...SORRY! Yes, It's been more or less a month since I last updated, and I can't apologise enough for the long wait. I've just had so many problems over this past month that I really couldn't find the time to write. Even after a month, this is quite a short update, but I hope it satisfies you long enough for when I update again. Thanks to Imperishable Soul, EliteLuther, Kimmy-1016, theshadowchaser, HollowKU, OnlyNeeded151, Necron Dragon Lord of D.A, and of course to anyone who's reviewed! I hit the 200 mark! Let's get the celebration started with a special thank you to my 200th reviewer, jacksonking! Without further ado, let's read!


"Charizard, I choose you." Why did those words fill the trainer in red with dread and fear? For as long as he could remember, he hadn't felt true fear until now. But this Charizard was something else. He had been observing this brutal Pokémon for the past few weeks, and he hadn't liked what he'd seen.

This Charizard was no ordinary Charizard, like so many others he had fought during his lifetime. This one had enough determination to make a legendary weep in fear, and his strength was unmatched among fire-types.

Of course, he had a Charizard, and was confident he could take out Ash's Charizard using his Blastoise thanks to the convenient type advantage he was at. Yet, he was still scared. Was this true fear? Is this what it felt like? The longer he stared into the beast's fearsome gaze, the less confident he was. But why? This wasn't normal!

He was the strongest trainer in the Kanto and the Johto regions. Maybe he was the strongest in the world, yet he was still scared! Why was one Charizard filling him with fear? Was it the way it was summoned, in a bright vortex of viciously golden fire? No, that was too simple an answer. Was it the way it smirked at him, ready for anything he could throw at the fire dragon? No, Ash's other Pokémon shared the same gaze.

So what was it then? This Charizard was instilling fear into the deepest parts of his body, and he couldn't understand why! He shook his head, trying to clear it of all the disturbing feelings. Glaring across the field at the intimidating gaze of the fire dragon, he silently ordered his Blastoise to launch the first attack, all the while, the niggling feeling of fear keeping him rooted to the ground.

It had been so long since he'd felt any emotion other than unbridled anger. Anger at the world. Anger at the criminals who…no, now was not the time to think about that. He had to concentrate. He turned back to the battlefield, where Blastoise fired a twin cannoned Hydro pump directly at Charizard.

The flaming beacon of determination was barely visible through the thick blizzard that had descended upon Mt. Silver. The attack neared its target, yet Charizard stood rooted to the same spot, grinning ferociously like some demented clown.

"Now!" Ash yelled through the howling winds. Charizard flapped his wings, lifting off into the air and narrowly dodging the powerful jets of icy water. He climbed higher and higher, using the cover of the blizzard to ascend even further.

When he finally stopped climbing, the fire dragon raised his head, gathering fire type energy in the back of his throat. The crackling flames fled from his jaw, intensifying in brightness as they climbed even further into the air, where they eventually merged with the earth's atmosphere, disappearing through the thick protective sphere.

After several seconds, the snow ceased falling, and the sunlight intensified, warming the earth below with its caring touch. Charizard flew back down to Ash, grinning broadly at his handiwork. The sunlight was raining down on the vicious mountain, caressing the fire types skin. Yet, his attack still hadn't ended.

He concentrated on the rays hitting his scaly skin, focusing the energy into every nerve in his body. He began glowing as bright as the sunlight shining down on the field, as his power increased. His tail flame grew twice the size, and after a few seconds, his eyes snapped open, his body filled with twice as much energy as it normally is.

The trainer in red watched Charizard cautiously, watching it power up from the sun. He had heard of this rare ability that very few Charizard possessed. The ability Solar Power was by no means a common occurrence. What really surprised him was the fact that this Charizard knew it. From his observations, he had seen that Ash's Charizard possessed the ability Blaze. How did Ash get Charizard to turn Blaze into Solar Power? Forgetting one ability to learn another was unheard of in the world, yet here was living proof that it could be done.

Gritting his teeth, he ordered Blastoise to attack again, hoping to end this quickly before his tired water type sustained any more damage. He was surprised Ash managed to deal this much damage to his beloved Pokémon. He knocked out Venusaur and Blastoise was heavily damaged; the deep gashes and cracks adorning his shell were proof of this tough battle.

Blastoise fired another jet of powerful pressurised water, and once again Charizard didn't move. The fire type stood there, smirking at the incoming attack despite the sheer power being emitted.

"Flamethrower," Ash ordered. Charizard opened his mouth, and without wasting a second, fired a tremendously strong blast of fire at the freezing water powering towards him. What happened next surprised Blastoise and his trainer: the flames began evaporating the Hydro Pump! Upon contact with the powerful blast of water, the Flamethrower was slowly evaporating the water, gradually pushing the jet backwards as more and more steam was created. Grudgingly, Blastoise stopped the attack, realising that it wasn't going to work against an opponent so powerful. He had to use much better strategies to beat this Charizard.

Charizard stopped his flamethrower, instead choosing to smirk at Blastoise once more, silently challenging the turtle to a much better fight. Blastoise glared back, awaiting his trainer's orders to take out that damn dragon.

"Fire spin," Ash ordered. Charizard spat out a spiralling vortex of flames, supercharged thanks to the bright sunlight and solar power. The vortex surrounded Blastoise, licking his heavily beaten shell with the glorious flames. The heat was unlike anything Blastoise had ever felt before. He was a water type, so he was normally immune to any fire attack. Yet this Charizard was actually inflicting some serious damage to him with one of the weakest fire attacks ever known! How much more power did this thing have that he wasn't showing?

The flames trapped Blastoise inside the vortex, preventing any possible escape the turtle might try. Blastoise grunted in pain as he felt his body slowly begin to boil, and when he finally couldn't take the heat anymore, he fired two powerful blasts of water from his cannons, cooling the fire down and sending a plume of steam high into the air as the water fought the vicious flames.

Then, using the steam as a cover, Blastoise began to charge up a Hyper Beam; his twin cannons glowing with powerful energy. When he couldn't contain the energy any more, he fired the twin beams of volatile energy. Thanks to the cloud of steam obscuring his vision, Charizard didn't see the attack until it slammed painfully into his stomach, sending the dragon flying backwards.

Charizard landed with a thud on the ground, grunting as the pain finally registered with the fire and flying types mind. He glanced down at his stomach, eyeing the scorch marks from where the Hyper beam connected, and he winced as he climbed to his feet, the steam concealing Blastoise finally dissipating.

"Charizard use Steel wing!" Ash yelled, frustrated that he didn't realise his opponents strategy. Charizard focused his mind, hardening his wings to steel-like properties as he took flight towards Blastoise. The water type had other plans, as it fired another blast of high pressurised water from each of his twin cannons. Charizard was about to swerve and avoid the attack until a surprising order from his trainer reached his ears.

"Use Fire Spin and keep going!" Reluctant to charge into the blast of water, Charizard followed his trainer's orders and spat out a spiralling flame which encircled the incoming Hydro Pump. The flames continued their path, spiralling further down the jets of water towards Blastoise; where the flames licked the water, steam exuded.

While maintaining both attacks, Charizard charged straight into the Hydro Pump, clenching his teeth as he endured the super effective hit. More power: he needed more power. Charizard winced in pain as the water continued to blast into his stomach, and through throbbing ears he could hear the definitive screech of the turtle being scorched by the Fire spin which consumed the water type. Yet Blastoise remained stubborn and continued powering the water into Charizard.

Growling lowly, Charizard pushed harder against the blast of water, his wings flapping furiously as they maintained their steel like properties, and with one final swoop, Charizard sliced a razor sharp wing through the jets of water, dispersing them around the fire dragon. Taking Blastoise's moment of weakness, Charizard sped towards the vortex of fire which contained the turtle, and charged straight through the wall of fire, emerging on the other side a split second later as he finished his swoop.

Time seemed to slow down for both trainers, as they awaited the outcome of the attack. The vortex of fire weakened in strength as the flames scattered into embers around the mountain, and after several seconds, the silhouette of the water type could be seen. Blastoise was crouched, panting heavily and clutching his stomach.

A few drops of blood pattered to the rugged mountain below. Blastoise raised his head, still panting madly as he glared at Charizard: the fire and flying types wings sliced clean through the exoskeleton and hit the soft flesh underneath. Blastoise was holding his stomach, concealing the injury and stemming the blood flow from the large gash.

Growling loudly, Blastoise did the last thing he could do. A surge of power formed around the turtle, rejuvenating and recovering his lost strength as Torrent activated. A blue glow emitted from the water types body, as powerful energy welled up inside Blastoise.

With one loud roar, Blastoise fired a Hydro pump from the twin cannons adorning his shell; the power doubled, making the powerful blast of water even more powerful. The air trembled as the powerful force pushed through the air particles, vibrating them madly: despite the extreme chill of the water, the extreme force behind the attack caused kinetic energy to surge through the air particles, and crackles of electricity formed on the powerful jets of water, amplifying their strength.

Charizard grinned enthusiastically: it had been a while since he had faced an opponent as strong as this. Even Darkrai paled in comparison to the sheer power the turtle was emitting. The jets of water neared Charizard, and at the last minute, the dragon beat his powerful wings, rising above the electrically charged Hydro pump with mere centimetres to spare.

What happened next however was completely unexpected. Blastoise forced more power into the Hydro pump, despite his twin cannons vibrating madly under the high pressure, and miraculously, the jets of water expanded! Electricity leapt off the torrent of water, shocking Charizard and sending his wings into spasms, and with a cry of pain, he fell into the surging water, sustaining massive amounts of damage.

Charizard shrieked in agony as he was thrust backwards into a large rock; the rock smashing due to the sheer power, sending debris raining down on the fire and flying type. Charizard howled once more as he landed with a thud against the ground, excess electricity crackling through his water soaked body.

"Charizard!" Ash yelled in desperation. It was far too soon for his Charizard to be taken out…but that attack, Blastoise attacked with such ferocity he actually created electricity! And with the rocks bombarding into Charizard, it was a 6x type advantage through one attack! No Pokémon could withstand that kind of attack! Or so he thought…

Charizard winced in pain as he slowly climbed to his feet, his body trembling as he forced his muscles to sustain his weight. Pain, there was so much pain, every cell in his body screamed at him to lie down and rest. But he didn't. Despite the pain coursing through his electrically charged body, one emotion stood up taller than the rest.

Determination.

Sucking the air through his nostrils, Charizard focused on the rage welling up inside his mind: rage for going down after one hit, rage for not reacting quicker.

Rage at his opponent for being so strong.

His tail flame doubled in size, the fiery orange flames now a burning white, his body emitting fire from every inch of his scaly surface. The powerful burning aura engulfed the rage-filled Pokémon, and while maintaining the powerful sunlight energy coursing through his body, as well as the electricity that surged through him from Blastoise's previous attack, Charizard activated his second ability: Blaze.

Before Blastoise or his trainer could react to the terrifying sight before them, Charizard attacked. The fiery aura surrounding him manifested at his mouth, as he summoned up all the energy he could handle in one attack. Powerful sunlight energy merged with crackling fire type energy from both of Charizards abilities. Yet this isn't what surprised Ash.

Charizard fired the super-charged flamethrower, and instantly Blastoise's eyes widened in alarm. Mixed in with the immensely powerful flames tearing across the field were streaks of electricity: the excess of Blastoise's Hydro pump which still surged through Charizards body! Essentially, Charizard had just used three attacks in one!

The scorching heat from the flamethrower, the blinding power from the Solar beam, and the crackling electricity from a thunderbolt attack! Charizard had defied the odds and had actually used an electric type attack! Of course it wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Blastoise in the first place, who was currently staring in a mix of awe and fear from the triple attack incoming.

There was no way he could dodge the beam in time, and with his power as depleted as it was, he was sure he wouldn't endure this hit. Closing his eyes, he smiled one last time at the rage-powered Charizard, and as the beam approached closer and closer, Blastoise uttered a single word to the fire and flying type.

"Congratulations." Then it hit. The blast was tremendous: a bright flash of brilliant white light forced everyone to cover their eyes, lest they be blinded. A powerful surge of heat escaped across the mountain top, and a wave of electricity surged outwards.

More powerful shockwaves surged across the boundless sky as the excess energy escaped into the air, and Latias silently cringed as the shockwaves invaded her body, sending spasms of pain through her nerves. However the dragoness remained composed and maintained her invisible state, until finally the shockwaves ended.

It seemed like hours until the blast finally died down, and Ash uncovered his eyes, spotting the carnage that Charizard had caused. The fire and flying type was standing at the edge of a large crater, the excess electricity from Blastoise's attack being dispelled through Charizards last attack.

At the bottom of the crater was Blastoise, eyes closed and bleeding from several deep cuts lining his body. His shell had completely smashed in several places, but his trainer wasn't worried: he knew it would grow back. His trainer returned Blastoise to his ball; before glancing at Charizard once more, and once again, his body welled with the same feeling he felt when the fire dragon was first summoned to the field.

Fear. Now he understood why this strange feeling had overwhelmed his body. The answer wasn't complicated like he initially thought. Gazing into the ferocious eyes of the dragon, he finally realised why he felt this fear. The answer was far too simple for his liking, but he had to accept it. He wasn't fearful of losing; because he was confident he would win. He wasn't fearful of this Charizard, despite how strong it was. He was fearful of something else. Something that would instil fear into the heart of the coldest man on earth.

He was scared of himself.

That demonic Charizard was a testament to how powerful Ash had grown these past few days. And it wasn't Ash's power that scared him: what truly scared him was how he saw himself in Ash. Two years ago, when it happened, he swore he would become the world's most powerful trainer, and in a fit of rage, he sought refuge on the top of Mt. Silver, where he trained his team endlessly. He was haunted by the memories of the past events that he had turned into a ruthless, cold-hearted man…And that is exactly what he saw when he looked at Ash.

He had to end this fight, not just for their sakes, but the world's sake. He had a bad feeling that couldn't be explained, but he knew that this fight had to end, or something bad would happen. He plucked his third choice from his belt, and threw it onto the field.


Honestly, I was planning a little section after the battle, but I cut it out because I wouldn't get it finished on time, and you've all waited long enough. Again, I am terribly sorry for the long wait.

So Blastoise goes down, but not without dealing a lot of damage to Charizard. And just in case I didn't make it clear enough in the chapter, Charizard CANNOT use Thunderbolt. The only reason he managed to produce an electric attack in this chapter was because of Blastoises previous attack which gave Charizard the electricity in the first place (I try being a scientist, but I probably failed immensely xD). To use an example, if you watch 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', what happened was essentially Charizard used Magic cylinder and sent the electricity right back at Blastoise.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to train my team on Pokemon Black. I just got it earlier this week :D I need something to cheer me up after watching the final episode of Fairy Tail :(

Until next time!

Trainer Theta.