Chapter 650: Alain’s Conviction
Before the battle had even begun, an unusual tension had already gathered over the forest battlefield.
Ash and his group watched the two people on the field with eager anticipation. Both Terrance and Alain were incredibly powerful Trainers, and being able to witness a Mega Evolution battle between them was truly lucky.
As the people involved, Alain and Terrance felt very differently about the upcoming match.
One was excited; the other, calm.
Alain had been a Trainer for a much shorter time than Terrance and hadn’t participated in any major tournaments. However, as the assistant to Professor Augustine Sycamore—the person responsible for distributing Starter Pokémon in the Kalos region—Alain had a very solid foundation.
You could say that, compared to Ash, who is more of an unorthodox style Trainer, he leans towards being a traditional Trainer.
In this regard, Terrance is similar to him; Terrance also belongs to the traditional type of Trainer.
"Go, Charizard."
Clemont had voluntarily taken the role of referee. Once both Alain and Terrance had taken their positions, Alain was the first to send out his Pokémon.
It was Charizard, the Starter Pokémon from the Kanto Region, and one of the most powerful among Fire-type Pokémon!
After calling out Charizard, Alain fixed his gaze on Terrance, waiting for his choice.
"I’ll use Altaria."
Terrance also threw out a Poké Ball, locking eyes with Alain.
"It’s Altaria?!" Clemont, acting as the referee, was visibly shocked when he saw the Pokémon Terrance had chosen.
Alain, upon seeing Terrance’s Pokémon, also paused for a moment, his expression becoming serious.
"We’ll go first. Altaria, use Dragon Pulse," Terrance said.
As he spoke, Altaria circled once in the air, then condensed a ferocious bluish-purple dragon-shaped energy wave in front of it. The dragon’s head looked especially menacing, baring a gaping mouth made entirely of energy that lunged viciously toward Charizard.
"Charizard, quickly dodge it!" Alain shouted.
The dragon-shaped pulse streaked forward rapidly, but Alain’s Charizard had good battle instincts. It flapped its wings swiftly and narrowly evaded the impressively fast Dragon Pulse at the last moment. But it wasn’t over. Immediately, Alain called out again, "Thunder Punch!"
Even as the Dragon Pulse was unleashed, Altaria had already zipped forward at high speed. A giant dragon claw formed by bluish-purple flames ignited around its front talons, slashing viciously toward Charizard.
Between Dragon Pulse and Dragon Claw, Altaria executed a flawless transition, precisely calculating the speed. Faced with this sudden attack, Charizard’s pupils contracted as Thunder Punch barely formed a defense in front of it, and a tremendous impact sent its body flying backward.
Flames and lightning interwove; the sound quickly rose from a crackling to a resounding boom. Immediately afterward, a shockwave burst outward from the center, where the two Pokémon clashed.
"Raaaargh!!"
Under the immense force of Dragon Claw, Charizard was pushed back relentlessly. Its face twisted, the muscles in its legs trembling violently. It was hard to imagine that such terrifying power could reside within Altaria’s seemingly elegant body.
"Steel Wing!!" Alain shouted quickly. Charizard, though being pushed back, suddenly flared open its wings, which shimmered with a metallic sheen. Twisting its body slightly to absorb some of the impact, it seized the chance to strike Altaria with a Steel Wing!
However, just when Alain and Charizard thought they could use this opening to gain some distance from Altaria, they were suddenly shocked by what they saw happen to the Steel Wing.
Ash and the others were equally stunned. Clemont, still acting as referee, was alarmed as he quickly recalled the last command Terrance had issued.
Just a simple, two-word command: "Defend."
At that moment, as the Steel Wing suddenly twisted toward it in a strike, Altaria’s cotton-like feathers surged up, instantly blocking the attack. The force of the Steel Wing was completely absorbed and dispersed by the feathers. Just like hitting empty air, it failed to carry any further power.
At the same time, having already neutralized the power of one Dragon Claw, Altaria had rapidly formed another giant claw with its other talon and slammed Charizard forcefully to the ground.
"Blast Burn!!"
Seeing this, Alain finally panicked. Watching Charizard being overpowered, he grew worried that they might not even get the chance to use Mega Evolution. He immediately ordered Charizard to use Blast Burn to unleash a raging blast of fire to push Altaria back.
Seeing the flames flare up ferociously, Altaria slightly ascended. At that moment, Alain quickly waved his arm. "Charizard, our opponent is really strong, let’s begin! Respond to my heart!!"
"Keystone!"
Alain spoke rapidly, and even beads of sweat were running down his face from the earlier exchange. Seeing Alain so serious, Ash and the others looked surprised.
Not being in the battle themselves, they couldn’t possibly understand the crushing pressure Alain had just faced.
"Beyond evolution... Mega Evolve!!" As Alain raised his Mega Bracelet, the Mega Stone on the necklace around Charizard’s neck resonated with Alain’s Keystone, bursting forth with a powerful aura and dazzling light.
"So he’s finally using it?" Terrance smiled. "In that case, Altaria, it’s our turn."
As Terrance spoke, he gently lifted his left arm and brushed his fingers over the Mega Ring on his left arm. Immediately... the Keystone radiated intense light!
"Altaria, Mega Evolve!"
Though he was a step behind Alain, both Pokémon completed their Mega Evolution at the exact same moment!
Terrance’s Mega Ring had been specially modified, making the Mega Evolution process slightly more efficient than normal.
But the cost... was greater energy consumption for Terrance!
Dazzling light enveloped both Mega Charizard and Mega Altaria. As the evolution finished, both their bodies quivered, and the light instantly dispersed!
Right after, a powerful aura erupted. The airflow on the battlefield beneath grew extremely turbulent, breaking into chaotic and violent surges!!
Waves of force radiated outward, striking the spectators and allowing them to personally experience the immense power of these two Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
"So it’s Mega Evolution after all," Clemont thought to himself.
Before evolving, Charizard was Fire and Flying Type, while Altaria was Dragon and Flying Type. But after Mega Evolution, Charizard became Dragon and Fire Type, and Altaria became Dragon and Fairy Type!
From a type matchup perspective, Charizard’s Dragon-Type moves, Fire-Type moves, and even the familiar Thunder Punch, were all now heavily restricted!
Their power could no longer be fully unleashed!
"Mega Altaria..." Alain’s expression turned serious. It was his first time encountering a Mega Altaria, and this feeling of being constrained at every turn not only pressured him but also ignited an unyielding fighting spirit in his heart!
"No, I already promised to stand at the top with Charizard. And now, I have even more reasons to become stronger!!"
"I... can’t lose!!"
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