"What a terrifying Snorlax… Why didn't Yozora use Mega Evolution? If his Charizard had Mega Evolved, it shouldn't have gone down that quickly, right?"From the sidelines, Ash frowned in confusion.
Brock nodded slightly and replied, "Maybe Yozora has other considerations. Don't forget—in official tournaments, you can only use Mega Evolution once per match."
Ash blinked, startled. "Wait—there's actually such a rule?!"
At that, both Brock and Misty nearly toppled over, exasperated. How this guy managed to reach the main tournament despite worrying about nothing at all was beyond them…
On the battlefield—
After recalling his defeated Charizard, Yozora immediately sent out his third Pokémon: Beedrill.
Today, Beedrill was not wearing its usual Battle Soul Cloak. Instead, it bore a necklace embedded with a Mega Stone.
That, too, was because of the rules.
In an official match, each Pokémon may carry only one held item at most.
"Beedrill! Yozora has actually chosen Beedrill! Against a colossal monster like Totem Snorlax, that tiny, fragile Beedrill—can it really do anything?" The announcer's voice carried clear doubt.
Meanwhile, across the field, Red's eyes sharpened the instant Beedrill appeared.
"So he's bringing out Beedrill this early?"
Though momentarily surprised, Red soon regained his confident smirk. He knew Yozora's Beedrill was exceptionally powerful—already on the level of an Elite Four Pokémon.
But Beedrill was still Beedrill—paper-thin defenses.
Even an Elite-level Pokémon could be brought low by a single solid hit. Sometimes, even a Senior-level strike was enough to break through.
"My Snorlax might not be very high-leveled—just around Gym Leader peak—but its attack power and destructive force far exceed that of its tier!"
Red's eyes gleamed. He thrust his hand forward and shouted:"Snorlax! Use Blizzard!"
"Snorrr—lax!"
Snorlax puffed up its massive belly and unleashed a freezing Blizzard.
With Snorlax's gargantuan size, the attack covered an enormous range, sweeping across the battlefield like a snowstorm swallowing Beedrill whole.
Of course, Red knew Blizzard alone wouldn't defeat Beedrill. But as long as it inflicted even a scratch, that was enough!
Beedrill wasn't just fragile in defense—its stamina was also far inferior to other Pokémon of the same level.
However—
Though Red's plan was sound, he still underestimated one thing—Beedrill's speed.
"Beedrill—Agility! Then use Twinneedle!" Yozora's voice rang out.
In an instant, Beedrill blurred and vanished from its spot.
The Blizzard howled across empty air—Beedrill was already at Snorlax's massive belly.
Its twin lances stabbed forward like machine gun fire—relentless, rapid strikes slamming into Snorlax's abdomen.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!"A barrage of impacts shook the stadium as shockwaves burst outward.
Snorlax roared in pain, its mountain-like body staggering backward before collapsing heavily to the ground.
"BOOM!"
The giant Snorlax lay sprawled out, groaning in agony—completely unable to rise again.
A one-hit knockout.
"Snorlax is unable to battle! Beedrill is the winner!" The referee calmly declared the result.
"Unbelievable! Yozora's Beedrill has actually one-shotted Snorlax!" The announcer's eyes bulged, his voice breaking in disbelief.
"Whaaa—!!" The entire stadium erupted into chaos.
"That Beedrill is terrifying!"All around, spectators gasped, including Ash, Brock, and Ryūnan.
"Looks like my loss wasn't unjust…" Yukie and Leiming muttered, their expressions pale with shock.
Especially Leiming, who rubbed his nose awkwardly.
He remembered his own battle against Yozora—when his ace Tyranitar had been dragged down by Gengar's Destiny Bond. Back then, he'd felt bitter and frustrated.
He had even thought himself stronger in raw power—only undone by Yozora's cunning strategy.
But now, watching this—he realized how wrong he'd been.
"That Totem Snorlax was even stronger than my Tyranitar… and it still couldn't withstand Beedrill's assault. How could my Tyranitar possibly fare better?" Leiming muttered dazedly.
To him, Yozora's Beedrill was simply beyond comprehension. Its strength defied his sense of scale.
"As expected of Beedrill—it's grown even stronger…"
Red clicked his tongue, then calmly recalled Snorlax. His lips curled into a bold laugh."Yozora—for the sake of your Beedrill, I've prepared a special gift!"
"Hm?" Yozora frowned.
Red pulled out a peculiar Poké Ball—its design resembling a Heat Ball—and hurled it forward.
"Cawwww!!"
A piercing cry split the air as a brilliant golden firebird emerged.
Its crown streamed back in blazing plumes, its long tail a wave of flame, its wings wreathed in burning feathers.
With its arrival, the temperature of the battlefield spiked dramatically.
At the same time, a heavy silence fell over the stadium.
"N… No way!! Red's fourth Pokémon—is none other than the legendary Pokémon, Moltres!!" The announcer froze for several seconds before finally shouting in disbelief.
His words were like fireworks exploding in a silent night. The crowd instantly boiled over.
Countless spectators who had been stunned moments ago now leapt to their feet, roaring with excitement.
"Moltres! It's really Moltres!"
"This is insane! Isn't Moltres a legendary Pokémon—a divine beast of myth? How could it possibly be captured by a human?!"
"Too amazing! Red—you're my idol!!"
The roar of the crowd surged to a fever pitch, reaching a height never before seen in the history of the Indigo League Conference.
"Wha—!!" Ash, Brock, Misty, and the others outside the field were utterly shaken.
"Red… actually captured the legendary Moltres?" Ash's whole body trembled as a flood of indescribable emotion rose in his chest.
A legendary beast—a dream of every Pokémon Trainer.
And yet—
Red had achieved it while still just a rookie.
Fresh into his journey, and he had already accomplished what even countless veteran Trainers could only dream of.
"Unbelievable… Red, you really are a monster…" Ryūnan's face twitched.
All his life, he had considered himself a genius.
Yet in this very tournament, Red had defeated all six of his Pokémon using only three.
The difference was overwhelming.
"I had guessed his remaining three would be powerful… but I never imagined it would be something like Totem Snorlax—and even Moltres itself…" Ryūnan groaned bitterly.
All of his pride, his self-respect—shattered in an instant.
"Red… truly a terrifying guy…" Yukie murmured, her heart shaken as well.
She had lost to Yozora in the quarterfinals, believing it was bad luck—that her type specialty happened to be countered.
But now—
…
…
(End of Chapter)