Charizard not only dodged Toxicroak's attack head-on but also countered with a heavy punch!
And with that punch, Toxicroak was taken down directly.
Koga's expression turned incredibly dark. He indeed didn't expect that Poison Jab would hit Charizard; while Charizard's speed wasn't faster than Toxicroak's, its reflexes were terrifying.
Koga noticed the failure of the Poison Jab from the first strike.
But he planned to turn the situation around. When Toxicroak missed Charizard, Charizard would surely counterattack. As long as Toxicroak could withstand one move, it could reverse the situation just like before!
Even hitting Charizard once would definitely take it down!
This is the advantage of higher level.
You can hit me many times, but I only need to hit you once!
But now the situation was different... Charizard's attack power had leaped significantly, so even an Elite Level Toxicroak couldn't withstand a single Fire Punch imbued with that mysterious flame.
Koga was actually gambling, betting that Charizard couldn't summon that flame which had burst in the sky earlier.
But unfortunately, he lost the bet.
The result of losing the bet was Toxicroak's total defeat, as an Elite Level Pokemon was defeated by an Elite Level Pokemon...
Ha, what a joke, but it's not funny at all!
"Aya, announce the result," Koga took a deep breath, suppressing his inner turmoil, and said to Aya.
Aya only responded belatedly, waving her hand and announcing, "Toxicroak is unable to battle, Charizard wins!"
Wow!!!
Koga really lost?!
Everyone who could see the gym battlefield was in an uproar. The Elite candidate Koga actually lost to a seemingly inexperienced boy!
And the manner of the defeat was so inexplicable that these audience members, watching from a god-like perspective, didn't even know how Koga lost.
The viewers watching the broadcast on TV felt the same, knowing more than those onsite. An Elite Level facing off against an Elite Level was an unbeatable battle.
Yet now, standing on the battlefield was the Elite Level Charizard!
What's going on in the world? Has surpassing levels become this casual? And it's not just jumping one or two small ranks, but a whole three large ranks!
Who can play with such overpowering abilities!
...
In the backyard of Oak's Research Institute——
Upon learning that Ash was challenging the Fuchsia Gym and it was being broadcasted, Professor Oak moved the TV to the backyard to watch the match with Ash's Pokemon.
After witnessing the ups and downs and Ash's eventual victory over Koga, even the steady Professor Oak couldn't help but exclaim.
"Well done, Ash!! You even managed to win this! If you don't win the championship of this year's Quartz Conference, who else will? Looks like Kanto is going to rise again!" Elite surpassing Elite Level, not even Leon could manage this!
Not even with the Dynamax System!
The gap between levels is indescribable; it's an insurmountable chasm.
Yet Ash has crossed it, a super genius trainer nurtured from a young age, emerging from Pallet Town!
This year's Quartz Conference—it's practically in Ash's pocket! If he can stand against an Elite Level, it'd be truly unreasonable if he doesn't win the championship.
As for Gary... who's Gary? Not really familiar.
"But that flame... why does it look so familiar? Could it actually be Sacred Fire? Charizard using Sacred Fire? Ha, just joking." Professor Oak shook his head, dismissing his own thoughts.
Sacred Fire is Ho-Oh's exclusive flame, usable only by Ho-Oh and Entei, the latter because it was revived by Ho-Oh.
The fire type power shared by Entei and Ho-Oh allows it to use Sacred Fire, but how could Charizard?
Ho-Oh hasn't appeared for a long time, and Ash has only been traveling for two months; it's impossible for him to have encountered Ho-Oh, right? So this thought remains just a fantasy.
The unique flame of Charizard might be a new power developed together by Ash and Charizard. After finishing at Fuchsia Gym, he should call Ash to ask about it.
...
On the streets of Lanyan City, previously empty, now swarming with people.
The reason was the broadcast of the battle at Fuchsia Gym being played on the street, attracting countless people to stop, their legs feeling like they were filled with lead, unable to move.
Upon witnessing Koga losing the first round, exclamations erupted from the street, was an Elite Level really taken down by a newbie trainer?!
Goodness, where did this person emerge from?
In the crowd, Gary, knowing the reality, had a complex expression and a dark face.
Where did he come from? From a crack in Pallet Town!
And departing on the same day as him!
For crying out loud, this guy's a poet! An Elite Level battling an Elite Level, is there no path left for others?
And what was that colorful flame just now?
Unknowingly, has he already been left so far behind by Ash? How can he catch up!
No matter how he thinks, it feels quite hopeless.
Maybe he should just wash up and sleep, settle as a perennial second.
...
In a house on the Quartz Plateau, a woman wearing glasses and light attire was watching the television screen intently.
Her wine-red eyes filled with interest.
"Besides Gengar, there were other trump cards? Elite Level defeating Elite Level, so interesting, will this little guy perhaps become the Kanto Champion in a few years? Ha, if he can break Cynthia's abnormal record, that would be amusing."
Cynthia became the Sinnoh Region's Champion at eighteen.
If Leon is the strongest Champion in history, then Cynthia is the youngest Champion in history. Given a little more time, Cynthia could perhaps catch up to Leon.
Nowadays, Cynthia is known as the Sinnoh Valkyrie, considered the most promising trainer to defeat Leon.
If Ash could achieve Champion within three years, the whole world would be buzzing.
Lorelei thought for a moment, picking up the phone beside her and dialing her friend's cell.
...
Fuchsia Gym——
Ash was unaware that he had been watched by countless people, taking a deep breath, slowly suppressing and retracting the power surging within him.
Though Toxicroak was defeated by Charizard, Charizard was also at its limit.
Is Sacred Fire really that easy to use?
With Charizard's original capabilities, it couldn't possibly use Sacred Fire; the ability to use it now depended first on the high pressure Toxicroak created, and secondly on Ash using Aura Fusion to boost Charizard's power.
This allowed Charizard to wield Sacred Fire with its current strength.
However, the burden of using Sacred Fire far exceeded others' imaginations.
This is divine flame, and it allowed Charizard to challenge the Professional Peak realm, taking down an Elite Toxicroak in just a couple of punches.
Using such power obviously comes with a cost.
As a Fire Type Pokemon, if not for Aura Power protecting Charizard, it might have been penetrated by Sacred Fire by now.
Because Charizard's current power isn't really sufficient to wield Sacred Fire normally.
The punch just now was the last punch Charizard could deliver; post-punch, Charizard didn't even have the strength to lift its hands.
Feeling the same as Charizard, Ash also felt a wave of weakness throughout his body.
But after retracting the power from Charizard, Ash's sense of weakness vanished, though Charizard swayed and almost collapsed!
"Boom!"
Charizard didn't fall to the ground but was supported by a strong shoulder. Turning its head, it found Ash had somehow appeared by its side.
"Well done, Charizard, you've done great." Ash grinned, giving a thumbs-up to Charizard.