"This is Charizard's natural advantage—nothing we can do about it~" Red shrugged helplessly, then immediately ordered, "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Upon hearing Red's command, scorching flames burst from Charizard's mouth, forming a thick pillar of fire that surged straight toward the injured Dragonite.
"Dragonite, use Hydro Pump!"
Dragonite instantly sprayed a massive stream of water from its mouth, extinguishing the incoming flames. Clouds of steam spread out, shrouding the surroundings and blocking everyone's view.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
Charizard roared, flapping its massive wings as countless sharp blades of air were released, slicing through the surrounding mist and striking Dragonite's body.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed to dodge!" Yulon Nan commanded.
Dragonite vanished from its spot in a flash, then rushed straight in front of Charizard, slamming heavily into its body.
Scorching flames instantly covered Charizard's entire body. The moment Dragonite used Extreme Speed to ram into it, Charizard instinctively unleashed Flare Blitz.
"Boom—"
Charizard, engulfed in flames, smashed Dragonite away. The intense heat even inflicted a burn status on Dragonite, leaving it far from its previous majestic state.
"Damn it… if that's the case, then I won't hold back either!"
As soon as the words fell, a brown energy aura emerged from Yulon Nan's body. Just as this aura was about to synchronize with Dragonite in the sky, an even purer dragon aura suppressed both Yulon Nan and Dragonite.
"That's enough, Nan. Your original mission was to deliver the Mega Stone you were protecting to Mr. Red, not to recklessly provoke conflict with him."
A swift figure appeared in the sky. Red and Yulon Nan both looked up at the sudden arrival and saw Lance, cloaked and riding Dragonite.
After arriving, Lance didn't forget to reprimand Yulon Nan, criticizing his arrogant personality and how he had gone too far. If Lance hadn't arrived in time, an irreparable conflict might have arisen between Red and Yulon Nan.
"At first, I thought this guy was trying to harm Moltres, so I…"
Yulon Nan tried to argue, but under Lance's angry gaze, he lowered his head and fell silent.
"Whether Mr. Red wants to capture Moltres is his business. You have no right to interfere. Don't think I don't know what you were really thinking!"
"Experience really does make the difference~" Red said with a teasing smile.
"Red, don't think this kid is that kind-hearted. He also wanted to capture Moltres, which is why he was afraid you'd beat him to it," Lance explained, directly exposing Yulon Nan's true thoughts.
Yulon Nan, though angry, dared not speak. After all, the man before him was not only a Dragon-type Elite of the League but also his family's elder brother.
"Moltres? That thing lacks both strength and talent. I have no interest in capturing it," Red said casually, clearly implying he didn't even regard Moltres as worthy, easing Yulon Nan's wariness.
This statement instantly delighted Zapdos. It hopped around like an excited child, moving close to Red and rubbing against his cheek affectionately.
'As expected, I'm the strongest among the Three Sacred Birds. Otherwise, Master wouldn't have only captured me, hehe…'
As it thought this, Zapdos even drooled, nearly dripping onto Red's clothes.
"Look at you—have some dignity," Thousand-Year Gengar mocked.
"Lance, has the Mega Stone I requested from the League been found?" Red asked.
"Don't worry. This Mega Stone will definitely satisfy you," Lance assured, glancing meaningfully at Thousand-Year Gengar beside Red.
"Hey, hey, hey—what's that? What's that?!"
Thousand-Year Gengar seemed to realize something and urgently asked Lance, who was riding Dragonite in the sky.
"What kind of Mega Stone is it?"
Its tone was filled with excited anticipation. It could hardly wait to snatch the stone from Yulon Nan but hesitated, afraid it might not belong to it.
"Don't worry, Gengar. I personally applied to the League for this Mega Stone. I even specifically asked them to contact Professor Sycamore from the Kalos Region. He specializes in Mega Evolution—there's no way he'd get your Mega Stone wrong."
The moment those words fell, Thousand-Year Gengar drooled as it stared fixedly at Yulon Nan, eager to obtain its very own Mega Stone.
"Boss, you've really gone through too much trouble… I'm not jealous at all of Beedrill and the others being able to Mega Evolve. Not jealous at all…"
As it spoke, Thousand-Year Gengar suddenly burst into tears on the spot.
"I finally have my own Mega Evolution! I'm so jealous I could die!"
"..."
Charizard glanced at the erratic Thousand-Year Gengar speechlessly. Was it really necessary?
Under Lance's instruction, Yulon Nan reluctantly handed the Mega Stone in his arms to Red. The stone shimmered in shades of purple and red, specifically meant for Gengar's Mega Evolution.
Thousand-Year Gengar immediately rushed over, greedily sniffing the stone in Red's hand, nearly earning itself a kick.
'Look at how pathetic you are!' Zapdos sneered.
"Alright, I'll let you keep this Mega Stone for now. Don't lose it," Red said calmly.
"Don't worry, Boss. My body is like a black hole—it can store plenty of things," Thousand-Year Gengar assured, carefully placing the Mega Stone into its body and lovingly patting its belly, already imagining the day it would Mega Evolve with Red.
Thinking about it, Thousand-Year Gengar couldn't help but sink into its fantasies.
"Is this guy okay?" Yulon Nan said speechlessly, suspecting something was wrong with its intelligence.
"You'll get used to it. Staying at Professor Oak's Laboratory too long probably made it a bit dumb. I should go file a 'complaint' someday—how dare they turn my Pokémon stupid," Red joked.
The lighthearted remark eased the atmosphere. At Lance's prompting, Yulon Nan stepped forward and offered a handshake.
"Sorry about earlier. I tend to act impulsively and lose my rationality. Luckily, we didn't become enemies. I'm also looking forward to facing you at the Pokémon League Admissions Exam in a few months. With your strength, you definitely won't stop before the top four."
Seeing his sincerity, Red extended his hand and shook his, letting bygones be bygones. After all, Red wasn't someone who held grudges, and Yulon Nan was Lance's relative.
At this moment, Thousand-Year Gengar started acting up again.
Noticing Zapdos's disdainful gaze, it smugly pulled the Mega Stone out of its body and flaunted it back and forth in front of Zapdos.
"Oh? You defeated Moltres? Congratulations, congratulations. Huh? How did you know I got my own Mega Stone? I thought I hid it so well!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo