"Mega Charizard X, don't underestimate your opponent this time!
Let Iris see our true strength!"
Mega Charizard X answered with a tail flame blazing as if it were about to burn itself out.
They were determined to unleash power that truly belonged to them.
Kid, don't look down on me!
In terms of seniority, I'm your elder!
"ROAR!"
At the same time—
Haxorus, still shrouded in confusion, grew violently irritable!
"Haxorus! Be careful!"
But Iris's voice was like a clear spring.
It cut through the chaos and pulled Haxorus back from the brink.
In that fleeting moment of clarity—
Haxorus slammed its head violently into the ground!
The entire stadium shook.
And then—
Against all expectations—
Haxorus broke free from confusion!
The audience froze.
That works?!
Even Ash looked like he'd just learned something new.
It was—
Honestly kind of ridiculous.
[Lance: Holy—this actually works?! Iris, you're a genius!]
[Drayden: Obviously. Our Dragon Princess has always been a prodigy.
Otherwise, how could she become Unova Champion in just two and a half years?]
[Lance: You calling me out?!
It's just a Champion title—I'll get it sooner or later!]
[Alder: But you're not one right now.]
[Lance: …]
Just wait until I'm Champion—
I'll settle accounts with every last one of you!
[Cynthia: Iris's battle instinct is terrifying.
Breaking the deadlock under these conditions—she truly deserves her title.]
[Steven: Interesting. I'm more excited about the future than ever.
Ash, Iris, Gary—each of them is worth battling.
It's been a long time since my blood boiled like this.]
[Wallace: Then come back, Champion Steven!
Hoenn is waiting for you to reclaim your throne!]
[Steven: Huh? Bad signal—can't hear you—]
[Wallace: You bastard, one day I'll make you regret this!]
[Iris: Wow… I wish time would hurry up!]
[Alder: Don't worry. I'll make you even stronger than you are now.
Set your goal—five years from now, defeat Leon and stand at the summit.]
[Leon: Hahaha! Come on then.
I'll be waiting for you all at the highest throne!]
[Hop: The one who beats my brother will be me!]
[Ash: It'll be me!
Mr. Leon, I will defeat you!]
Youth—
Always so dazzling.
Leon folded his arms, standing atop a rocky plateau in the Wild Area,
imagining the future—
While trying to remember how to get back to Postwick.
"…Strange. I was sure it was this way."
Back to the battlefield—
"Iris is amazing!
She actually thought of a method like that to break confusion!"
Iris puffed her chest proudly.
"Of course!
Haxorus and I trained specifically for situations like this!"
Seeing this, Drayden suddenly felt a burning gaze beside him.
It was Diantha.
She was seriously wondering whether such wild tactics
were something Drayden had taught Iris.
After all, he was her mentor.
Drayden said nothing—
But the smile he was trying to hide kept creeping up.
Unfortunately, it was mostly concealed
by the beard under his chin that looked like a dragon's jaw.
Iris's solution was brilliant.
Even Drayden couldn't help but admire it.
Now—
Freed from confusion—
Haxorus did not dodge Mega Charizard X's Dragon Pulse!
The pride of a dragon burned hot!
"Giga Impact!"
Iris and Haxorus moved as one.
They made the same decision—
Attack!
Attack!
Attack again!
White energy instantly enveloped Haxorus's entire body.
Facing the Dragon Pulse crashing down from above—
Haxorus didn't evade.
Instead, it leaped upward!
The axe-like tusks on its cheeks pierced forward like blades!
At the moment of collision—
Neither side gained ground.
At the same time—
Mega Charizard X continued increasing the output of Dragon Pulse!
Clearly—
If Haxorus's attack landed cleanly,
the battle would once again spiral into uncertainty.
However—
Haxorus's raw power was terrifying.
At the instant of impact,
Dragon Pulse was actually forced back!
Seeing this—
Ash's mind raced.
There was no way to replicate Naganadel's trick
and fire multiple Dragon Pulses again.
But—
That didn't mean there was no solution.
A head-on clash, huh?
He'd never been afraid of those!
As Dragon Pulse weakened part of Giga Impact's power,
Ash made a decisive call.
"Mega Charizard X!
Cancel Dragon Pulse—use Outrage!"
In that instant—
Understanding Ash's intent,
Mega Charizard X shut its jaws.
The seven-colored dragon vanished abruptly.
Crimson energy surged across its black body—
Like fuel poured onto blue flames.
The fire on Mega Charizard X burned even more violently.
With Outrage's boost,
its entire body radiated crushing pressure.
After taking that brutal combo earlier—
Mega Charizard X had been holding in fury.
Now—
It needed release.
And Haxorus was the perfect outlet.
Without Dragon Pulse resisting it,
Haxorus's charge accelerated even faster.
Its body became an arrow loosed from the bow—
Unstoppable.
But—
Who did Mega Charizard X ever fear?!
This was a monster that dared challenge Entei head-on!
Facing a 150-power Giga Impact—
Mega Charizard X chose to clash directly.
After Mega Evolving, Charizard's ability became Tough Claws,
boosting contact moves by 30%.
Combined with Ash's inherent affinity with Fire-types—
Had it not been caught off guard earlier,
it wouldn't have looked so battered!
Revenge!
Mega Charizard X would take brutal revenge!
Outrage grew even more terrifying.
Flames blazed fiercely along its cheeks.
Lowering its body—
Mega Charizard X charged straight at Haxorus!
In midair—
Black and white light collided violently!
The entire livestream was swallowed by blinding white brilliance.
The shockwave from the explosion—
Even shattered the glass of the Opelucid Gym,
which had survived Boomburst earlier.
The power spoke for itself.
At that moment—
All viewers panicked.
Why did the screen go white now?!
And worse—
The timing felt wrong.
Sure enough—
Text appeared across the screen.
[Question: In Ash's battle against Unova Champion Iris,
who will ultimately win this match?]
[Cheren: Are you serious?!
Why start a Q&A now?!
At least let us finish watching the fight!]
[Marshal: If it's hard, don't answer!
Hurry it up—I want to see my junior sister win her first match!]
[Diantha: And why are you so sure it'll be Iris?
Isn't Ash's strength obvious as well?]
[Alder: Nonsense. Marshal's right.
We're Unova—of course we want our Champion to win!]
[Drayden: Exactly! Iris, don't let us down!]
[Cynthia: Sorry, but I believe this battle will end with Ash's victory.]
[Gary: As much as I hate to admit it, future Ash is insanely strong.
Even Blue acknowledged it personally.
That said—I won't lose either!
I'll reach the very top myself!]
[Ash: Give it up.
You can't beat me now, and you definitely won't in the future.
That strongest spot? Save it.]
[Gary: You jerk!
I was supporting you!]
[Elesa: Interesting.
Compared to winning, Ash seems more invested in arguing with Gary.]
[Bruno: No problem—this match will definitely end in Master Ash's victory.]
[Lance: I disagree.
Earlier, Mega Charizard X was clearly suppressed by Haxorus,
taking Breaking Swipe and Outrage head-on.]
[Drake: True—but any normal Pokémon would've gone down already.
Ash's Mega Charizard X is still fighting back.
Still, their stamina levels aren't the same anymore.]
[Drasna: Not necessarily.
I'm still betting on Ash.]
Amid heated debate among Champions and Elite Four—
The draw officially began.
[Congratulations to Iris and Diantha for being selected as lucky viewers.
Please choose who you believe will win: Ash or Iris.]
[Iris: M-me! I choose myself! I'm winning!]
[Diantha: Then I'll choose Ash.
Don't disappoint me, Ash.]
Though surprised at being chosen,
Diantha quickly made her decision.
The battlefield was actually easy to read.
Mega Charizard X had been careless early on
and fell behind immediately.
But surviving Breaking Swipe and Outrage—
That alone proved something.
Mega Charizard X's combat power was clearly above Haxorus.
To Diantha, a draw was more likely than a loss—
But even then, Ash still had Noivern.
Meaning the final victory would still tilt toward Ash.
[Answers recorded.
Rewards will be distributed after the match concludes.]
As the text faded—
The blinding screen gradually regained clarity.
Two Pokémon silhouettes stood out.
Black and white, locked on opposite sides—
Still attacking each other relentlessly.
But—
From above, Mega Charizard X held positional advantage.
Moreover, the strongest wave of Giga Impact
had already been neutralized by Dragon Pulse.
The situation differed greatly from earlier analysis.
Though Haxorus seemed dominant—
It was actually being forced down to the ground.
Under the might of Outrage,
Mega Charizard X completely suppressed it.
One powerful kick knocked Haxorus out of Giga Impact's follow-through.
In an instant—
Mega Charizard X's advantage exploded.
With Tough Claws boosting every contact strike—
Each blow dealt devastating damage.
From air to ground—
Teeth.
Claws.
Tail.
Under Outrage, Mega Charizard X unleashed its fury without restraint.
Haxorus couldn't even mount a proper counterattack!
Every hit brought crushing pressure!
What's happening?!
Why is this happening?!
Haxorus couldn't understand.
But there was no time to think.
Just defending itself exhausted everything it had.
Only one thought remained—
Ash's Mega Charizard X… is terrifyingly strong.
"Hang in there, Haxorus!
Show your spirit—bet everything on Outrage!"
Seeing Mega Charizard X's overwhelming Outrage,
Iris realized—
Her opponent was stronger than she had expected.
If she didn't act now—
Defeat was inevitable.
But—
After Giga Impact, the body stiffened.
Even if Haxorus minimized it through instinct—
Those few seconds still existed.
And during those seconds—
Haxorus endured a full barrage of Outrage.
It crossed its arms, waiting for stiffness to pass—
But—
Mega Charizard X had no intention of giving it another chance.
"Mega Charizard X!
Finish this with Seismic Toss!"
"ROOOOAR!!!"
A sky-shaking roar erupted as blue flames surged upward.
From the center of the field,
Mega Charizard X lunged forward—
Before Outrage's backlash could trigger,
it grabbed Haxorus head-on.
After using Outrage, a Pokémon becomes confused—
Potentially even harming itself.
But that's not absolute.
Iris broke confusion with brute force.
Mega Charizard X chose something simpler—
Just be fast enough.
End the fight before confusion begins.
This was a singles match.
No teammates to hit.
Mega Charizard X's sudden charge caught Haxorus completely off guard.
Before it could react—
A black shadow enveloped it.
At that moment, Haxorus's stiffness ended.
Seeing Mega Charizard X closing in—
"ROAR!!!"
Haxorus roared back as crimson aura erupted again—
The sign of Outrage activating.
But—
Too late.
Mega Charizard X, even in confusion,
locked onto that red aura.
Only one enemy on the field.
No need to think.
Charge straight in.
Before Haxorus could fully enter Outrage—
Mega Charizard X wrapped it around the waist
and flew straight to the highest point of the stadium!
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Iris's mouth fell open.
What kind of Mega Charizard X runs Seismic Toss?!
In the next instant—
Black and yellow spiraled downward—
BOOM!
Haxorus crashed into the ground,
its body collapsing limply like it had fallen apart.
Mega Charizard X stood proudly at the center of the field.
"ROAR!!!"
A victorious roar echoed skyward—
As if venting all earlier frustration.
Blue flames surged violently.
Only one color remained in the world—
The flames of Mega Charizard X,
the victor.
"Haxorus has lost the ability to battle.
The winner of this match is—Ash Ketchum."
Victor: Ash.
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard