"Sss—" The clash of electricity and water, golden electric light and azure water streams shooting forth!
"Wow, it even knows Thunder Punch, this Charizard sure knows a lot of moves!" Lorelei exclaimed again. Previously, Charizard did not showcase a move like Thunder Punch during the battle.
Judging by the speed and precision with which Charizard releases Thunder Punch now, it's clear this Thunder Punch is not something it just learned, but is honed to perfection. Where did it find so much time to train moves, six-dimensional attributes, and its own level?
It's not that a Pokemon can't develop comprehensively, but comprehensive development requires time. The thing Ash lacks most is time. Training a Pokemon like this in just over six months is incredible, yet Ash has more than one such Pokemon in hand!
Thunder Punch and Razor Shell collided, facing off equally once again. Thunder's power restrains water's power, but Cloyster is ultimately a cut above in level, and its Water Type move is a Same-type Attack Bonus, so even against thunder's restraint, it can counter-suppress.
However, Charizard specially trained Thunder Punch to deal with Water Type Pokemon, and its proficiency is high enough. Thus, they ended in a draw... No, stating it as a draw is not quite accurate; Charizard is actually at a slight disadvantage.
Looking closely, you can spot some scratches on Charizard's fist, as if cut by sharp blades, caused by the water power from Razor Shell.
This reveals that Charizard's Thunder Punch couldn't completely block Cloyster's Razor Shell.
In fact, without using Fire Type Moves, Charizard couldn't directly confront Cloyster. If Charizard reached Champion Junior Level through legitimate hard work, then it wouldn't fall behind in a direct confrontation, even using non-Same-type Thunder Punch, and might even be stronger!
Because Charizard's dual attack is unquestionably S-Class.
Now, Charizard reached Champion Junior Level relying on Ash's power. Let alone battling above its level, without four attributes reaching S-Class itself, Charizard probably couldn't even reach Champion Junior Level.
Forcefully raised levels ultimately do not belong to it. Previously, levels like Elite, Professional, Gym, could be immediately controlled after promotion, but after reaching the Champion Level... The energy level differences here are not just minor.
Even though Ash fused aura multiple times after Charizard reached Champion Level to help Charizard adapt to Champion's power, Charizard still struggles to control this energy. Now barely exerting Champion Junior Level power is already difficult.
Adding Divine Power Sage Fire can exceed Champion Junior Level strength, but using other moves would seem lackluster.
Moreover, Cloyster's defense is notably strong, and Lorelei once instructed Cloyster to use Withdraw for defense, making it extremely unfavorable for Charizard in close combat.
The best option is to use ranged fire attacks for evasive tactics, given Cloyster's Ice and Water attributes. Though fire-type moves aren't super effective against ice types, they aren't entirely weak either.
But Ash and Charizard didn't want to do it this way; close combat is their style. If abandoning this and constantly engaging in kite-fighting, winning wouldn't feel satisfying.
"You alright, Charizard?"
"Roar!!"
"Great, that's the spirit! Let's show Miss Lorelei our full strength!!" Ash crossed his arms in front, the Key Stone on his wrist radiating brilliant light.
"Charizard, MEGA evolve!!!"
Lorelei: !!!
Charizard's MEGA evolution? When did Ash acquire a new evolution stone? And for Charizard, no less.
With MEGA evolution emerging, it sparked a craze for finding Key Stones and MEGA Evolution Stones. Everyone knows the prerequisites for MEGA evolution, and the price of a single MEGA Evolution Stone has soared astronomically. Key Stones are even rarer than MEGA Evolution Stones, their prices are just as high.
Due to the nationwide MEGA evolution craze, many Pokemon evolution stones were discovered, like the Hoenn Three Starter, the Kalos Region Three Starter, Hawlucha, Metagross, etc.
Yet among them, there's no popular Charizard evolution stone, not a single one!
Charizard's cool appearance, ease of acquisition for some, and ease of training gained much love. Moreover, studies show Charizard carries hidden MEGA evolution genes, so Charizard can undoubtedly undergo MEGA evolution.
However, despite widespread searching, no one found a Charizard-related MEGA Evolution Stone, which is very strange.
Furthermore, research suggests Charizard doesn't have just one evolution path...
MEGA evolution offers two types, and apart from Charizard, no other Pokemon have shown this, at least none identified so far. So if anyone first discovers its evolution stone, they'll gain fame globally; selling the stone could make them fabulously wealthy!