"That's just a physical advantage for Charizard. Nothing to be done about it," Red said with a helpless wave of his hand, then gave his command. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Upon hearing Red's command, scorching flames shot from Charizard's mouth, forming a thick pillar of fire that rushed directly at the injured Dragonite.
"Dragonite, use Hydro Pump!"
Dragonite immediately spewed a large stream of water from its mouth, extinguishing the oncoming flames. Billowing clouds of steam shrouded the area, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Charizard, use Air Slash!"
Charizard roared, beating its massive wings. Countless sharp blades of air were released, slicing through the surrounding smoke and striking Dragonite's body.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed to dodge!" Vincent commanded.
Dragonite vanished with lightning speed, reappearing in front of Charizard and ramming its body hard into it.
Scorching flames instantly covered Charizard's entire body. The moment Dragonite used Extreme Speed to crash into it, Charizard instinctively reacted by using Flare Blitz.
"BANG!"
Charizard's flame-wreathed body sent Dragonite flying. The intense heat even left Dragonite's entire body in a burned state, completely stripping it of its former majestic appearance.
"Damn it! If that's how it is, then I don't need to hold back either!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a brown energy aura appeared around Vincent's body. Just as this aura was about to sync with the Dragonite in the sky, a purer draconic presence suppressed both Vincent and his Pokémon.
"That's enough, Vincent! Your mission was to deliver the protected Mega Stone to Mr. Red, not to recklessly start a conflict with him."
An agile figure appeared in the sky. Red and Vincent both looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared, realizing it was a caped Lance riding his own Dragonite.
Lance didn't forget to scold his cousin upon arriving, criticizing his arrogant and lawless personality. If Lance hadn't arrived in time, an irreparable conflict might have erupted between Red and Vincent.
"At first, I thought he was trying to harm Moltres, so I..."
Vincent tried to make a few excuses, but upon sensing the anger in Lance's gaze, he yielded and lowered his head, remaining silent.
"Whether Mr. Red needs 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 count for something," Red quipped, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Red, don't think this kid is so kind-hearted. He actually wanted to capture Moltres himself, which is why he was afraid you'd beat him to it," Lance explained to Red, directly exposing Vincent's true intentions.
Hearing this, Vincent could only fume in silence. After all, the man before him was not only a Dragon-type Elite Four member of the League but also the elder cousin of his own clan. Vincent wouldn't dare be insolent.
"Moltres? Its strength and talent aren't up to par. I have no desire to capture it," Red said leisurely, his meaning clear. He looked down on this 'weakling' Moltres, so Vincent had no need to be so wary of him.
This statement instantly made the nearby Zapdos overjoyed. It hopped around like a child, nuzzling Red's cheek affectionately.
'As expected, among the three legendary birds, I'm the strongest! Otherwise, Master wouldn't have only captured me, hehehe...'
As it thought this, Zapdos actually started drooling, the saliva nearly dripping onto Red's clothes.
"Look at that pathetic display. Have you no shame?" the ancient Gengar muttered with disdain.
"Lance, did you find the Mega Stone I asked the League to look for?" Red asked.
"Don't worry, this one will definitely satisfy you," Lance assured him, then looked with a smile at the ancient Gengar beside Red.
"Hey, hey, you there! You there!"
The Millennium Gengar seemed to have guessed something and looked up anxiously at Lance on his Dragonite.
"What does this Mega Stone you're talking about look like?"
Gengar's voice was filled with expectant excitement. It wanted nothing more than to snatch the stone from Vincent's hands immediately, but it was also afraid the stone wasn't for it, so it hesitated, not daring to take a single step forward.
"Don't worry, Gengar. This is a Mega Stone I specifically requested from the League. I even told them to contact Professor Sycamore in the Kalos region. Professor Sycamore is a Pokémon Professor who specializes in Mega Evolution; there's no way they'd get your stone wrong."
As soon as the words fell, the ancient Gengar stared, drooling, at Vincent, desperate to get its own exclusive Mega Stone.
"Boss, you've really gone to too much trouble for me. Actually, I'm not jealous at all that Beedrill and the others can Mega Evolve, not one bit..."
As it spoke, the ancient Gengar actually started crying on the spot.
"I finally have my own Mega Evolution! I was so envious it was killing me!"
"..."
Charizard shot the spazzing Gengar a speechless look. Really?
Under Lance's orders, Vincent reluctantly handed the Mega Stone to Red. The stone was primarily purple and red—a Mega Stone specifically for Gengar's Mega Evolution.
The nearby ancient Gengar immediately floated over, greedily sniffing the stone in Red's hand. The sight almost made Red kick it away.
"Look at that pathetic display!" Zapdos said with contempt.
"Alright, I'll let you hold onto this Mega Stone for now. Don't you dare lose it," Red said flatly.
"Don't worry, Boss. My body is like a black hole; it can hold plenty of things," the ancient Gengar promised, carefully placing the stone inside its body. It lovingly stroked its belly, looking forward to the day it and Red would perform Mega Evolution.
Lost in this thought, Gengar became completely absorbed in its fantasy.
"Is that thing okay?" Vincent said, speechless. He thought this Millennium Gengar might have some intellectual issues.
"You get used to it. Staying at Professor Oak's lab for so long might have made it a bit silly. I'll have to go 'complain' to the lab later for making my Pokémon dumb," Red joked.
The joke immediately lightened the atmosphere. At Lance's visual cue, Vincent proactively walked forward to shake hands with Red and make peace.
"My apologies. I have an impulsive personality and tend to lose my head when things happen. Luckily, we didn't end up on bad terms. I look forward to our match at the Indigo Conference in a few months. I'm sure with your strength, you'll definitely make it past the top four."
Seeing Vincent's sincere attitude, Red also extended his right hand to shake and make peace. Red wasn't one to hold grudges, and besides, Vincent was Lance's cousin, so it was a way of showing Lance respect.
At this moment, the Millennium Gengar started acting up again.
Noticing Zapdos's disdainful glare, it smugly took the Mega Stone out of its body and flaunted it back and forth in front of the legendary bird.
"Oh, you beat Moltres? Congrats, congrats. Huh? How did you know I got my own Mega Stone? I 'hid' it so well!"