The scorching flames pushed the already sweltering air to an even higher temperature.
Silas even had the illusion that he was being roasted alive.
Beside him, Liza was drenched in sweat.
The Charizard, however, found the heat extremely comfortable. One after another, they roared loudly, cheering for their battling clansman.
Unfortunately, shouting encouragement wouldn't make the opposing Charizard any stronger.
Though it fought with determination, Blaziken continued to apply steady pressure.
Finally, the Charizard couldn't endure it any longer.
It stopped using Flamethrower and beat its wings, rising into the sky.
That alone signified it had conceded in the clash of firepower.
But Silas hadn't agreed to let it disengage.
"Flamethrower!"
A pillar of fire shot upward, chasing directly beneath Charizard and forcing it to keep flying to avoid being engulfed.
Fire-type Pokémon naturally resist fire, yes, but that doesn't mean they are immune to damage.
Unless they have the Flash Fire Ability.
The cheers from the surrounding Charizard noticeably weakened.
Their clansman's performance was, frankly, not impressive. One particularly muscular Charizard shot a burst of flames into the sky in frustration.
It was displeased.
It believed that if it were the one battling, it could easily defeat that "little chick" on the other side.
However, under the watchful gaze of the scar-eyed Charizard leader, none of them dared interfere.
Compared to an outsider, their own leader was the true embodiment of ferocity, authority built from countless battles since youth.
Watching the Charizard being forced to scramble midair by Blaziken's flames, Silas didn't feel reassured.
Instead, his expression grew more serious.
This wild Charizard had chosen the optimal strategy.
Although it looked suppressed, the damage and stamina consumption it suffered were minimized this way.
Charging headfirst into Flamethrower to tank it and counterattack was something only a rookie Trainer would attempt.
Wild Pokémon often resemble rookie Trainers, they lack external command and oversight.
Making the correct tactical decision is extremely difficult for them.
This Charizard's performance clearly demonstrated its rich battle experience.
Silas wasn't worried about Blaziken defeating this one.
What concerned him was this:
If even an average-strength Charizard possessed this level of combat awareness… what about the stronger ones?
He had a faint premonition, what awaited him and Blaziken would be battle after brutal battle.
Silas grinned.
"Now this is interesting, right?"
"Blaze."
Blaziken seemed to understand. Its eyes burned with fighting spirit.
"Then, Rock Slide!"
As Charizard's flight altitude was gradually forced lower, Silas seized the moment to launch a decisive attack.
Charizard's Flying typing gave it a clear advantage against Blaziken.
But Blaziken had its countermeasures.
Charizard's greatest weakness was Rock-type moves, quadruple effectiveness.
Even without Same-Type Attack Bonus, Rock-type attacks were devastating to Charizard.
Blaziken flicked its long leg, kicking scattered rocks from the valley floor into the air.
Then, leaping forward, it volleyed them one after another like soccer balls.
Only, these "soccer balls" weighed and struck more like artillery shells.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Charizard, still maneuvering to evade Flamethrower, couldn't react in time to the sudden shift in strategy.
It was struck head-on.
"Raaagh—!"
A pained roar echoed and abruptly stopped.
Blaziken didn't pause after using Rock Slide.
The moment it landed, it pushed off the ground and rushed directly beneath Charizard.
Its right claw crackled with electricity, scorching the air.
It drove a punch into the joint between Charizard's wing and body.
That was the final blow.
Charizard lost its ability to battle.
Even the strongest Pokémon cannot withstand consecutive super-effective attacks from an opponent of equal level—especially when one of them is quadruple effective.
At least not at the Pesudo-Elite- tier.
"Rooaaar~"
Gasps and cries rippled through the surrounding Charizard.
To them, the battle had shifted in an instant and their clansman had fallen. They were shocked by Silas and Blaziken's strength.
But they were also unconvinced.
The first Charizard was far from the strongest among them.
The scar-eyed Charizard ordered two others to carry the defeated one away.
Then it selected a second challenger—noticeably larger.
The result?
The same process.
The same defeat.
Blaziken stood calmly, flames burning around its wrists, gazing at the Charizard clan.
"Next."
Silas spoke from behind it.
The Charizard fell silent.
The second Charizard had been significantly stronger than the first, yet the battle had unfolded identically.
Those with rich combat experience understood what that meant.
This was pure suppression by strength.
No matter how strong you are, it doesn't matter.
We're all Pesudo-Elite. So why can this lean Pokémon so easily dominate opponents of the same tier?
"Roar."
The scar-eyed leader's attitude softened slightly.
The survival rule of wild Pokémon was simple:
Weak, you die.
Strong, you earn respect.
Terrifyingly strong, you command submission.
When strength is overwhelming, little else matters. Silas and Blaziken were not yet true Elites. But they were already worthy of respect.
"Roaaar!"
An exceptionally muscular Charizard stepped forward.
Silas recognized it, it was the one that had shot flames skyward earlier.
The scar-eyed leader nodded, then called out to Liza.
Liza's face lit up with excitement.
"Charizard says this is the strongest among their Pesudo-Elite ranks, its future successor. If you defeat it, we'll be allowed to go deeper."
She had never expected things to progress so quickly. Blaziken's displayed strength had left her stunned.
She even felt that her own Charizard, Charla, wouldn't last two moves against it.
Liza blushed.
She had battled the first defeated Charizard before, it had been her second opponent.
She had commanded Charla with everything she had just to narrowly win. And yet, on the way here, she had repeatedly emphasized how powerful these Charizard were.
"How embarrassing…" she muttered, thankful that the heat masked her red face.
"Is that so?"
Silas hadn't noticed her inner turmoil. He simply nodded.
"Then let's begin."
He looked at the muscular Charizard.
"Oh, right," Silas added, glancing at the scar-eyed Charizard preparing to fly back to the outer perimeter. "Would you mind telling me how many more clans I'll need to battle if I want to reach the innermost crater?"
Without turning its head, the scar-eyed Charizard raised two claws.
"Only two more? That's reasonable." Silas nodded thoughtfully.
If there were too many additional Charizard clans inside, no large numbers needed, just four or more Silas felt he might as well give up.
That simply wasn't something a person could accomplish.
But realistically speaking, that scenario was unlikely.
If there truly were that many Charizard gathered here, why would the Pokémon League go to such lengths to protect them, even assigning specially appointed administrators to oversee their natural park?
Thinking further, Silas suddenly realized just how terrifyingly powerful the League truly was.
Just this single Charizard Valley housed over a dozen, perhaps even dozens of Elite-level Charizard, along with an unknown number of Elite-Four and Champion-level individuals, and a leader capable of standing toe-to-toe with Lance's main partner.
And that was just one location.
Even if places as exaggerated as Charizard Valley, where nearly the entire species population gathered were rare, it was still enough to set one's imagination racing.
Though these Pokémon were wild, decades of coexistence had made them extremely familiar with the League.
Direct command might not be possible, but occasional requests for assistance? That likely wouldn't be a problem.
No wonder Giovanni, despite rising to Champion-level strength while secretly leading Team Rocket, never dared to openly reveal his identity.
If Mewtwo hadn't suddenly escaped and exposed him, Giovanni's plans likely wouldn't have accelerated so quickly.
Looking at it from another angle, it had to be Giovanni. Had it been anyone else, Team Rocket would have collapsed long ago.
It wasn't that Silas looked down on teams like Team Magma, Team Aqua, or Team Galactic.
It was simply that their leaders didn't exactly seem, particularly intelligent.
No wonder they had struggled for so many years, only to be surpassed by Team Rocket, a group established less than half a century ago.
"Roar!"
Seeing Silas lost in thought, the muscular Charizard let out an irritated growl.
Were they fighting or not? Its claws had long since grown restless.
Silas snapped back to reality.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "You'll soon end up just like your two previous companions."
"ROAR!!!"
That was the final straw.
The muscular Charizard immediately unleashed a Flamethrower straight at them.
Fortunately, Blaziken was prepared.
Its Flamethrower fired a split second later—yet arrived first, once again pushing Charizard's flames back.
However, compared to the previous two opponents, this time the advantage in speed was noticeably smaller.
"ROAR!"
Charizard bellowed, and for a brief moment, it even showed signs of forcing the flames back.
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"Blaziken, more power."
The flames around Blaziken's wrists visibly intensified.
In the previous two battles, it hadn't used its full strength.
Under the astonished gazes of the watching Charizard, their clan's future leader, this muscular Charizard found its Flamethrower pushed back several meters.
The sheer force it exerted caused its wings to tremble violently.
Yet even so, it could not change the outcome of losing the frontal clash.
With a powerful flap, the muscular Charizard shot high into the sky.
As it ascended, thick, heavy smoke poured from its mouth.
In an instant, the sky darkened.
..
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