"What?! My Rhyperior!"
One of the trainers from Group H couldn't believe his eyes. His Rhyperior had just been sent flying by a single punch from that Chimchar!
For a Pokémon as massive as Rhyperior, something like this should have been impossible.
Not to mention, Rhyperior was incredibly heavy! Yet, that tiny Chimchar possessed such raw strength?
"Damn it! My Rhyperior still had stronger moves I didn't get to use!"
But regret was useless now.
Rhyperior was still embedded in the arena's walls, completely unable to battle.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle!"
Even the referee was stunned. What an incredible Chimchar!
"Hmph! Magmortar can survive in molten lava! You really think using fire-type moves against it will work?"
The second trainer was confident, thinking this was the perfect opportunity to take down Electabuzz.
However, he severely underestimated Chimchar's Flamethrower.
With the combined boost from Charcoal and an Attribute Enhancement Card, Chimchar's fire-type power had long surpassed its limits.
Even though Magmortar was resistant to fire, the sheer force behind Chimchar's Flamethrower was enough to stagger it.
Magmortar's Fire Punch was interrupted mid-swing.
Then—
Electabuzz charged in with a Thunder Punch!
Boom!
Crackle!
Something interesting happened.
Magmortar had the Flame Body ability!
Electabuzz had Static!
With both Pokémon attacking simultaneously, their abilities were triggered at the same time!
Electabuzz got burned!
Magmortar got paralyzed!
And Chimchar?
Chimchar had disappeared.
Just as Electabuzz's Thunder Punch connected with Magmortar, Chimchar had already burrowed into the ground.
Crack!
A hole appeared in the battlefield.
It was Dig!
"Chimchar, now!"
"Chimchar!"
Like a bullet, Chimchar shot out from beneath Magmortar—
And landed a devastating punch!
Magmortar was knocked out instantly!
"No way! How is that Chimchar this fast?!"
Magmortar's trainer was completely dumbfounded. He had planned to finish off Electabuzz quickly—
Yet now, it was his Pokémon that had been taken down in an instant.
A total reversal!
"Magmortar is unable to battle! Chimchar and Electabuzz win!"
As the referee made the announcement, the commentator, enthusiastically declared—
"Group H's battle has ended! And not only that, they finished in record time! What an incredible display!"
Paul stood still, staring at the battlefield.
This Chimchar…
It always had potential, but it had never been able to control Blaze properly.
He had trained it relentlessly, pushing it to its limits, but no matter what he did, Chimchar remained stuck.
That's why he abandoned it.
And yet, now—
In Ash's hands, it had grown this powerful in just a matter of days.
Was I wrong all along?
Paul felt something shake inside him.
But then, he shook his head.
No—
Ash had simply boosted Chimchar's firepower.
That still wasn't the same as mastering Blaze!
Unless Chimchar could fully control that power, it still wasn't worth reconsidering.
Chimchar glanced at Electabuzz, eyes burning with fighting spirit.
But it knew—right now, they were partners, not rivals.
Just then, a notification rang in Ash's mind.
Defeating Rhyperior and Magmortar back-to-back had leveled up Chimchar from Level 30 to Level 32!
"Chimchar, you did amazing. Don't worry, you'll get your chance to battle Paul's Pokémon one-on-one. And when that day comes, we'll prove to him just how wrong he was to abandon you."
"Chimchaaar!"
Chimchar nodded firmly.
Meanwhile, the tournament was moving into its next phase.
The eight groups—A through H—had all determined their winning teams.
Now, it was time for inter-group battles!
Ash and Paul's next match was against Anabel and her partner.
On the other side, Dawn and Conway would face another pair of trainers.
"Stantler!"
"Farfetch'd!"
Anabel and her partner sent out Stantler and Farfetch'd!
She wasn't taking this tournament too seriously—she just wanted to have some fun. So, she decided to use Stantler this time.
Across the field—
Ash sent out Chimchar.
Paul sent out Ursaring.
Chimchar looked at Ursaring, but didn't react much.
"Alright! The second round of battles begins now!"
At the signal, Anabel and her partner took action first!
"Stantler, use Swift!"
"Farfetch'd, Air Slash!"
A barrage of glowing stars and sharp wind blades shot toward Ash and Paul's Pokémon!
Ash stayed still, not giving any commands yet.
Paul, however, acted immediately—
"Ursaring, Hyper Beam!"
"ROAR!"
A powerful Hyper Beam blasted toward Farfetch'd!
The Air Slash was obliterated instantly, and Farfetch'd was hit directly!
"Oh no! Farfetch'd!"
Anabel was surprised.
It was as if Paul wanted to prove something—
As if he was trying to one-up Ash and Chimchar.
Paul smirked, glancing at Ash—
Only to realize Ash wasn't even paying attention to him.
This infuriated him.
Meanwhile, Chimchar had already clashed with Stantler.
With swift dodges and counterattacks, it landed hit after hit—until finally, Stantler went down!
Ash and Paul had won their second match!
And then—
It was time for the finals.
Dawn and Conway had also won their match, which meant—
The final battle would be Ash & Paul vs. Dawn & Conway!
As they prepared for the match—
Ursaring turned to Chimchar, flexing its claws challengingly.
Chimchar didn't back down.
It wasn't the same Chimchar as before!
And then—
A sudden glow enveloped Chimchar's body.
The entire stadium went silent.
Paul's eyes widened in shock.
Ash's heart pounded.
Right in front of them—
Chimchar was evolving!
A blinding light burst forth—
And when it faded—
Monferno stood in Chimchar's place!
Ash's excitement surged.
"This is incredible! Monferno's fire power has just skyrocketed!"
Paul clenched his fists.
First Chimchar, and now this?
He didn't want to admit it—
But Ash's training had clearly pushed Chimchar far beyond what he ever expected.
And now, in the final round—
Monferno was ready to show just how powerful it had truly become!
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T/N:
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