"Blaze…"
Covered in wounds, Blaziken knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.
In front of it stood an enormous Charizard.
Compared to the standard 1.7-meter height listed in Pokédex data, this Charizard stood well over two meters tall. Its wingspan and overall build were far broader than normal.
However—
Its eyes were spiraling.
Clearly, its condition was far worse than Blaziken's. Silas slowly walked over and helped Blaziken to its feet.
Then he looked up at the surrounding Charizard.
"So… may I enter now?"
"Roar."
An elderly Charizard let out a low cry.
Just as before, the Charizard parted to create a path.
The strength of both trainer and Pokémon had been completely acknowledged.
"Thank you."
Silas walked forward without hesitation, Blaziken beside him.
Liza hurriedly bowed respectfully toward the Charizard before following.
"Roar."
Watching the two humans and one Pokémon disappear deeper into the valley, the elderly Charizard rumbled once more.
The rest of the Charizard quietly dispersed and returned to their normal routines.
It was obvious that this elderly Charizard commanded deep respect.
That was unusual.
Among most Pokémon groups, when an aged leader is defeated and replaced, it typically leaves the group to live alone. Blaziken's own former mentor had done exactly that.
Even in a special place like Charizard Valley, that was normally the case.
It was nature's law. It also helped the new leader solidify authority.
But for some reason, this elderly Charizard was an exception. Its once-sharp draconic eyes, now clouded with age, gazed first in the direction the humans had gone, then toward the faintly visible volcano crater.
It slowly lay upon a massive sun-warmed rock. It did not believe anything inside would go wrong.
Because "it" was watching.
But since the human was persistent and powerful and the administrator was accompanying him, Allowing them through posed no harm.
What concerned it more was its descendants.
They still needed tempering.
A faint puff of flame escaped its nostrils.
Gradually, it drifted into sleep.
For one whose strength was steadily fading, sleep was the best way to slow the advance of age.
"Blaze…"
Behind a large rock, Blaziken winced as pain pulsed from its wounds.
"These Charizard are stronger than I expected," Silas said seriously while carefully applying high-grade Burn Heal and restorative medicine.
He had prepared himself mentally, but that final battle had genuinely startled him.
If Blaziken hadn't stacked Speed Boost to its maximum during the first two battles, the outcome might have gone either way.
In terms of raw energy output and physical strength, Blaziken wasn't inferior, even though it was younger, Silas' training had ensured that. But move mastery and combat application were another matter.
Those could only be refined through time and experience.
No matter how talented or hardworking, Blaziken was still only a year and a half old.
That was also why Silas had used a relatively limited move set during battle.
Balancing level growth with move refinement in such a short time was already impressive enough.
Multiple fully developed combat systems?
That would be absurd.
Pokémon have limits.
They feel fatigue.
Usually this wasn't obvious.
But when facing opponents older, more experienced, and only slightly less talented
The difference showed.
Fortunately, there weren't many Pokémon that met such criteria.
Only the Charizard here were this extraordinary.
Liza opened her mouth as if to speak, But fell silent.
As the administrator, she suddenly felt completely unqualified.
If Silas hadn't fought his way in, she would never have realized how powerful the Charizard in the valley truly were.
In her eyes, that last battle, though labeled Pesudo-Elite, had been no different from a clash between two full Elite-level Pokémon.
Both that monstrously developed Charizard and Silas' Blaziken had exceeded normal Pesudo-Elite- standards.
"Even Mr. Lance probably couldn't accomplish this with just a Blaziken…" she thought silently.
Silas finished applying the medicine and wiped sweat from his forehead.
The closer they drew to the crater, the hotter it became.
If not for Liza standing beside him, he might have stripped off his shirt entirely.
This environment wasn't suitable for Serperior to use Grassy Terrain, so Blaziken could only recover slowly under Heal Bell and Life Dew.
Due to the strength gap, recovery was painfully slow.
"If we lose inside and fail the final trial," Silas said casually, "don't blame me. And you're still reimbursing the medicine."
Liza smiled.
"It's fine if you lose."
Then she added lightly,
"But if you win, I can provide additional thanks."
Silas immediately retreated from the conversation. Liza was several years older; teasing like this came naturally to her.
Seeing him fall silent, she smiled smugly.
Though—
Her gaze briefly lingered on the faint outline of abdominal muscles beneath his sweat-soaked shirt.
Sensing the dangerous stare, Silas quickly moved beside Blaziken and released Alolan Vulpix.
"Vulpix!"
The moment it emerged, the intense heat overwhelmed it.
It desperately burrowed into Silas' arms, seeking coolness.
Silas laughed helplessly.
"Easy there. Use Ice Shard."
The small fox immediately complied.
Several frost-covered chunks of ice materialized in midair.
Instant relief washed over Silas.
As for catching a cold?
In this heat, that wasn't even worth considering. But under the volcanic temperature, the ice quickly melted.
Without prompting, Alolan Vulpix continued generating more.
Liza discreetly edged closer.
Even someone accustomed to heat wouldn't reject a bit of cool air.
After three or four repetitions, exhaustion appeared on the young Pokémon's face.
Having only just passed its infant stage, repeated move usage was taxing.
"Thank you, little one. Back you go."
Silas returned it to its Poké Ball despite its reluctance.
The heat swallowed them once more.
Twenty minutes later, Blaziken stood up refreshed.
The three supporting Pokémon, however, were thoroughly drained.
Silas recalled them.
"Good work. Get some proper rest."
He hadn't expected the environment itself to issue a warning before the final challenge even began.
"But this confirms something," he said seriously.
"The volcano definitely isn't normal. It shouldn't be this hot at this distance."
Liza nodded.
"And the affected range is expanding."
She held a circular temperature-monitoring device.
The red zone on its display was steadily spreading and deepening.
Without hesitation, they advanced.
The crater was close now.
After another ten minutes along a jagged path, they saw a large group of Charizard gathered ahead.
"ROAR—!"
A cry rang out—
Different from ordinary Charizard.
Deeper. Steadier.
"That's the leader."
Before she could say more, a massive Charizard appeared before them.
Silas' pupils contracted.
This Charizard looked very different from a normal one.
It had three horns on its head.
The central horn was significantly longer than the two flanking it.
Near the base of its tail flame, three sharp protrusions extended outward.
"Y Form? No… not fully developed. This is semi-atavistic."
Silas' expression turned grave.
Its features closely resembled Mega Charizard Y, But the transformation wasn't complete.
According to Pokémon researchers, this phenomenon is called semi-atavism, and only exceptionally powerful Pokémon can exhibit it.
In simple terms:
Mega Evolution is believed to awaken a more aggressive ancient form of a Pokémon. Modern forms are comparatively more stable and mild.
Some extraordinarily powerful wild Pokémon attempt to draw upon the latent power within their bloodline, Leading to partial ancestral reversion.
Without exception, activating ancient power increases strength and alters appearance.
Even so, this was Silas' first time seeing such a Pokémon.
Not even the Venusaur from the Mysterious Garden had displayed semi-atavism.
Though Professor Oak once mentioned that Venusaur had previously shown signs of it—
But could no longer sustain it due to age.
"Roar."
Unlike the earlier Charizard, this semi-atavistic leader seemed polite.
After calling out, it nodded toward them.
Silas cautiously asked,
"We're here to investigate the volcanic disturbance. Is there anything we can help with?"
He had a feeling, there might not be a final battle after all.
That would be ideal.
Despite having prepared thoroughly, Silas preferred avoiding unnecessary conflict.
The three-horned Charizard nodded and gestured for them to follow.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Its heavy footsteps echoed as it walked.
Wherever it passed, the surrounding Charizard lowered their proud heads.
Curiously, As Silas and Liza followed behind the leader, the temperature felt noticeably lower.
They exchanged a glance.
The Charizard leader was actively absorbing the surrounding heat.
It seemed remarkably cooperative.
Silas couldn't help wondering, did partial atavism also enhance intelligence?
Otherwise, this was hard to explain.
The terrain rose steadily.
Soon, they reached the volcano crater.
Even with the leader's assistance, waves of heat assaulted them.
Peering down—
Smoke and steam intertwined above the churning lava.
The smell of sulfur stung their noses.
Liza produced another black spherical detection device and tossed it into the lava.
Sizzle—
It melted instantly.
But that was enough.
The data had already transmitted to her wrist device.
Pokémon-world technology was impressive indeed.
She checked the readings.
"The temperature hasn't reached eruption threshold yet. But it's close. At this rate, we have four to five days."
That was good news.
Even if this mission failed, they would have time to contact Lance.
"What's causing the activity spike?" Silas asked.
Liza studied the data.
"The fluctuation curve doesn't match any known pattern."
"Roar."
The Charizard leader called out.
Blaziken's Aura echoed in Silas' mind.
"It says it knows."
Silas frowned.
If the Charizard leader knew. With its strength, shouldn't it be able to solve the problem?
"Blaze."
Blaziken began communicating.
After translating, Silas understood.
"A Magma Stone? This volcano actually has the conditions for one to form?" Liza exclaimed.
A red-yellow rock with flowing magma inside, It matched the Charizard leader's description precisely.
A Magma Stone can indeed cause volcanic activity during formation.
What truly made it famous, however was its connection to the Legendary Pokémon Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokémon of Sinnoh.
According to legend, fragments of life created from the clash between Dialga and Palkia fused with a Magma Stone giving birth to Heatran.
Without such fragments, a Magma Stone cannot become a Legendary Pokémon—
But its inherent power remains formidable.
After all, Not every substance can withstand the power of the temporal and spatial deities.
The Charizard leader had discovered the Magma Stone, But it was lodged deep within a narrow fissure. Given its enormous size and relatively short forelimbs, It wisely avoided attempting to break the rock apart.
A violent shock could prematurely trigger an eruption.
While it could survive, Its clan could not.
Silas and Liza hadn't expected the reason to be so awkward.
Strength alone couldn't solve everything.
Now that they understood the issue,It was manageable. Compared to the Charizard leader's massive body. Silas' Pokémon were far smaller.
"Kirlia, I'll need your help."
He threw a Luxury Ball.
Serperior was not an option.
Having a Grass-type use Vine Whip inside a volcano to retrieve a Fire-type Magma Stone would be absurd.
But Kirlia.
Protected by Psychic power and capable of telekinesis, Had no such concern.
Silas once again felt grateful for meeting the little Psychic-type in Azalea Town.
Psychic-types truly were invaluable.
The Charizard leader spread its wings and descended into the crater.
Silas gave Kirlia an encouraging nod.
Surrounded by a telekinetic barrier, it floated down after the leader.
Riding the Charizard leader was unrealistic.
Friendly though it was, It was still proud.
Even Lance might not be able to ride it.
Smoke obscured Silas' vision.
Liza reassured him.
"With that Charizard there, nothing will happen."
It couldn't extract the stone, But surviving in lava was not an issue at its level.
Though Charizard cannot live freely in magma like Magmar, At this level of strength, swimming through lava briefly was possible.
Soon enough, Both Pokémon returned safely.
Kirlia carefully lowered the floating Magma Stone to the ground.
Instantly, the surrounding rock blackened from the heat.
"That's incredibly hot," Silas muttered.
"Good work. Return."
He looked at the Magma Stone with longing.
For Fire-type Pokémon, it was immensely valuable. Especially for Blaziken.
The essence of Blast Burn resembles a volcanic eruption.
If Blaziken could gain insight from this, Breaking through to Elite-level strength would be highly possible.
But, the volcano's true owner stood right there.
For Charizard, the Magma Stone was equally beneficial. Silas had no intention of attempting to seize it from a Champion-Level Charizard.
That would be suicidal.
"Roar."
The Charizard leader approached Silas and pointed at his spatial backpack.
Silas paused, then understood.
There was only one item in his possession that would attract such attention.
"This?"
He took out the Rainbow Wing and presented it.
He wasn't worried about it being taken.
To Pokémon, the Rainbow Wing is more symbolic, A sign of Ho-Oh's chosen.
It contains little direct power.
Blaziken had tested it extensively without sensing significant energy.
"Roar…"
The Charizard leader did not take it.
Instead, It gazed at the Rainbow Wing and let out a low rumble.
For a moment, Silas thought he heard something in that sound.
Something like nostalgia.
..
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