Charizard had carried the Rainbow Feather ever since it was a Charmander.
Through months of training, Charizard had unconsciously absorbed the power sleeping within that feather. In truth, as Charizard grew stronger, the Rainbow Feather continuously transmitted Ho-Oh's divine energy into its body.
The amount of power contained within the Rainbow Feather wasn't immense, but it had one incomparable advantage, it could be drawn upon endlessly and would slowly regenerate over time. Through this subtle cycle, Charizard had inherited Ho-Oh's most sacred gift: the power of Sacred Fire.
Back during the battle with Primeape, traces of that power had already begun to appear, but at that time, it was nothing more than faint sparks of Sacred Fire hidden within Charizard's ordinary flames.
Compared to Ho-Oh, whose every breath and flicker of flame was pure Sacred Fire, Charizard's mastery was negligible.
Forget releasing Sacred Fire freely, even now, Charizard couldn't yet use Sacred Fire as a move.
But the power was there, buried deep within its body. What it needed was pressure, an overwhelming battle that would force that power to awaken completely.
That was why Ash chose to challenge a Champion-level Pokémon today.
To ignite the Sacred Fire, he would need to fuse with Charizard through Aura Fusion. Yet even in that state, ordinary Gym-level opponents could no longer provide the necessary pressure.
That was why the "Rainbow Hero" in the group chat had suggested: find a Champion-level foe. Success or failure, everything would be decided in that fight.
As long as Charizard could fully unleash Sacred Fire, combined with Aura Fusion, even a Champion-level opponent might not be invincible!
That was, of course, if it could be unleashed.
Now, after only a few brief exchanges with Koga's Toxicroak, Ash was already feeling immense pressure.
With their perceptions linked, everything Charizard felt, its strain, its pain, Ash felt as well.
Right now, he was essentially fighting a Champion-level Pokémon. Feeling crushed was inevitable.
This was, without question, the toughest battle Ash had faced since the start of his journey.
"Oh? You can even use the rebound from Drain Punch to retreat. Dodging a close-range strike like that… that must be tied to the special power within you, right?" Koga raised an eyebrow, his tone unreadable.
"Special power? Mr. Koga, you can sense Aura?"
"Heh. I am a ninja, after all. My power may not match that of you special-ability users, but when it comes to sensing energy, I'm hardly a novice."
"At the start of the match, you transmitted your energy to your Charizard, didn't you? Enhancing a Pokémon's strength through spiritual power, it's similar to Sabrina's technique. So this power of yours… it's called Aura."
Koga spoke as though he had just solved a puzzle. Ash blinked in surprise. His own Aura hadn't sensed any unusual energy from Koga, yet Koga had correctly identified what he was doing.
He'd even deduced that Ash's Aura was what had boosted Charizard's power.
For an ordinary person, that kind of perception bordered on the supernatural.
But whether Koga understood or not didn't really matter, it wouldn't change the outcome of the battle. At best, it only explained Charizard's sudden surge in strength.
Erika had been similarly baffled during Ash's earlier Gym match, unaware of the cause until after she'd lost. But in the end, it hadn't changed anything.
"No matter how arrogant I am," Ash said casually, "I wouldn't think your Charizard could beat a Champion-level Pokémon without some kind of special help."
"But even with your special power," Koga replied dryly, "your Charizard still isn't a match for my Toxicroak."
If this was the young man's so-called trump card, it wasn't much to look at.
"Charizard hasn't fallen yet, Mr. Koga. Isn't it a bit early to decide the outcome?"
"Oh? Then let's make it fall. Toxicroak, Astonish!"
Koga's calm voice turned sharp.
Toxicroak inhaled deeply, then released a shrill, piercing screech!
The sudden cry sent a chill through Misty and Brock; their hearts nearly stopped. It was that terrifying.
Charizard on the field staggered as the sound struck it, not only the soundwaves themselves but the Ghost-type energy riding within them.
A single flicker of fear or doubt would allow that energy to pierce its mind and force a flinch.
But unfortunately for Koga, in Aura Fusion, Charizard's mind was perfectly shielded. Its spirit was like a fortress.
That level of psychic interference had no effect.
Instead, Charizard inhaled, and unleashed a torrent of flames straight at its opponent!
"Toxicroak, Poison Jab, Slash!"
Rather than dodge, Koga ordered Toxicroak to charge through the fire, purple-black energy coating its claws.
When the gap in level is that wide, there's no need for fancy counterplays. Just strike. Even if both sides trade blows, the higher-level side always wins.
With a guttural snarl, Toxicroak's claws sliced through the flames, splitting the inferno apart as it surged along the gap straight toward Charizard!
The scene was almost a mirror of the one against Erika's Venusaur back at Celadon Gym, except this time, Ash was ready.
"Oh, this trick again?" Ash muttered. "Too bad, it won't work twice."
The biggest difference between that battle and this one was simple: Charizard had wings now.
At Ash's mental command, Charizard beat its wings powerfully, shooting upward like a blazing rocket, its streaming fire intensifying with the motion.
"Flying up, are we? Toxicroak, Sludge Bomb!"
The energy in Toxicroak's hand flared violently. It slashed through the air, scattering the flames like torn silk, then opened its mouth wide, dark, sludge-like energy bursting forth in rapid volleys.
Sludge Bomb.
The toxic projectiles moved so fast that they left purple trails behind them, spreading out to cover every possible escape route in midair.
Within seconds, Charizard was surrounded. The poison bombs sealed every gap, up, down, left, right, there was nowhere left to run.
Ash's Aura perception was pushed to its absolute limit, scanning for any hole in the encirclement. Yet there was none. Even with Aura's near-precognitive clarity, something akin to Future Sight, he couldn't find a single safe path.
That was the terrifying difference in levels. The opponent's attack speed and coverage were simply too overwhelming.
"Fire Spin!"
Ash's calm command echoed directly into Charizard's heart.
Charizard ceased its Flamethrower, twisted its body sharply, and began to spin.
A fiery vortex erupted from its core, blinding orange-red flames wrapped around it like armor, forming a blazing cocoon in the sky.
Koga's eyes flicked upward. "Oh? Using Fire Spin as a barrier? Not a bad idea, but useless. The power gap is too wide."
Even so, he couldn't help but look at Ash with a hint of respect.
Though he couldn't hear the command, it was obvious Charizard was executing moves through some kind of telepathic link. Since the battle began, Ash hadn't spoken aloud once; yet Charizard's every motion flowed perfectly in sync with his intent.
It wasn't normal coordination. It was mind-to-mind combat.
Such a method could grant slight advantages in reaction time, fractions of a second that mattered at high levels. But against a Champion-tier foe, those fractions were meaningless.
The flaming vortex glowed brilliantly above the arena, casting dancing shadows across the battlefield. The Sludge Bombs rained down like purple meteors, and in less than a heartbeat, the flames hissed and dissolved under the corrosive impact.
Just as Koga had said, the power gap was overwhelming.
Ash, eyes tightly shut, could already feel the crushing pressure through Aura. Every second stretched endlessly. Charizard's fire defense had collapsed; the Sludge Bombs were closing in fast.
If even one struck head-on, it was over.
Then, Ash's eyes snapped open.
Charizard turned midair to face the incoming barrage, its claws igniting with a raging crimson glow.
"Fire Punch!"
Koga exhaled lightly. "Fire Punch? Pointless."
For a brief moment, disappointment colored his tone.
He had hoped the boy might surprise him, but this? It was still just desperation.
Even if Charizard threw ten Fire Punches, he thought, it couldn't possibly break through that poisonous onslaught.
Above them, the sunlight dimmed, swallowed by the dark haze of Toxicroak's Sludge Bombs.
Then;
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the sky. A storm of wind tore across the field, rippling against the protective barrier.
Koga's lips curved into a faint smirk. Toxicroak's grin widened.
It was over.
Or so they thought.
"Screeeech!!"
A roar, half dragon's cry, half thunderclap, split through the smoke.
And then, light.
Blinding, radiant, rainbow-colored light burst through the haze, piercing the clouds like a falling sun.
"Fire Punch!"
From above, a blazing figure dove like a meteor trailing a rainbow tail.
BOOM!!!
The impact detonated on the battlefield. Shockwaves rippled outward in concentric circles, shaking the protective barrier harder than the earlier Sludge Bombs had.
When the smoke cleared;
An orange-red figure burst out of the haze, landing heavily on the far end of the arena.
It was Charizard, its body covered in scorch marks and bruises, but its eyes blazed with undying determination.
The smoke on the far side of the arena thinned, revealing the fallen figure of Toxicroak.
The once-proud frog Pokémon now lay sprawled across the battlefield like a broken puppet, a massive burn wound scorched across its back.
The difference between this injury and the earlier one from Charizard's Flamethrower was night and day.
If that first burn had been a shallow graze, then this one had nearly torn through its core, one could even see where the attack had struck deep into a vital artery.
Koga stood frozen, disbelief flickering in his sharp eyes. His mind, honed by years of battle, couldn't process what had just unfolded before him.
How had Charizard, pushed to the brink just seconds ago, suddenly turned the tables so completely?
Not only had it survived Toxicroak's full-force Sludge Bomb, but it had countered with a blow of devastating power, one that left his main Pokémon barely clinging to life.
"What… what happened just now?" Koga murmured under his breath.
Misty and Brock were equally stunned, their throats dry.
Misty finally managed to whisper, "Did you see what happened?"
Brock shook his head, his expression dazed. "Not a thing. But knowing Ash… he definitely had something else hidden up his sleeve."
It wasn't the first time, either.
They were with him all the time, training, eating, camping. At most, Ash would wake up a bit earlier to train alone.
So where did he keep pulling out all these new powers from? Every time they thought they'd seen his limit, he would pull off something even more unbelievable.
Who teaches someone to hide their strength like this!?
Around them, the crowd of spectators buzzed in disbelief. Just moments ago, Koga had clearly been dominating, Charizard barely hanging on. Now, in the blink of an eye, the battle had flipped completely.
But the ones most shocked weren't even there, they were the countless viewers watching the Fuchsia Gym broadcast live across the regions.
They knew something the live audience didn't: the Toxicroak on screen wasn't just any Pokémon, it was Koga's main Pokémon, an Champion-level powerhouse.
And yet, it had been struck down by a newly evolved Charizard.
How could that be possible?
Cheating?
Some kind of trick?
No one could believe what they'd just seen.
Aya, standing at the referee's platform, stared blankly at the battlefield.
Toxicroak had been lying motionless for nearly ten full seconds. By all rules, she should've declared it defeated.
But her lips trembled; she couldn't bring herself to say the words.
Her brother had been seconds away from victory, how could the outcome have turned around like this?