"Evolve, Aron!"
Steven raised his hand and shouted decisively.
Aron had long been on the verge of evolution. To temper itself, it had deliberately suppressed the urge to evolve, enduring the discomfort during battles.
But today—
It no longer needed to hold back.
A brilliant white light burst from Aron's body.
Under the glow of evolution, its form began to transform dramatically.
When the light faded—
Lairon stood in its place.
It was several times larger than Aron, its steel armor thicker and more imposing. The childish aura from before had vanished, replaced by a fierce, oppressive presence.
Just looking at Lairon, anyone could tell—
This was not an opponent to take lightly.
The audience immediately erupted into discussion.
"Wait! Lairon has to be at Gym level now, right? Doesn't that break the rules?"
Steven felt his ears grow warm.
To ease his embarrassment, he simply pretended not to hear.
Across the field, Sam smiled faintly.
"Mr. Steven, we're thinking the same thing. You don't need to apologize."
Steven blinked.
"…Don't tell me—"
Sam nodded.
"Yes. Charmeleon, you've been holding it in for a long time too, haven't you?"
Charmeleon froze in disbelief.
It had been ready to evolve for quite some time, but it had always restrained itself, waiting for Sam's permission.
It looked at him anxiously.
Sam gave a calm nod.
"Go on. Show everyone your true strength."
"ROAR!!!"
Flames erupted around Charmeleon's body.
From the audience's perspective, it looked like a being born from fire itself.
The light of evolution surged outward, blending with the blazing flames.
And then—
Charizard descended.
The entire arena exploded with cheers.
Regardless of who they supported before, in this moment, everyone was on Charizard's side.
In Kanto, Charizard was more than just a Pokémon—
It was a symbol.
Countless young Trainers dreamed of starting their journey with Charmander, watching it grow into Charmeleon, and finally evolving into Charizard.
Seeing it now, standing proudly in the finals—
It awakened something nostalgic in every spectator.
"Go, Charizard!"
"You're the strongest!"
"Win this!"
Even Lairon had become the "public enemy."
Steven chuckled lightly.
"Lairon, looks like we're the villains now."
Lairon gave a steady roar in response.
It didn't care about the crowd.
Its eyes were locked only on Charizard.
This was its first battle after evolution.
It would not allow itself to lose.
Steven exhaled slowly.
"This just got difficult…"
The outcome was completely unpredictable now.
"Lairon, Metal Sound!"
Against a Flying-type like Charizard, Lairon didn't have many reliable options.
Metal Sound was a necessary setup.
A harsh metallic screech erupted from Lairon's mouth, grinding and shrill.
The sound pierced through the arena, forcing Charizard to wince and cover its ears midair.
"Charizard, Dragon Breath!"
Sam reacted instantly.
The screech had to be interrupted.
Charizard spread its wings and shot forward.
Purple energy gathered in its mouth—
Then Dragon Breath fired straight down at Lairon.
Steven's eyes flashed.
"Now! Lairon, Take Down!"
He had been waiting for this exact moment.
If Lairon wanted to defeat a Flying-type opponent, it had to commit fully.
Ignoring the Dragon Breath engulfing it, Lairon slammed its legs into the ground and launched itself upward.
BOOM!
Take Down connected directly.
Charizard was knocked from the sky and crashed heavily onto the battlefield.
Even Sam was surprised.
Steven had chosen to endure a full Dragon Breath just to guarantee the hit.
It was a Champion's decisiveness.
"Charizard, are you alright?"
Fortunately, Dragon Breath had dealt significant damage to Lairon as well. After landing, Lairon couldn't immediately follow up.
Charizard slowly pushed itself up, shaking its dizzy head and regaining focus.
It had underestimated Lairon.
It wouldn't make that mistake again.
This time, Charizard kept its distance.
From high in the air, it unleashed Flamethrower after Flamethrower, maintaining safe spacing while steadily draining Lairon's stamina.
Steven immediately realized Sam's plan.
Aerial suppression.
Safe, efficient, relentless.
He couldn't help but sigh internally.
For someone so young, Sam was far too calm.
This kind of battle control—
It wasn't flashy, but it was devastatingly effective.
Lairon's Metal Sound plus Take Down combination could only work once.
Now that Charizard refused close combat, Lairon had no reliable way to strike back.
The match gradually tilted.
Steven stared at the battlefield quietly.
He had traveled all the way here for that stone.
Yet in the end—
He had been forced into a corner.
He smiled bitterly.
"Life really isn't as simple as we imagine."
---------------Author---------------
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