"So resistant to fire..."
"Is fire at that level completely useless against him?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly.
This method of resisting Fire-type moves using the Flame Body ability was very similar to Charmander's high-temperature fire-resistance.
"So this is the Temperature Control ability... I see!"
"Magmar, move in and use Thunder Punch!"
Jason Brooks had also guessed Charmander's ability and swiftly changed strategies.
He immediately abandoned Fire-type moves and switched to Electric-type ones.
"Charmander, meet his attack with Flare Blitz."
Ethan's eyes lit up and he gave the order without hesitation—a high-power Fire-type move.
"Chaarrr!"
Charmander let out a soft roar as his body was engulfed in blazing flames before he dashed toward Magmar, who was already readying Thunder Punch.
Boom!
In the center of the field, Flare Blitz and Thunder Punch collided violently.
Fire and electricity intertwined instantly, and the explosion echoed through the arena.
Even though Magmar's strength was clearly superior to Charmander's, Charmander had absorbed part of Magmar's flames earlier, converting them into energy to boost Flare Blitz.
As a result, the attack was able to withstand and stop Thunder Punch, a move Magmar lacked type affinity for.
"Does it really have that much power...?"
"But Flare Blitz has recoil. So... Magmar, take it head-on!"
Upon hearing its trainer, Magmar let out a low growl. The electricity around its fists dissipated, and it spread its arms wide to grab Charmander directly, letting the little one's flames wash over it.
Or rather—Magmar fully activated its Flame Body ability, turning its very body into living fire and beginning to devour the flames of Flare Blitz.
And when the recoil of Flare Blitz hit Charmander... that would be when Magmar delivered the decisive blow.
"The recoil?" Ethan smiled faintly.
Flare Blitz wraps the user in flames and makes them charge the enemy. The user also takes damage and sometimes leaves the opponent burned.
By rule, the user receives one-third of the damage dealt to the target. Of course, that isn't a fixed law—in reality, Pokémon can reduce or avoid that damage through various means.
But fundamentally, "recoil damage" is just the opposite force generated from the impact. And now Charmander had used Flare Blitz on... another mass of roaring fire!
In that case, the recoil he would suffer—
At that moment, the flames of Flare Blitz began to shake violently. A wave of fire mixed with Magmar's red-yellow flames rushed backward toward Charmander.
Flare Blitz and Magmar's flames fused, turning into a huge sphere of fire burning in the middle of the field.
"Chaarrr!"
Charmander's comfortable croak came from inside, and then all the flames began boiling, surging into his body.
Boom!
And in the next instant, under everyone's stunned gazes, Charmander's body burst into a dazzling white glow. His figure began changing within the light.
"This is... he's evolving!"
Ethan's eyes gleamed. He wasn't too surprised; after all the buildup, Charmander had already reached the stage to evolve.
"Chaarmeell!"
With a deep roar, the flames converged and in an instant revealed Charmeleon. His body was far sturdier than before, and the flame on his tail burned wildly.
"Well done. Let's go, Charmeleon—Flamethrower!"
Ethan smiled broadly and gave the order.
"Chaarmeell!"
Charmeleon's eyes focused and his skin began glowing red. Even though he was already red, his body now looked almost translucent, as if covered in a fluorescent red aura.
The ground beneath his feet began to melt. Through the cracks, molten magma could be seen flowing.
"W-WHAT?!"
Everyone jumped in fright.
No one expected Charmeleon, upon evolving, to generate temperatures high enough to melt the ground.
Based on the melting point of rock, Charmeleon's body temperature had reached a terrifying level.
"CHAARRMEELL!"
Charmeleon opened his mouth and concentrated the flames, instantly turning them into a massive stream of fire that shot toward Magmar.
Magmar retaliated with his strongest attack. The two attacks clashed fiercely in mid-air.
Boom!
But Magmar was Jason's trained Pokémon—much stronger than the newly evolved Charmeleon. With the same move, the difference became obvious.
Magmar's Flamethrower began to suppress and push back Charmeleon's flames until it finally overwhelmed them completely, engulfing Charmeleon in fire once more.
But within the flames, Charmeleon remained calm. He opened his mouth and inhaled deeply—devouring Magmar's Flamethrower entirely!
His belly swelled rapidly.
The next moment, his throat tightened and then—
WOOSH!
Charmeleon roared and spewed an even more powerful torrent of fire, overpowering and crushing Magmar's continuous Flamethrower.
Now Magmar was the one engulfed in flames. But with Flame Body, his fire resistance was exceptional, so he managed to endure it as well.
"Now, Charmeleon—use Temperature Control!"
Ethan's voice rang out suddenly, shocking everyone.
Charmeleon stepped forward hard, releasing waves of heat as he raised the temperature of his flames.
Magmar wasn't worried. His body temperature reached 1,200 °C, and with Flame Body, he could easily withstand that much heat.
But a moment later... his expression changed drastically.
A sharp stinging sensation shot through his body and he stumbled.
The flames around his body began to fade.
Charmeleon was left panting heavily.
In front of him, Magmar stood still.
Motionless.
Not moving.
(End of chapter)