Charizard's razor-sharp Dragon Claws raked violently across Blastoise's shell, carving out several terrifying gashes!
The Dragon Claw looked effective…
But when masters clash, the slightest misstep can decide everything.
At this moment, Charizard had already lost the initiative.
It was Blastoise's turn to counterattack!
"Hydro Pump!"
"Blas-toise!"
Blastoise thrust its head forward, twin cannons locking onto Charizard.
Seeing this, Red shouted immediately.
"Charizard—get away from it, now!"
"ROAR!"
Charizard beat its wings and retreated at full speed—
But the distance between them was simply too close!
No matter how fast Charizard was, the twin cannons were already aimed at him!
As Charizard pulled away, surging torrents of water chased after him!
The flying fire dragon barely dodged one water pillar—
But the second one struck him head-on!
BOOM!
The deep-blue torrent blasted Charizard out of the air, smashing him into the ground!
In that instant, the scales of victory seemed to tip toward Blue.
"See that?!" Blue laughed loudly.
"This is my level! Even if your Charizard evolved, he's still no match for my Blastoise!"
Red ignored the taunt and called out calmly.
"Charizard—are you still okay?!"
"ROAR!"
Charizard let out a long cry and slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
"Tch… that still didn't finish him?" Blue muttered.
"Fine then! Charizard—Fire Blast!"
"You're still using Fire-type moves? Stubborn fool!"
"Blastoise—Hydro Pump!"
There was disappointment in Blue's voice.
This opponent… didn't seem to be pushing him hard enough.
Against a Water-type like Blastoise, Red kept using Fire-type attacks—
It felt almost careless.
Blazing flames and raging water collided once more!
The battlefield was engulfed again in thick white steam!
"Charizard—grab Blastoise!"
"What are you trying to do? Blastoise—Rapid Spin!"
A sense of danger flared in Blue's mind.
If Charizard actually managed to grab Blastoise…
Something bad would happen.
Blastoise withdrew into its shell and began spinning at extreme speed!
The rotation whipped up a powerful vortex of wind around it!
"Charizard—Thunder Punch!"
"…What?!"
Just moments ago, Blue had been mocking Red for relying only on Fire-type moves—
And now he realized the truth.
Those Fire-type attacks weren't meant to deal damage.
They were meant to create smoke—to close the distance!
And this—
This was the true killing move!
CRACK—!
Golden lightning wrapped around Charizard's claw, slicing a brilliant arc through the air!
The Thunder Punch slammed directly into Blastoise mid-spin!
The hit landed—but Rapid Spin absorbed much of the impact.
No matter.
Because Thunder Punch was never the finisher.
Charizard's real trump card was—
"Grab Blastoise—Seismic Toss!"
"Bite!"
At this range, Hydro Pump was useless!
The only option was a close-range Bite, forcing Charizard to let go!
But—
Charizard hadn't released his grip even when bitten by Golem, a six-hundred-pound monster!
Compared to that—
A mere Blastoise?!
Charizard seized Blastoise's shell and hauled him into the air!
At the same time, dark energy flared around Blastoise's jaws as he bit into Charizard's shoulder!
Charizard grimaced in pain—
But compared to the damage Golem had inflicted before—
This was nothing.
"Go! Charizard!!"
"ROOOAR!!"
Charizard soared higher, spinning violently while clutching Blastoise!
Dizziness overtook Blastoise, his bite weakening—
And in that fleeting instant—
Charizard dove straight down!
BOOM—!!!
Blastoise was smashed into the ground!
The floor cracked like a spiderweb, dust exploding everywhere!
When everything settled—
Blastoise lay motionless, unable to rise.
The clash between two top-tier Champions—
Ended with Red's victory.
[Leon: Again with Seismic Toss? Isn't Charizard's ultimate supposed to be Blast Burn?]
[Flint: As a Fire-type specialist… I honestly don't understand how Seismic Toss became Charizard's finisher.]
[Blaine: It exists. My Magmar once got one-shot by Seismic Toss.]
[Diantha: Victims of Seismic Toss, unite~]
[Steven: Beyond the unexpected moves, Red clearly outclassed Blue tactically.]
[Cynthia: That is why this is Red's legend.]
(Author note: Combat descriptions are kept concise here—weather setups, Protect, and similar details were skipped intentionally. The focus will shift to the Mewtwo battle later.)
"Did you see that, Blue?! You lost! Hahaha!"
"Hmph! Just bad luck!" Blue scoffed.
"If we fought again, I'd definitely win!"
"And seriously—how did that Blastoise lose to a Charizard?!
The me from another world can't play at all!"
Blue complained bitterly.
By all logic, Blastoise should have hard-countered Charizard!
How could a same-level Blastoise lose to a Charizard?!
In the projection—
After Red defeated Blue, Professor Oak arrived at the Champion's chamber.
"Red, congratulations on becoming the League Champion!"
After congratulating Red, Oak turned to Blue with a stern expression.
"Blue, what a pity. I rushed here after hearing you became Champion… only to arrive and see you already defeated by Red."
"You came too late!" Blue snapped.
…
"Hahaha—too late! Classic!"
"Didn't Red say it himself? Fastest Champion Legend!"
"How long was Blue Champion for? Two hours? Less?"
"This has to be the shortest Champion reign in Pokémon history!"
"Poor Blue—his grandfather rushed over, expecting glory, and instead saw defeat!"
"It sounds tragic… so why is it so funny?!"
"…."
Professor Oak's timing was pure comedy gold.
He hurried over after hearing his grandson had become Champion—
Only to witness his loss.
The déjà vu was irresistible.
In the projection, Professor Oak asked Blue:
"Do you know why you lost, Blue?"
Blue shrugged casually.
"Just bad luck. If we fought again—"
"Idiot!"
Oak cut him off sharply.
"You lost because you lack trust and love for your Pokémon."
"You only think about strength and the Champion title.
You know more than Red. Your training is more systematic."
"And yet—you still lost."
"The reason is simple. You're missing something fundamental."
The words hit Blue like a hammer.
He stared at the Poké Ball holding Blastoise.
Was this… really where he failed?
Oak turned to Red.
"And you, Red—do you understand why you won?"
"Yeah," Red replied easily.
"Because I trusted my Charizard."
"So Charizard answered my expectations."
"The bond between Trainer and Pokémon—that's why I won."
Red looked at Charizard with gentle affection.
Without realizing it…
That once-tiny Charmander had grown this far.
"Alright," Oak said with a smile.
"Save the chatting for later. Red, come with me to register in the Hall of Fame."
"Okay!"
Under Oak's guidance, Red entered the Hall of Fame.
His six core Pokémon—his Champion team—were recorded forever.
Charizard.
Pikachu.
Lapras.
Snorlax.
Marowak.
Butterfree.
Their names would remain etched in history.
At the end, Professor Oak sighed.
"Honestly, I knew you and Blue would grow strong one day…"
"But I never imagined it would be this fast."
"It seems that in just over half a year of traveling, your full potential was completely awakened."
The entire world fell silent.
Half a year?
What did he just say?!
Half a year—from a complete beginner—
To the strongest Champion in the world?!
Even television dramas wouldn't dare write this!
[Lance: …Did I live my whole life for nothing?]
[Alder: Don't say that—I took ten years to reach Champion level…]
[Cynthia: About five years for me.]
[Leon: Roughly four years.]
[Steven: Stop flexing. Compared to Red and Blue, none of you even counts as a dish.]
[Flint: My unreachable Champion dream… they did it in half a year?]
[Drasna: This isn't just a new wave—this is a tsunami!]
[Diantha: I'm depressed. I thought I was a genius. Turns out—I'm not qualified.]
[Karen: Compared to Red and Blue, our Ash and Blue seem… weaker.]
Ash had performed miracles before—
But compared to Red's half-year ascent to the peak—
There was still a gap.
As for Blue—
Karen had seen his Indigo League performance.
For a Trainer traveling only half a year, it was already impressive.
But—
Green became Champion in half a year.
That comparison was merciless.
[Leon: Not necessarily. Even if they're not there yet, Ash and Blue still have long futures.
If they're counterparts of Red and Green, then their potential is just as limitless.]
[Cynthia: Ash's performance in Alola already rivals Red's.
Different timelines—but the heights they can reach are the same.]
[Red: …My strength is tied to my talent.]
[Red: In battle, my Pokémon grow extremely fast.
Their power surges in critical moments depending on our bond.]
[Red: That's why I'm called the Man of Battle.
By the way, Blue's title is the Man of Cultivation.]
[Red: His peak power is slightly below mine, but…
Every Pokémon he raises grows evenly.]
[Red: In other words, he might possess dozens of Champion-level Pokémon.]
"…Cough. Haven't talked this much in a while.
My throat's a bit uncomfortable."
At the summit of Mt. Silver, Red rubbed his neck calmly.
The world, however, was completely stunned.
Man of Battle.
Man of Training.
Dozens of Champions?!
What kind of mythological setting was this?!
What kind of monstrous talent?!
And Red's ability…
Why did it feel strangely familiar?
[Professor Oak: Red's talent is very similar to Ash's.
Ash's Pokémon also respond to his heart and exceed their limits in decisive battles.]
[Cynthia: Especially Pikachu.
In crucial fights, Pikachu always unleashes terrifying power.]
Only then did everyone realize—
Red's ability really was similar to Ash's.
And they were parallel-world counterparts.
So was Ash slower simply because his talent hadn't fully awakened yet?
"Man of Battle… that sounds amazing!"
"Do I have that ability too?!"
"And Red's here in this world now, right?!
I really want to battle him!"
In Professor Oak's backyard, Ash was fired up.
Watching Red fight made his blood boil!
Both had Pikachu.
Both had Charizard.
He desperately wanted to clash!
"Heh, don't joke, Ash. With your current strength, you want to challenge Red? Go wash up and sleep."
"And by that logic, I should have a special ability too—Man of Cultivation…"
Blue pondered whether he should ask Red for advice.
"How to awaken that ability…"
"Show-off Blue! Like you're that strong!
We're about the same right now—maybe I'm stronger!"
"What did you say, perpetual loser?!
You'd better pray we don't meet too early in the tournament!"
The two immediately erupted into a shouting match.
Blue—usually calm and sharp—
Always reverted to a child around Ash.
Perhaps this was… how best friends interacted.
"Alright, alright, enough!" Delia intervened firmly.
"Red's story isn't over yet. Watch carefully and learn!"
Under Delia's suppression, the two finally quieted down.
And just as she said—
Red's legend did not end with becoming the Champion.
Half a year to Champion—
Still not the whole story.
The next projection showed Red helping Professor Oak complete the Pokédex.
At this stage, the Pokédex was still in development—
The goal was only the Kanto region.
A total of 149 Pokémon.
This was the beginning of the Pokédex project.
After capturing 146 Pokémon—
Red set his sights on the final three:
Articuno. Zapdos. Moltres.
Against Zapdos, Red chose Pikachu.
Thunder against thunder.
In a battle of lightning—
Pikachu emerged victorious.
And Red spoke a famous line:
"Awesome, Pikachu!
After defeating Zapdos, won't people one day sing of you as the God of Thunder?!"
"Pika-pi!"
Pikachu was ecstatic—
Not just for defeating a thunder god—
But for imagining statues of himself being worshipped.
Round-faced Pikachu was a vain little electric mouse.
[Chairman Damaránchi: Actually… that sounds reasonable.
If I replace Zapdos's statue with Pikachu's, any objections?]
[Kanto Elite Four: None!]
A strong and adorable Pokémon as an object of faith—
What's not to like?
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