In Imperial University's preparation area stood a middle-aged man with a pair of striking hawk-like eyes.
He was Leighton, the current head of the Cassian Family and an Electric-type Champion widely regarded as the strongest among Hualis's Champions.
He stood at the peak of the Champion rank and had a real chance of stepping into the Champion tier.
Beside him was a handsome blond young man who clearly resembled him.
Kellan was Leighton's youngest son and a genuine prodigy.
"Father, Asher is going to lose."
His face remained completely expressionless.
"Mm. He was unlucky to draw Blaze." Leighton kept his eyes on the battlefield. "The Flame Family has more depth than people think."
Kellan nodded.
"Even if Blaze still has another ace hidden, it won't matter if he faces me. He'll lose."
Leighton laughed.
"Confidence is good. Arrogance isn't. Remember that."
His expression turned more serious as he glanced toward Aaron and Braveon in preparation area.
"Those two are your real competition. Neither has shown everything he can do."
"Your grandfather specifically warned you not to underestimate them."
"One is the successor to an Aura Guardian. The other is a protégé personally chosen by the Protector of Hualis."
"Neither of them is beneath you in terms of status."
"Yes, Father. I understand."
His expression barely changed, but the focus in his eyes sharpened.
Leighton looked at his youngest son with quiet satisfaction.
The Cassian Family's current generation was overflowing with talent. Every one of his sons had grown into someone exceptional.
The time was coming.
Hualis would belong to them.
No one was going to take it away.
For an instant, faint arcs of electricity seemed to flicker in Leighton's eyes.
...
Back on the battlefield, Asher recalled Gyarados with a grim face and reached for his third Poké Ball.
Blaze, naturally, refused to let him do it in peace.
"Hehehe! Who was it that said his second Pokémon was going to beat my Charizard?"
"What happened? You looked so confident a minute ago."
He leaned forward with a nasty grin.
"What's with that face? Did you eat something rotten?"
He had a nasty streak, and one hell of a mouth on him.
"Blaze, you're asking for it!"
Asher gritted his teeth and hurled his next Poké Ball.
"Come out, Weezing!"
A flash of light revealed a 1.2-meter-tall, two-headed Pokémon floating above the field.
Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon.
"WEEE!"
The moment Blaze saw it, he knew exactly what Asher was planning.
"Charizard, Fire Blast!"
The command came before Weezing could do anything else.
There was one move in particular he wanted to prevent.
Clear Smog.
It attacked with thick smoke while resetting the target's stat changes. Charizard currently had +2 Attack from Dragon Dance and +3 Speed from Dragon Dance and Flame Charge. If Clear Smog landed, all of those boosts would disappear.
Blaze had no intention of allowing that.
"ROOOAR!"
A huge star-shaped blast of fire formed in front of Charizard and hurtled toward Weezing.
"Tsk! Weezing, Sludge Bomb!"
Asher had indeed been planning to use Clear Smog, but Fire Blast forced him to defend first.
"WEEZIN!!"
Weezing spat a mass of purple sludge into the incoming flames.
BOOM!
The two attacks exploded against each other, filling the battlefield with smoke as the shockwave rolled outward.
"Now! Clear Smog!"
Asher seized the opening.
Blaze grinned.
"You really think I'm going to let you?"
"Charizard, finish it! Flamethrower!"
"ROOOAR!"
Golden light flashed in Charizard's eyes.
Then purple-gold fire gathered deep inside its jaws.
BOOM!
A torrent of flame erupted like molten lava and tore straight through the smoke toward Weezing.
The temperature across the entire battlefield spiked, making the arena feel like the mouth of a volcano.
This was Charizard's Apotheosis-level Flamethrower!