The clash of water and fire stalemated in the air, the Charizard within the colorful flames wore a fierce expression, continually squeezing out the last remnants of strength from its body.
He was no longer the same as when he first fought Elite Level Pokemon, back then he had to exert every ounce of effort to draw out this flame from within him, but now he could use it effortlessly!
This god-like power had thoroughly become his own, and was key to his ability to fight beyond his level!
Considering his current level, even using god-like power, there was a limit to what he could achieve, but the opponent had yet to reach Champion level, he had become much stronger than before and was capable of fighting, capable of winning!
He must win!!
"Roar!!"
The strong desire for victory made the colorful flames around Charizard burn even hotter, the extreme heat causing visible, distorted ripples in the air around it!
The tiny floating ice crystals in the vicinity were instantly vaporized, and even the distant mist retreated as if fearing the overwhelming force of the flames.
The Hydro Pump that had been stalemated with Charizard's Flare Blitz was also completely suppressed at this moment!
The searing heat swiftly turned the water into a white mist.
Huge waves of steam surged like a tide across the field, but when it neared Charizard, it was evaporated again, creating a brief clear area around it.
The Blizzard had completely disappeared in the terrifying heat, and even the Hydro Pump continually outputted by Glaceon was rapidly crushed by Charizard, its flames tearing through the remaining water and slamming heavily into Glaceon!
"Boom!!"
Deafening sounds echoed across the entire venue, and the Cerulean Gym felt like it experienced an earthquake, causing the whole place to shake violently, shockwaves visibly erupting from the field and hitting the azure barrier.
The enormous force that erupted did not affect the surrounding audience, who all remained focused on the battle scene on the field.
Yet a thick smoke filled the field, obscuring all visibility.
Just now, Charizard's Flare Blitz directly hit Glaceon, and with such a terrifying power, coupled with the current Sunny Day boost, and its advantage over Glaceon, it seemed Glaceon should have already fallen, right?
"Charizard, finish it with Seismic Toss!!" Ash's voice suddenly rang out, startling the surrounding audience.
Glaceon hadn't fallen yet?
The next moment, a silhouette in orange-red flew out of the smoke, Charizard holding Glaceon tightly as it quickly ascended above the gym, starting to spin rapidly in the air.
Gradually, a sphere formed in the sky, virtual energy condensing into a planet hanging mid-air, with Charizard rotating along this virtual planet, its speed becoming increasingly swift!
Glaceon, tightly grasped by Charizard, was now somewhat dizzy and disoriented, given that Seismic Toss is a very difficult move to escape for the attacked.
On one hand, if the attacked can be used in Seismic Toss, it means it has already been pinned by the attacker, on the other, the continual spinning of Seismic Toss will render the attacked utterly dizzy, leaving no strength to resist.
Now Glaceon was a typical example of this, if it had even a little energy left, it should have erupted with Ice or Water Type moves in the air.
But the previous Flare Blitz had greatly reduced Glaceon's physical strength, and combined with the dizzying spin, it could be said Glaceon had no means of counteract!
In the air, Charizard's spinning reached its end point, still applying force to restrain Glaceon's weak struggles in the cradle, its form descending like a meteor!
At that moment, Ash paused, his right arm trembling slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and called out, "Go for it, Charizard!!"
"Boom!!"
In the dried-out pool, Charizard slammed Glaceon into it fiercely, the very reason Ash and Charizard cleared all the water from the pool was for this move!
If there was water to cushion, even with the Fighting Type force, the damage from Seismic Toss would be negligible, but if it directly crashed onto the ground, then this was a conceptual-level move!
If the opponent's remaining physical strength was less than a quarter, this could pretty much take down the opponent in one go!
This iteration of Seismic Toss should have finished off Glaceon completely.
However, before Ash could wear a smile, his Aura Power instantaneously sensed a warning:
'Get out, quickly!!' Without even the time to shout, Ash used the power of Aura to issue a command to Charizard in his mind.
Charizard also felt a threat approaching, wanting to flap its wings and leave its spot, but both Flare Blitz and Seismic Toss had exhausted all its strength, leaving it hard even to stand, let alone fly away.
"Ice Shard." Lorelei uttered in a cold voice, and the next second, from the smoke-filled field, numerous tiny ice shards shot forth like a hailstorm!
Charizard could only shield itself with its wings, its massive wings blocking the ice shards completely, yet the minor damage caused by the ice shards sapped Charizard's remaining strength completely.
Charizard fell powerlessly to the ground, Ash also sat down abruptly, a blank look in his eyes.
Lost... he lost this battle.
Since setting out from Pallet Town, though his Pokemon had experienced losing their fighting capabilities, those were mostly one-for-one exchanges, he never truly faced defeat before.
And he had never lost in a major match; this time, he lost at the hands of the Ice Elite of Kanto, facing even just the opponent's second-line Pokemon.
Though before the battle Ash had mentally prepared, since after all, it was against an Elite Peak Pokemon, winning could only be seen as a huge gain, losing was quite normal. But upon actually losing the match, he felt a heavy blow to his heart, his brain unable to process it.
Is this what defeat feels like?
"Clap, clap, clap!!" Intense applause erupted around him, pulling Ash back into reality, and he looked around.
Every face in the audience brimmed with excitement, many even cupping hands around their mouths to shout his name.
The applause wasn't for Lorelei, it was all for him.
"Well done, Superstar!"
"To put up such a fight against Elite Lorelei, your strength is undeniable! No need to be discouraged, you might win next time!!"
"A loss is just a loss, think of a way to win next time, you're facing Elite Lorelei after all!"
"Exactly, losing isn't disgraceful, but it would be if Elite Lorelei lost. You're the challenger, stand up proud, though defeated, still glorious!"
"..."
A dense wave of voices offered encouragement, slowly bringing Ash back to his senses through each word of support.
Though he lost this match, he received no scolding or disappointment, but rather, an outpouring of encouragement.
Victory isn't everything, at this moment Ash had a tangible comprehension of the phrase, even in defeat, he received cheers.
Of course, if winning was possible, who would want to lose?
Though the surrounding audience believed he sat down from the impact of losing, hence their encouragement, the truth was due to Charizard's loss of battle ability, which in his state of being one with Charizard, left him feeling weak, causing him to sit.
Feeling the weakness within, Ash revealed a bitter smile, standing up proud was rather difficult now, even raising his hand was challenging.
This Aura Fusion… it inflicted the greatest side-effect on him!