"What the heck is this? How can Charizard still evolve???"
"Huh? So I wasn't seeing things…"
"I can't believe it. Something like this actually exists."
"There was a research paper from Kalos a while back suggesting that Pokémon in their final evolutions might still be able to evolve. But it was mostly ridiculed... Who knew it was actually true?"
The spectators in the stands finally snapped out of their shock, their expressions filled with disbelief as they discussed animatedly.
Charizard, one of Kanto's three starter Pokémon, was rare but not unfamiliar to the people of Kanto.
Yet precisely because of that familiarity, witnessing a 'well-known' Charizard suddenly evolve before their very eyes was an overwhelming shock.
It was simply unbelievable!
'Beep~ Charizard Y, Fire/Flying-type, the Flame Pokémon.
Ability: Drought.
Moves: …
Description: Its power stems from its bond with its trainer. Its proud flying ability far surpasses that of a jet plane.'
Charizard Y shared the same typing as a normal Charizard, but their strength levels were worlds apart!
"A Drought ability, plus the sheer power boost from Mega Evolution—Charizard Y is truly the dream Pokémon of Fire-type trainers."
Looking at the Rotom Pokédex's entry, Lillie couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Though she wasn't a trainer herself, following Dylan around and watching battles every day had given her theoretical knowledge that surpassed at least 95% of trainers worldwide.
She had seen both Charizard Y and Charizard X before. Compared to Charizard X's balanced physical and special attack stats, Charizard Y maximized its special attack potential.
Of course, that didn't mean Charizard Y's physical attack was weak. It was a Mega Evolution, after all, and even its physical attack outclassed that of a regular Charizard.
But compared to its absurdly high special attack, its physical attack seemed almost negligible.
And then there was Charizard Y's ability—Drought! A weather ability!
How many Pokémon in the world had Drought?
Ninetales, Torkoal, and… Groudon. That was it—just three!
And Groudon wasn't even a flying Pokémon—it was a freaking super-ancient Legendary Pokémon! There was only one in the entire world. Forget catching it—if you even managed to find it, how would a normal person even capture it?
Yet Charizard Y had inherited such a rare and prestigious ability!
While Drought didn't directly boost Charizard Y's raw stats, the effects of harsh sunlight on Fire-type moves were no joke. Plus, it weakened Water-type attacks.
Compared to Charizard X's Tough Claws, which was undoubtedly a strong ability for close combat, Drought was functionally superior. It didn't just benefit Charizard Y individually—it was a team-wide advantage!
Well, the only real downside was that Charizard Y still had a Fire/Flying typing, making it four times weak to Rock-type moves, and its physical defense was fragile—an undeniable weakness.
But that didn't make Charizard Y any less powerful.
"Red, let's see how you'll deal with my Charizard Y."
Dylan adjusted his collar and gestured toward Red, signaling him to release his Pokémon.
This was the first time he was officially using Charizard in a battle against a challenger— and with Mega Evolution, no less.
"Pikachu!"
Red lowered his hat brim, his battle spirit surging. His opponent was a Charizard—one that had evolved yet again!
The Poké Ball opened, and Pikachu landed nimbly in front of Red, sparks crackling from its cheeks, clearly just as fired up.
"Charizard."
Dylan called out.
Charizard Y flapped its wings, ascending into the air. A scorching orb of light rose into the sky, and an intense sunlight bathed the battlefield.
Harsh sunlight!
"Drought ability?" Red looked at the majestic, ferocious Charizard Y in surprise. Given how fast the harsh sunlight had taken effect, it was undoubtedly a weather ability.
Did its ability change after evolving? Not that surprising—but what about its typing?
Red pondered.
"No need to overthink it. Charizard Y is still Fire/Flying. Come on, Red." Dylan answered his unspoken question.
Red's eyes gleamed.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Electric was super effective against Flying. Red had chosen Pikachu for a reason.
With a sharp cry, Pikachu unleashed a golden bolt of electricity, streaking toward Charizard Y at high speed.
Fast, precise, powerful—an impressive Thunderbolt!
"Counter with Flamethrower." Dylan snapped his fingers.
Charizard Y's mouth swelled as it gathered searing flames. In the next instant, a massive Flamethrower erupted forth.
A Fire-type Flamethrower!
The two attacks clashed midair, but in an instant—completely unexpectedly—Flamethrower blasted straight through Thunderbolt as if it was nothing, continuing its blazing path toward Pikachu.
How is it this strong?!
"Pikachu, dodge!"
Red's pupils contracted as he shouted.
Pikachu reacted swiftly— it had already sensed something was wrong the moment the two attacks collided.
Pushing off with all four legs, it leaped away from its original position.
Boom!!
Flamethrower struck the ground where Pikachu had been, sending out rippling waves of scorching fire.
But the moment Pikachu landed, flames engulfed it.
With a pained cry, Pikachu was sent flying and crashed to the ground, struggling to prop itself up with its forelimbs—it was already badly injured.
Red: "..."
Looking at Charizard Y leisurely hovering in the air, Red furrowed his brows tightly.
This…
"This thing is way too strong!"
The older sister was dumbfounded.
"Yeah, I think it might even be stronger than Entei," the bird keeper was equally shocked.
That Flamethrower—it had covered nearly half the battlefield when it landed. Since when was Flamethrower used like this?
And the power level—completely absurd!
That Pikachu was Red's chosen main force in this battle, meaning its strength was definitely high.
But in a direct clash between Flamethrower and Thunderbolt, Flamethrower had just obliterated Thunderbolt without even slowing down!
"Even with harsh sunlight boosting Fire-type moves, this is ridiculous. This kind of firepower… it's basically on par with Champion Lance's Charizard!"
The Psychic trainer clicked his tongue in disbelief. This felt almost unfair.
Even with an extra evolution, a Charizard shouldn't be able to power up this much all at once. That just meant this Charizard was already insanely strong to begin with.
Was this one of Dylan's strongest Fire-type Pokémon?
"Charizard, use Heat Wave." Dylan issued his next command.
With Harsh Sunlight active, Fire-type moves could be unleashed freely! And finally, here was an opponent without Fire-type resistance.
Charizard Y flapped its massive wings, sending a scorching, crimson gust hurtling downward.
A Fire-type Heat Wave!
Even before the attack reached, a surge of heat was already pressing against Pikachu's face.
"Protect!" Red didn't hesitate.
A green barrier flared up around Pikachu, blocking the intense flames and wind.
But Protect wouldn't last forever.
"Charizard, keep up the Heat Wave."
Charizard Y let out a low roar and swung its wings again, continuing the fiery onslaught.
After five seconds, cracks began forming on the Protect barrier—it was reaching its limit, while Heat Wave continued raging.
The battlefield was engulfed in flames, the sheer visual impact leaving the audience in awe.
This Charizard Y was terrifying!
Protect finally broke, and Pikachu was immediately caught in the firestorm.
With a final cry, Pikachu collapsed, its eyes swirling in defeat.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! Charizard Y wins!"
Leaf announced the result.
Red silently withdrew Roaring Moon, his gaze fixed on the wild, overwhelming presence of the gray-black Charizard Y.
Though Roaring Moon had fallen, the good news was that Harsh Sunlight had finally ended, meaning Charizard Y's Fire-type moves no longer had their boost.
But honestly… did it even matter?
"Charizard!"
Red pulled down the brim of his cap, his fighting spirit reigniting as he sent out his final trump card.
Charizard let out a mighty roar as it landed before Red, but the moment it lifted its head and saw Charizard Y across the battlefield—it froze.
What the hell is that?
Charizard was stunned. Was this supposed to be one of its own kind? Then why did it look so different? And where did it even get that gray-black skin?
Charizard Y looked down at Red's Charizard with a proud, dominant gaze, its immense aura completely unrestrained. Red's Charizard, sensing the overwhelming pressure, grew visibly tense.
This… "same species"—if it could even be called that—was giving it an incredible sense of oppression!
"Charizard, this opponent is extremely strong. Give it everything you've got."
"Roar!!"
It was rare for Red to verbally encourage his Pokémon before a battle, and his Charizard responded with high spirits, tilting its head back in a powerful roar before taking flight to face Charizard Y head-on.
"He's gotten a lot stronger."
Dylan observed Red's Charizard with interest. Compared to their battle back in Vermilion City, this Charizard was no longer the same—it had grown significantly.
As Red's ace and his very first Pokémon, in Pokémon Origins, it had even defeated Mewtwo after Mega Evolution.
Dylan had immense respect for Red's Charizard.
But it didn't matter.
This Charizard was still far from reaching its peak.
And his Charizard Y was stronger!
"Hurricane!"
Dylan took the initiative.
"We'll use Hurricane too!" Red didn't hesitate.
Both Charizard Y and Charizard let out fierce roars, flapping their wings with force and summoning violent gales.
Flying-type move—Hurricane!
Two massive tornados clashed midair, the winds howling as they battled for dominance, shockwaves bursting outward.
But soon, Charizard Y's Hurricane completely overpowered and shattered Red's Charizard's attack.
Before Red's Charizard could even process what had happened, it was engulfed by the storm.
Boom!
The powerful winds slammed into Charizard, sending it plummeting uncontrollably to the ground with a heavy impact.
As expected, Charizard couldn't keep up.
Red's brows furrowed. Charizard Y was simply too strong—even his ace Charizard was no match.
After all, both were Charizards. But with a difference in strength this vast… how could he win?
Red had incredible battle tactics, and he had demonstrated them several times throughout this full-team battle.
But when it came down to two Pokémon of the same species, and one was just objectively stronger, strategy hardly mattered.
The rest of the battle wasn't worth describing.
Even though Red tried his best to command Charizard and shift the fight into close combat—something Charizard was well-trained in—Dylan's response was simple: meet force with force.
Both Charizards clashed with Dragon Rush, but once again, Charizard Y crushed its opponent.
At that moment, Red understood—he had lost.
"Charizard is unable to battle! Charizard Y wins!"
Leaf announced the final result.
"Challenger Red has lost all six of his Pokémon. The Gym Leader, Dylan, is the winner. The challenger has failed the gym battle."
As the referee, Leaf remained professional.
In the corner of the gym, the usual referee nodded approvingly.
Well, even if my judging job got stolen, it's not a big deal. The gym was huge, and there were plenty of other tasks to handle.
Besides… it's not like my paycheck got cut.
The moment the battle ended, the audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.
Even though the challenger ultimately lost, he had defeated three of Dylan's main Pokémon—including Entei!
That was insane.
"That was a fantastic battle, Red. It's always a pleasure fighting you."
Dylan walked up to Red, extending his hand with a satisfied smile. Behind him, Charizard Y descended gracefully, standing by his side.
"Thanks… but I'm still not as good as you."
Red shook Dylan's hand, but instead of frustration, his eyes burned even brighter.
Losing wasn't the end. In fact, this second defeat against Dylan had only ignited his fighting spirit even further.
"Good, looks like you're not too discouraged."
Dylan chuckled before reaching into his pocket, pulling out an elegant badge case.
"Last time, you refused, but honestly, I really want to give you this badge, Red. Take it."
Dylan opened the case and held it out toward Red.
Red didn't have a Rota Badge. That was unacceptable!
This was the official recognition of the Rota Gym!
Inside the case lay a beautifully crafted Rota Badge, encrusted with a fiery diamond—elegant and striking.
"..."
Red stared at the badge in silence, suddenly deep in thought.
He felt like he had overlooked something important.
Dylan was this strong…
So how the hell did Blue beat him?
If even he couldn't win… how did that guy do it?
Did Blue even deserve that badge?!
No way. Something was off.
"…Dylan, let me ask you something. Did Blue actually defeat you to earn the Rota Badge?"
"Blue? Ehhh… well, his strength is definitely worthy of the Rota Badge." Dylan answered diplomatically.
"How many of your main Pokémon did he defeat?" Red immediately caught on.
"…Two."
"Heh."
Red suddenly felt at peace.
Of course.
There was no way that guy—who was basically at the same level as him—could have actually defeated Dylan.
Turns out Dylan just gave it to him.
And yet, Blue had been showing off that badge in front of him this entire time?!
Unbelievable.
Despicable.
Shameless.
"I KNEW IT!"
That bastard didn't even earn it!