Generally speaking, speed in Pokémon had two meanings, movement and attack.
Skills or abilities that increased speed raised both, though attack speed never quite matched the boost of movement.
Even so, a twofold speed increase from Chlorophyll was nothing short of terrifying.
And with Sunny Day blazing overhead, Solar Beam needed no charge time. It could be unleashed instantly, a weapon of pure, merciless light.
The golden brilliance of Solar Beam reflected in Charmeleon's eyes. At this range, even if he could see it coming, there was no time to dodge.
Ash's voice resonated directly into his partner's mind through Aura.
'Envelop yourself in Flare Blitz, then use Fire Punch inside it! Meet it head-on!'
Charmeleon roared in defiance. The fire within his body ignited in full fury. In an instant, crimson flames engulfed him completely, his body became a streak of living fire.
Inside the blazing vortex, his claws clenched, gathering heat until they blazed white.
Then, he struck upward with all his strength.
BOOOOOOM!!
A detonation like a volcanic eruption rocked the entire Gym.
The barrier walls rippled violently, straining against the shockwave. Dust and grass tore from the floor as an explosion of light and heat engulfed both Pokémon.
The sheer impact felt no weaker than the Solar Beam that had leveled Vileplume earlier. It was hard to imagine how much destructive energy was colliding at the heart of that blast.
From the sidelines, Misty clutched the railing. "Ash!"
Brock's expression was grim. "At that distance… even with Light Screen, that's way too close! That's a point-blank Solar Beam!"
Could Charmeleon really endure it?
The world held its breath.
Then, a figure shot out of the smoke, slamming across the battlefield and tumbling over and over before skidding to a stop.
"Aah!" Ash staggered, clutching his own arm, a flash of pain crossing his face.
The one who had been blasted away was, of course, Charmeleon.
The Solar Beam had overpowered even his double-layered defense. The difference in level was too great; even with Aura Fusion amplifying him beyond his tier, Charmeleon hadn't had enough time to gather his full power.
If it weren't for Ash's synchronized Aura, even Flare Blitz might not have activated in time.
Under Aura Synchronization, Ash didn't just guide Charmeleon, he shared his pain. When Charmeleon was struck, Ash felt every burn and impact echo through his own nerves.
It was a shared burden, a double-edged bond.
If a Solar Beam of that magnitude had hit Ash directly, his Aura shield would have absorbed it. But through the link, the pain wasn't physical, it was empathic, bleeding from Charmeleon's suffering into his own.
Ash grit his teeth and straightened, his hand trembling slightly. "To take that head-on and still be standing… you did great. Charmeleon, this isn't over! Victory's in sight!"
Charmeleon slowly rose from the ground, his claws digging into the dirt. Though battered and charred, the flame on his tail flared brighter than ever. His eyes gleamed with the same burning determination as his Trainer's.
An opponent this strong… made the fire in his blood burn hotter.
Venusaur, on the other hand, was clearly exhausted. Two direct Fire Punches, each under the intensified heat of Sunny Day, had taken their toll. Even for a Professional-level Pokémon, that kind of damage was hard to endure.
Erika frowned, then smiled faintly. "Victory in sight? I'm afraid not. Venusaur, Synthesis!"
The flower on Venusaur's back opened wider, glowing with soft green light.
Ash's eyes widened. "Synthesis under Sunny Day!"
That move could restore nearly all of Venusaur's stamina in one go. In an instant, everything Charmeleon had fought for could be undone.
Ash's jaw tightened. ;So that's your counterattack, huh? You're just as annoying as Gengar was to me back then.'
"Charmeleon, Fire Blast!"
"ROOOAAR!!"
Charmeleon inhaled deeply, flames building in his chest until they erupted outward in a massive torrent of fire.
The fiery explosion swallowed half the field, heat distorting the air itself.
Erika's eyes glinted. "It's useless. Venusaur, Solar Beam!"
Having recovered mid-Synthesis, Venusaur halted the healing and immediately charged power again. Under Sunny Day, the beam fired in an instant, clashing against Charmeleon's Fire Blast.
"Boom!"
The two elemental forces collided midair. Fire and solar energy exploded in a storm of heat and light, the shockwave shaking the arena once more.
For a moment, the two attacks held balance, then the Fire Blast began to waver.
Even with a type advantage, the level gap was merciless. Venusaur's overwhelming strength pressed through, inch by inch, until;
CRACK!
The fiery kanji shattered apart.
"Charmeleon!" Ash shouted.
The golden Solar Beam pierced through the flames, cutting straight toward Charmeleon.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The beam struck true, detonating across the field. Fire, dust, and heat surged outward, swallowing everything.
This time, the explosion's light was so blinding that Misty covered her eyes.
"I—I can't watch…"
Brock's fists clenched at his sides. "He's taking that head-on again. That's too much for one body to handle…"
If Charmeleon's strength had been just a little greater, just a little, perhaps the outcome would have been different.
But the truth was cruel.
Elite versus Professional. Two major stages apart.
In the world of Pokémon, that gap was like a canyon, unbridgeable by ordinary means.
Unless a Legendary Pokémon intervened, no creature could cross two entire stages in battle and still stand victorious.
Ash and Charmeleon had already done the impossible just by holding their ground.
As the smoke gradually dispersed, the battlefield came into view.
Charmeleon lay sprawled on the ground, his body covered in burns and soot. The once-blazing tail flame had dimmed, flickering weakly against the scorched floor.
And not far away, Ash was kneeling too, his hand pressed tightly to his chest, face twisted in pain.
"Hey, Ash!" Erika's sharp voice cut through the settling dust. Her eyes narrowed, quickly noticing something was wrong. Charmeleon was the one fighting… but why did Ash look just as hurt?
Could it be?
She'd heard of rare Psychic Trainers who shared their mental energy with their Pokémon, boosting their strength far beyond normal limits. But in doing so, they also shared their partner's pain. When the Pokémon was injured, the Trainer suffered too. When the Pokémon fainted… the feedback could cripple both.
Erika's breath caught. "That's impossible… he can't have that kind of ability…"
But the pieces fit. The strange aura, the impossible reflexes, Charmeleon's sudden surge of power, everything she'd witnessed pointed to one terrifying truth.
Ash wasn't just battling with Charmeleon. He was battling as one with Charmeleon.
Ash took a slow, ragged breath and pushed himself upright. "I'm fine… let's continue."
"Continue?" Erika frowned. "Your condition is terrible, and Charmeleon has clearly lost his ability to battle. Recall him, and send out your next Pokémon before you collapse."
The Gym referee raised her flag hesitantly. "Charmeleon has lost the ability to battle, Venusaur..."
"...Rrroar…"
A deep, low growl interrupted her announcement.
Every head turned toward the smoke.
Charmeleon's claw twitched. Then, slowly, painfully, he pushed himself up on one knee. His arms shook. His body trembled. But inch by inch, he rose.
The entire Gym fell silent.
The referee froze mid-sentence. Erika's eyes widened in disbelief.
He was still standing.
That Solar Beam, at point-blank range, should have been more than enough to finish the fight. Even with Light Screen in place, Charmeleon should have been done, unable to move, let alone stand.
Was this… pure willpower?
Ash clenched his fists, voice hoarse but resolute. "We're not done yet."
"Roooooar!!"
Charmeleon threw his head back and roared to the heavens. The sound was primal, furious and proud. The flame on his tail exploded, surging skyward until it towered over his entire body. It wasn't just burning, it was erupting.
Blaze.
Erika's breath caught. "He activated the Blaze ability…" She frowned, eyes narrowing further. "But that flame, it's too big!"
The Blaze ability triggered when a Fire-type's stamina dropped below a third, increasing the power of all Fire-type moves by fifty percent.
But this… this wasn't fifty percent. This was an inferno.
The entire Gym bathed in the crimson light of his flames. The very air wavered from the heat.
Even without her Pokédex, Erika could feel it, the output had skyrocketed far beyond any normal Blaze. It was as though Aura and Blaze had fused together into something even more dangerous.
But Blaze's brilliance was also a double-edged sword. A sign that Charmeleon was on his last legs. If he took even one more hit, it would all be over.
Erika composed herself again. This time, she wouldn't let emotion control her.
"Venusaur, Synthesis!"
This time, she didn't rush in. She wouldn't play into Ash's rhythm again.
She had analyzed Charmeleon's fighting pattern, his fatal flaw.
Charmeleon's true strength wasn't speed or power. It was that strange, unnatural precognition.
He could dodge her attacks by predicting them through Aura synchronization, seeing where the strike would come before it even started.
That was how he'd evaded Vine Whip after Vine Whip, outmaneuvered Energy Ball, and even slipped past Solar Beam's initial charge.
But Erika had noticed one critical weakness.
Every time Charmeleon attacked, the predictions stopped.
The moment he went on the offensive, his concentration split, his body committed to the strike, leaving no room for evasion.
Charmeleon's fatal flaw was clear as day: once he started attacking, his predictive dodging vanished. If he waited until his strike ended, it would already be too late.
All she had to do was wait.
The moment he lunged, would also be the moment he fell.
"Synthesis again…" Erika commanded smoothly, her tone calm and calculating.
Across the field, Ash's expression hardened. "Charmeleon, go, Flare Blitz!"
He bent his knees slightly, and Charmeleon mirrored his movement. In that heartbeat, Trainer and Pokémon synchronized once more, their breaths, their wills, their auras—merging perfectly.
The next instant, Charmeleon erupted forward.
His entire body ignited, flames bursting from his tail and spreading until his whole form was engulfed in raging fire. The scorching inferno trailed behind him like a blazing comet tearing through the air.
The sunlight pouring from the ceiling windows caught the flame, magnifying it until the whole battlefield glowed orange-red.
Venusaur, absorbing the same sunlight, completed Synthesis in an instant, its wounds sealed, its body rejuvenated. It was now back to full strength.
"Take it head-on," Erika said firmly. "Then finish him with Stomp!"
The two attacks collided.
BOOOOM!
Fire and solar light exploded together, the entire arena engulfed in a storm of flames and smoke. Charmeleon rammed into Venusaur's chest, fire scorching every inch of its hide.
Venusaur roared in pain, but its bulk held firm. Through the blaze, it raised its front limbs, ready to slam them down and end the match.
Ash's voice rang out, hoarse but powerful:
"Don't lose to him, Charmeleon!"
"ROOOAARR!!!"
Amidst the inferno, a radiant light burst forth, pure, brilliant, and unstoppable.
Everyone shielded their eyes as the light grew stronger, swallowing both Pokémon in its glow.
Charmeleon's silhouette began to shift. His frame expanded; muscles thickened; his claws elongated. The single horn on his head split into two sharp points, and with a tearing sound, wings unfurled from his back, scattering embers into the air.
When the light finally faded, standing amidst the raging flames was not Charmeleon, but Charizard.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Even Erika, composed, refined, ever the picture of a lady, stood frozen, her mouth slightly open.
"Evolved again?" she whispered weakly.
First Gardevoir. Now Charizard.
She could feel her mental balance cracking for the third time that day.
'Are you kidding me?!'
'You've already pulled Aura powers, precognition, Blaze overdrive, and now, this?'
Her thoughts were chaos. She was a Gym Leader, not a mental endurance test subject!
Was this boy here to earn a badge… or to ruin her sanity?!
Just when she'd regained her composure, he had the audacity to evolve again.
Erika exhaled slowly through gritted teeth, regaining what composure she could. "Venusaur, Stomp! Even if he evolved, he's still injured! Finish it now!"
"Charizard, fly up!"
"Block it with Fire Punch, then Fire Blast!" Ash's command came sharp and clear. He wasn't retreating. Not now.
After evolving, Charizard's power was surging like a volcano ready to erupt. How could he choose to dodge at a time like this?
Even if he lost, he would lose standing.
"Thud!!"
Venusaur's massive forelimbs slammed downward, meeting Charizard head-on. The flames surrounding Charizard's body shattered outward, scattering sparks across the field.
But his fists were burning hotter than ever, searing, molten white.
He met Venusaur's stomping feet with his blazing fists.The impact resounded like a cannon blast.
The shockwave rippled across the Gym, rattling the windows and sending papers fluttering off tables.
Both Ash and Charizard grunted in unison, pain searing through their shared Aura bond. But neither backed down.
Charizard's eyes flashed with primal fury. He took a deep breath, And unleashed it.
"ROOOOAAAR!!"
....
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