But no matter how curious one might be, defeating the opponent comes first.
Ash and Charizard both stepped back, creating distance from the King of Charizard. While doing so, Ash glanced once more at the opponent's data. Even though it wasn't his first observation, seeing it again left him utterly shocked by the remarkable capabilities displayed.
At the peak of the Champion Level, all attributes have reached A-Class, with the upper limits of Special Attack, Speed, and Physical Strength at S-Class. The reason they haven't reached S-Class yet might be because this Champion Peak was just recently surpassed.
During the previous battle with Lance's Charizard, this King of Charizard was likely still at Champion Advanced Level. Now it's at Champion Peak. If given some more time to upgrade all attributes to S-Class, the current Charizard would definitely be unable to defeat it.
As long as Charizard's physical strength is at its peak, Ash wouldn't fear going head-to-head with the King of Charizard even if its ability values reach the upper limits. But right now, Charizard's physical strength… is another story.
Just the Champion Peak level alone is challenging enough. If three ability values reach S-Class, this battle would already be decided.
"Do you feel it, Charizard?"
"Roar!"
"A formidable opponent indeed. We might lose this time."
"Roar!!"
"Indeed, I don't plan on giving up! This is already the last battle, so let's unleash all of our power!!" Ash clenched his fists, his gaze sharp and piercing, as the Aura Power that filled Charizard surged to its peak!
Not only Charizard, but Ash was also expending energy using his Aura Power to amplify Charizard, consuming even more physical strength than Charizard.
However, Ash's physical strength was more robust, so he maintained his state reasonably well. Charizard, too, had recovered somewhat due to their conversation and the time delayed at the door.
Even though this recovery was just a drop in the bucket, it was better than nothing. They had no worries left. Even if they fainted right after defeating the opponent, it would still count as a victory. So now, they chose to unleash their power with no reservations all at once!
"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!!"
"Roar!!" It was once again the signature Dragon Claw. This was Charizard's favorite skill after MEGA Evolution. With Tough Claws, the power of Dragon Claw even surpassed that of the Fire Type Move Fire Blast!
Emerald green claws extended from Charizard's hands as it powerfully flapped its wings, launching itself off the ground. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of the King of Charizard.
The King of Charizard neither dodged nor flinched, extending emerald green claws from its hands as well—using the same Dragon Claw skill!
"Bang!!" The two Dragon Claw blades clashed, the deafening sound echoing throughout the valley. The visible shock wave exploded outwards, slightly vibrating the surrounding rocks. As the King of Charizard had said, the rocks here were not only heat-resistant but incredibly tough.
Even a Champion Peak impact only caused them to tremble slightly. As for Ash, under the protection of Mewtwo, the impact didn't affect him at all.
Since Ash was fully linked to Charizard using Aura Power, he couldn't spare any to protect himself, relying solely on Mewtwo.
Gardevoir had returned to Ash's Pokeball earlier. Even within it, she could clearly 'see' the outside scenario, including Mewtwo's protection of Ash.
She felt quite frustrated; if she could, she would wish to use her superpower to protect Ash immediately. The Pokemon guarding Ash, standing by his side, should be her.
Unfortunately, with her current power, she couldn't create a barrier to resist even the residual impact of the Champion Peak level. The level difference was too vast.
If she were to MEGA Evolve, she might barely shield against it, but only just. Blocking three times would be considered a success.
Without Ash's assistance, she couldn't even intervene in a Champion Level battle, making it barely possible to act as a spectator.
Charizard had reached Elite Advanced Level due to the trials, while she remained at Mid-Elite Level… she had been left behind! After this, she must strive even harder to improve herself, or else how could she be the leader of the team?
In the valley, the hard clash between the two Charizards ended with Ash's Charizard gaining a slight edge. Not only is Dragon Claw a skill naturally aligned with Mega Charizard X, but it also benefits from Tough Claws. Plus, Charizard wasn't holding back any physical strength, unleashing a full-force strike, suppressing the King of Charizard's Dragon Claw in their initial clash!
After three clashes, at the third one, the King of Charizard's Dragon Claw was shattered, and those sharp claws struck its shoulder fiercely, leaving three ghastly claw marks.
The King of Charizard wasn't about to admit defeat. Enduring the Dragon Claw's damage, it opened its gaping maw, releasing a jet of blistering flame capable of seemingly incinerating even space itself!
Ash's Charizard took the brunt of the Flamethrower head-on, without dodging. Another Dragon Claw swiftly followed, pounding the King of Charizard, leaving three more claw marks on its front.
After the intense exchange, both sides distanced themselves. Ash's Charizard was panting heavily, its stamina further depleted. Meanwhile, although the King of Charizard bore multiple striking scars on its body, it hadn't suffered any critical damage.
However, the King of Charizard found it strange that its Flamethrower seemed almost ineffective against Ash's Charizard.
If it had any effect, Ash's Charizard wouldn't be just panting now; it would be half-kneeling on the ground. After all, Ash's Charizard had little remaining stamina, and taking a Flamethrower directly, even with resistance, should incur significant stamina loss.
In reality, without MEGA Evolution, Ash's Charizard would indeed be impacted as the King of Charizard anticipated. However, with MEGA Evolution, it's another story.
With the Dragon + Fire attribute, Charizard could resist Fire Type moves fourfold. Even though the King of Charizard's flames far exceeded normal flame temperatures, against a fourfold resistance, its firepower was insufficient. Unless its flames reached the level of Ash's Charizard's black flames, surpassing even Sacred Fire, they wouldn't significantly harm Ash's Charizard.
In this initial clash, thanks to the information gap, Ash's Charizard undoubtedly gained the upper hand, but the opponent would soon notice something amiss. To capitalize on the advantage, the opportunity was now.
"Dragon Rush!!" Dragon Rush, the most powerful Dragon Type Move Charizard could learn. A visible killing intent gathered around Charizard, the lethal aura formidable enough to overwhelm even some Champion Junior Level Pokemon.
The King of Charizard's demeanor turned grave. The previous double Dragon Claws had shown him the formidable physical attack power of Ash's Charizard.
Even he couldn't endlessly withstand such attacks.
This time, the King of Charizard chose not to engage with the same move but took a deep breath and exhaled a spiraling flame—Fire Spin!
The opponent excelled in physical attacks, while he specialized in Special Attacks. Confronting strength with weakness was something only a fool would do. Since the opponent wanted a hard clash, he'd restrict them with Fire Spin first.
The Fire Spin's binding could prevent the opponent from recklessly approaching, leading to a long-range attack duel where he held the advantage!
The King of Charizard's plan was sound, and the Fire Spin successfully enveloped the murderous aura-coated Ash's Charizard.
However, in less than a second, that immensely lethal black dragon burst through the vortex, the visible blue aura pressing towards the King of Charizard, hitting dead center amid its shocked expression!
"Boom!!"