"What… is… that…!?"
Miyazato Aisa's hoarse voice came in broken fragments, each syllable forced out. Her face was filled with shock and disbelief.
As an Elite Four-level Trainer, this was the first time she had ever shown such a loss of composure.
But it wasn't her fault.
Shiko's appearance after evolving was simply too overwhelming.
It completely defied expectation and shattered common sense.
The feeling was like what humanity must have felt hundreds of years ago when they first saw Pokémon—
strangeness, novelty, and fear of an unknown power, crashing together into a brutal psychological impact.
Everyone else on the command platform was the same.
Their expressions and movements looked frozen in place as they stared at that mighty, towering monster—overflowing with a violent aura.
For a moment, they were all struck speechless.
Especially Amano Akio.
The instant GeoGreymon appeared, he smelled an extremely intense sense of danger.
That lingering feeling of threat in his heart suddenly became incredibly real and incredibly strong.
I'm going to lose!!!
The thought surfaced in his mind and refused to go away.
Just imagining that terrifying outcome, he nearly fainted on the spot.
"Shi… ko… you…"
Isobe Himeko only snapped back to her senses after a long daze.
Staring at the enormous figure now standing before her like a small mountain, she felt dizzy and lost, as if she were dreaming.
After evolving, shouldn't it have become Charizard?
Then what was this Pokémon in front of her supposed to be?
That massive body, that terrifying presence—
where was there even the slightest resemblance to Charizard?
That surging, brutal, ferocious aura was like an ancient savage beast walking out of primordial wilderness, making people's hearts pound with dread.
This really…
is Shiko!?
"Stand farther away."
A sudden voice rang out inside her mind.
A tone she knew all too well instantly washed away the doubts in Himeko's heart.
That voice—
it was Shiko, no doubt!
She didn't know why he had evolved into this form.
But at least…
he was still Shiko.
Himeko nodded and retreated three steps.
"ROAR!!"
Throwing its head back, GeoGreymon bellowed.
The pressure of Shiko's presence surged outward, spreading over the entire venue.
Whether human or Pokémon, everyone felt an astonishing weight pressing down on them.
This…
Pressure!?
Another new Ability!?
Across the battlefield, Amano Joji's expression shifted from stunned fear into a dark, heavy grimness.
He didn't know why that Charmeleon had evolved into something like this—
but the match wasn't over!
This battle, no matter what, he had to win it!
A Gym-level peak Lanturn!
Could it really lose to a freshly evolved, bizarre monster!?
A level gap of more than ten levels, plus type advantage—
that wasn't something a single evolution could erase!
"Lanturn! Rain Dance!!!"
"Shyu~~"
Lanturn stopped gliding through the water.
It raised its head and let out a strange, muffled cry toward the sky.
Invisible sound-wave energy spread outward.
In an instant, the blazing, sun-filled sky was swallowed by thick dark clouds!
The surroundings dimmed abruptly!
Boom!!
Lightning flashed, thunder exploded, and torrential rain poured down in sheets.
Transparent glass domes immediately rose over the spectator stands, blocking the sudden downpour.
"I'll see how you win now!"
Joji stood in the curtain of rain, shouting hoarsely three times with a vicious grin.
In rainy weather, fire damage would be weakened—
while Water-type power would receive a huge boost!
With one rising and the other falling, Joji was already certain he wouldn't lose.
A gap this massive couldn't be crossed just because a Charmeleon had undergone some weird evolution!
"Thunder!"
The bulb on Lanturn's head blazed with dazzling yellow light.
Boom!!
Thunder formed within the storm clouds!
This is bad!
In rain, Thunder can't miss!
"Dodge—!"
Himeko instinctively turned toward Shiko and shouted—
but before her words could even finish, streak after streak of lightning dropped from the sky, striking straight onto Shiko's body!
Looking at Shiko's blurred silhouette swallowed by violent lightning, Himeko's face turned deathly pale.
Bolts kept crashing down.
On the wide-open battlefield, GeoGreymon's burly four-meter-plus frame looked like a lightning rod.
The flickering lightning seemed guided by something—
all of it surging toward him.
A Gym-level peak Lanturn really was terrifying.
The lightning it called down made people's hair stand on end.
And Shiko's figure bathed in thunderlight made everyone's scalp go numb.
Under such horrifying bombardment…
could he really endure it!?
Boom!!
The final bolt fell.
The lightning burst apart, scattering into arcs that sizzled and crackled through the air.
The blinding thunderlight vanished completely.
Everyone looked at Shiko's position at the first possible moment.
In their widened eyes—
Shiko's figure was reflected clearly!!
A towering draconic beast, head held high in arrogant pride, dragon eyes full of disdain and mockery!
Not a single trace of scorching or damage from the lightning remained on his body.
Completely unhurt.
Perfectly intact!
He's fine!!
"YES!!!"
The venue fell silent for several seconds—
then, in an instant, cheers erupted like a tsunami!
"As expected! This special evolution changed his typing!"
"Charizard is Fire and Flying, but this one should be Fire and Ground!"
"That's why it was immune to Thunder's damage!"
Aisa breathed a stunned exclamation, her eyes shining.
This evolution really was perfectly suited.
It dodged the Electric weakness.
It shut down part of Lanturn's moveset.
But after that amazement—
Aisa's expression suddenly became serious again.
Fire and Ground…
that was a quadruple weakness to Water!
In this rainy weather, as long as it took a Water-type move, it would be finished!
Her face tightened.
This match—
would be hard.
On the battlefield, Joji quickly realized it too.
This monster's typing wasn't Fire/Flying.
It was Fire/Ground!
"You think adding Ground typing and dodging Electric damage means you can win?"
"How ridiculous! Let me tell you—my Lanturn's strongest moves are its Water-type moves!"
"End it! Lanturn—Hydro Pump!"
"Shyu!"
Lanturn floated on the water's surface.
It opened its mouth.
Dense Water-type energy gathered in front of it.
The small river beneath it—and every raindrop falling around it—was drawn into that energy, converging rapidly.
That violent surge of power carried an intensely dangerous feeling!
"Hurry, dodge!"
Himeko still hadn't recovered from the shock.
If Shiko took this Hydro Pump head-on—
he absolutely wouldn't survive it!
Fire plus Ground, plus the rain boost—
it would end the match in a single hit!
"ROAR!!"
Shiko threw his head back and roared.
He didn't move an inch.
Both foreclaws extended, taking a stance as if to receive the attack.
Can't block it!?
Then I'll block it so you can all see!!!
Joji froze at the sight—
then burst into wild laughter.
"Stupid! You dare to take this head-on!? One evolution and your brain's broken!"
"Teach him a lesson! Lanturn!"
BOOM!!!
Raging water converged into a terrifying column and blasted across dozens of meters.
In the blink of an eye—
it slammed into Shiko.
The deafening crash at the moment of impact hit the crowd's eardrums like an explosion.
Shiko's figure was instantly swallowed by the shattered torrent!
"Pour everything into it!"
Joji clenched his fist and roared.
"Shyu~~"
Lanturn went all-out.
It emptied every last bit of stored energy in its body.
In an instant, the Hydro Pump swelled even thicker.
The torrent raged on.
Shiko's figure couldn't be seen at all—alive or dead, no one knew.
"He got way too arrogant!"
"There's no way he should've taken that move head-on!"
"What a shame—if he'd been cautious, maybe he had a chance!"
"No chance. The moment he evolved into Fire and Ground typing, the outcome was already decided."
"Yeah. The weakness is just too obvious!"
…
In the VIP seats, the vice presidents from various Pokémon universities all showed regret.
They'd wanted to see just how strong this special, never-before-seen monster really was—
how much of a surprise it could bring.
But they never expected—
that it would lose the moment it appeared!
The Hydro Pump gradually died down.
Lanturn looked exhausted from the sudden overexertion.
Thick water vapor spread and drifted, and under the rain curtain it looked like a heavy fog had formed.
Won…?
Joji's pressure suddenly lifted.
After eating a full-power Hydro Pump like that, there was no way Shiko could still stand.
To be honest, if he really won this match—
he had to thank Shiko's arrogance and stupidity.
Such a powerful Charmeleon…
who would've thought that after evolving, it would become something that only looked imposing!?
"ROAR!!"
Right then, Shiko suddenly opened his mouth.
A terrifying dragon roar burst out of the dense fog.
The shockwave churned violently, forcibly blasting the drifting mist away.
Shiko's figure—
appeared before everyone once again.
(End of Chapter)
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