Chien-Pao stood frozen.
All the confidence he had carried onto the battlefield shattered the instant he saw the colossal blade of fire descending toward him.
His eyes widened in terror.
For one long moment, his mind went completely blank.
"Chien-Pao, Protect!" Frost screamed. "Put everything you have into it!"
"G-Graaow!"
Frost's voice finally snapped Chien-Pao out of his stupor.
Energy erupted from his body as he desperately threw up a translucent barrier around himself.
The shield solidified just in time.
Seeing it surround him, Chien-Pao allowed himself the faintest sigh of relief.
Then the flaming blade struck.
BOOOOM!
The collision shook the entire arena.
A devastating shock wave exploded outward, ripping apart the battlefield around Chien-Pao and carving an enormous crater into the stone.
The spinning blade continued pressing down.
Fire and lightning tore across the ground, opening a deep fissure that ran through the arena floor.
CRACK!
A fracture appeared in Chien-Pao's barrier.
Then another.
Cracks spread across its surface like a spiderweb.
Chien-Pao stared upward, his momentary relief giving way to pure panic.
Protect was failing.
CRACK!
The barrier shattered.
Fragments of energy scattered through the air as Charizard's enormous flaming blade broke straight through and swallowed Chien-Pao whole.
BOOOOM!
The resulting explosion thundered across Hidden Dragon Square.
The blast sounded like the sky itself had split open, leaving everyone's ears ringing.
...
For several seconds, the entire arena fell silent.
The spectators could only stare at the battlefield, mouths hanging open.
Then the crowd erupted.
"Is this really the power of the number one trainer?"
"That was Protect! Charizard broke straight through it!"
"This is insane! Aaron, marry me!"
"No wonder he broke a record that had stood for a thousand years. He's on a completely different level."
"Why are you comparing yourself to him? You're not even ranked!"
"Frost is never recovering from this. One Charizard swept his entire team!"
...
The smoke gradually cleared.
A massive gash now split the battlefield, its depths hidden in darkness. Flames continued burning along its edges.
At the center of the devastation lay Chien-Pao.
His snow-white fur had been scorched black, and swirls had replaced his eyes.
He was unable to battle.
Only seconds had passed since he entered the arena.
The same Chien-Pao who had defeated Liora's Hydreigon and strutted onto the field overflowing with pride had been taken down in a single attack.
His ego had been crushed almost as thoroughly as the battlefield.
"Chien-Pao..."
Frost stared at him in disbelief.
But the unconscious Pokémon could no longer hear him.
"Chien-Pao is unable to battle!"
Blaze raised the flag with far too much enthusiasm.
"All three of Frost's Pokémon are down. The match is over!"
He pointed toward Aaron.
"The winner is Aaron!"
Then, with a broad grin, he added:
"Let's hear it for our winner—and congratulations to Frost on being swept by a single Charizard!"
Blaze began clapping before anyone else could react.
The spectators immediately joined in, filling the arena with thunderous applause.
Liora clapped so hard that her face turned red.
"Yes! Aaron was amazing!"
Frost's face twitched.
He glared at Blaze with enough hostility to make the referee take half a step backward.
That last announcement had been completely unnecessary.
What a petty bastard.
Frost took a deep breath and recalled Chien-Pao.
Then he turned toward Aaron.
"You really are strong," Frost admitted. "Now I see why you're number one."
He tightened his grip around the Luxury Ball.
"You're at Pokémon Crown University, right? I'll be studying at the Pokémon Elite Academy."
Frost met Aaron's eyes.
"By the time the Intercollegiate Freshman Tournament begins, I'll be much stronger."
"This isn't over. Next time, I'm taking that win back."
With that, Frost left the arena with his companions.
Charizard had roasted all three members of his team. They needed to reach the Pokémon Center immediately; delaying treatment could leave them with lasting injuries.
Aaron watched him leave with a faint smile.
Frost was talented, but talent alone would not close the distance between them.
Frost was still running.
Aaron had already left the runway.
"Ding~"
The System's voice sounded inside his mind.
[Mission Complete: Battle Frost]
[Rewards Obtained: Combined Charizardite (Charizard Mega Stone) ×1, Key Stone ×1]
Aaron's smile deepened.
He examined the newly acquired Mega Stone.
Unlike an ordinary Charizardite, this one was divided between black and crimson, with the two colors intertwined inside its polished surface.
Aaron opened its information panel.
[Name: Combined Charizardite]
[Effect: Enables Charizard to Mega Evolve freely into either Mega Charizard X or Mega Charizard Y. Once Charizard fully masters the power of both forms, their abilities can be fused to unlock the ultimate Mega Charizard Z.]