Victory had been claimed!
That feeling filled Ash with incomparable satisfaction.
"Pikachu!"
After being spun around several times in a row, Pikachu felt a bit dizzy.
Uncontrolled sparks burst out from its body.
Golden lightning illuminated the night sky in a flash.
Only then did Ash finally let go.
He slowly exhaled a puff of black smoke, forcing down the excitement in his chest.
Thanks to Pikachu,
Ash managed to calm himself down.
This goofy little scene did not relax Tobias in the slightest.
On the contrary, his expression grew even more tense.
He took out a Poké Ball and recalled Darkrai, which had lost the ability to battle.
Then he threw out another Poké Ball.
A red flash erupted—
And a Pokémon with a red-and-gray body appeared on the battlefield.
Its form was strange and imposing.
It was Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon!
Heatran resembled a turtle-like Pokémon.
It had orange-red eyes, and its head looked as though it were covered by a metallic mask.
Its body was reddish-brown, patterned with a mix of brown and orange spots.
On its legs were structures resembling metal anklets.
Each foot had four claws arranged in a cross shape.
The underside of its body was gray.
According to legend, Heatran was born from the searing magma deep within Mt. Coronet.
Its body, forged from molten steel, was filled with mysteries yet unsolved.
It lived in volcanic caves, using its cross-shaped claws to cling to walls and ceilings as it crawled about.
Blood like boiling lava flowed through its veins.
Though it possessed a body of hardened steel, the extreme heat it emitted caused it to slowly melt itself away.
A Fire–Steel–type Pokémon, Heatran was extraordinarily powerful!
Even among Legendary Pokémon,
it ranked among the very top tier!
The moment it appeared, the once-dark battlefield was dyed a blazing red.
"EN——!!!"
It was obvious this Heatran had a foul temper.
The instant it entered the field, it let out a terrifying roar.
Facing such an opponent,
Sceptile's eyes filled with clear caution.
This was not an enemy that could be beaten with speed alone.
With its Fire typing, Heatran held a massive advantage over Sceptile, which was purely Grass-type.
If Sceptile was even slightly careless and got touched—
This battle would collapse instantly.
Because of that, Ash had no intention of using Sceptile to probe the enemy.
After all, the only moves Sceptile could use to effectively damage Heatran were Fighting-type moves.
And Fighting-type moves required closing the distance!
But once it got close and was hit by a Fire-type attack,
Sceptile might immediately lose the ability to battle.
That was far too risky!
So Ash raised his Poké Ball and spoke calmly:
"Come back, Sceptile."
Sceptile turned, nodded at Ash, and transformed into a red beam of light that returned to its Poké Ball.
At the same time,
Ash began considering which Pokémon to send out next.
Heatran had two possible abilities: Flash Fire and Flame Body.
If it had Flash Fire, then Fire-type attacks would be completely useless against it.
Who should he choose?
Ash looked down at the two remaining Poké Balls in his hand, lost in thought.
This time, he had only brought three Pokémon with him.
Besides Sceptile, the other two were Infernape and Swellow.
After a brief pause,
Ash threw one of the Poké Balls forward.
A flash of red light—
And a slightly lean Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, flames blazing atop its head.
It was Infernape,
the very same one that had unleashed unimaginable firepower in its battle against Moltres not long ago!
Perhaps Heatran, if it possessed Flash Fire, could suppress Infernape.
But that wasn't absolute.
Besides Fire-type moves,
Ash's Infernape was no slouch at all when it came to Fighting-type and even Ground-type techniques!
The moment Infernape entered the field,
towering flames erupted from the top of its head.
Compared to Heatran's magma-like, sluggish flames,
Infernape's fire burned a vivid, blazing red!
"That's it! Keep that momentum!"
For now, at least in terms of presence,
the two sides were evenly matched!
Seeing Infernape like this,
the live chat instantly erupted in support.
Ever since Infernape's battle against Moltres, it had gained a massive following among the audience.
That explosive firepower and unmatched close-combat prowess had left a deep impression on everyone.
Compared to Tobias's Heatran,
they were far more willing to support Ash's Infernape!
After all—
Infernape had a god-slaying record!
Moltres itself had fallen to its hands!
[Flint: Infernape, beat the crap out of that thing! Beat it until it can't even stand—only then will it live up to your record!]
[Malva: The revival of Fire-types depends on Ash and Infernape! After all, Ash is the most talented Fire-type Trainer I've ever seen!]
[Blaine: Uh… you might be disappointed. Ash's Charizard specializes in Seismic Toss, and although Infernape showed extraordinary flames last time, don't forget—Infernape is also extremely proficient in Fighting-type moves. It even mastered the ultimate comeback art of Close Combat!]
[Bruno: Hahaha! Your Fire-type glory can wait! The glory of Fighting-types has already been relaunched by Master Ash!]
[Cynthia: I doubt we'll see a Fire-type duel between Infernape and Heatran. We might instead see another side of Infernape.]
[Flint: A side of Infernape we've never seen? Now I'm interested!]
...
On screen—
The moment Infernape appeared, Heatran showed intense hostility toward it!
Its lava-like skin shimmered with a dark red glow.
"Ash, I acknowledge you as my opponent," Tobias said coldly.
"But that's as far as it goes. This round's victory will belong to me and Heatran!"
Tobias was extremely confident in his Heatran!
Especially in a Fire-type matchup!
With Flash Fire, Heatran was practically a Fire-type killer.
Your moves don't work on me—
can you handle that?!
Facing Tobias's contempt, Ash didn't care at all.
Did he really think Ash was made of dough?!
"Infernape, Mach Punch!"
Ash gave the command calmly.
"Lie—!!!"
In the next instant, Infernape lunged like a tiger crossing a river,
blitzing straight toward the enraged Heatran!
After its battle alongside Ash against Moltres,
Infernape felt as though it had ascended to a new level!
It even felt as if it could now fully control the flames within its body!
That super-powered Blaze seemed to have gained an on–off switch—
it could activate it whenever it wanted!
This was the possibility of full-HP Blaze!
But in this battle, Blaze clearly wasn't going to be used.
As a Fire-type Pokémon, Infernape's perception of its own kind was incredibly sharp.
Just like right now—
It could sense Heatran's flames, burning with the power to devour everything.
That was Flash Fire!
Once Fire-type moves were used, not only would they deal zero damage—
they would actually power Heatran up!
So Ash's command was absolutely correct!
After all, besides Fire—
Fighting-type moves were Infernape's specialty!
In less than a blink,
Infernape had already reached Heatran's front!
With lightning speed,
a punch slammed brutally into Heatran's face!
Neither Tobias nor Heatran had time to react—
Mach Punch had already landed!
Heatran was incredibly strong!
As a Legendary Pokémon capable of triggering volcanic eruptions, its power was unquestionable!
But its weaknesses were also obvious—
Especially in a formal battle like this.
Without terrain or space to maneuver,
Heatran struggled to evade attacks through positioning alone.
Still, its immense bulk gave it tremendous tolerance for error!
Infernape's Mach Punch, though dealing super-effective damage,
failed to cause any truly significant harm.
Tobias froze for a moment, then immediately ordered a counterattack!
"Heatran! Magma Storm!"
Tobias had recognized Heatran's weakness.
Infernape's speed was something Heatran could never match!
Since it couldn't increase its own speed—
Then it would just restrict the opponent's speed instead!
As long as both sides were forced onto the same footing,
Heatran would have an absolute advantage!
With Tobias's command—
"ROAR!"
Heatran let out a furious bellow, and flames spread outward from beneath its feet!
Very quickly, rings of fire encircled the entire battlefield!
Even the ground itself was covered in roaring flames!
Although Infernape was a Fire-type Pokémon,
it could still be damaged by fire!
Under these conditions,
Infernape's proud speed advantage was effectively erased!
After setting up the fiery field,
Heatran bared its fangs and advanced step by step toward Infernape!
Combined with its massive body,
the pressure it exerted made everyone feel suffocated!
So this was the oppression of a Legendary Pokémon?!
Terrifying!
"Lava Plume."
Tobias said lightly.
If you were going to restrict your opponent—
You might as well go all the way.
Lava Plume was also a Fire-type move.
Though it lacked Magma Storm's trapping effect,
its massive range was enough to cover the entire battlefield!
[Cynthia: As expected of Heatran—using such wide-range Fire-type moves without the slightest burden.]
[Leon: True. In a situation like this, Charizard would handle it better thanks to aerial mobility. Heatran doesn't have many anti-air options.]
[Professor Kukui: Probably because Ash didn't bring Charizard this time. Charizard would indeed handle this more easily—especially with Seismic Toss. He wouldn't be cornered like this.]
[Blue: So what? If a Trainer only thinks about winning in the easiest way possible, where's the fun in battling?]
[Lance: That's easy for you to say, you monster. Look at the situation on the field! Tobias's Pokémon is Heatran—a Legendary with the power to trigger volcanic eruptions!]
[Blue: It's just a Legendary Pokémon. What's there to doubt? Whether it's me or Red, dealing with a Legendary is easy.]
Audience:
Yes, yes, of course!
Easy! Anyone can do it!
Please consider us normal people too!
What kind of lunatics are you guys?!
After learning more over this time—and hearing the Champions talk—
the audience had finally come to understand just who Red and Blue were.
And the moment they checked—
They were utterly shocked.
Good grief!
Where did these monsters even come from?!
Blue bulldozed the Kanto Elite Four in twenty minutes and became Champion!
That alone was already absurd!
The Kanto Elite Four each possessed strength on par with ordinary Champions!
Flattened in twenty minutes?!
That was insanity!
And it was said that after winning,
Blue's Pokémon were still at full health!
Completely ridiculous!
Was Kanto some kind of monster factory?!
But if Blue was already outrageous—
Then Red was a complete freak of nature!
Fifteen minutes to defeat the Elite Four!
Five minutes to crush Blue!
Was this a meal?!
"We'll flip you"—and it's done?!
We take more than twenty minutes just to eat!
You two took twenty minutes to become Champion once!
The most outrageous part?
After becoming Champions,
both of them retired immediately?!
Good grief!
So that Hoenn Champion who loves slacking off learned this from you guys, huh?!
(Steven: So that's an option… noted!)
And yet—
only these two were qualified to say things like that.
If the audience ever found out that monsters like Yellow and Green also existed…
They'd probably suffocate on the spot!
No wonder Kanto was the top league—
this talent pool was the real deal!
[Lorelei: Please, don't set the bar that high. We're normal people—we don't have that kind of power.]
[Blue: I never asked you to be like us. I'm just saying that Ash facing powerful enemies head-on—that's what people from Pallet Town should do.]
[Red: Ash still lacks battle experience. At this level, I could already do it when I was ten.]
That was a kill shot.
[Ash: I'll work hard! I'll definitely become someone like Brother Red!]
[Blue: Hey, what about me?! I'm not weaker than that guy! You're embarrassing me!]
[Ash: But Brother Blue… you only stayed Champion for five minutes.]
[Blue: …]
He never should've said that extra line.
It was over—
his dark history had been exposed!
Damn it!
How was he supposed to pursue Queen Irene now?!
...
On screen—
Black smoke filled with sparks burst from Heatran's mouth!
It looked like the very omen of a volcanic eruption!
Even standing at the edge of the battlefield, Dawn could feel the suffocating pressure!
Compared to Darkrai's black terror,
Heatran's attacks were far more visually overwhelming!
Dawn felt like she could barely breathe.
Against an enemy like this—
could Ash really win?
No matter how much she believed in him,
she couldn't hide her worry.
This kind of wide-area assault clearly wasn't about speed anymore.
It was a head-on clash—
A contest of raw attack power and defense!
Although Infernape had offensive advantages—
It was a glass cannon!
Wouldn't it lose?!
But unlike Dawn's anxiety—
Ash showed not the slightest hint of worry.
Instead, the excitement in his eyes was impossible to hide!
Yes—this was how it should be!
Compared to Darkrai, a battle he had rehearsed countless times in his mind—
This kind of unknown was far more thrilling!
Still—
How to break through?
As Lava Plume's smoke forced Infernape into the corner of the field—
Ash suddenly had an idea.
Yes—
This was it!
"Infernape! Calm down—observe your inner self!"
At the same time,
Ash closed his eyes.
A formless energy surged outward from his body.
Blue ripples spread like waves across the entire battlefield.
Those who knew Ash immediately recognized it.
Aura.
A power that connected Trainer and Pokémon.
At that moment—
Feeling Ash's Aura,
Infernape completely calmed down.
Even the black smoke about to swallow it failed to shake its focus.
An unprecedented calm and composure appeared on Infernape—
a Pokémon known for its ferocity.
"Aura… is with me."
As Ash murmured softly—
His Aura and Infernape's successfully connected.
Both opened their eyes at the same time.
Within Infernape's turquoise pupils, framed by golden sclera,
Aura power flickered.
Ash and Infernape achieved synchronization.
At the same moment,
both brought their hands together before their chests.
Under Dawn's confused gaze—
A faint blue energy slowly gathered between Infernape's hands.
The blue energy began to spin rapidly—
To be continued…
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