Pokemon: Gym Leader

Bulbasaur felt a little hurt, but orders were orders. It had to fight, no matter what—it couldn't just back down.

"Great! That's the spirit, Bulbasaur!"

Ash was brimming with fighting spirit, his battle intent burning stronger than ever.

"Bulba…"

Bulbasaur took a deep breath and assumed a battle stance.

"Not bad." Dylan nodded and smiled.

Say what you will, but Ash's fearless spirit in the face of strong opponents was already showing, even at his rookie stage.

Unlike that time with Gary, who needed a whole motivational speech to get fired up, Ash was already burning with determination on his own.

"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Ash took the initiative to attack.

Bulbasaur let out a low cry as two spinning waves of sharp leaves shot toward Zapdos.

A Grass-type attack like Razor Leaf was actually not very effective against the Flying-type Zapdos…

But for Ash, type disadvantages were nothing new. He was used to it—no big deal.

That much was evident from the completely unfazed expressions of Misty and Brock.

Then…

Swish, swish, swish!

The Razor Leaf continuously sliced against Zapdos's body, but Zapdos didn't react in the slightest.

"Huh? Bulbasaur, are you not using enough force?"

Ash scratched his head. It felt like the attack didn't even qualify as a scratch for Zapdos—it wasn't reacting at all.

"Bulba!"

Bulbasaur looked at Ash with a helplessly human-like expression. What do you mean 'not enough force'? I put everything into that attack!

"Alright, let's switch it up! Bulbasaur, use Solar Beam!"

Ash quickly stopped dwelling on it and opted for a stronger move.

Bulbasaur held its breath, its bulb glowing with intense white light as it absorbed energy from the sun. Before long, a powerful Solar Beam shot straight at Zapdos.

A Grass-type Solar Beam.

Boom!

The beam struck the unmoving Zapdos directly, causing a loud explosion.

"Yes! A direct hit!" Ash was thrilled.

But then…

As the dust settled, Zapdos reappeared, looking almost completely unscathed. Its piercing gaze remained sharp, and golden electric arcs continued crackling across its feathers.

"Huh??" Ash was stunned.

"The power gap is too big," Brock said with a sigh.

"They're not even in the same league."

Misty pursed her lips. Sure, the type disadvantage played a part, but the fact that even a direct hit from Solar Beam barely did anything could only mean that the strength difference was just that vast.

Simply put, Bulbasaur and Zapdos weren't even on the same level of existence.

"Ash, that was a great Solar Beam, but unfortunately, it's still lacking in power," Dylan commented with a smile.

"Now then, it's our turn."

"Thunderbolt." Dylan finally gave a command.

"Zapdos!"

A high-pitched cry echoed through the sky as Zapdos crackled with electricity, unleashing a powerful Thunderbolt toward Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, dodge it!" Ash's face changed in alarm.

The little green toad immediately sprang into action—it was quite agile, after all. But Thunderbolt was far faster than it had anticipated.

Boom!

Thunderbolt struck true, electric currents surging wildly as an explosion rang out, thick smoke spreading everywhere.

With a single flap of its wings, Zapdos generated a gust that blew away the smoke, revealing Bulbasaur—now unconscious on the ground.

"So… strong!"

Ash stared blankly at his fallen Bulbasaur, completely stunned.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu was just as dumbfounded.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. Zapdos wins," Leah announced after checking on Bulbasaur.

"Ash, show me more of what you've got," Dylan said with a smile, gesturing for him to continue.

"Yes!" Ash's fighting spirit flared up again in an instant.

Bulbasaur's defeat didn't discourage him—instead, it made him even more fired up.

"A legendary Zapdos is just as powerful as expected. In that case, to fight something that flies, I should use something that can fly too!"

Ash glanced at Pikachu, thought for a moment, then decisively threw out his ace Pokémon.

"Charizard! I choose you!"

A Poké Ball opened midair, and an orange Charizard landed heavily in front of Ash.

"Oh? Is this the Charmander from before?"

Leah looked at Charizard with some surprise. In the previous battle, she had already determined that Ash was still far from strong—his talent was clearly not on the same level as Red's.

"But… why is it so small?"

After carefully examining the Charizard, Leah noticed something odd.

Something was off about its size. Normally, Charizards stood at about 1.7 meters tall, and well-trained ones could even grow to two meters.

Take Red's Charizard, for example—it was nearly two meters tall. But this one? Leah estimated that it wasn't even 1.6 meters, making it noticeably underdeveloped.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem like a natural evolution," Lillie also observed, looking puzzled.

"Well… Charizard evolved prematurely," Misty explained awkwardly.

The problem was that this Charizard hadn't evolved through Ash's training. Instead, it had forced itself to evolve in a desperate moment to protect Ash.

"The situation back then was pretty dire," Brock added, briefly explaining what had happened to Leah and Lillie.

"I see… then you'll have to train it well from now on," Leah remarked.

The fact that it had evolved out of sheer willpower to protect its trainer said a lot about its character.

"Still…" Misty's expression turned strange as she looked at Charizard.

"Roar!"

Charizard lazily breathed out a weak flame, letting out a lackluster growl.

"Charizard, focus! Today's opponent is really strong!" Ash quickly called out.

Charizard gave Ash a sidelong glance. You've said that so many times already. Every time it's a 'really strong opponent,' and every time I just wipe them out with a single Fire Blast.

The loneliness of a powerhouse…

But then, Charizard's eyes locked onto its opponent, and its expression suddenly changed.

"ROAR!!"

It let out a fierce bellow at Dylan and Zapdos, its tail flame flaring up violently.

Battle intent: MAX!

Charizard's eyes blazed with intensity as it stared at Dylan.

This human… It's him!

It's him!!

That day, Charizard had stood in the audience and watched with its own eyes as its senior—another Charizard—was brutally defeated by this very human.

It had heard the agonized cries of its predecessor. It had seen its battered, humiliated form.

That moment had left a deep scar on the heart of the young Charmander. It had burned that image into its soul—it would never forget.

It had sworn that one day, it would grow strong enough to defeat this human!

Its predecessor had fallen, but that didn't matter.

The pride of Charizard will be upheld by me!

I am a Charizard now!!

Despite being smaller than most of its kind, Charizard radiated an overwhelming aura at this moment.

"Yes! That's the spirit, Charizard!"

"Pika~ Pikachu!"

Ash had no idea what had just happened, but he could tell that Charizard was fired up, and that was all that mattered.

"Interesting."

Dylan raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Charizard's fiery determination.

"Ash, show me how your Charizard compares to Red's Charizard."

"Watch closely, Dylan!" Ash straightened up confidently.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

"ROAR!!"

Charizard launched a scorching jet of fire at Zapdos.

"Thunderbolt." Dylan smiled faintly.

Zapdos unleashed a surge of electricity—Thunderbolt met Flamethrower head-on.

Then…

"CHARIZARD!!"

Ash's anguished cry echoed through the battlefield as his 'invincible' Charizard collapsed, smoke rising from its body.

At Ash's Feet, Pikachu Was Stunned—That Huge Charizard Just Went Down Like That?

"Charizard is unable to battle. Zapdos wins."

Leah announced the battle result.

"Even Charizard's power wasn't enough?"

Ash recalled Charizard, his face scrunched up in frustration. Charizard was supposed to be his strongest Pokémon!

But no matter—he might have lost Charizard, but he still had his electric buddy!

"Pikachu!"

Ash turned his gaze toward the small yellow mouse at his feet. While Charizard was now his ace, Pikachu was still his most important partner.

Pikachu looked up at the imposing, electrified bird in the sky and gulped nervously.

"Pikachu! I choose you!"

"Pika… Pikachu…"

Pikachu trudged onto the battlefield, glancing back at Ash with an expression of deep grievance, like a wife being abandoned.

"You can do it, Pikachu! You're the best!"

Ash cheered loudly for his electric rodent.

"Pikachu, huh?"

Dylan raised an eyebrow as he observed the small Pokémon.

Ash's Pikachu—now this was interesting. But unfortunately, at this stage, Pikachu was still too weak.

Dylan felt a tinge of regret. If this were the Ash from I Choose You, the movie version with exceptional talent chosen by Ho-Oh, then this fight would be much more exciting.

"Ash, my Zapdos is on a completely different level. Do you really think your Pikachu can match it?"

Ash's confidence in his Pikachu remained unwavering.

"I know my Pikachu is strong! It's just as good as your Zapdos!"

Even though most trainers used Pikachu as a beginner's Pokémon before moving on to stronger ones, Ash had always believed in his first Pokémon.

"Alright, I believe you, Ash." Dylan chuckled and nodded.

"Show me Pikachu's power."

"Alright, Pikachu, let's go!"

Ash's spirit was sky-high.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika… CHUUU!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity as it released a powerful Thunderbolt at Zapdos.

"Ash, ordinary Electric-type attacks won't work on my Zapdos."

Dylan shook his head.

The Thunderbolt hit Zapdos directly, but the legendary bird remained unaffected. Instead, the electric energy surged around its body, crackling even more intensely.

"Huh?" Ash was stunned.

"Zapdos can absorb electricity to strengthen itself," Dylan explained casually, then gestured toward his Pokémon.

"Zapdos, use Thunder."

BOOM!

A massive bolt of yellow lightning descended from the sky, striking directly onto Zapdos. The fierce electricity coursed through its body, further stimulating its power.

Then, the Thunder attack surged down toward Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash's expression shifted in alarm.

Pikachu nimbly leaped to the side, barely evading the first Thunder attack.

But in the next second—

BOOM!

A second, even larger bolt of lightning crashed down from above.

Pikachu had no chance to escape. The powerful electricity engulfed its small body, sending it flying across the battlefield.

"Pikachu!"

Ash rushed forward, cradling Pikachu in his arms, anxiously checking its condition.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Zapdos wins."

"Ash's three Pokémon are all unable to continue. Challenge failed."

Leah once again announced the result.

"Completely outmatched, huh?" Misty sighed in resignation.

"It was bound to happen. Dylan is just too strong, even if he was holding back."

Brock glanced at Dylan. Throughout the entire battle, Dylan had barely let Zapdos move, and he had allowed Ash to attack first every time.

"Ash."

"Dylan, I'm sorry—I must've disappointed you."

Ash looked up at the approaching Dylan, feeling a little embarrassed.

"There's no need to apologize. Gym battles are meant to help trainers grow stronger. Losing is just part of the process." Dylan smiled.

"Compared to when I saw you on the S.S. Anne, you've improved a lot."

"Well, a lot of time has passed since then!"

Hearing Dylan's praise, Ash's frustration lifted a little.

"Keep training hard—I believe you won't be any worse than Red in the future."

Dylan looked at the determined young trainer and smiled. A faint green glow appeared in his palm as he placed a hand on Pikachu.

With the healing power of Viridian Forest's blessing, Pikachu quickly regained its energy.

"That's amazing!"

Ash marveled at the sight.

"It's just a special ability," Dylan chuckled.

"You have one too, Ash."

"Huh?" Ash was taken aback. I have a special ability? Since when?

"You'll find out in time. Speaking of which—hmm?"

Dylan suddenly looked up as a pink light rapidly descended from above, landing lightly in his arms.

"Mew… Fighting is so exhausting! I feel like I lost a few pounds…"

A soft, playful voice echoed in Dylan's mind as the glow faded, revealing a relaxed 'Clefairy' lounging comfortably in his arms.

At least, it looked like a Clefairy.

But deep down, Mew was smug—it had just taught a certain 'child' a lesson, and it felt immensely satisfied.

"Whoa! Is that a Clefairy?"

Ash's eyes widened in surprise at the round, pink Pokémon. But after getting a closer look, his expression changed.

"Wait… It's so chubby! Dylan, what are you feeding it?!"

Ash suddenly had an idea—maybe he could feed his Charizard the same thing to help it bulk up! Compared to Red's Charizard, his own seemed a bit… scrawny.

"What do you mean, 'so chubby'?! That's so rude!"

The 'Clefairy' immediately puffed up in anger.

What was with today? First, a disrespectful brat, and now another one calling it fat?!

"I'm just a little round, okay?! What's it to you?!"

"Huh? Sorry!"

Seeing the furious expression of the round-bellied 'Clefairy,' Ash instinctively apologized.

"Hmph! So rude!"

The 'Clefairy' pouted, but suddenly, its tiny nose twitched.

"Wait a second… Why do you smell like that big turkey?"