And so, through waves of mutual attacks, in the end, Mega Charizard X relied on his Fire/Dragon typing's quadruple Fire resistance to successfully defeat his opponent's Delphox and Camerupt, advancing to the finals.
"So we meet in the finals."
After coming down, Jace stared at Auron with eyes full of fighting spirit, completely unlike his usual carefree, devil-may-care attitude.
Auron also smiled slightly. "So we meet in the finals. I'm not too optimistic about your chances."
"Bah! Watch this—I'll definitely crush you. Clawitzer? Not scared of him at all." Jace laughed and gave Auron a push.
"Go restore your Pokémon's injuries and stamina. Don't tell me you're planning to fight me with Pokémon at less than full HP?"
"Want to take advantage of me? Dream on! I'm heading to the medical room right now." After giving Auron a punch on the shoulder, Jace quickly ran toward the medical room.
The rest period this time was also quite long, so Auron wasn't at all worried about Jace's Pokémon not recovering.
Though the school had no integrity when it came to drawing lots, once the opposing sides were determined, they still ensured fairness.
And so, while Jace's Pokémon were recovering their stamina, the field wasn't idle either. Sophomore Coordinator students began putting on Contest Battles.
First match: Frosmoth versus Florges.
Dazzling moves, elegant poses, stunning counters—Serena watched without blinking once.
Auron suspected she'd fallen for the Frosmoth on the field rather than the Contest Battle itself.
After all, though Auron had told her and she'd confirmed she didn't need a pure Ice-type team anymore, her love for Ice-type Pokémon wasn't something that had developed overnight.
And though her future team wouldn't necessarily be all Ice types, if she encountered Ice Pokémon she liked—such as Frosmoth or Froslass—she'd still be unable to resist being tempted.
"Auron, this is so cool! When can I see that really beautiful Pokémon you mentioned the other day?" After the first match ended, Serena excitedly tugged at Auron's arm.
Seeing the stars in Serena's eyes, Auron couldn't help but hold his forehead. "That'll be difficult recently—it needs to evolve. But once this freshman tournament ends, I'll take you to buy a Pokémon egg, okay?"
"Mm mm, okay!"
After nodding happily, Serena focused her attention back on the Contest Battle on the field.
This rest period was slightly long. The sun had already become the setting sun by the time the match began.
"Both contestants, release your Pokémon!"
On the field, Auron and Jace locked eyes. Jace smiled brilliantly, but the fighting spirit in his eyes—even across the entire distance of the arena—Auron could see clearly.
"Go, Charizard!"
"Go, Charizard!"
"Graow!"
"ROAR!"
Both sides simultaneously released Charizard, and simultaneously noticed the item on their opponent's Charizard's tail.
"As expected—X-Zard?"
Both tensed simultaneously. In this current situation with two Charizard facing off, X-Zard had the advantage over Y-Zard.
Y-Zard's Drought ability—X-Zard could also enjoy that boost. At the same time, X's Special Attack wasn't low, and he had Fire/Dragon's quadruple Fire resistance.
So both sides choosing X-Zard was completely reasonable.
"Swish!"
The flag dropped. The match began!
"Charizard, Mega Evolution!"
"Charizard, Mega Evolution!"
The instant the flag fell, both Charizard who'd been staring at each other simultaneously radiated milky-white evolution light.
"Both Charizard are starting to evolve simultaneously!!"
The commentator roared loudly from the booth. The audience below erupted.
The current audience was completely different from when the tournament first started. Ever since Auron and Jace had demonstrated Mega Evolution, tickets to Skyspire University matches had become increasingly hard to obtain.
Moreover, under pressure, Skyspire University had even started a livestream on their official website.
The current viewer count had already exceeded one million. Not only that—after Auron and Jace took the stage, the livestream viewership was still skyrocketing. The barrage count was even more terrifying—so dense that without closing the chat, you couldn't even see the match.
"ROAR!"
"Graow!"
After both dark blue-green Mega Charizard X finished evolving, they simultaneously roared at their opponents, then leaned forward slightly, ready to strike at any moment.
Pokémon: Mega Charizard X★
Gender: Male
Type: Fire / Dragon
Ability: Tough Claws (Contact moves' power increases by 30%.)
Held Item: Charizardite X
Aptitude: Gold
Basic Moves: Air Slash, Growl, Smokescreen, Heat Wave, Dragon Claw, Dragon Breath, Fire Fang, Slash, Flamethrower, Scary Face, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Dragon Dance, Mega Punch, Brick Break
Inherited Moves: Metal Claw, Bite, Dragon Rush, Dragon Tail, Ancient Power
After seeing Jace's Charizard's information, Auron nodded slightly.
Jace's Charizard's move pool was similar to his own. The only difference was that his Charizard's inherited moves were Metal Claw, Belly Drum, Counter, Dragon Rush, and Dragon Tail.
"Dragon Rush!"
"Dragon Rush!"
Both gave orders simultaneously. Both Charizard charged at their opponents at the same time.
Same command, same Pokémon, same speed.
"BOOM!"
The two Pokémon collided at the center of the field. Hands gripping hands, the force of Dragon Rush had been neutralized. Now only the test of strength remained.
"Ice Punch!"
"Ice Punch!"
Again, nearly simultaneous commands. Again, identical moves.
Both Charizard did the same—simultaneously releasing their right claws, forming fists, and striking their opponents with freezing power.
"BANG!"
Fists collided. Evenly matched.
"BANG!"
Both Charizard showed unconcealed smiles at the corners of their mouths. Their left-hand Ice Punches also collided.
Both dragons retreated one step simultaneously, then immediately crashed together again to continue testing their strength.
Same moves, same postures—their frost-emitting right fists were both caught by their opponents, their lightning-crackling left fists also blocked by each other. Now they'd officially entered grappling mode.
But these two dragons—born at the same time, trained together, and eating the same custom food Auron specially prepared—were at similar levels in every aspect. Though it was called a test of strength, it was really just a stalemate. Neither could overcome the other.
"Charizard! Dragon Breath!"
Jace's Charizard opened his mouth and exhaled Dragon Breath toward the Charizard in front of him. Auron's Charizard naturally wouldn't just take the hit—tilting his head while simultaneously exerting force with his hands to deflect Jace's Charizard's Dragon Breath off course.
"Charizard, Dragon Claw!"