Ash has immense confidence in his Charizard Y!
That confidence isn't just from their bond and friendship; it's pure trust in Charizard's strength!
Because for Ash, Charizard is truly special.
Initially, it was a discarded Charmander he found, but Ash never disliked it; instead, he genuinely cared for it.
Later, before Pikachu fully established himself as the team's elder brother, Charizard was the absolute ace of his team.
Yes, the absolute ace!
Not to mention other main Pokémon, even the Electric Rodent couldn't shake Charizard's position of strength on Ash's team.
This point is actually exactly the same as in the anime.
Because before the end of the original series, Charizard was Ash's absolute ace, and its strength was arguably a tier above Pikachu and other main Pokémon.
The crucial battles that determined victory were always fought by Charizard, such as against Drake's Dragonite in the Orange Islands and Gary's Blastoise in the Silver Conference; Charizard was always the one to fight the decisive battle.
Charizard's ace status was evident.
After all, at that time, Pikachu was just a normal Electric Rodent, far from reaching its later 'Pikachu God' level.
It wasn't until Ash went to Hoenn, taking only the Electric Rodent, that Pikachu slowly began to carry the team. If Charizard had been brought along then... it's really hard to say.
Of course, in the anime, Ash's Indigo Plateau Conference was both won and lost by Charizard; there's nothing more to say about that, only that Ash's temper is truly good.
However, Ash in this world doesn't have the same worries as anime Ash, and Charizard has never been disobedient.
It wasn't until this year that Pikachu's strength gradually caught up, and Charizard's ace status was slowly replaced by Pikachu.
But Ash's trust and bond with Charizard are absolutely beyond doubt.
Because... this is his Charizard!!
High in the sky, Charizard Y had its back to the Sunny Day, with scorching sunlight constantly shining down. Charizard Y glowed faintly with a fiery red light all over its body.
It was fully absorbing the sunlight from Sunny Day, amplifying its fire power!
Wild, hot waves of fire swept down, and Heat Wave was raging.
Under the violent Heat Wave, all the smoke and dust were blown away, revealing the situation on the field.
"Dodge."
Mammon commanded.
Shiny Pheromosa took long strides, and with an exaggerated burst of power, its figure instantly shot out, leaving its original position.
The Heat Wave appeared down, but it hit nothing.
Charizard Y immediately changed its target, its broad wings, enlarged after Mega Evolution, flapped vigorously, making the fiery wind waves even more intense and sweep even faster.
"Knock Off!"
Shiny Pheromosa, having just stopped, turned its head to see the fiery red Heat Wave approaching rapidly.
A hint of annoyance also appeared in Shiny Pheromosa's eyes; being chased and attacked was not something its arrogant self considered decent.
"melo!!"
Its sharp toes glowed with black light, and facing the surging Heat Wave, Shiny Pheromosa executed a sharp high kick.
The Dark-type Knock Off!
The black light formed a line, cutting the incoming Heat Wave cleanly in half.
Powerful fiery Heat Waves surged past Pheromosa on both sides, impacting the ground.
The power of Heat Wave is very strong, but compared to Flamethrower, because of its large range, the power of a single 'point' from Heat Wave is naturally not as good as Flamethrower.
It was precisely because of this that Pheromosa's Knock Off was able to cut through the Heat Wave.
But this was only for a moment; as Charizard Y continued its Heat Wave, the gap in the Heat Wave was quickly filled.
"Bounce!"
Shiny Pheromosa bent its knees slightly, then its entire body suddenly shot up into the sky.
The Flying-type Bounce!
It's similar to Fly, except Bounce is less powerful than Fly, but Bounce has a chance to paralyze the opponent.
"Charizard!"
Ash immediately warned Charizard Y.
Charizard Y stopped its Heat Wave and looked up at Shiny Pheromosa, who had jumped very high.
The next moment, Shiny Pheromosa dove down, with astonishing speed!
Dodge? Dodging is impossible; at Shiny Pheromosa's speed, it's too difficult to avoid.
Although Charizard's speed also increased after Mega Evolution, in Pheromosa's eyes, it probably wasn't much different from a tortoise crawling.
Because Pheromosa's speed is simply too fast! Not to mention its current diving speed.
So, should it Protect?
"Flamethrower!" Ash's expression was very serious; he chose to confront it directly!
Charizard Y continuously flapped its wings backward, accumulating scorching flames in its mouth.
The Fire-type Flamethrower!
Boom!
A thick stream of flames shot out from Charizard Y's mouth, heading directly towards the attacking Pheromosa.
But seeing the approaching flames, Shiny Pheromosa twisted its body, changing its angle.
The Flamethrower was dodged by Pheromosa's twist!
!!!
Ash's mind exploded; it could even twist like that?
"Charizard! Quick, use Protect...!"
Ash hurriedly shouted to Charizard Y.
But it was already too late. Charizard Y was still retreating, but suddenly its vision blurred, and Shiny Pheromosa, like a missile, had arrived, crashing heavily into Charizard Y's belly.
Bang!
Charizard Y's eyeballs nearly popped out, and its entire body, like a meteor, was pushed by Shiny Pheromosa, rapidly falling.
Rumble!
The entire battlefield shook violently. Charizard Y directly smashed a large crater into the ground, and smoke and dust billowed up.
"Charizard!!"
"Knock Off!"
Mammon immediately pursued.
The smoke and dust were swirling at this moment, making it impossible for outsiders to see what was happening inside.
But Ash was extremely anxious at this moment; he knew very well that Charizard Y's physical defense was not high, and it probably couldn't withstand several blows from Pheromosa.
Bang!
A dull, heavy thud came, accompanied by Charizard Y's painful growl.
Undoubtedly, Pheromosa's Knock Off had hit.
"Continue Knock Off!" Mammon gave no quarter.
"Hold on, Charizard! Get a grip! Use Blast Burn!"
Ash gritted his teeth and shouted loudly into the smoke.
If it continued to take hits like this, Charizard Y would be finished, and with the smoke not yet fully dispersed, he couldn't even recall Charizard Y with a Poké Ball.
So Ash could only encourage Charizard with words.
"Charizard is gone..."
In the stands, Wallace shook his head helplessly, watching the anxious Ash.
From the moment Charizard Y was brought down from the sky by Shiny Pheromosa, in his opinion, the battle was over.
After all, Mammon is a Trainer famous for taking advantage of an opponent's weakness; as long as he gets even a tiny opportunity, he will firmly grasp it and expand his advantage into a victory.
"What a pity." Steven also strongly agreed with Wallace.
"In this situation, as long as Pheromosa doesn't give an opening, Charizard Y can't possibly escape Pheromosa's control, let alone counterattack."
Wallace shook his head, explaining that Pokémon also need time and proper condition to use moves. How could Charizard Y counterattack when it was constantly being beaten by Pheromosa?
Not to mention a move like Blast Burn; if Charizard Y could use it, Wallace would immediately... Roar!!!
A deep, angry roar came from the arena.
Rumble!
Like a volcanic eruption, terrifying flames shot up into the sky under the last afterglow of Sunny Day, dyeing a large part of the sky red.
And it dyed everyone's eyes red.
The Fire-type Blast Burn!
The surging fire waves blurred the air around the flames, and even from the audience seats, the intense Heat Wave could be felt.
The power of this Blast Burn was astonishingly strong!
Thud~
From the flames, a slender, silver-black figure flashed out like lightning, landing and sliding a good distance before stabilizing itself.
It was Shiny Pheromosa.
At this moment, its eyes were chillingly cold and gloomy, with scattered flames still extinguishing on its body. Looking towards the center of the flames, Pheromosa's chest heaved continuously.
Clearly, Shiny Pheromosa was extremely furious at this moment.
Its originally smooth and magnificent long hair, scorched by the flames, was now much drier and disheveled.
Brushing a hand through its hair, Shiny Pheromosa's expression became even more terrifying.
But at this moment, Ash was overjoyed.
"That's great, Charizard!"
"Pika~chu!"
Ash cheered happily, and Pikachu was also incredibly surprised.
The successful use of this Blast Burn truly saved Charizard Y!
This is no exaggeration, not to mention that Blast Burn also hits Shiny Pheromosa!
Although Shiny Pheromosa retreated in time, preventing the Blast Burn from hitting perfectly, the damage to Shiny Pheromosa must still have been very high.
"It actually used it, damn it!"
Wallace's eyes widened and his mouth hung open, perfectly illustrating what it means to be dumbfounded.
In his opinion, Charizard Y had no reason to be able to use Blast Burn.
"This is Ash, isn't it? His battles always bring surprises," Steven said with a smile.
He had a very good impression of Ash, even though Ash was the one who eliminated him in the previous round.
On the field.
"Don't be so angry."
Mammon soothed the highly agitated Shiny Pheromosa. This was Shiny Pheromosa's flaw; because of its arrogant personality, it easily got carried away.
Then Mammon looked at Ash and Charizard Y, who was gradually appearing from the flames.
Mammon no longer cared how Charizard Y managed to use Blast Burn; After all, Ash had already used 'Cheer Roar,' so Charizard Y having a burst of power was quite normal.
The key now was... although Blast Burn is powerful, a Pokémon will experience a stiff period after using it!
The flames of Blast Burn had disappeared. On the scorched ground, Charizard Y was now half-kneeling, panting heavily.
"Knock Off!"
Mammon narrowed his eyes slightly and decisively gave the order.
Shiny Pheromosa instantly transformed into a silver-black phantom, dashing rapidly towards Charizard Y.
But... "Return, Charizard!"
A red light, however, was even faster, hitting Charizard Y.
It was Ash!
"Tsk~"
Mammon let out a soft 'tsk' sound, looking at Ash, who was wiping cold sweat. His movements were really fast; it seemed his goal was very clear.
But it's not surprising.
Hmm, I wondered if the recalled Pokémon Ash could really benefit from a Regenerator effect?
Mammon was quite curious.
"Melo!!"
However, with its target suddenly gone, Shiny Pheromosa was now extremely displeased, glaring fiercely at Ash.
Ash immediately found himself in a difficult spot. Charizard Y hadn't managed to defeat this Shiny Pheromosa, and he was a bit stumped as to what to do next.
He didn't know who to send out to battle this Shiny Pheromosa, who was clearly in a fit of rage.