‘I absolutely cannot admit defeat here!’

Magmar’s swaying body suddenly straightened, its eyes blazing with renewed determination. Under the surprised gazes of Red and Blaine, Magmar gathered a massive amount of its own flames and launched Fire Blast directly at Aerodactyl.

The cross-shaped inferno roared toward Aerodactyl, seeking to engulf the ancient predator in searing flames.

“Aerodactyl, don’t dodge! Use Giga Impact directly—this is respect for Magmar as a warrior!” Red declared with solemn authority.

Aerodactyl nodded with understanding, channeling every ounce of its strength into a devastating Giga Impact aimed at Magmar.

The Sky King’s body charged head-on toward the incoming Fire Blast. Under the shocked gazes of Blaine and Magmar, Aerodactyl’s form tore straight through the wall of flames and struck Magmar with bone-crushing force.

“BANG—!”

The impact sent Magmar hurtling backward into the rock wall, the sheer force creating a spider web of cracks that spread across the stone surface.

Due to Giga Impact’s recoil, Aerodactyl briefly fell into a paralyzed state, but its expression showed no concern. The ancient Pokémon knew with absolute certainty that Magmar couldn’t withstand such devastating damage.

Sure enough, Magmar slowly slid down from the crater it had created. After fixing Aerodactyl with one final, heavy-lidded stare of respect, it closed its eyes in defeat.

Seeing Magmar lose its ability to battle, Red took out a Poké Ball to recall the temporarily paralyzed Aerodactyl.

“Excellent match, Red.”

Blaine reached for the Volcano Badge to present to Red, but was stopped by a gesture from his opponent.

“Mr. Blaine, since the battle atmosphere has reached such heights, why don’t we have a truly meaningful duel?”

Blaine caught sight of the flames of battle intent burning in Red’s eyes and was momentarily stunned by their intensity.

“I believe Mr. Koga has already told you about that matter, so I don’t need to be explicit, right?”

“I see,” Blaine’s weathered face broke into a fierce grin. “Looks like this old man needs to get serious and show what he’s really made of!”

The gym leader slowly retrieved a carefully maintained Great Ball, gazing at it with profound reverence before hurling it with explosive force.

“I’m counting on you, my old partner!”

The white light faded to reveal a magnificent Pokémon with fluffy cream-colored fur covering its face, intelligent brown eyes, and distinctive black and orange tiger-like stripes adorning its powerful body. Fur surrounded its feet like natural boots, and a long, flowing tail completed its regal appearance—Blaine’s legendary Arcanine had entered the battle.

“As expected, it’s Arcanine,” Red said with genuine admiration. “Arcanine was once your signature Pokémon as the Fire-type Elite Four. To express my respect for you as a senior, this Pokémon is also a treasure I’ve poured tremendous effort into!”

With that declaration, Red forcefully threw his own Poké Ball.

Dazzling white light revealed a Pokémon of imposing stature—thick, powerful limbs supporting a massive frame, wings that could blot out the sky when fully spread, and a body armored in hardened scales that gleamed like burnished metal. Red’s Fire-type ace, Charizard, had arrived.

Charizard flapped its enormous wings and positioned itself before Arcanine, releasing an intimidating roar that echoed through the volcanic chamber.

“Wow, didn’t expect him to send out a heavyweight like Charizard,” the ancient Gengar muttered from the sidelines. “Looks like this Arcanine’s strength is no joke!”

“Use Flamethrower!” both trainers commanded simultaneously.

Charizard and Arcanine released torrents of scorching flames, two massive fire pillars colliding at the battlefield’s center before exploding in a spectacular display of superheated air and energy.

Seizing this opportunity, Arcanine followed Blaine’s command and immediately used Extreme Speed, vanishing from sight before materializing directly in front of Charizard and ramming its body into the dragon with tremendous force.

“Clang clang clang…”

The defensive scales covering Charizard’s body gradually dimmed and cracked, the protective effect of its Multiscale ability completely negated.

“Use Dragon Claw!”

Emerald energy wreathed Charizard’s massive talons as it struck toward Arcanine with devastating force, only to find its claws had shattered nothing but the platform where Arcanine had been standing moments before.

Charizard snorted with mild irritation, surprised that its proud defensive measure had been so efficiently dismantled.

“I roughly understand your Charizard’s uniqueness,” Blaine said with tactical satisfaction. “Although the previous damage couldn’t effectively harm Charizard, it could remove that defensive advantage—which was my initial purpose.”

“Truly worthy of being a former Fire-type Elite Four member,” Red acknowledged. “But this move will also make my Charizard slightly more vigilant.”

“I might as well tell you,” Blaine explained without any attempt at concealment, “my Arcanine possesses the Flash Fire ability, so Charizard’s flames cannot harm it.”

Charizard’s power made the entire battle platform tremble, but flames suddenly appeared in its vision as Arcanine used Flame Wheel to strike Charizard’s body once again.

“My Charizard isn’t only proficient with flames,” Red said with unwavering confidence. “Charizard, use Dragon Breath!”

Intense blue dragon energy erupted from Charizard’s maw like a concentrated beam of pure power, striking Arcanine’s body and inflicting considerable damage.

“Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!”

Arcanine’s form blurred again, streaking toward Charizard with lightning velocity.

Since Charizard couldn’t match Arcanine’s superior speed, it abandoned all defensive preparations and chose to engage the legendary Pokémon head-on.

“Charizard, use Air Slash!”

Charizard beat its massive wings, generating several razor-sharp air blades that sliced through the atmosphere toward Arcanine’s position.

Arcanine avoided the Air Slash with fluid, graceful movements, but blue dragon breath erupted from Charizard’s mouth in immediate response. Just as the attack was about to connect with Arcanine’s body, it was countered by the Fire-type’s own Flamethrower.

Explosive smoke engulfed the entire battlefield. Arcanine seized this opportunity to dive into the concealing haze, planning to launch a surprise attack on Charizard.

“Use Hurricane to sweep across the entire battlefield!” Red commanded with tactical precision.

“ROAR—!”

Charizard flapped its colossal wings, generating a devastating hurricane that swept forward with overwhelming force. Arcanine, previously hidden within the smoke, was forced into the open and struggled to maintain its footing against the powerful winds.

“Arcanine, use Agility to get behind Charizard and use Double-Edge!”

“BANG—!”

A violent impact rang out across the chamber. Charizard was nearly knocked off balance by the sudden assault, then pivoted and rushed toward Arcanine’s position. Purple-gold dragon killing intent enveloped Charizard’s entire form as it unleashed Dragon Rush.

The close-range Dragon Rush delivered devastating damage. To counter Charizard’s overwhelming impact force, Arcanine immediately cloaked its entire body in flames and responded with Flare Blitz.

Dragon Rush and Flare Blitz clashed in a spectacular display of raw power, each technique consuming the other’s energy. But based on type advantage, after a fierce struggle, the confrontation ultimately ended with Arcanine’s narrow defeat.

Arcanine staggered backward several steps, enduring the pain while fighting to remain standing and avoid collapse.

Blaine’s Arcanine, aged and past its prime, could no longer match the peak condition and exceptional talent of Red’s Charizard—especially without any type advantage to rely upon.

Charizard, with its Fire and Dragon dual typing, could reduce fire damage to a mere quarter of its normal effectiveness, while Arcanine’s primary attack methods still relied heavily on flame-based techniques. This fundamental disadvantage was one of the key factors in its defeat.

“Looks like we’re all getting old…” Blaine sighed, watching his beloved Arcanine fall to Charizard’s superior power, shaking his head with weary acceptance of time’s inevitable passage.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep