Gotta Catch That One

Chapter 73: Together to Their Goal

"Wow, look at that Charizard!" Trevor yelled excitedly from a few seats away from Serena. "That one is really rare. The flame on its tail is way bigger than any I've ever seen."

Alain spoke up at this, shocking Serena a bit since he'd been so quiet, obviously just watching to study his two possible opponents. "It's not that he's rare. Well, in a way he is, I guess. It's more so that he's uncommonly strong."

Serena could barely stop herself from shaking in excitement. She'd never really had the chance to see Charizard battle. She'd been distracted when he'd fought Alain's Charizard and the Zygarde mess had been too hectic to really get what was going on. And the battle with Giovanni had been way too easy for Ash's powerhouses. Finally getting the opportunity to see the powerful fire type in a true battle was quite exciting.

"This one already looks good, folks," the announcer called out to excited murmurs of agreement from the crowd. Serena and the group went quiet, knowing the battle was about to resume. "Calem's Dragonite has already shown itself to be capable and reports tell us that Ash's Charizard is up there in power with his Pikachu and Greninja."

Serena noticed Charizard stand straighter at those words. She realized he was probably well aware of Greninja's role becoming what the fire-lizard's used to be. This was a chance for him to prove he was still capable of being a goto Pokemon. A key partner in Ash's quest to become a Pokemon Master.

Both Pokemon braced themselves as the referee prepared to make the signal. Then, in an instant, as soon as the signal was made, both of them shot into the sky, with a hard flap of their wings. Serena could already tell, she was about to watch a highlight battle for the entire Kalos League.

"Flamethrower!" both Ash and Calem yelled in unison, as Charizard and Dragonite flew up. The two fierce fighters quickly opened their jaws, and the rush of flames burst out, meeting in between them. The heat exploded out outward, hitting the crowd like an invisible blanket of fire. As the jets of fire mixed together, a large sphere of flames expanded between the powerful Pokemon. Eventually it grew too large and exploded, showering the field in embers of the fire, and sending both Dragonite and Charizard reeling back.

Serena could tell how much Ash trusted Charizard, because he could clearly tell the fire-lizard would be able to right himself. "Dragon Tail, let's go!"

Calem also had that faith, though, and shouted out an order for Dragonite at the same time. "Thunder Punch, full power!"

Everyone in the crowd seemed to gasp at once, as both fliers righted themselves and then flew towards each other. Serena could see Charizard's tail glowing green, while Dragonite's fist crackled with electricity. Within only a couple of seconds, the two of them met in the middle, and lashed out their attacks. A shock wave of energy whipped out from the context, and it seemed to cause a sonic boom sound. Sparks of electricity shot out from Dragonite's fist, while a few green sparks flew off of Charizard's tail. Their power levels were once again proving even.

Then, Calem and Ash decided to shock the crowd with their Pokemon's power again. "Flamethrower!" they both shouted. Still locked in combat from their previous attacks, Charizard and Dragonite opened their jaws, and then flames burst out towards each other. This time, they exploded quicker, and right between them, causing both to go spinning away from the blast.

"That Dragonite is so amazing!" Iris sang out. "I still think mine is better, but I'll give Calem credit for how he's trained his."

"No offence Iris," Cilan said, sounding amused, "but I think that Dragonite is stronger than yours. The only reason Charizard is keeping up is because, well..."