"Solar Beam?"
Wasn't that a Grass-type move?
How could a Fire-type Pokémon use it?
And besides, the move Solar Beam required charging solar energy before firing...
"But fired instantly? That's impossible..."
Even under intense sunlight, it only shortens the charging time... but instantaneous...
Could it be another attack?
But judging by the attribute... it was definitely Grass-type.
Could it be the same kind of energy cannon that Shuckle used before?
At that moment, the beam dissipated.
Golem's enormous figure was exposed.
It lay motionless.
It had lost the ability to battle.
The entire stadium erupted in commotion.
A gigantic Golem, famous for its defense and endurance... defeated in a single blow!
"It's Solar Beam, without a doubt!"
"But the speed and power were absurd!"
"Not even many Grass-type Pokémon could use a Solar Beam like that. How could Charizard do it?"
Among the top eight, Diana, who came from a family specialized in Grass-type Pokémon, watched with a deeply serious expression.
But even she had never seen a Solar Beam attack that powerful. This was simply far too terrifying!
"If even you say so, Diana..." The others inhaled sharply when they heard her.
...
At the same time.
Champion Leo was also watching the battle.
When he saw Charizard's instant Solar Beam, he showed a smile.
Then he turned his gaze toward Ethan on the screen, with a trace of excitement.
In fact, that instant version of the move Solar Beam had been developed by him together with Ethan.
The principle, naturally, was based on the power of Gigalith's orange core.
By taking advantage of the ability of the orange crystals distributed throughout Gigalith's body to absorb sunlight, and its internal core to concentrate and amplify that energy, they managed to enhance the effect of sunny weather on Charizard. This not only increased the power of its Fire-type moves, but also allowed them to combine it with the "Sunny Day Dragon" state, transforming it into an even more powerful form.
That had been the central research topic between Champion Leo and Ethan: the mastery of sunlight.
During the process, Ethan proposed a brilliant idea: what if they used the ability of the orange core to concentrate and amplify solar energy, transforming it directly into the energy required for the move Solar Beam?
Upon hearing that hypothesis, Champion Leo was completely stunned.
Under Ethan's suggestion, they took as their starting point the fact that under intense sunlight, the move Solar Beam greatly reduces its charging time.
Finally, relying on the "Sunny Day Dragon" state, they succeeded in developing an instant version of the move Solar Beam.
The principle was simple: under the Sunny Day Dragon state, using the ability of Gigalith's orange core to concentrate and amplify solar energy, they immediately transformed the energy of sunny weather into the energy of the move Solar Beam, firing it instantly and further enhanced by the orange core.
Now, seeing the gigantic Golem defeated in a single blow, the terrifying power of the enhanced Solar Beam was obvious.
And that was executed under the weakened version of the state, the "Sunny Day Fire." If it were used under the complete Sunny Day Dragon form, the power would be even greater!
...
"Solar Beam... instant. It must be because of the Sunny Day Dragon state, right?"
"A Solar Beam under intense sunlight?"
On the field, Adrian regained his composure and began connecting the dots.
He finally understood why Ethan had sent Charizard against Golem.
Beyond the aerial advantage, the instant Solar Beam was the real trump card.
With such power, and also being an attack that struck with quadruple effectiveness, Golem — even though it was enormous and superior in strength, defense, and endurance — would never be able to withstand it without preparation.
"The balance has tilted," the guest commentators said.
After the initial shock, they focused on the battle again.
With Golem defeated in a single blow, Ethan had taken the lead.
Moreover, Adrian seemed to have lost his rhythm. After withdrawing Golem, he took a while to send out his next Pokémon.
With one Pokémon fewer, he would have to be extremely careful.
"Is Ethan... going to win?"
Someone murmured it, and the stadium fell silent for a moment.
"I don't think so..."
"Adrian still has his Quasi-Elite level Alakazam!"
But even the person who said it sounded uncertain.
Could it be that Ethan, at only 20 years old, was going to surpass all the veterans and become the biggest dark horse of the tournament?
"Don't forget that Vibrava can also reach Quasi-Elite level with its technique Ryū: Odoshi!"
"The desert field is already prepared..."
The excitement kept rising.
"If it were me... I'd send out Alakazam right now," Ethan murmured.
At that moment, Adrian made his decision.
The Poké Ball opened, and a Pokémon radiating terrifying psychic waves appeared in the air.
It was his trump card: Alakazam, at Quasi-Elite level.
However, the moment it appeared, Ethan immediately withdrew Charizard.
Alakazam's plan to trap it with the move Confusion came to nothing.
"He saw it coming...?"
Adrian felt a weight in his chest.
"Slowking... now it depends on you." Ethan threw another Poké Ball.
The Pokémon that appeared was Slowking.
"Slowking?"
"Is he planning to face it head-on?"
The stadium erupted in murmurs.
Slowking had only appeared once before.
Although strong, it seemed to fall short against a Quasi-Elite level Pokémon.
Wasn't that reckless?
But the battle began immediately.
The moment Slowking appeared, a sphere of Fighting-type energy — Focus Blast — tore through the air with a roar.
But Slowking was prepared. It vanished using the move Teleport. At that moment, the audience understood Ethan's choice.
If he had sent Tyranitar to cover Alakazam with its Dark-type, the move Focus Blast — four times effective — would have left it severely injured.
Instead, Slowking avoided the opening attack.
"Now the real battle begins. Slowking, Calm Mind!"
Slowking closed its eyes and began to meditate.
"Alakazam, interrupt it!"
Adrian frowned.
The move Calm Mind increases Special Attack and Special Defense, but requires absolute concentration.
In real combat, no one just stands there watching while your Pokémon meditates.
If it is interrupted, the effect is lost and you only take damage.
What was Ethan doing?
The next moment, Slowking opened its eyes and teleported to dodge the attack.
"He couldn't resist attacking..."
"What is Ethan thinking?"
Many did not understand.
Even Adrian was confused.
Just for that?
But then he remembered the previous unpredictable plays.
"No... with Ethan you have to be careful."
Alakazam released a wave of terrifying psychic power.
"So this is the power of a Quasi-Elite level Pokémon?"
Ethan felt the pressure.
Vibrava had reached that level through technique.
But this... was real power.
The aerial battle began.
Slowking was clearly at a disadvantage.
But using the moves Teleport, Light Screen, Barrier, and Water Pulse, it endured.
"Slowking is incredibly strong!"
"It's the peak of the professional level!"
And then someone shouted: "Don't you feel like its attacks are getting stronger?"
Everyone looked carefully.
At first, Slowking's psychic power could not compete.
Now, it was beginning to block Alakazam's attacks.
It was still losing... but it was no longer a crushing gap.
Then someone joked: "Could it actually be meditating for real?"
The stadium fell silent.
At that moment, Slowking's psychic power increased again.
And in the next frontal clash...
It matched Alakazam!
(End of chapter)