The price of this evolution stone, which has never been seen before, is at least several times that of other evolution stones!
Even so, Charizard's evolution stone still hasn't appeared, not even a single type.
It turns out Ash actually has one! That's just like him...
As the light enveloped Charizard, Charizard's body began to change within the light. The next moment, the prismatic light surrounding Charizard shattered, and a brand new form of Charizard appeared in front of everyone!
The pitch-black dragon—Charizard X!
Originally orange-red, its body completely turned black, and its white belly changed to blue. Its wings behind its back became jagged, and four sharp protrusions like fangs grew on Charizard's arms, with blue flames like tusks appearing on its mouth, making it look even more majestic and imposing than the original Charizard!
At the tip of its long tail, the red flame had transformed into blue due to an increase in temperature. Infernape also converts its red flame to blue when using Flare Blitz, but now, after Charizard's MEGA evolution, its normal flame has already reached the blue level.
"So this is Charizard's MEGA evolution? Its appearance has changed so much, and it looks much cooler. Ash, when did you get Charizard's MEGA Evolution Stone?" Lorelei nodded approvingly at Charizard's appearance, then asked curiously.
"I found it in the Orange Archipelago, on an uninhabited island. I guess I was just lucky." Ash replied with a grin.
He didn't deceive Lorelei, just withheld a little bit of detail.
Every time Ash lands on an uninhabited island, he uses Aura Power to scan the entire island. With the range his Aura Power can cover, of course, it's not possible to scan directly, but as long as he walks around, he can scan the whole island completely.
Any place on the island that contains special energy can be found with a sweep using Aura Power.
To Ash, uninhabited islands are practically untapped treasure troves. On these islands, Ash has found many natural minerals, herbs, and other resources that are very beneficial to Pokemon.
The MEGA Evolution Stone on Charizard was also found on one of those uninhabited islands, and as luck would have it, it was the X type!
The world is not really familiar with the two forms of Charizard. They only detected two potential directions in Charizard's gene chain, but in reality, the two forms of Charizard represent different growth paths.
Charizard X, like the one Ash has evolved now, develops both in Physical Attack and Special Attack. When paired with the Tough Claws ability, it's better at Physical Attack.
Whereas Charizard Y dramatically boosts Special Attack, in addition to having the Drought ability, it maximizes the fire attribute's Special Attack power!
Neither form is necessarily stronger; it's about choosing the evolution path that suits the training direction. That is, if there is a choice...
Before finding Charizard X's Evolution Stone, Ash's Charizard was already developing towards Physical Attack, and having MEGA evolution greatly enhances it, fully compensating for Charizard's lack of attack species value.
X form may not be the strongest Charizard form, but it is definitely the best fit for Ash's Charizard!
Not only does it empower Ash's Charizard, who already favors Dragon Type moves, with the Dragon Attribute, but it also gains the Tough Claws ability, excellent for close combat, effectively doubling Ash Charizard's overall strength!
"Such a handsome Charizard!!! Is this Charizard's MEGA evolution? It's too cool!"
"Wow! The world's first MEGA-evolved Charizard! Even Leon's Charizard can't MEGA evolve yet!"
"This majestic appearance, this pitch-black skin, this dazzling flame... I have decided, I, too, must raise a Charizard! With Charizard's appearance, what boy wouldn't be smitten?"
"Exactly, strength can be enhanced through training, but being cool is a lifelong pursuit. Just for this look, even if this form of Charizard is useless, I would raise one!!"
"I say, stop dreaming, will you? You want to raise a Charizard? How about you first show me your Key Stone?"
"..."
The emergence of Charizard X sparked heated discussion amongst all the spectators, with some praising Charizard's handsomeness, and others setting their ambition to capture a Charizard in the future.
Perhaps Charizard X and Charizard Y's strength are hard to judge, but when it comes to who is more handsome, the former absolutely dominates the latter without a doubt.
No matter male or female, in terms of appearance, everyone would choose Charizard X. Its dark body paired with the ghostly blue flames is simply irresistible. Its aesthetic tops among all Pokemon!
Thus, when Charizard X first appeared in front of everyone, it immediately gained a massive fan following. Many wished they could capture a Charmander or Charizard right away, and then have it MEGA evolve into the pitch-black dragon!
However, quite a few people quickly poured cold water on the idea, noting that there is currently only one Charizard MEGA Evolution Stone on the market, and that belongs to Ash!
Aside from Ash, no one else possesses a Charizard MEGA Evolution Stone, and even if they did, so what? The rarity of MEGA Evolution Stones needs no further explanation; even an ordinary one like for a Beedrill commands a high price. Switching to Charizard's...it's exorbitant, to say the least!
So, dreams are beautiful, but reality is harsh. To obtain Charizard's MEGA Evolution Stone, one must weigh their financial resources or luck, and without a Key Stone, there's no need to dream even further.
...
"The aura emanating from the new Charizard is completely different. It seems this is the grand gift you had prepared for me, Ash." Lorelei's winy red eyes narrowed slightly, closely observing Charizard X. With her keen eyesight, she could see that the evolved Charizard could be described as reborn.
The previously balanced battle on the field might be broken just like that.
"That's right, this is the final tactic Charizard and I prepared for this battle. This victory, Charizard and I will gladly claim. Charizard, use Dragon Claw!!" Ash excitedly waved his hand and shouted.
"Roar!!" Charizard spread his arms wide, letting out a long roar towards the sky, with two slender green dragon claws shimmering on its forearms!
This Dragon Claw was more solid, sharp, and powerful than the previous one!
Following that, Charizard flicked its wings, and its silhouette shot forward like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it descended in front of Cloyster!
"Protect!!" Charizard's speed shocked Lorelei; after MEGA evolution, its already decent speed became even faster, nearly leaving her no time to react.
"Buzz—!"
A pale blue transparent barrier once again unfolded before Cloyster, and Charizard's Dragon Claw hit it hard!
"Bang!!" Ripples spread across the barrier, and the strong counterforce acted on Charizard's claw, momentarily halting Charizard's charging stance.
But this time, Charizard wasn't bounced away. Instead, gritting its teeth angrily, it continued to apply pressure. One Dragon Claw pressed against the Protect barrier, producing a 'creak, creak' sound.
"Boom!!" Eventually, the Dragon Claw was repelled, but there wasn't a trace of joy on Lorelei's face because from the beginning, Charizard had only used a single arm, while the other arm waited for this very moment!
"Go, Charizard!!"
"Roar!!" With Charizard's roar, the other Dragon Claw followed swiftly and slammed into the now-dim blue shield!
"Bang!!" Protect shattered!
"Screech!" A teeth-grinding sound echoed as Cloyster was struck squarely by the Dragon Claw, leaving three deep gashes on its body!