In a Black World —
When Drake was shocked and gushing, he also asked Misty and the other three by the way,
How did Ash's Charizard become like that? How did it become so strong?
It's just that... Misty and the other three didn't know what had happened!
This form of Charizard, they were also seeing for the first time.
"Roar..."
The Scar Charizard slowly stood up from the ground, its eyes becoming extremely fierce.
It touched the scar on its stomach and spat a small mouthful of flame to the side.
Immediately afterwards, it took a sharp breath, and then a huge, fiery blast shot out!
This was—Flamethrower!
"We use Flamethrower too!"
Although they were now in a state of shared senses, shouting it out still felt more imposing!
"Shhhhhh!"
Charizard X took a breath of hot air, and immediately after, enchanting blue flames erupted like a roaring, churning dragon!
Two blazing streams of fire intersected in the air—
**"Boom!!"**
A huge explosion sounded, and a scorching shockwave spread out!
Drake and the others, who were watching the battle, began to sweat in this gradually intensifying heat.
"Hey, is it evenly matched? Now, Dragon Claw!!"
The two streams of flame exploded into thick smoke, showing that the power of both sides was equally matched.
Just now, the Dragon Claw had managed to knock the opponent back several meters so smoothly.
It must have been because the other side hadn't reacted to just how strong Charizard X was.
But... they wouldn't lose!
The stronger the opponent, the stronger they would become!!
"Growl!!"
The pitch-black dragon roared up to the sky, its silver-white claws sheathed in an intense emerald green light!
This Dragon Claw was even stronger than before!
"Roar!"
Scar Charizard was not to be outdone, its claws also glowing with emerald green energy.
The two fire dragons, one red and one black, catapulted towards each other like arrows from a bow!
In the blink of an eye, the two sides collided!
**"Bang!!"**
Dragon Claw met Dragon Claw!
**"Bang! Bang!!"**
Both sides launched a swift and ferocious offensive simultaneously.
Charizard X was occasionally scraped by the opponent's claws,
but correspondingly, Scar Charizard was also struck by its attacks!
Ash felt pain in his waist, shoulders, arms, and other places.
The fierce light in his eyes grew stronger and stronger.
Now, he *was* Charizard! Charizard was him!
So... his ferocity was also becoming more intense!
Even if the opponent attacked him ten times, he would return the attack twenty times!!
"Wow... So intense... It's so intense I can't see clearly!"
Brock was also completely immersed in the battle between the two at this point.
However, no matter how hard he squinted, he couldn't make out their movements at all.
He could only judge if they had hit each other by the sounds,
or if their moves had collided!
"Ash's Charizard has the upper hand."
Unlike Brock, Sabrina had psychic powers and could observe more carefully.
Although not by much, Ash's Charizard really did have the advantage!
And as time passed, Ash's power, speed, and even the strength of his moves were getting stronger and stronger!
To be honest... this was truly amazing!
Whether it was the bizarre evolution of Ash's Charizard,
the close-range brawl between the two Charizards,
or how Ash and Charizard were becoming increasingly synchronized and stronger...
Not only did Drake have a hundred thousand questions, but Sabrina now had a hundred thousand questions she wanted to ask Ash!
But all of that... would have to wait until the battle was over!
The offensive and defensive battle lasted for nearly three minutes.
Finally, Ash and Charizard found a flaw in the other's guard for a split second.
The Dragon Claw struck out fiercely!
The emerald green claws slipped past the opponent's parry and slammed into its shoulder!
The sharp claws left three shocking gashes on its shoulder.
Scar Charizard retreated from the painful blow,
its left arm hanging down weakly.
Because of the serious shoulder injury, its left arm couldn't muster any strength...
"Now, finish it—Blast Burn!!"
"Roar!!"
The flames around Charizard X blazed as tall as several people!
A blazing inferno gathered in its throat, ready to strike!
At the same time, Scar Charizard also endured the pain in its shoulder, flames slowly condensing in its mouth.
The opponent was also using Blast Burn!
This was the ultimate technique unique to the Fire-type starter families.
After using it, the user couldn't move, but its power left all other Fire-type moves in the dust!
"Whoosh!!"
"Roar!!"
Two streams of scorching flames erupted!
Crimson flames cut through the air.
Dark blue flames seemed to burn the space itself!
The moment the two flames collided, the entire valley shook violently as if from a powerful earthquake!
It wasn't a physical tremor, but the clashing energy of the moves made the valley quake,
showing just how much the strength of both sides had increased!
At this time, on a mountain peak in Charizard Valley, two Charizards looked down upon the duel between Ash's and the Scarred one.
Even with their strength, they couldn't help but marvel at the power of these two dragons.
They knew the Scarred one's specific strength well,
but... it seemed because Ash's was getting stronger and stronger,
the Scarred one's strength had also improved a bit. However... it still wasn't a match for that pitch-black dragon!
On the field, the two blazing flames intersected.
Blast Burn constantly erupted in the air!
The energy of both sides was being consumed bit by bit. Ash felt his whole body was about to give out, even on the verge of fainting!
But...
The thought that he couldn't lose filled his mind,
forcing him to hold on and prevent his body from collapsing.
"Hah, AAAAAAAHHH!!"
Ash clenched his fists with his last strength and shouted loudly!
Within the deep blue flame, a faint, brilliant rainbow light flickered slightly.
Immediately afterwards, the red flame, which had been slightly suppressed by the blue one, rapidly retreated as if defeated!
The dark blue flames were reflected in Scar Charizard's eyes...
...before it was completely engulfed by them!
**"BOOM!!"**
The dark blue flames swallowed the Scar Charizard, staining the entire valley with their light!
In front of Drake and the others, Sabrina was using all her strength to maintain a psychic barrier.
Otherwise, just the scattered flames from the aftermath could have burned them to a crisp!
How could a Champion-level, all-out attack *not* affect the surroundings?
So yeah... being a Trainer was a dangerous profession!
As the aftermath slowly dissipated, the dense black smoke on the field also cleared.
The Scar Charizard, covered in burns, stood its ground!
Ash was half-kneeling on the ground, forcing his eyelids open, his vision already blurry.
"How... How tough is this thing?!"
A hoarse sound escaped Ash's throat.
The two sides had been brawling for almost seven or eight minutes!
That Scarred one had continuously tanked who-knows-how-many moves from his evolved Charizard!
Sure, he'd taken a lot of damage too, but compared to the other guy, it was nothing major.
But even so, the other guy still hadn't fallen?!
Even Ash's steadfast mindset couldn't stop a curse from exploding in his heart.
Oh, come on! This guy was a monster!!
He still wasn't down???
**"Grrr... BANG!"**
Scar Charizard also tried to let out a battle roar,
but in the end, the roar never came, and it fell forward with a heavy thud!!
Ash's Charizard... had won!!
...
[Lance: Holy crap! It's finally over! I didn't dare to breathe the whole time I was watching!]
[Bruno: So you don't breathe when you walk either?]
[Lance: ...]
Dammit! Why did Bruno have to bring that up?!
He hadn't even completed a third of his laps yet!
He'd been so focused on the image before that Lance hadn't noticed the stares around him.
Now that he'd snapped back to reality, the people around him seemed to be looking at him with strange eyes!
Between the ad and the weird looks, Lance was about ready to die of embarrassment!
[Lorelei: Hehe, Bruno, don't blame me if Lance decides to teach you a lesson later! His Flying-types are super effective against your Fighting-types.]
[Lance: Nonsense!! What Flying-types? I am the Dragon Master! The Dragon Master, Johto Champion Lance!!]
[Cynthia: Okay, okay, let's end the teasing here. The battle just now was undoubtedly Champion-level, but it was far more shocking than a typical Champion-level battle.]
[Agatha: Indeed. Battles between Champions usually aren't so simple and brutal—dodging, tactics, strategy; that's a Trainer's battle.]
[Agatha: But in this battle in Charizard Valley, neither side dodged or used any tactics! It was just the most primitive, simple collision of force against force!]
[Steven: And it's that very collision that makes it so moving! This battle was no less exciting than a full six-on-six showdown between two Champions!]
[Diantha: That pitch-black Charizard is Mega Evolution, right? It's so handsome too!! I feel like my Mega Gardevoir isn't that handsome!!]
[Lance: The change in appearance is one thing, but there's also the change in flames and strength. After becoming a pitch-black dragon, Black World Ash's Charizard's strength improved by a whole realm, directly soaring to Champion level! That's outrageous!!]
[Wallace: Outrageous is an understatement. Champion level... a realm many people struggle to reach in a lifetime, reached directly through an evolution... Is this Mega Evolution thing really that powerful?]
To be honest, anyone who saw Mega Evolution would be shocked and shaken, even the Champions!
After all their hard work, they couldn't compare to a single evolution?
While evolution did greatly improve strength,
this evolution... was on another level entirely!!
[Professor Sycamore: That evolution isn't permanent!]
[Professor Oak: Huh? Has Dr. Sycamore finished reading that book?]
[Professor Sycamore: Well, almost. So I also have a general understanding of what Mega Evolution is and why my research on it had stalled.]
Professor Sycamore sorted out his thoughts a little, then explained to everyone.
[Professor Sycamore: The so-called Mega Evolution is a bit complicated. It's correct to call it evolution, and also correct to say it isn't...
Mega Evolution is about unlocking the potential power of Pokémon, using a Mega Stone and a Key Stone,
combined with the bond between humans and Pokémon. The evolution is created by the combined force of all three.
The form it takes... is the original appearance of the Pokémon in ancient times!
In other words, Black Ash's black Charizard is actually the form Charizard itself took in ancient times!
It's just that over a long period, the forms of many Pokémon have degraded,
and in the end, they never changed back.]
Cynthia looked at the colorful stone in her hand,
finally understanding this thing's function.
So... this was one of the required items for Pokémon Mega Evolution?
[Professor Sycamore: And Mega Evolution uses the energy of the Key Stone to stimulate the genes in the Mega Stone,
which then resonates with the dormant genes within the Pokémon itself, allowing it to evolve temporarily!
This evolution can only last for a certain amount of time.
When the energy in the Mega Stone and Key Stone is exhausted, it can't maintain that form.
Of course, the Trainer can also tell the Pokémon to release that form directly.
And because it involves the bond,
you can't Mega Evolve a second Pokémon in a short period.
There are quite a few restrictions, but the advantage is the sheer power of this evolution!]
How powerful it was, everyone had already seen.
A Charizard that wasn't even at Elite Four level,
after Mega Evolving, was able to press a Champion-level Charizard!
And it won in the end!!
This level of strength improvement could no longer be described as just outrageous.
It was simply unbelievable!!
[Cynthia: Question. Those Mega Stones should have different types, right? What about Key Stones? Is there a difference?]
[Professor Sycamore: Yes. Corresponding Pokémon need their corresponding Mega Stone to evolve. For example, Charizard needs a Charizardite to Mega Evolve, and the Mawilite in my hand is for Mawile.]
[Lance: What about Dragonite?! Does Dragonite have a Mega Evolution?!]
Compared to Charizard, Lance actually cared more about Dragonite's Mega Evolution!
Unlike the fan-favorite Charizard, it wasn't his ace.
His ace Pokémon was Dragonite!
If Dragonite could Mega Evolve... it wouldn't be difficult to defeat Lorelei and become the Champion of the Indigo League!!
[Professor Sycamore: Well... Regarding the types of Mega Evolutions, the books I have don't have a complete record. They only describe the origin and conditions of Mega Evolution. We'll have to discover more ourselves!]
That being said, Professor Sycamore was actually quite satisfied!
To be able to get so much information about Mega Evolution
had shortened the research timeline by several years at least!
In the future, he could research this system with more direction.
And he also had a Mawilite in his hand to study closely!
[Lance: I see... That's okay. I can go look for it! I believe I can find Dragonite's Mega Stone sooner or later!]
[Professor Sycamore: Oh, right. Mega Evolution can only be performed by some Pokémon, only a small number of them, so...]
[Lance: No... It wouldn't be that coincidental, would it?]
Lance walked down the street, wiping cold sweat from his forehead.
Could it be that his Dragonite just happened to be in the batch without a Mega Evolution?
No, no, no... He couldn't be that unlucky!!
[Cynthia: Mega Evolution... it's so good. I wish my Garchomp could Mega Evolve.]
[Steven: Me too. I hope my Metagross can Mega Evolve; it must be very handsome!]
[Diantha: Well, Gardevoir's Mega Evolution would definitely make her look like a queen! I just don't know if Gardevoir has Mega potential...]
[Professor Sycamore: These things will be revealed little by later. But one thing I can tell Champion Cynthia is that Garchomp does have a Mega Evolution.]
[Professor Sycamore: I discovered the possibility of further evolution for Pokémon when I was studying Garchomp, so Garchomp can Mega Evolve!]
[Cynthia: Really?! That's great! In that case, I just need to get Garchomp's Mega Stone!! Hahaha!]
Cynthia laughed freely in the live stream for the first time.
The main thing was learning that her ace Pokémon had the possibility of going further.
Who wouldn't be happy?
If it were Lance, he'd probably have gone crazy.
But Lance was now lost in self-doubt.
[Caitlin: But wait, why could Black Ash evolve without a Key Stone?]
[Caitlin: In the image just now, the one in Charizard Valley should be a Charizardite, right? What about the Key Stone?]
[Professor Sycamore: About that point... I'm also looking for the answer...]
Sycamore's confusion
PS :
I've been consistently releasing chapters for many days now, and I'm really grateful for all your support.
If you want to support my work and read the full - fic , you can check out my P@treon. -> patreon.com/Sagamaster789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789