To be honest, moving these Charizards is no less taxing than battling. Just transporting each Charizard to the healing point inside the valley has left Little Liza physically exhausted. As for battling, given her physical strength, that's simply impossible.
As the final Charizard was defeated, Liza couldn't help but applaud.
"Truly, the younger generation surpasses the old! Ash, the record you and your Charizard set is more than an hour faster than the one left by Lance. I apologize for underestimating you and your Charizard initially." As she said this, Liza bowed deeply towards Ash and his Charizard.
She genuinely realized that her initial judgment of Ash and his team was narrow-minded. She made a baseless conclusion based on her understanding of Charizards, and it turned out that the arrogant one wasn't Ash, but herself.
Now, she's come to profoundly understand just how powerful Ash and his Charizard are—the word 'incredible' is written all over them both.
Who would have thought that one day Charicific Valley would be swept by an Elite Advanced Level Charizard?
No, to be precise, not long ago, this Charizard was at Mid-Elite Level. It's incredibly ridiculous!
Even though Liza had guessed Ash's way of enhancing his Pokémon's power, that power still exceeded her imagination. The enhanced Charizard could defeat anyone in one move!
Only Champion Level Charizards could withstand a bit longer against Ash's Charizard, but that's all.
Liza could feel that Ash's Charizard was not yet using its full power, saving energy for the battle against the strongest Charizard in the valley. Aside from physical strength, the power after enhancement was far superior to what Lance's Charizard could achieve then!
However, physical strength, being the most critical factor, cannot be overlooked. The power that Ash used to enhance his Charizard clearly had a significant side effect, and even with Ash and Charizard conserving energy, Ash's Charizard was still panting, likely with only a third of its strength left.
In this aspect, Lance's Charizard was better than Ash's.
After completing the first phase of the trial, Lance's Charizard still had more than half its strength, partly because Lance focused more on conserving energy during battles, which is why his attempt took so long, and partly because his Charizard relied entirely on its own power.
Compared to external power, the greatest advantage of relying on one's power is that it doesn't expend that much energy.
Honestly, for an Elite Advanced Level to unleash Champion Advanced Level power, the energy consumption alone is terrifying if you disregard other factors.
This is why Ash and his Charizard chose not to follow Lance's slow attritional method but opted for quick resolution!
Lance's Charizard could gradually recover while wearing down opponents during battle, maintaining almost full strength before facing Elite Level Charizards.
It was only after encountering Elite Level Charizards that Lance's Charizard began to tire.
But Ash's Charizard is different. The longer the battle drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for him, as his energy depletion far exceeds his recovery. Copying Lance and wearing down over time is unfeasible.
Despite this, Liza never expected Ash and his Charizard to pass the first trial.
Now that the goal has been achieved, with only a third of the strength left, it has already far exceeded Liza's expectations.
"Let's go. I'll take you over there to meet the strongest Charizard." Liza waved her hand and then mounted Little Liza, who had just returned.
From the moment the horn blew, that Charizard had emerged from the harsh training environment of the valley, waiting at the small valley's entrance for quite some time. If they go now, they can directly meet the strongest Charizard!
Ash mounted on his Charizard's back and released Gardevoir, asking it to use Telekinesis to bring Misty and others along.
Following Liza's flight path, it took less than two minutes to arrive at the valley said to be forbidden.
The closer they got to this valley, the more they could feel just how harsh the environment Liza mentioned truly was. Even before entering, they started sweating heavily, feeling as if their bodies were melting.
Fortunately, Gardevoir noticed the abnormal environment and directly used its superpowers to shield the others from the heat, making Misty and the others feel somewhat better.
"We're here." Liza said, patting Little Liza beneath her. Little Liza dove in a swoop, and Ash followed closely behind.
Before landing, Ash and Charizard already grew serious, recognizing the presence of an incredibly formidable being on the ground!
As both Charizards landed, Ash finally saw the full appearance of the strongest Charizard.
This Charizard was much larger than usual, not only in size but also covered in numerous alarming scars. Although they had scabbed and healed, they still showcased how severe the injuries this Charizard had once suffered were.
Most Charizards in Charicific Valley bore scars. After fights in the valley, they would go deep within to the lava, relying on the heat and flames to recover.
As long as the wounds weren't intrinsic, natural magma could mostly heal them, but without formal treatment, scars from battles naturally remained.
Even so, the scars on this Charizard were more than any other Ash had seen!
Each scar symbolized the battles the Charizard had gone through and the ferocity displayed during those fights.
This Charizard became the strongest in the valley for a reason.
"Roar!" The strongest Charizard glanced at Ash and the others, then roared at Liza, which, besides Liza, only Ash understood.
'Is this the challenger this time? He has a really good Charizard.'
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ash from Pallet Town. This is my partner, and I appreciate your recognition of him." Ash jumped from his Charizard's back, patting its broad back with a smile at the opposite.
"Roar?"
"Of course, I can understand what all Pokémon say." Ash nodded confidently in response to the strongest Charizard's question.
"Roar!!" Amazing human, although it's a bit unfair, rules are rules. Let the final showdown begin now.
"Fair or not doesn't matter. There are no absolutely fair competitions in the world. My partner and I are standing here because of absolute strength. We won't lose this match!"
Hearing this, the King of Charizard gave Ash a profound look, waved its claw, and proceeded deeper into the valley.
"The strongest Charizard's battlefield requires going into Purgatory Valley, the place where the strongest Charizard resides. Previously, Lance's Charizard battled him, but Lance didn't enter because that environment is unlivable for humans. If there were Lance's guidance, perhaps the outcome would've been different."
Liza explained the behavior of the King of Charizard to the puzzled group, its wave indicating Ash's Charizard to follow him inside for the duel.
This is also one of the rules.
This trial, from start to finish, is biased towards the King of Charicific Valley. In principle, without the king stepping down, replacement is impossible. Time, location, and harmony all favor the king, even when faced with a Champion Peak Charizard, such rules will give it a tough time.
"No worries, the environment there doesn't affect me much. I'll go in first, and Misty, you guys wait here for a bit. I'll be back soon with good news." Ash gave everyone a sunlit smile and then followed the Charizard into Purgatory Valley without hesitation.