This was Smokescreen, a move that obscures the opponent's vision and perception, lowering the accuracy of their attacks.
The pitch-black smoke also showed how much effort this Charizard had put into training the move.
Unfortunately, it had chosen the wrong tactic. Blaziken, possessing Aura, could fundamentally ignore the effects of smoke.
Silas guessed that the Charizard living in Charizard Valley likely didn't know that Pokémon like Blaziken could master Aura.
In fact, whether they even knew about Aura at all was questionable.
"Blaziken, Rock Slide!"
Watching Charizard hide inside the smoke, clearly preparing something unknown, Silas decided to greet it first.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Rocks tore through the air one after another, vanishing into the smoke.
Panicked cries echoed from within.
Charizard was clearly unprepared.
It tried shifting positions, only to discover that the rocks were still flying toward it with precision.
With no other option, Charizard burst out of the smoke.
Trailing thick black smoke from its tail, it looked both resentful and increasingly ferocious.
With a powerful flap of its wings and two forceful kicks through the air, it dove straight down at high speed.
"Rooaar!"
Streams of Flamethrower erupted from its mouth one after another.
Blaziken became a black shadow, weaving effortlessly through the gaps between each blast.
After two previous battles, its Speed Boost Ability had already stacked to its maximum.
One could hardly call that unfair, fighting three consecutive battles was Blaziken's own achievement. For most Pokémon, they would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
Charizard attacked for quite some time before realizing something troubling:
Their stamina consumption was nearly equal.
Its pride would not allow it to win in such a drawn-out manner.
So it stopped.
Seeing the assault cease, Blaziken landed atop a tall rock and met its gaze.
Charizard's fierce pupils locked onto Blaziken. Then it tilted its head toward the sun and let out a long roar.
"Rooooaaar—!"
Golden light enveloped its entire body.
Silas' eyes narrowed.
It was Charizard's Hidden Ability, Solar Power. And it had activated it intentionally using Sunny Day.
Unlike Blaziken's Speed Boost, Solar Power was a double-edged sword.
Under harsh sunlight, Pokémon with Solar Power have their special attacks significantly increased.
The price? Rapid HP loss.
If victory could not be achieved quickly, Solar Power would only cause the user to weaken prematurely.
In same-type battles, Solar Power was particularly troublesome.
Pokémon like Blaziken could not use moves such as Hail or Rain Dance to change the weather, those moves were not part of its movepool.
Although harsh sunlight would slightly strengthen Blaziken's own Fire-type moves, it could never match Solar Power's amplification.
Boom!
Two pillars of fire collided once more.
But this time, even with maximum output, Blaziken's Flamethrower was suppressed.
Silas immediately understood.
They couldn't use the same approach as before.
"Blaziken dodge! Close in and use Thunder Punch!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Blaziken vanished from sight.
Its Flamethrower collapsed without support and was overwhelmed by Charizard's flames.
Charizard hovered midair, head swiveling cautiously.
In that instant—
Blaziken disappeared from its vision.
Crackle—
Electricity surged.
Charizard reacted with remarkable sharpness, spinning and striking Blaziken midair with its wing, knocking it away.
Blaziken flipped backward gracefully and landed cleanly.
It had taken no serious damage.
After all, Charizard had reacted hastily, it hadn't even used a move.
"Blaziken, use Double Team!"
Under Silas' command, the half-crouched Blaziken slowly rose.
Without visible motion—
Twenty-four Blaziken appeared on the battlefield, including the original.
Remember, the number of Double Team clones depends on the Pokémon's speed and physical capability. Compared to Serperior and Pidgeot, Blaziken excelled in both.
Combined with its mastery of the technique, every clone was indistinguishable from the real one.
At least to Charizard.
"Roar!"
Charizard fired a test burst of flame.
The struck Blaziken vanished, an illusion.
Before Charizard could feel relieved, the clone was instantly replaced.
Charizard sniffed the air, attempting to identify the real one by scent.
It quickly gave up.
In a one-on-one scenario, perhaps.
But here?
With over a hundred surrounding Charizard, Charmeleon, and Charmander filling the air with chaotic scents, It was impossible.
Silas smiled faintly.
"Blaziken, Swords Dance. Bulk Up. Work Up. Focus Energy!"
Each time Silas called a move, all twenty-four Blaziken performed identical synchronized motions.
Seven or eight seconds later, Only four remained.
But their aura had clearly transformed.
Even the scar-eyed Charizard leader watching from the side showed visible change in expression.
It had sensed danger, from a mere Pesudo-Elite Pokémon.
The muscular Charizard also sensed something was wrong.
It flapped its wings, trying to retreat into the sky to stall out Blaziken's stat boosts.
At this point, even Solar Power's recoil seemed preferable.
Silas wouldn't allow it.
"Bounce, Thunder Punch!"
Boom!
The sound of Blaziken pushing off the ground was entirely different this time.
Under multiple stat boosts, its leap sounded like a cannon firing.
Cracks spiderwebbed outward beneath its feet.
"Blaze!"
Appearing midair in an instant, its right fist crackled violently.
One punch twisted Charizard's neck sideways.
"RAAAARGH!"
Charizard cried out in pain.
Silas gave no chance for reversal.
"Finish it, Body Slam!"
Blaziken grabbed Charizard's legs mid-descent.
Then, With a violent twist of its core, In Liza's stunned gaze, the "slender" Blaziken swung Charizard in a half-circle. And smashed it into the ground.
BOOM.
Dust and debris erupted everywhere.
Landing on one foot, Blaziken exhaled deeply.
Its muscles relaxed as the tension left its body.
"Blaze."
It turned its head with a grin and gave Silas a thumbs-up with one of its clawed hands.
Blaziken felt that it hadn't enjoyed a battle this thoroughly in a long time, Specifically, thoroughly dominating the opponent.
This Charizard's strength had been just right for it.
Silas smiled and returned the gesture.
"Beautifully done!"
The scar-eyed Charizard flew over without a word and swept away the dust with a powerful flap of its wings.
The muscular Charizard lay revealed, its eyes spiraling in a fainted state.
"Rooooar—!"
The scar-eyed leader let out a long roar toward the sky.
Silas flinched for a moment, thinking it was about to attack.
But he had overthought it.
All the surrounding Charizard silently parted, creating a path.
"I can go in now?" Silas looked toward the leader.
It nodded.
"Then thank you. I hope I get the chance to test myself against you someday."
Silas extended his hand with a smile.
The scar-eyed Charizard stared at him for a long moment.
"Roar."
It reached out and lightly tapped Silas's hand with its claw.
"Let's go."
After that brief exchange, Silas led a still-stunned Liza deeper into the valley.
Along the way, Liza kept staring at Blaziken so intensely that it began to feel embarrassed.
"You are really strong," she said sincerely.
Silas, however, stopped in a corner.
"?" Liza didn't understand what he was doing.
Without a word, Silas pulled out a large number of medical supplies from his backpack. At the same time, he released Serperior, Ampharos, Togekiss, and Kirlia.
"Grassy Terrain. Heal Bell. Life Dew."
A refreshing fragrance spread through the air.
Bathed simultaneously in white and blue light, Blaziken's rapid breathing quickly stabilized.
Only then did Liza remember, that had merely been the first gate. Two more Charizard clans still awaited them.
No matter how strong Blaziken was, it couldn't defeat seven or eight equally powerful Charizard in succession without fatigue.
Outside, Blaziken could have rested between battles. But considering stamina expenditure and the urgency of time, Silas had chosen to finish the fight swiftly.
And who knew whether calling in additional Pokémon mid-battle would have made the Charizard feel they were being ganged up on?
"Don't worry," Liza said hurriedly. "Even if I can't help much, I'll file a report and make sure all your medical expenses are fully reimbursed."
Silas glanced at her.
After thinking for a moment, he calmly put away the recovery items he had first taken out, then replaced them with several brand-new bottles instead.
He casually activated the recording function on his wrist device.
"Remember that reimbursement," he said evenly.
Liza blinked at his series of actions, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Of course. And there will be additional compensation as well."
Silas wasn't worried about her going back on her word. Worst case scenario, he could simply hand the matter over to Lance and have him reimburse it.
Fortunately, he had just come from Goldenrod City, so his supplies were both abundant and varied.
After about twenty minutes, Blaziken had fully recovered to peak condition.
Without Nurse Joy and Chansey, things were indeed less convenient.
Even knowing the appropriate recovery moves didn't produce the same level of efficiency.
Silas recalled his other Pokémon and continued deeper into the valley with Blaziken and Liza.
"Rooaar!"
"Roar!"
BOOM—
Thud.
The sounds of intense battle echoed from the depths of Charizard Valley.
That day, the Pesudo-Elite Charizard welcomed their "king."
..
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