(I absolutely cannot lose like this!)
Magmar's wavering body suddenly steadied, its eyes blazing with fierce flames. Under the astonished gazes of Red and Blaine, Magmar gathered a massive amount of fire within itself and unleashed Fire Blast at Aerodactyl.
The giant kanji-shaped flames surged toward Aerodactyl, attempting to burn its body to ashes.
"Aerodactyl, don't dodge! Use Giga Impact head-on—this is our respect for Magmar as a warrior!" Red said solemnly.
Aerodactyl nodded, channeling all its strength as it launched Giga Impact at Magmar.
Aerodactyl charged straight into the incoming Fire Blast. Under the stunned eyes of Blaine and Magmar, its figure tore through the flames and struck Magmar directly.
"Boom—"
Magmar's entire body was hit head-on, the immense impact driving it back into the rock wall and smashing it into a deep, spiderweb-like crater.
Due to the recoil of Giga Impact, Aerodactyl briefly stiffened, but there was no panic in its expression—it already knew Magmar couldn't withstand the damage from this move.
Sure enough, Magmar slowly slid down from the rock wall. After giving Aerodactyl one last heavy gaze, it reluctantly closed its eyes.
Seeing Magmar had lost the ability to battle, Red took out a Poké Ball and recalled Aerodactyl, which was still in its stiffened state.
"An excellent battle, Mr. Red."
Blaine was just about to take out the Volcano Badge and hand it to Red when Red spoke up from across the field to stop him.
"Mr. Blaine, since the atmosphere has reached this level, why not have a true match in the real sense?"
Blaine seemed to see the flames of battle burning in Red's eyes and paused instinctively.
"I see… It looks like this old man has to get serious too!"
A slight smile appeared on Blaine's lips as his own fighting spirit flared up.
Blaine slowly took out a carefully preserved Ultra Ball. After giving it a solemn look, he threw it forcefully.
"I'm counting on you, old partner!"
As the white light faded, a majestic Arcanine appeared. It had fluffy flaxen fur covering its face, brown eyes, tiger-like black-and-orange stripes across its body, tufts of fur around its legs, and a long, flowing tail.
"As expected—Arcanine. It once represented you as a Fire-type Elite. To show my respect for you as a senior, this Pokémon is also a masterpiece I've poured great effort into!"
With that, Red forcefully threw the Poké Ball in his hand.
The dazzling white light faded, revealing a Pokémon with powerful limbs and enormous wings that could blot out the sky. Its massive body was covered in tough scales—Red's Fire-type ace, Charizard, had entered the field.
Charizard flapped its wings and flew in front of Arcanine, letting out an intimidating roar.
"Damn, didn't expect him to send out a heavyweight like Charizard. Looks like that Arcanine is no joke!" Thousand-Year Gengar remarked, watching the upcoming battle with excitement.
"Use Flamethrower!" ×2
Charizard and Arcanine released blazing flames at the same time. Two massive pillars of fire collided in the center of the battlefield, followed by an explosion caused by the intense heat.
Seizing the opportunity, Arcanine, under Blaine's command, immediately used Extreme Speed, appearing before Charizard in an instant and slamming into its body.
"Clang… clang…"
The defensive scales on Charizard's body gradually shrank—its Multiscale ability had lost its effect.
"Use Dragon Claw!"
Green energy covered Charizard's massive claws as it swung its right claw down with force—only to find it had smashed the battlefield where Arcanine previously stood.
Charizard let out an annoyed snort. It hadn't expected its proud defensive method to be nullified so easily.
"I roughly understand what makes your Charizard unique. Although that attack couldn't deal effective damage, it was enough to remove its defensive advantage—that was my initial goal," Blaine said calmly.
"As expected of a former Fire-type Elite. But that move also made my Charizard a bit more cautious."
"I might as well tell you—my Arcanine also has the Flash Fire ability. So Charizard's flames won't harm it," Blaine explained without the slightest concealment.
Charizard's power even made the entire battlefield tremble slightly. But suddenly, flames appeared in its line of sight—Arcanine, using Flame Wheel, struck Charizard again.
"My Charizard isn't only good with fire," Red said confidently. "Charizard, use Dragon Breath!"
A powerful azure dragon breath shot from Charizard's mouth like a blazing pillar, hitting Arcanine and dealing considerable damage.
"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!"
Arcanine's figure blurred again as it charged toward Charizard at lightning speed.
In terms of speed, Charizard couldn't match Arcanine, so it abandoned all defensive preparations and chose to clash head-on.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
Charizard flapped its massive wings, sending several sharp, giant blades of air toward Arcanine.
Arcanine nimbly dodged the Air Slash. Immediately after, a stream of azure dragon breath shot toward it—but just as it was about to hit, Arcanine countered with Flamethrower, neutralizing the attack.
The explosion filled the battlefield with smoke. Seeing the opportunity, Arcanine dashed into the smoke, preparing to ambush Charizard.
"Use Hurricane to sweep the entire battlefield!" Red commanded.
"Roar—"
Charizard flapped its massive wings, unleashing a fierce gale that swept forward. Arcanine, which had been hiding in the smoke, was forced into view, gritting its teeth to maintain balance.
"Arcanine, use Agility to get behind Charizard, then use Double-Edge!"
"Boom—"
A loud crash rang out as Charizard was nearly knocked off its feet by the sudden impact. It quickly turned and rushed toward Arcanine. A purple-gold draconic killing aura enveloped its entire body—it had already used Dragon Rush.
At such close range, Dragon Rush dealt tremendous damage. To resist the impact, Arcanine immediately cloaked itself in flames and used Flare Blitz.
Dragon Rush and Flare Blitz continuously devoured each other's power. However, due to the advantage in attributes, after a brief clash, Arcanine ultimately fell slightly short.
Arcanine staggered back a few steps, enduring the pain as it forced itself to remain standing.
Blaine's Arcanine was already old—it could no longer compete with Charizard, which was in its prime and exceptionally gifted. Moreover, Arcanine held no advantage in typing.
With both Fire and Dragon attributes, Charizard could reduce fire damage to a quarter, while Arcanine's main offense relied heavily on flames—this was one of the reasons for its defeat.
"It seems we've both grown old…" Blaine sighed, shaking his head helplessly as he watched Arcanine be defeated by Charizard.