"Roar!"
Charizard erupted with an intimidating dragon's might. The scene stunned everyone present. Red was overjoyed at Charizard's transformation—he never expected that after absorbing the Dragon Fang and the power of Dragon Pulse, Charizard would completely metamorphose into a Dragon-type Pokémon.
"Pokémon truly are mysterious creatures. There are still so many phenomena in this world I don't understand. It's absolutely thrilling!" Bill longed to dive straight into the ocean of knowledge. Unfortunately, the lighthouse he used for research had already been destroyed by the ancient Dragonite, so he could only watch Red's battle against it with regret.
The other five Pokémon in battle all celebrated Charizard's evolution, delighted at their companion's newfound strength. In response to their encouragement, Charizard flapped its wings without hesitation. Thanks to deliberate training of its back muscles with the Pokémon Enhancer, Charizard was able to skillfully control its flight even on its first attempt.
"As expected, my analysis was correct," Red murmured. The moment he saw the dragon scales covering Charizard's body, he immediately used the Ability-Stacking System to check its abilities. He discovered that Charizard now possessed Blaze + Multiscale.
Its previous Solar Power ability had been replaced by Multiscale. But that was fine—Red had planned to develop Charizard toward the physical attacker path of Mega Charizard X. Multiscale suited its current state far better.
It was thanks to Multiscale that Red learned Charizard's father was a Dragonite. After all, only two Pokémon could possess Multiscale: Dragonite and Lugia. Clearly, Charizard had been born from a male Dragonite and a female Charizard.
Charizard's evolution also drew the attention of the ancient Dragonite. It studied Charizard carefully and soon realized that the blood of the Dragonite flowed within it. No wonder it could absorb Dragonite's Dragon Pulse to stimulate its own bloodline evolution.
To test its growth, Charizard decided to use a newly mastered move.
Its eyes snapped open, releasing a terrifying killing aura. Purple-gold energy enveloped its entire body, forming the silhouette of a massive dragon. Transforming into an energy dragon, Charizard surged toward the ancient Dragonite, unleashing Dragon Rush.
Now that Charizard's typing had become Fire + Dragon, its Dragon Rush received the Same-Type Attack Bonus.
For once, the ancient Dragonite adopted a serious defensive stance. Charizard had evolved by absorbing its energy, and the dragon aura it emitted stirred caution within the ancient Pokémon.
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile!"
"Onix, use Stone Edge!"
"Pidgeotto and Scyther, use Air Slash together!"
"Gyarados, use Ice Beam!"
All six Pokémon unleashed their moves simultaneously. The ancient Dragonite immediately countered with Dragon Rush. The clash of techniques triggered a massive explosion. Even Ash and the others, standing far away, felt the tremors and were grateful they hadn't recklessly approached this unprecedented battle.
As the smoke cleared, Red withdrew the Aura barrier before him—the devastating force had nearly shattered it.
Both the ancient Dragonite and the six Pokémon ceased attacking at the same time. The six Pokémon showed visible fatigue, their injuries worsening. In contrast, the ancient Dragonite appeared completely at ease.
It shattered the ice encasing its body—Gyarados's handiwork. To freeze the ancient Dragonite, Gyarados had exhausted all its strength. Now it lay collapsed on the ground, unable to continue fighting.
The other Pokémon were in similar condition. Most no longer had the strength to battle, yet for the sake of defeating the ancient Dragonite, they forced themselves to stand, drawing upon their latent potential.
The ancient Dragonite rolled its eyes helplessly. It had only meant to spar a little—why were they all fighting as if their lives depended on it?
"Dragonite, I lost this match!"
With his goal achieved, Red had no intention of further provoking the ancient Dragonite. His purpose in coming here had been to foster his Pokémon's growth and awaken Charizard's potential. This ancient Dragonite was different from the three ancient Pokémon slumbering in Pallet Town—the former had been awake for years and fully restored its power, while the latter had only recently broken their seals and had yet to fully recover.
The ancient Dragonite nodded approvingly. The six Pokémon wanted to protest but obediently fell silent—they knew their strength was still insufficient.
"Dragonite, we'll grow stronger—and then we'll challenge you again!" Red declared passionately.
The six Pokémon cried out in unison. They would become stronger—strong enough to unite and defeat the ancient Dragonite.
Their fiery spirit seemed to ignite something within the ancient Dragonite. After brief contemplation, it decided to take Red somewhere—a Dragonite island.
Knowing the ancient Dragonite meant no harm, Red reassured Ash and the others, signaling his Pokémon not to worry. He would return soon.
Silently watching Red ride away atop the ancient Dragonite, the six Pokémon remained behind to recover and reflect on their mistakes in battle.
The ancient Dragonite brought Red to Dragonite Island. The Dragonite living there joyfully gathered around upon seeing it, showing no fear at all. They regarded the ancient Dragonite as their guardian deity.
(These are my subjects.)
The ancient Dragonite explained that although they were of the same race, only the ancient Pokémon of its own era were considered true companions. These ordinary Dragonite were merely kin. Thus, it rarely lingered near Dragonite Island unless a crisis arose.
It instructed a Dragonite who appeared to be the leader to step forward. With reluctant eyes, the Dragonite eventually presented Red with a Pokémon egg—a gray egg with striped patterns.
(Among many eggs, this is one of the few capable of absorbing my bloodline power. I hope you will take this egg on your journey and raise it into a powerful Dragonite.)
The ancient Dragonite expressed its wish, almost pleading for Red to take the egg and carefully nurture the Mini Dragon within.
Without hesitation, Red agreed. He understood the egg's importance. If nothing unexpected occurred, the Mini Dragon that hatched would be unprecedentedly powerful, having absorbed the bloodline power of the ancient Dragonite. Its innate talent would surpass its peers.
After battling the ancient Dragonite, Red had already considered raising a Dragonite. Since it had personally entrusted him with this task, how could he refuse?
(I leave it in your care. With your strength, I believe the little one who hatches will surpass its father.)
The egg's father was the leader of the Dragonite group. Though reluctant to part with its child, it wished for it to grow strong. Earning the guardian deity's approval meant this human Trainer was far from ordinary—perhaps it was their child who was fortunate.
After a brief exchange, Red placed the egg into his backpack. To prevent any accidents, he had prepared a high-grade incubation container before his journey. Unexpectedly, it was now being put to use.
Seeing Red's careful preparation, the leader finally let go of its lingering reluctance and silently prayed for Red and its child.
With a new companion gained, Red soon returned to the beach atop the ancient Dragonite. Upon seeing him, the six recovered Pokémon rushed forward joyfully, their eyes fixed on the egg in his hands.
"This little one will be your companion from now on," Red announced solemnly. Five Pokémon looked on curiously. Only Charizard sharply sensed the aura emanating from the egg and turned to glance at the ancient Dragonite in astonishment.
(That old guy can still reproduce? How does the mother even handle that?!)
Charizard compared the massive ancient Dragonite's size with that of ordinary Dragonite, finding the difference absurd.
(You brat! Your ancestor can freely adjust his size. Besides, this egg belongs to my subject—it merely absorbed a trace of my bloodline power!)
The ancient Dragonite's furious voice echoed in Charizard's mind, startling it into quickly averting its gaze and reexamining the egg in Red's hands.
(If this little one absorbed the ancient Dragonite's bloodline power, then doesn't that mean…?) ×6
The six Pokémon turned to one another simultaneously. Meeting each other's eyes, they smiled—they all understood.
"Hey, hey, don't scare the unborn junior!" Red said helplessly, sensing the fighting spirit radiating from them. The little one hadn't even hatched yet.
"Brother even got a new companion!" Ash exclaimed in surprise.
"This also shows that Red earned the ancient Dragonite's recognition," Brock remarked with emotion.
"As expected of Red. Unlike someone else," Misty teased, glancing at Ash.
"Misty, what are you saying?!" Ash protested anxiously.
Amid laughter and cheerful chatter, the incident finally came to an end.