In a Black World —
Blue flames swept across the entire arena. The ice on the field instantly turned into pools of water, and in the blink of an eye, the ice field transformed into a water field!
At the same time, Lapras, the target of the flames, suffered no damage at all.
The emerald green barrier blocked the bright blue flames, and
Pryce's darkened face improved somewhat.
At any rate, this most powerful Overheat had been blocked, and now Charizard's Special Attack would be greatly reduced.
Even if it was freed from the stiffness in its body, it would have paid a huge price…?
Wait a moment.
Dragon Dance raises Attack and Speed.
Now Charizard's Special Attack was only reduced, but its Physical Attack… had actually been boosted by two stages!
While a two-stage boost isn't as exaggerated as doubling, an increase of about 50% is still significant!
In other words… Ash had essentially traded two stages of Special Attack for two stages of Physical Attack and two stages of Speed!
"Finally, we can fight head-on!"
Ash waved his hand and ordered Charizard.
"Charizard, Thunder Punch!"
The Electric-type was super effective against Water-types. At the same time, Ash had also discovered that after Charizard Mega Evolved, the power of contact moves increased significantly!
Its Ability had likely been replaced by one called Tough Claws!
Tough Claws—when the move used makes contact, its power is increased by 30%!
That's why Ash was willing to halve Special Attack in exchange for the Attack boost!
In the flash between lightning and flint, the dark dragon arrived before Lapras.
A thunderous aura erupted from its clenched fist, causing involuntary trembles!
"Reflect."
Pryce remained calm. Although the current situation was a bit beyond expectations… he would still win!
A transparent white square energy wall instantly appeared before Lapras, just as the Thunder Punch came crashing down, drawing a gorgeous golden arc in the air!
*"Boom!!"*
The fist collided with the Reflect wall, creating a deafening sound.
After a stalemate of several seconds, Charizard's fist broke through the Reflect wall and struck Lapras hard on the head! Another loud impact sounded.
Lapras wasn't sent flying by the Thunder Punch; only its head was knocked to the side.
Its stubborn head pressed tightly against the electric fist, wearing an unyielding expression.
At the same time… it also wore a mocking smile!
Reflect could only halve Physical damage. It couldn't completely block an attack like Protect. So… Lapras taking this hit was actually part of Pryce's plan!!
Seeing Lapras's expression, Ash inwardly shouted bad move and quickly yelled,
"Charizard, get back!"
"It's too late! Use Surf!"
Pryce's command came almost simultaneously with Ash's.
With the ice melted, the area where Lapras was now constituted a complete water arena!
Using Surf in such a place… plus the rainy weather, who knew how much the power would increase!
Yes, taking the Thunder Punch was also part of Pryce's calculations!
Since Ash decided to trade Special power for a Physical boost, Pryce could naturally formulate a countermeasure!
With Reflect up, Thunder Punch's power was effectively not super effective.
Therefore, Pryce had Lapras take this Thunder Punch to ensure Surf would hit with 100% accuracy!
This way, Charizard could neither dodge nor use any move to resist!
Surf in the rain, with double the type effectiveness… exchanging it for a non-STAB Thunder Punch whose power was halved by Reflect was a profitable trade!
This was indeed the case. Even if Surf wasn't super effective against Mega Charizard, exchanging moves with a Reflect-boosted Lapras in the rain,
Ash was still at a disadvantage.
A surging wave rose from beneath Lapras's feet out of thin air. Charizard, like a boat adrift in wind and rain, was instantly swallowed by the terrifying tide!
Faced with such a wide-area Surf, Charizard had no time to dodge. It could only cross its arms, trying to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Watching Charizard being swallowed by the wave, Pryce stood with his arms crossed, firm words leaving his mouth.
"The outcome is decided."
"That may not be the case! Charizard, use Brick Break and follow up with Thunder Punch!"
Pryce had made another mistake!
An orange-red light lit up within the endless wave, and then the terrifying tide was directly split in two!
A slightly disheveled but still energetic Charizard emerged from the center of the wave!
Pryce, who had been posing like a master with his hands behind his back, could no longer maintain his composure.
"How can this be?! My Lapras's level is much higher than your Charizard's! Surf in the rain, with double effectiveness… No matter how strong your Charizard is, it shouldn't be able to withstand that!"
You have to understand, Charizard had already taken damage from Blizzard and a bit from Water Gun, and now Surf… Was this even legal, Charizard?! Not to mention being a lower level than Lapras; even at the same level, it probably shouldn't be standing right now!
Ash wouldn't tell Pryce that Charizard's typing had changed.
Right now, Mega Evolution basically didn't exist in the world. The existence of Mega Charizard was simply a BUG!
Its Ability changed—others didn't know.
Its typing changed—others didn't know.
With these two key pieces of battle information changed, even if the opponent was a Champion Trainer, it was easy to misjudge the situation!
For example, now, the veteran Champion Trainer Pryce had made a mistake!
Because of his rich experience, his damage calculation was extremely precise, which was why he had stopped commanding so confidently and stood there with his hands behind his back…
…but cleverness had led to error!
On the field, the Charizard that split the wave flapped the wings on its back. Its figure flashed through the air like a ghost. In an instant, Charizard closed in on Lapras, its left hand forming a palm and slashing down hard!
An orange-red light clung to Charizard's claws, directly splitting the invisible wall before Lapras in two!
Simultaneously, Charizard's right hand formed a fist, golden electricity flashing upon it!
In that split second, the Thunder Punch struck Lapras's face squarely!
It was the same spot as before, but this time… there was no Reflect to help Lapras block the damage!
Under Charizard's terrifying force,
Lapras's face instantly twisted. At the same time, the flashing electricity continued to course through its body, dealing massive damage!
*"Boom!!"*
Lapras finally failed to withstand the Thunder Punch's power. Its body left the water and was violently sent flying!
*"Whoosh!"*
The blue figure blew a strong gust of wind past Pryce before being embedded in the wall!
A huge crater appeared on the Gym wall, and with the crater as the center, dense cracks spider-webbed across its surface!
This was the result of Lapras resisting with all its might.
Otherwise, the Gym wall would have been pierced through by now, and
Lapras would have been sent flying outside.
But…
Even so, Lapras still hadn't lost the ability to battle!
The opponent's defense was much higher than Ash had anticipated.
Pryce glanced meaningfully at Ash.
"Your Charizard… seems to have gained more than just a strength increase from that evolution!"
"Did its Ability change? Or its typing? Otherwise, that Surf just now should have defeated it outright."
As Pryce voiced his analysis, the dark clouds over the Gym slowly dispersed; the rainy weather had passed.
Ash shrugged noncommittally.
"Who knows? I don't have the habit of giving my opponent information during battle."
"If you want to know… I'll satisfy your curiosity after this battle, Grandpa Pryce."
"Right now… I want to correct your warped thinking first!"
"Charizard, Thunder Punch!"
Ash didn't change tactics, still having Charizard use Thunder Punch.
The moves weren't fancy, but practical!
For Charizard now, Thunder Punch was the best move to target the opponent!
With its wings flapping, Charizard charged out again through the air.
Pryce also suppressed the doubts in his heart, focusing on dealing with this battle.
"Use Water Gun to dodge, then use Surf."
Lapras, having withstood the heavy blow, barely opened one eye, then opened its large mouth. A thick column of water shot from its mouth. The Water Gun hit the ground, and the recoil freed Lapras from being embedded in the wall.
*"Boom!"*
A hair's breadth difference! Charizard's Thunder Punch struck the wall, causing the already crumbling wall to be completely pierced!
A huge hole appeared in the wall.
By then, Lapras had already soared high into the air. It then looked skyward and cried out, and a massive wave suddenly gathered beneath its feet!
Riding the wave, it charged toward Charizard!
"Twister!"
Charizard waved its wings, and silver tornadoes rose from the air—two of them! The two tornadoes collided with the wave-riding Lapras!
Violent winds and raging waves clashed, sweeping away part of the tide. Lapras, riding the wave, began to become somewhat unstable as part of its wave was swept away, but it still charged straight for Charizard!
"This distance is enough… Use Water Gun!"
Pryce's purpose was finally revealed!
Charizard had been boosted by Dragon Dance twice!
Long-range moves were unlikely to hit Charizard, but that was at a distance!
Once brought to close range… no matter how fast Charizard was, his Lapras wasn't a pushover!
At this distance, Charizard couldn't rely on pure speed to dodge the Water Gun!
No matter what changes happened to Charizard's typing or Ability, after the continuous attacks, it must have very little stamina left!
As long as this Water Gun hit… it would truly be over!
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