The next day, Charizard had fully recovered from his injuries!
Team Rocket's trio appeared once again to stir up trouble—
But instead of catching Pikachu,
they accidentally helped Charizard learn Dragon Rage!
And from that moment on, Charizard finally began to obey Ash's commands.
He even defeated Politoed—the opponent he lost to just the day before.
The face-slap arrived instantly.
Just moments earlier, Damian was still celebrating Charizard's "weakness"…
And suddenly, Charizard gave him a brutal response!
"Beautiful! That's Ash's Charizard for you!"
"I knew Ash's Pokémon would never disappoint him!"
"Charizard looks amazing!"
"Dragon Rage is so cool!!"
"..."
The audience was thrilled—
Ash gained a powerful new ally.
They completely forgot what the title of this Tally was.
Every segment of the Heavenly Tally was always so emotional,
so gripping,
that viewers were drawn in every time.
Charizard continued helping Ash win battle after battle.
The Orange League North Star double battle—
The Orange League Championship against Dragonite—
The Johto Gym match against Falkner—
Charizard played a crucial role every time.
"No doubt—Ash's Charizard is incredible!"
"With this performance, Charizard might rival Pikachu someday!"
"Maybe it could even stand toe-to-toe with Lance's Charizard!"
"Lance's Charizard? Come on—if it can compare to Leon's Charizard, now THAT would be insane!"
People around the world began ranking Charizard's potential.
Many speculated that Ash's Charizard could one day reach Pikachu's level—
a Pokémon that could stand equal to gods.
But—
Some trainers who specialize in Fire-types
noticed something others didn't.
[Asuna: Um… I'm not sure if I should say this, but even though Charizard is impressive…]
[Gardenia: This Charizard is actually weaker than an average Charizard!]
[Falkner: No way! Charizard defeated my Pidgeot! How can it be weak?!]
Falkner—the Johto Flying Gym Leader whose Pidgeot was defeated—
felt his pride crack.
If Charizard was "weak,"
Didn't that mean he was even weaker?!
[Lance: They're right. Charizard's size is noticeably smaller.]
[Lorelei: I'm standing right next to it now.
I didn't dare judge earlier, but after seeing the Tally…
Yes, this Charizard is definitely weaker than normal.]
[Liza: I'm the caretaker of Charicific Valley.
Compared to the Charizards I've seen…
This one is the weakest.]
[Leon: …For now, that is correct.]
WHAM!!!
When even the caretaker of Charizard Valley and the world's strongest Charizard user both confirmed it—
The truth was undeniable.
Ash's Charizard… was weak.
"Mr. Leon! What are you talking about?!
My Charizard isn't the weakest!"
Ash stood beside Leon.
Though he respected Leon deeply,
he would never allow anyone to insult his Pokémon.
Charizard didn't understand the scrolling text on the screen,
but seeing Ash's reaction,
he sensed someone was doubting his strength.
"ROAR!"
Charizard held back the urge to Flamethrower them and instead growled angrily—
'Say that to my face later and we'll fight!'
Leon shook his head.
"Just keep watching, Ash.
I believe there will be a turning point for the two of you.
Even if the road is difficult…"
At that moment, the screen paused.
Two glowing lines appeared:
[When Charizard was still Charmander, heavy rain injured him severely. His core strength was permanently damaged.]
[Later, in the Great Valley, Charmeleon forced evolution to save Ash, causing improper growth. This resulted in a smaller physique and a ceiling far below Elite or Champion level.]
The Heavenly Tally directly confirmed Charizard's weakness—
and explained the reasons.
Leon nodded.
"It's exactly what I suspected."
If not for those two events,
Ash's Charizard would have been far stronger.
Against weaker opponents,
thanks to the advantage of a three-stage evolution,
Charizard could still dominate.
But against powerful trainers…
Charizard's limits became evident.
If Ash wanted to reach Elite or Champion level someday,
Charizard—
though beloved—
would slowly become a burden.
Champions weren't made with just a single Pikachu.
"How… how can this be…"
Ash's eyes became unfocused.
He whispered in disbelief.
Even the Heavenly Tally confirmed it.
His Charizard… really had a flaw.
The video resumed—
Ash and friends met a woman named Liza,
who told them the legendary Charicific Valley was nearby—
a paradise for strong Charizards.
The audience didn't expect that the same Liza was sending chat messages earlier
would appear in the next clip.
Ash released Charizard,
and Liza immediately mocked it as weak—
too weak even to carry someone while flying.
Ash and Charizard both bristled in indignation.
The video showed a hilarious scene:
Liza led Brock and the others to Charicific Valley,
while Ash and Charizard insisted on getting there by themselves.
But Charizard, smaller than normal,
and with no experience carrying riders,
could neither fly properly
nor run properly.
So the two alternated between awkward flying
and awkward running
over and over again.
By the time they finally reached Charicific Valley—
Charizard's eyes were bulging out,
panting like a chicken with sore legs
while carrying Ash on his back.
A pitiful, comical sight.
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