Masaki continued to mumble, his eyes filled with excitement as he looked at the colossal figure.
A pair of curved yellow antennae, a massive dragon-like body, and disproportionate wings behind it... It was undoubtedly the Kanto Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, Dragonite!
"Wait... Is this an Ancient Pokémon?!" Ash's eyes also showed surprise.
This Dragonite is definitely unique, and it's certainly not the Galar-style Dynamaxing with limited turns!
As Dragonite roared, swinging its arms, Ash noticed many dark green patterns on its body, which easily reminded him of other episodes!
Giant Alakazam, Gengar, and Jigglypuff, also with patterns on their bodies... Ancient Pokémon!
"Woo... woo!" The Dragonite, venting its anger, now had a clear note of disappointment in its cries.
It had also seen Ash and the others clearly, realizing they were merely deceiving it and not the companions it sought... "Wait! Please wait!" Seeing Dragonite about to turn and leave, Masaki immediately pleaded, "Tell me, why are you here? What exactly are you looking for?!"
"Roar!!"
As if annoyed by Masaki's chatter, Dragonite suddenly turned back, letting out another astonishing roar!
The sound wave from this Dragon Roar spread out like a tangible entity, and immense pressure permeated the entire White Cape, momentarily forcing Ash and the other Pokémon to bow their heads!
"Pika..." "Karoo~"
After struggling, only Pikachu and Kangaskhan managed to stand firm.
"Lee... Lee!!" But just then, Charmander suddenly seemed to go berserk, not only leaping to its feet but also roaring and spitting a spherical Tackle at the Giant Dragonite!
It was Dragon Rage!
Pfft~
However, Charmander's angry attack was like a bursting soap bubble to the Giant Dragonite... But when it looked down at the constantly growling Charmander, its eyes seemed to show a hint of interest.
On Charmander, Dragonite unexpectedly sensed the bloodline of its own kind.
Coincidentally, Ash's Charmander's father was a powerful Dragonite, and the Dragon Rush move was inherited from him.
The Giant Dragonite's roar just now stimulated the Dragon genes hidden deep within Charmander, which in turn drew the Giant Dragonite's attention.
"Lee! Lee!!"
Seeing its move fail, Charmander's anger immediately surged. It performed an agile leap on the spot, and after a Dragon Dance, it launched a Dragon Rush straight off the lighthouse!!
"Oh no! Pikachu, hurry and intercept it!!" Ash was aghast at the sight, but Golbat was so suppressed it could barely fly, so he could only have Pikachu use Magnet Rise to rush to its aid.
If Charmander used Dragon Rush in this situation, whether it hit or not, it would definitely fall into the sea afterward, possibly endangering its life!!
However, to Ash's relief, the worst didn't happen. Dragonite merely flapped its wings gently, swatting Charmander back to the lighthouse like a fly... and incidentally, it collided with Pikachu, who was floating over~
"Woo... woo!" The Giant Dragonite tilted its head, observing Charmander rolling on the ground. After a moment of thought, it suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a super Dragon-type energy ball, more than ten times larger than Charmander's, which crashed down like a falling meteor!
"Charmander! Pikachu!"
Ash was extremely worried. He couldn't think of anything else to do but rush to the two small Pokémon, simultaneously unleashing his Aura and Viridian Power to block the attack for them!
At this moment, he even disregarded the long-lost command prompts... "Karoo!" "Hmph!" "Hah!" "Da-na!" "Jeni!"
And the five Pokémon, including Kangaskhan, seeing this, all broke free from Dragonite's pressure and rushed over without hesitation!
Some activated Protect, others simply launched attacks, vowing to stand with their Trainer until the very end!
"Ash!!" Takeshi, standing further away, could only watch as the massive energy ball crashed down!
Boom!!
A large crater was blasted out of the ground near the lighthouse. When the smoke and dust cleared, Ash and his seven Pokémon were all sprawled on the ground, knocked over.
"Cough! Ptooey~"
After a while, Ash, his face covered in soot, spat out some dirt and struggled to get up.
When enveloped by the immense energy, he almost shouted, "Terrifying!" Getting into trouble with such a creature after only two months out was truly asking for death~
"Ash, are you alright?"
Takeshi and Masaki rushed over. Seeing that Ash and the Pokémon seemed to be safe, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm fine... I was too hasty just now. Dragonite actually wanted to give Charmander a gift, not attack."
The Giant Dragonite indeed had no ill intentions. Not only did it not want to harm Charmander, but it also bestowed a great gift that could make Charmander undergo a complete transformation!
Charmander had already been trained to be powerful by Ash, and now, having received Dragonite's power, its entire body was comparable to an evolved Charmeleon, almost reaching Ash's height!
Its arms were now also entwined with two dragon-shaped energies, and their claw-like appearance confirmed they were Dragon Claw!
"Lee..." Noticing Ash looking at it, Charmander, having come to its senses, cautiously approached.
Because of its impulsiveness, its Trainer and other companions were put in danger. Charmander was now filled with lingering fear and deep self-reproach.
"It's alright, I won't blame you this time... When facing a strong opponent like Dragonite, even if you know you can't win, you must fight with all your might. You must always maintain this spirit to constantly grow stronger!" Ash patted Charmander's head encouragingly. "However, go apologize to everyone, after all, you implicated them."
"Lee~" Charmander nodded heavily, then ran to sincerely apologize to Pikachu and its other companions.
As Ash's Pokémon, the others certainly wouldn't be too harsh, and soon they were chatting and laughing together.
Ash, meanwhile, turned to the Giant Dragonite, who was standing by and watching, and thanked it gratefully: "Dragonite, thank you."
He hadn't expected Dragonite to suddenly bestow this power. Not only did it dramatically boost Charmander's basic stats, but it would also make using Dragon-type moves much easier for it in the future.
A gift from ancient times was truly enough to benefit Charmander for a lifetime!
Dragonite didn't take Ash's gratitude to heart.
It had merely sensed the bloodline of its own kind in Charmander and casually given the child a Meeting gift. Now that the matter was over, it was ready to leave.
Charmander, after all, was not its true kin... (Wait... this is?!)
And just then, Ash finally discovered the management spirit's previous instruction!
'Attention! A new power prototype has been detected. The protagonist must help the Giant Dragonite fulfill its wish!'
A new power prototype... In other words, the power bestowed by Dragonite was not only related to Charmander but also crucial to himself!
"Dragonite, please wait!" Without thinking, Ash immediately called out to the departing Dragonite.
"I can help you find your companions!!"