Chapter 36: Tyrant Charizard
Ophelia didn't find anything unusual about the situation. A massive corporation like Silph Co. often divided its projects into multiple sectors and phases, with non-core members usually focusing only on their designated tasks.
However, as a highly trained undercover operative, she only needed a few scattered clues to piece together most of the bigger picture.
...
"I believe what you're saying."
At the head of the long conference table, an elderly man with white hair and beard sat with his hands clasped together. His wise, calm eyes studied the young trainers in front of him.
"President, should we investigate further?" asked the red-haired man seated to the elder's right, his voice deep and steady, his cape draped over his shoulders.
"The truth is not always something that must be seen with the eyes, Lance," the elder replied, his gaze meeting the red-haired "Dragon Master's."
"Sometimes, you just need to feel it with your heart."
"Understood, President Goodshow," Lance nodded slightly, falling silent.
The elder scanned the room. Thirteen individuals sat around the table—Elite Four members and Champions alike, the strongest trainers in the world. If they waged war, they could destroy an entire region in a month. But if what Ash had described was true, even their collective strength might not be enough...
After coughing lightly, President Goodshow turned to his secretary. "Summon Blaine and Professor Oak."
Since their enemy was a virus, raw power alone wouldn't be enough. They had to attack it at its source.
"Handsome boy, you're Ash Ketchum, right?"
A strikingly beautiful woman with long silver-gray hair suddenly spoke up. "I don't know much about viruses, but I do love testing my skills against talented young trainers. What do you say? Want to have a match with me?"
The gathered trainers exchanged glances, all eyes turning toward Ash.
"Of course. It would be an honor to battle an Elite Four member like you, Karen," Ash replied with a smile.
He was no longer the reckless, hot-blooded rookie of years past. He understood this wasn't just a friendly spar. While President Goodshow had voiced his trust in Ash, he wasn't the only decision-maker in the room.
Only by proving his strength to these Champions and Elites could he ensure his words were taken seriously.
"Ah, these young ones," Agatha sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose I'll be the referee for this match."
The room fell silent.
Even among Champions and Elites, Agatha was a legendary figure. For her to personally offer to officiate meant this match was anything but ordinary.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lady Agatha," Karen said with a nod of gratitude.
Agatha responded with a slight nod of her own, her gaze shifting to Ash.
So this is the young man Professor Oak has placed his faith in...
...
Elite Battleground – Indigo Plateau.
The Indigo Plateau had a specially designated battlefield for Elite Four and Champion-level matches. The Pokémon of these trainers were far too powerful—without proper containment, a single battle could shatter mountains and alter the landscape.
This battlefield spanned over 5,000 square meters, semi-enclosed, with only the sky open. Its surrounding walls were made of specialized material capable of absorbing and dispersing energy, preventing them from being easily destroyed. It was the ideal location for high-level Pokémon battles.
"Now, the one-on-one battle between Ash Ketchum and Elite Four Karen will begin!" Agatha announced.
"Go, Houndoom!"
A flash of light erupted from Karen's Poké Ball, revealing a massive black hound standing nearly six feet tall.
Its muscular frame exuded both power and agility, and bone-like structures wrapped around its neck and back. Two large, curved horns sprouted from its head, resembling the demons of myth. As it threw back its head and howled, the sound echoed like an omen of doom.
The sheer presence of this Houndoom radiated dominance.
"Alright, Charizard—you're up!"
"ROOOAAR!!"
A chilling, draconic roar filled the battlefield as Ash's Charizard emerged.
"...What the...?"
Even the gathered Champions and Elite Four members were left stunned, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"What's going on with that Charizard?"
"Is this...?"
President Goodshow narrowed his gaze, studying the towering six-meter dragon standing before them. Its pale, soulless eyes and the ghostly white flames burning at the tip of its tail made it look nothing like an ordinary Charizard.
"This is the Charizard that has undergone complete assimilation with the Virus," Goodshow murmured, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
A typical Charizard stood around five feet nine inches tall, with exceptionally strong ones reaching just over six and a half feet. But Ash's Charizard… it had surpassed the species' natural limits, towering at nearly twenty feet.
Beneath its slate-gray skin, its muscles rippled like coiled steel. Its tail flames, normally a warm orange, burned an eerie white—void of warmth, radiating only a terrifying presence.
Without even attacking, its aura alone completely overpowered the opposing Houndoom, another apex predator in its own right.
This was a Charizard that had survived the brutal transformations of the Tyrant Virus, evolving into the ultimate predator: the Tyrant Charizard.
Sweat beaded on Karen's forehead. She hadn't expected anything like this.
But as an Elite Four member, retreat was never an option.
The gems on her belt flashed, their glow enveloping Houndoom. Brilliant light bathed the battlefield as the black canine howled, its body surging with newfound power.
Its bones shifted, expanding. A devilish horned skull formed at the center of its chest, exuding an even more sinister aura.
"Mega Evolution..."
For the first time in a long while, the blood of battle stirred within Ash's veins.
"Charizard—Flamethrower!"
The Tyrant Charizard opened its maw, unleashing a torrent of ghostly white flames. The flames surged forward like an unstoppable tide, consuming Mega Houndoom in an instant.
Despite its colossal size, the Tyrant Charizard moved with terrifying speed, faster than the human eye could process.
Half the battlefield was instantly engulfed in white fire. The only sound was the pained howls of Mega Houndoom, lost within the blaze.
"Impossible!" Sidney, another Dark-type specialist, gasped. "Karen's Houndoom has the Flash Fire ability—how is it still taking damage from Flamethrower?"
A massive crimson fire pillar suddenly erupted from the ghostly white sea of flames, piercing through like a blood-red candle amidst spoiled milk.
"Quick thinking," Agatha mused approvingly.
The seasoned trainers watching immediately understood what had happened.
Houndoom had miscalculated—its Flash Fire ability should have granted it immunity to fire attacks, but this white flame was something entirely different.
Realizing the danger, Houndoom had used Inferno on itself, creating a massive burst of flames to isolate and counteract the white fire. At the same time, it absorbed the energy from its own Inferno, boosting its attack power through Flash Fire's effect.
A dark blur shot out from the flames, moving faster than lightning.
A split second later, a deep gash appeared on Charizard's shoulder.
"Such incredible speed and power... A combination of Sucker Punch and Foul Play, isn't it?" Ash muttered, a smile tugging at his lips.
Sucker Punch was one of the fastest attacks in existence, guaranteed to strike first.
Meanwhile, Foul Play allowed Houndoom to use Charizard's own overwhelming strength against it.
In other words, Houndoom had just landed a devastating blow on Charizard using its own monstrous attack power.
"As expected of an Elite Four member," Ash murmured.
But he didn't issue a countercommand—he didn't need to.
At the level of a Champion's Pokémon, Charizard didn't require instructions.
It would fight on its own.
With a single beat of its colossal wings, Charizard flipped mid-air, instantly closing the distance between itself and Houndoom.
Aerial Ace.
Its razor-sharp claws gleamed with an azure-gold hue, slashing downward with the force to rend steel and shatter stone—aimed straight at Houndoom.
Houndoom twisted its body with a whip-like motion, a sphere of sinister black energy spewing from its jaws—Dark Pulse—colliding with the incoming claws in a clash that rang out like shattering metal and grinding iron.
-----
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: patreon.com / madbot635