BANG! The giant Poké Ball landed, and an enormous Charizard appeared. After Gigantamaxing, it was 28 meters tall, even larger than the Lunagaron.
"Roar!" A golden flame burned on Charizard's body, and the terrifying heat instantly vaporized the cold air around it. At the same time, the Lunagaron completed its Sword Dance, its Attack now raised by two stages.
"Lunagaron, Ice Breath!" Zhang ordered.
"Charizard, G-Max Wildfire! Burn it all!" Leon countered.
For both of them, there was no room for tactics now. It was a pure contest of power. The battlefield was too small for two kings.
"Whoosh!" The Lunagaron opened its mouth, and a terrifying cold gushed out, an endless wave of icy qi that crashed towards the Charizard. Even the air itself seemed to freeze, and countless ice crystals, the moisture in the air, fell like snow. The Lunagaron, empowered by its werewolf form and a Sword Dance, was even more terrifying than before.
"Roar!" An illusory flame of emotion burned all over Charizard's body. It opened its mouth, and golden flames, like the sun itself, shot out. The air ignited wherever the flames passed. An endless sea of golden fire rushed forward.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The cold and the golden flames collided with a deafening roar, like two endless waves crashing against each other.
Empowered by the fire of its bond, a force so strong it was almost tangible, Charizard was able to compete with the Lunagaron. The ice wolf's power was perverse; its ability boosted its attack and skill power by 100%, and with a +2 attack boost from Sword Dance on top of its 190 base attack, it should have been able to crush the Charizard. But with its own +2 attack boost and the explosive power of its bond, the Charizard was able to hold its own, even if only temporarily.
The power of miracles is really something else, Zhang thought, looking at the illusory flame on Charizard's body. He was reminded of Ash from the anime. If Leon's bond was just an explosive seed, then Ash's was a full-blown cheat code. As the saying goes, "when feelings are in place, even a legendary beast is laid to waste." He was very skeptical that, in a real life-and-death battle, Leon's Charizard would be even more terrifying.
The two Pokémon were locked in a stalemate, one spitting endless cold, the other endless flame. The battlefield was split in two. Zhang was calm. The emotional fire would not last forever. If this continued, the Lunagaron would surely win. Leon, on the other hand, frowned. He knew this as well, but there was nothing he could do. Zhang's Pokémon were too perverse. Even with his Charizard burning with all its emotional fire, it couldn't overcome the Lunagaron. If the Lunagaron had also been burning with emotional fire, Leon could have accepted it. But it was relying on its own raw power to suppress his Charizard, which was a clear statement that his ace was simply not as strong.
The audience was ecstatic.
"So strong! Both of them are so strong!"
"The emotional fire on that Charizard is so strong it's almost materialized! I can't believe such a powerful bond exists in this world!"
"Leon is a monster, but that Lunagaron is even more of a pervert! It's relying on its own hard strength to suppress a powered-up Charizard!"
"Is this the future legend? His combat effectiveness is in a class of its own."
"If Leon is a genius that comes once in a hundred years, then Zhang is the kind of existence that may be unprecedented."
"I really want to see Zhang fight Red after he grows up. I want to see the difference in strength between the two legends."
"If Zhang can defeat Red, then he will be truly invincible, a true legend."
The audience, especially those from the Great Xia, was filled with surprise and expectation. They were surprised by Zhang's terrifying power, and they looked forward to the day he would defeat Red and reclaim the title of "world's first" for their nation.
He's really terrible, far better than I was at his age, Iris thought, taking a deep look at Zhang. In her opinion, Leon was already a genius whose talent had reached the absolute peak. If she had been his age, she would have been easily crushed. He was a monster. But even that powerful monster was being suppressed by Zhang. Terrifying. If Leon is a monster, then Zhang is a cheat code, just like Red.
As time passed, after more than ten seconds, the Charizard gradually began to weaken. The illusory flame on its body slowly dimmed. It couldn't hold on much longer. The Lunagaron, on the other hand, seemed to have endless stamina.
"Charizard, are you willing to fall here?" Leon suddenly asked, his voice calm and indifferent.
The rhythm of an explosion? Zhang's brow furrowed. He thought of Ash in the anime, whose mouth was a weapon in itself, capable of making his Pokémon explode with power.
"Roar!" Charizard roared, unwilling to give up.
"Well, Charizard, you haven't lost. This is the taste of failure. Remember it. In the future, we will have to redouble our efforts. Failure is not terrible. We will just win back next time. Don't lose your motivation. This may be good for us. We have been invincible for too long." Leon raised his hand and recalled his Charizard. The victory was decided. He could not bear to see his partner, his first Pokémon, injured any further. He loved his partners like family.
He didn't explode. It seems not everyone is Ash, Zhang thought, a little surprised. He had been ready for Leon to trigger a small universe explosion in his Charizard. But reality, it seemed, was still logical. Even the power of emotion had its limits.
"You're really a monster, Zhang Tian," Leon sighed.
"Thanks for the compliment. You are also very good. You are the only trainer who has made me feel so challenged. Your tactics, and your Pokémon, are all very good," Zhang replied with a smile. Leon was truly difficult to deal with. If not for the raw power of his monsters, he might not have been able to win.
"Wait for me. One day, I will come to fight you again. At that time, I will be the one who wins," Leon said confidently.
"You can't catch up with me. The gap between us will only become bigger and bigger," Zhang replied softly, his tone flat but full of absolute confidence.
"Is that so? Then we'll wait and see. Time will tell," Leon said, unconcerned. "Within a year, I will definitely become a champion trainer."
One year, Zhang sighed softly. In ten months, he would have to face the Wind God and Thunder God Dragons, monsters on par with first-tier legendaries. Leon's goal was to become a champion. His goal was to become a god. I hope you don't despair, he thought, looking forward to seeing Leon's expression in a year.
"I admit defeat!" Leon raised his hand, accepting his loss calmly, without a trace of fluctuation in his expression. He was not one to shout or cry over a defeat. If he were, he would not be the unbeatable champion. With a beautiful turn, he strode away.
One day, I will personally return this fiasco. Zhang Tian, wait for me!
"Leon has forfeited! Congratulations to Zhang Tian for winning this year's Rookie Competition! He is this year's Rookie King!" Iris announced into the microphone. "Let's cheer for Zhang Tian! He is the strongest Rookie King ever!"
"I'm a champion!" Zhang thought, raising his hand as if to grasp the sun. "I'm also a Rookie King! I've finally taken the first step. It's a good and satisfying feeling." He loved this feeling, the feeling of overcoming everything and winning. It's a pity there's no audience here. I love the cheers, the applause, the flashes.
The audience from the Great Xia was cheering. The live chat was flooded with their barrages.
"Hooray!"
"Zhang Tian is awesome!"
The audiences from other countries were much more silent. It would be good if our country had this kind of genius, many of them thought, full of envy.
"Zhang Tian, congratulations on winning the championship," Iris said. "Do you have anything to say?"
"I remember that in two months, it will be the global Pokémon Tournament, held once every ten years," Zhang said softly.
"That's right," Iris nodded.
"What I want to say is that in two months, I will participate in that tournament, win the championship, and become a real champion, not just a Rookie King," Zhang smiled.
"Player Zhang Tian," Iris frowned, "do you know the strength of the champion of the last Global Pokémon Tournament?"
"Of course. A champion-level trainer."
"But you are only an Elite Four trainer now," she said.
"That's just now. In two months, I will be a champion trainer," Zhang replied with absolute confidence.
The moment he said those words, the audience around the world was in an uproar.
"How is that possible? Become a champion in two months? You can't just brag like that!"
"Do you know how many Elite Four trainers can't become champion-level in their entire lives?"
One barrage after another rose, all of them expressing their disbelief. For them, becoming a champion in two months was utter nonsense. Unfortunately for them, Zhang was different. He was a cheat code.
The full story so far is available on Patreon!: patreon.com/Zefyrus