"Drapion, use Pin Missile to shoot Charizard down!"
Quickly recovering from his shock, Shimura ordered Drapion to attack. Taking advantage of the moment Shimura had been dazed, Gu Yuan had already instructed Charizard to use Sunny Day.
"Charizard, Flame Charge, then Fire Blast!"
From the moment it appeared, the fiery aura of Flame Charge surrounding Charizard had never dissipated. With the speed boost, Charizard unleashed Fire Blast even more rapidly. Under the effects of Sunny Day, the power of Fire-type moves increased by 1.5 times, causing the Fire Blast to descend like a massive burning net.
Facing such a powerful assault, Drapion's Pin Missile was incinerated instantly.
"Drapion, focus your Pin Missile on a single point to blast an opening!"
Shimura did not panic, calmly directing Drapion's counterattack. A volley of missiles shot out, their continuous impact finally punching a hole through the flames, ensuring Drapion remained untouched by the blaze.
Boom!
While Drapion remained safe, the surrounding battlefield suffered. Under the intense heat, the toxins previously left by Ariados quickly evaporated, and the ground itself began to crack from the dryness.
"Charizard, keep up the pressure! Flame Charge and Fire Blast!"
At Gu Yuan's command, Charizard, cloaked in fire, unleashed its power without restraint. Another Fire Blast surged forth, once again threatening to envelop Drapion. Under the relentless pressure of Charizard's offensive, Shimura found no opportunity to let Drapion use Hone Claws or Acupressure to buff itself.
Drapion fired Pin Missile again, creating another gap in the Fire Blast to stay safe. In reality, Drapion also knew high-power moves like Iron Tail and Earthquake, but against Fire Blast, those moves either failed to reach or required direct contact with the flames. Pin Missile remained the more practical choice.
While Hyper Beam was an option, it would leave Drapion immobile due to the side effects, creating a fatal opening. Shimura's strategy now was to wait for Sunny Day to expire so Charizard's Fire-type moves would return to their normal power. Furthermore, since Pin Missile consumed less stamina than Fire Blast, he hoped Drapion would outlast Charizard despite the blistering heat.
The battle entered a temporary stalemate, but Charizard had already used Flame Charge to boost its speed to a staggering level. The inferno continued to burn. Seeing that Sunny Day was about to fade, Gu Yuan prepared to end the fight quickly.
"Charizard, Sunny Day again, then use Hurricane!"
Just as Charizard finished a Fire Blast, Gu Yuan issued the new orders. Relying on its maxed-out speed, Charizard quickly refreshed the Sunny Day and immediately manifested a Hurricane.
By the time Drapion had finished blasting an opening in the previous Fire Blast, the storm had already descended. The lingering flames on the field were sucked into the vortex, forming a massive fire tornado that began to grind toward Drapion. Facing the oncoming wall of heat, Drapion actually felt a flicker of fear.
"Drapion, use Pin Missile to weaken the Hurricane, then charge in with Iron Tail to break it!"
Shimura's voice helped Drapion steady its nerves. Missiles hammered into the firestorm as Drapion charged forward, its tail glowing with a metallic sheen. With a powerful swing, the Hurricane shattered, sending sparks flying in every direction.
Standing in the center of the clearing, Drapion looked momentarily majestic. However, that glory lasted less than three seconds. Charizard appeared behind Drapion, and two Air Slash attacks carved an 'X' shaped wound into its back.
"Scorp!"
Drapion shrieked in pain, but Charizard's expert-level offensive did not stop there. Wrapped in dragon energy, Charizard transformed into a charging dragon and slammed into Drapion.
"Drapion, counter with Iron Tail, then use Toxic!"
At this point, Shimura could only pin his hopes on Toxic. If Charizard succumbed to the poisoned status, there might still be a chance to win. However, the Iron Tail failed to stop Charizard's momentum.
Before Drapion could even release its poison, Charizard forced it back with a Flamethrower.
"Fire Blast!"
Just as the pillar of fire dissipated, the burning character-shaped flames followed, engulfing Drapion completely.
"Scorp! Scorp!"
The fire clung to Drapion's body, burning continuously. The agony caused Drapion to scream and writhe, desperately trying to extinguish the flames.
"Charizard, Heat Wave!"
With a flap of its wings, rolling waves of heat swept over the field, causing the flames on Drapion's body to flare even brighter. Faced with this continuous onslaught, Drapion's logic was swallowed by pain, and its cries grew faint. Shimura's commands could do nothing to help it escape this predicament.
"End this, Charizard! Blast Burn!"
Charizard exhaled a final, massive sphere of white-hot fire that exploded the moment it consumed Drapion. Amidst the continuous roar of explosions, Drapion lost its ability to battle and collapsed on the smoking ground. Shimura stood frozen, staring at his fallen Pokémon in a daze.
"Contestant Shimura, please release your next Pokémon, otherwise this will be treated as a forfeit!"
The referee's voice brought Shimura back to his senses. He recalled Drapion and sent out his final Pokémon, Heracross. However, compared to earlier, Shimura had completely lost his fighting spirit. He only had Heracross curl up in a defensive position against Charizard's attacks.
"To think I'd meet such an opponent. Let's end this boring match quickly, Charizard. Fire Blast!"
Gu Yuan spoke with clear disdain. Compared to his previous opponents, Shimura's performance was a massive disappointment. Someone who cannot handle failure or setbacks is destined not to go far on the path of a trainer.
With the boost from Sunny Day and the disparity in strength, the Senior Rank Heracross was defenseless. It was swallowed by the flames. Charizard followed up with a second Fire Blast, completely defeating it.
Charizard stared at Shimura, clearly unsatisfied, wanting him to send out more Pokémon so it could fight to its heart's content. Unfortunately for Charizard, that wish would not come true.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner! It's Gu Yuan!"
"Just like his last match, Gu Yuan has successfully defeated his opponent using only two Pokémon, advancing to the finals with a dominant style!"
"Now, let us cheer and prepare for the next battle!"
As the protective shield vanished, the roar of the crowd thundered in Gu Yuan's ears. Suppressing his inner excitement, he turned his gaze toward the championship trophy in the center of the stadium.
He was now only one step away from the final prize!