Before their journey, Gary and Ash were evenly matched, with Gary even having a slight advantage.
Ash, aside from some strength, was inferior to Gary in every other aspect.
But after they started their journey, the situation completely reversed. Ash seemed to have awakened a new level of intelligence, advancing rapidly and leaving Gary far behind in just a few months.
Since the journey began, Gary hadn't won against Ash even once, something that would have been impossible before.
What defines a formidable rival? A truly formidable rival is one where both sides are evenly matched, each having their own victories and defeats!
In this situation, he was at best Ash's childhood friend, not a rival at all.
But after that extraordinary encounter, he finally caught up with Ash, and now, for the first time since their journey began, he was about to defeat him!
As the water on Blastoise's surface surged once more, it became the final straw for Charizard. The water completely engulfed the azure flames, and Charizard's body was on the verge of being crushed.
Just at this critical moment, a black light suddenly flashed from Charizard's body. The black light didn't disappear in an instant, but lingered on Charizard for a long time. After the black light appeared, the previously unstoppable water flow was stopped!
Before Blastoise and Gary could react, Charizard, which had seemed to be at its last gasp, stood up again, and at the same time, extremely hot—black flames erupted from its body!
"Black flames?!"
"Black flames!"
The grandfather and grandson exclaimed in unison. The flames burning on Charizard were black flames unlike anything they had ever seen before!
Generally, flames are red. When the temperature rises to a certain level, the color turns blue. Pokémon with special flames, like Ho-Oh, release colored flames.
But black flames... No Pokémon has ever been seen to possess or appear in the world before, at least not in Professor Oak's knowledge.
Even Ghost-type Will-O-Wisp, while having a blackish hue, doesn't...
The flames were clearly different from ordinary flames. They weren't due to changes in temperature, but rather flames with special abilities, like Ho-Oh's Sacred Flame.
The colorful Sacred Flame didn't become colorful due to excessive temperature; its inherent color was simply its nature.
However, the black flames igniting on Charizard's body were different. These flames were formed from extremely high temperatures, and even with Mewtwo's barrier protecting it, Professor Oak could sense the terrifying power of Charizard's flames.
Just look at Blastoise's current state. Its Pulse Attack was almost crushing Charizard, but after the black flames ignited on Charizard's body, the water suppressing it evaporated rapidly, and the raindrops falling from the sky turned into steam before reaching the ground.
Charizard had unleashed a new power, a power that had shown signs of being activated when facing Lorelei.
At that time, neither Charizard nor Ash noticed the fleeting black light. However, because Ash and Charizard were in a state of perfect harmony at that moment, he could sense a change in the flames burning on Charizard's body at the last moment when it used Flare Blitz against Cloyster.
It was this change that allowed Charizard to successfully defeat Cloyster.
However, Charizard never unleashed that power again afterward. Ash guessed that it might be a power that could only be unleashed when Charizard reached its limit, and no other Pokémon had ever pushed Charizard to that extent in subsequent battles.
In this upgraded battle against Blastoise and Gary, Charizard was also pushed to the brink. Under duress, Charizard finally unleashed its hidden power!
After this burst of flames, Ash realized that the essence of this power was the complete fusion of Sacred Flame and Charizard's own flames. Charizard's greatest trump card had previously been converting its own flames into Sacred Flame for its moves.
The blue Flame Charge just now actually used the power of Sacred Flame, only the color didn't change. This meant Charizard had gradually made Sacred Flame its own, rather than borrowing Ho-Oh's power.
The black flames burning on its body now are a product of completely fusing Sacred Flame into its own flames. Its power surpasses even Sacred Flame; it's Charizard's own unique flame!
"Black flames… let's call it Amaterasu Flame! Go, Charizard! This battle is ours! We'll keep winning and stand at the top of the world!" Ash clenched his fist, shouting loudly for Charizard.
The trainer's voice can also become the power of the Pokémon. This was true for Gary just now, and it's true for Ash now!
With Ash's shout, Charizard's flames exploded, black flames spreading across the entire battle arena.
Above, the dark clouds in the sky were instantly dispersed by the blazing flames, the rain stopped falling, and the sky returned to its clear blue!
Without the rain's effect, the water currents surrounding Blastoise's body weakened considerably, while Charizard, freed from the rain's interference, saw its black flames, including those on its body, burn even more fiercely!
With this imbalance, Blastoise could no longer withstand Charizard's Flare Charge, and its entire body was completely engulfed in flames!
"BOOM!!" A deafening sound echoed from the arena, reaching the heavens.
Professor Oak, watching the battle, knew that the aftershocks of the explosion wouldn't spread outwards, but he still instinctively raised his hand to shield himself, only belatedly lowering it several seconds later.
The smoke and dust slowly dissipated, revealing a jet-black Charizard standing on the cratered, scorched ground, panting heavily. The flames that resembled dragon fangs at the corners of its mouth had become extremely weak; its previous attack had almost exhausted all its strength.
Flash Charge had a recoil, and combined with the damage from Blastoise's Pulse Charge, Charizard was now in dire straits, struggling even to stand. Blastoise, however, was in an even worse state.
Blastoise lay sprawled on the ground, its Mega Evolution now reverting to its normal form. Not a single part of its body was intact; it looked like a charred lump of coal.
Judging from this, Blastoise had not only lost its ability to battle, but it might even owe Charizard a life.
'Blastoise is unable to battle; Charizard wins.' Mewtwo glanced at Blastoise, then waved its arm, declaring the battle's outcome.
As Mewtwo's voice resonated in everyone's minds, the barrier on the field dissipated. Mewtwo shrugged, using its psychic powers to stabilize Blastoise's condition. In its current state, Blastoise might not even make it to the Pokémon Center for treatment.
There's no Pokémon Center in Pallet Town; the only treatment available is some basic medical care at Professor Oak's lab. But Blastoise's injuries aren't something that can be healed with simple treatments. If it weren't for Mewtwo, Blastoise would likely be in serious danger.
"Blastoise, how are you!" Gary rushed to Blastoise, only to find that Blastoise's condition was better than he had expected. Although its injuries appeared severe, Blastoise could open its eyes and even manage to sit up.
"Kame..." Blastoise looked at its paws in confusion. Just moments ago, it had almost seen heaven, but for some reason, its body had suddenly recovered considerably, and now it could even sit up.
Based on his experience, an injury of that severity would likely take three or four days to recover. Who did this?
"I gave him some basic treatment, but that's all I can do. Let Ash use the power of Viridian to heal him for the rest," Mewtwo explained, walking over and explaining why Blastoise was still unharmed.
Hearing that Mewtwo had healed him, Gary looked relieved. No wonder Blastoise seemed to be in pretty good shape. Although it would be difficult for it to continue battling, it was far from losing consciousness. It turned out Mewtwo had healed it.
"Looks like Ash won again this time. But Gary, where have you been this month? You've improved so much!" Professor Oak breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Blastoise was alright, then casually asked, his hands behind his back.
Gary is his grandson, and everyone knows his grandson's skill level at the Indigo League. In just one month, he's made a phenomenal leap forward. A trainer with a Champion-level Pokémon at fifteen is a once-in-a-century phenomenon, and two of them have emerged this year!
And both of them are from Pallet Town—it's practically a miracle.
While Ash's growth is extraordinary, it's still traceable, a gradual climb. Gary's growth curve, on the other hand… is a bit illogical. He's achieved in one month what he previously accomplished in two or three months. This is clearly some kind of stroke of luck.
"Let's go back to Professor Oak's lab first, Ash. Blastoise is in your care." Gary didn't intend to hide anything from his grandfather, but Blastoise was still seriously injured, so they'd discuss it while it was being treated at the lab.
With Ash's Viridian Power and the recovery machines at Professor Oak's lab, theoretically, it shouldn't be any worse than recovering at the Pokémon Center.
Ash had already shown him the wonders of the Viridian Power; this legendary power was simply too powerful.
...
Inside Professor Oak's lab, Ash was using the machines to heal Blastoise's injuries, while Gary recounted his experiences over the past month.
"You might not believe it, but I've obtained the power of my parallel universe self," Gary said, his words startling Ash so much that he almost severed the Viridian Power.
Even though Ash tried his best to control himself, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his pupils constricted sharply.
Professor Oak, standing nearby, wore an expression of utter disbelief. The power of a parallel world sounded utterly unbelievable.
Parallel worlds are something that exists only in theory; different choices made by each person can lead to various divergent futures.
Imagine a fork in the road. Going left or right leads to completely different outcomes, but once you choose one side, you'll never know what the other side would bring. Parallel worlds are a theory based on this assumption.
In another world, perhaps there exists a version of yourself who chose the other side, but that's just a theory; there's no evidence to prove parallel worlds truly exist.
Even someone as knowledgeable as Professor Oak wouldn't initially believe it. However, while Gary is arrogant, conceited, and unrealistic… he's not a liar, especially not on something so important.
Of course, the above assessment of Gary refers to the Gary of the past. The current Gary doesn't give off that impression anymore, which is why Professor Oak somewhat believes in the existence of parallel worlds.
As for Ash… needless to say, no one understands parallel worlds better than him!
He has a chat group in his mind that connects the minds of all his counterparts in parallel worlds!
Ninety percent of his current achievements are due to the chat group in his head… well, ninety-five percent, maybe ninety percent is a bit low.
The remaining five percent is due to his inherent potential. Otherwise, even with such a god-tier support as the chat group, it wouldn't be possible to turn a hopeless case into a main DPS. So, his own potential accounting for five percent is fair.
Ash has always kept his ability to communicate with parallel worlds a deep secret, even Pikachu doesn't know about it. But Gary… he just blurted it out!
That's too straightforward! Compared to Gary, he seems a bit more calculating!
Maybe he should just confess too?
"That's right, it's the power of a parallel world. After going to Dragon Island, I was planning to go straight to Johto to train and participate in the Silver Tournament. But on my way to New Bark Town, I was unexpectedly sucked into something like a black hole. Inside, I gained a memory—a memory of myself from a parallel world."
"In that other world, I wasn't called Gary, I was called... Blue! In that world, I became a Champion-level Trainer in just two years, the youngest Champion in the world!"