She knew that Ash had a special ability called Aura Power, a kind of superpower that could even match Champion-level Pokemon, but that was under normal circumstances.
The King of Charizard's level was at least Champion Advanced Level, if not higher, coupled with the fact that Ash and Charizard had gone through hundreds of battles, leaving them physically exhausted. Facing the King of Charizard, being able to use that special ability to contend was already the limit; how could there be extra strength to resist the impact of the Purgatory Valley environment?
That's why Liza felt that Brock's suggestion was completely reckless. Now, no matter what, they should first go into Purgatory Valley to see the situation.
"Don't worry, Ms. Liza, Ash doesn't just have Aura Power; he also has a very reliable partner with him. Although the environment in Purgatory Valley is harsh, it's not to the extent that the Pokemon with Ash can't withstand it," Brock said, reassuring Liza despite her explaining the pros and cons clearly, showing no signs of worry.
Liza looked over at Misty and Serena, noticing that although there was a bit of concern on their faces, it wasn't much; it was more of an instinctive worry, but they actually believed Ash wouldn't have any trouble in there.
Was it because of that Gardevoir? That Gardevoir indeed had very strong superpowers, but just Gardevoir alone wouldn't be able to survive in the environment of Purgatory Valley for long, right?
Let alone withstand the explosive aftermath of the battle between the King of Charizard and Ash's Charizard.
While Liza was still speculating, three figures slowly emerged from the entrance of Purgatory Valley.
Liza took a closer look and discovered it was Ash, his Charizard, and the King of Charizard. Although both Charizards were covered in wounds, they seemed to be in pretty good spirits.
What happened? Did they not fight to the end inside, but instead sit down halfway through to chat?
Who won, who lost?
"Roar!" Before Liza could speak, the King of Charizard let out a growl. Although Liza didn't have Ash's ability to understand all Pokemon languages, she could generally grasp the meaning of the roars of the Charizard tribe.
Because of this, Liza was stunned on the spot: "You mean... you lost?"
The whispered murmur was filled with disbelief. Ash's Charizard was strong, but not to such an absurd extent!
Now, because of its wounds, the King of Charizard's aura was leaking, allowing Liza, who couldn't previously observe its level, to clearly see the King's standing.
Champion Peak Level!
A King of Charizard at Champion Peak Level, even when facing Lance's Charizard at its peak, could probably win the battle, yet now it was saying it lost to Ash's Charizard, which had gone through over 200 battles and was almost exhausted?!
What a joke!
"Did you throw the match?" Liza pondered for a long time, only coming to this conclusion. Other than throwing the match, she really couldn't figure out how Ash's Charizard could have won.
Upon hearing this, the King of Charizard let out an upset roar. Throwing a match—this was purely an insult to him! Whether facing a strong or weak Charizard, he would fight with all his might.
This statement wasn't just an insult to him but also an insult to Ash's Charizard!
Ash's Charizard had genuinely defeated him in a head-to-head confrontation, with the last bizarre black flame. The King of Charizard felt that even if he advanced to Divine Domain Level, he perhaps wouldn't possess flames of that caliber.
Probably only the Sacred Fire of the legendary Ho-Oh could compare to that flame.
"Ash, could it be that your Charizard has reached Divine Domain Level?" Her first guess having been rejected, Liza blurted out her second guess without hesitation.
This guess was even more outrageous than the first because, as of now, no ordinary Pokemon in the world had ascended to the Divine Domain Level.
Every Divine Domain-level Pokemon that appeared publicly was a Legendary Beast without exception!
So the notion that Ash's Charizard became Divine Domain-level was even more absurd than the King of Charizard throwing a match!
Yet beyond this possibility, Liza really couldn't comprehend how Ash won against the King of Charizard. Managing to defeat a full-strength, Champion Peak Level Pokemon with his own nearly exhausted Charizard—this seemed impossible without a Divine Domain-level Pokemon!
Facing Liza's question, Ash also shook his head: "Don't joke around, Ms. Liza, my Charizard is only at Elite Advanced Level now."
Upon hearing this, Liza rolled her eyes at Ash, thinking how on earth he could believe his own words?
After defeating 287 Charizards, including a Champion Junior Level one, and then battling a Champion Peak Level Charizard with all the odds, and winning? If she said this out loud, people wouldn't think she was lying; they'd think she was out of her mind!
However, Ash truly wasn't lying to Liza. Even after defeating the King of Charizard, his Charizard didn't experience a level surge to Elite Peak Level.
The experience gained from battling above its level, and the physical enhancements from exerting full strength, did improve Charizard's power significantly, but that was all.
It had just reached Elite Advanced Level today; how could it quickly leap to Elite Peak Level, just like that?
Nonetheless, Liza's guess wasn't entirely wrong. Without Divine Domain-level power, there was no way Charizard, in that state, could have defeated the King of Charizard.
Charizard's black flame couldn't be used without Aura Fusion with Ash.
Though it was Charizard's innate ability, it couldn't utilize it. Only upon reaching Champion Peak Level might it freely wield those flames. Until then, using them required entering Aura Fusion state or having Ash activate it with Divine Domain-level Aura Power.
Moreover, once those flames were used, regardless of whether the opponent lost the ability to battle, Charizard would lack the strength to continue fighting. One could say this was a move meant to perish alongside the opponent.
Yet Charizard wouldn't lose consciousness, so if they could ensure this move would defeat the opponent, then it wasn't such a big deal to use it. If the Black Flame couldn't beat the opponent, then it was game over.
Ash naturally wouldn't explain every detail about the Black Flame to Liza. Simply knowing the result was enough; there was no need to understand every step of the process.
With the King of Charizard's testimony, it was confirmed that Ash's Charizard had won this decisive battle for the title of strongest Charizard in Charicific Valley.
This meant if Ash's Charizard chose to stay in Charicific Valley, it could not only command all the Charizards but also use the Purgatory Valley, specially reserved for the King of Charizard.
This absurd event of a newly arrived Charizard becoming the King of Charicific Valley was something few could accept.
Yet within Charicific Valley, the Charizards had no objections upon hearing the news.
Because Ash's Charizard had defeated them one by one with its own strength, ultimately beating the original king to earn this position.
Regardless of Ash's involvement or whether Charizard would revert to its former state after leaving Ash, for now, it was the rightful King of Charicific Valley.
Regarding whether to stay in Charicific Valley, Ash's Charizard was hesitant. It didn't believe that staying would help it grow faster than being by Ash's side.
So it needed to think about staying there, but it could at least claim the Valley's legacy first...