"Ohh—!"
Charmeleon roared as it gathered intense flames at its throat. With a powerful exhale, it unleashed a massive fireball toward the airborne Blaziken. The ball of flame erupted into a swirling vortex, trapping Blaziken within its scorching whirlwind.
Robert smirked confidently. "It's useless. You do realize that my Blaziken is also a Fire-type, right? Fire-type moves won't deal much damage to it. It might drain a little of its stamina, but there's no way it'll be defeated by flames alone."
Red grinned. "Are you sure about that?"
"What?"
"You may be right that most Fire-type attacks won't hurt Blaziken much. But the flames my Charmeleon just unleashed are not ordinary flames. If you don't believe me, take a closer look."
Red pointed at Blaziken, who was still caught in the vortex of fire.
Robert frowned and quickly focused on his Pokémon. His confident expression faltered.
Blaziken was no longer standing strong—it was half-kneeling on the battlefield, one hand pressed against the ground for support. Its breathing was labored, and discomfort was evident in its expression.
"How is that possible? You're telling me…"
Red crossed his arms. "It's simple. Normal Fire-type moves won't do much to another Fire-type Pokémon. But my Charmeleon has undergone extensive fire training, which has greatly enhanced the potency of its flames.
Combined with other factors—like specific battle items—your Blaziken, despite its high fire resistance, is struggling to withstand the heat."
Robert clenched his fists. "Damn… I underestimated the power of your training."
Red's intense training had pushed Charmeleon's flames beyond their natural limits, making them far stronger than an average Fire-type attack.
---
The Four Conditions for Breaking Through to the Elite Level
Red recalled something he had learned through his research and training.
In order to raise a Pokémon's strength to the Elite level, four essential conditions had to be met. Many trainers' Pokémon remained stuck at the Quasi-Elite Peak because they lacked one or more of these conditions. Without fulfilling all four, a Pokémon would never truly break through to the next level.
Condition One: Potential (Individual Values - IVs)
The first and most crucial condition was a Pokémon's potential—measured by its Individual Values (IVs).
If a Pokémon had an IV of 31 in at least one stat, it had the potential to break into Elite rank.
If a Pokémon had an IV of less than 31 in all stats, its growth would eventually cap at Quasi-Elite Peak—it would never reach true Elite status.
The IV thresholds determined a Pokémon's maximum potential:
1V Pokémon → Maximum of Elite Primary
2V Pokémon → Maximum of Gym Leader Peak
3V Pokémon → Maximum of Quasi-Elite Level
4V Pokémon → Maximum of Elite Peak
5V Pokémon → Maximum of Champion Rank
6V Pokémon → Had a chance to reach Legendary Tier (without divine intervention).
Red was fortunate—his Charmeleon had extremely high IVs, making it one of the rare Pokémon capable of reaching the highest levels of battle.
---
Condition Two: Training and Development
Potential alone wasn't enough. The second condition was proper training and development.
Even the most talented Pokémon would never reach its full strength without careful cultivation. Trainers had to:
Provide specialized training routines
Use high-quality Pokémon food to boost natural growth
Supply energy blocks, vitamins, and stat-enhancing items
Utilize held items and battle equipment to improve performance
Red had already put significant effort into this area. He designed Charmeleon's fire training to increase its flame intensity beyond natural limits. Thanks to this, Charmeleon's Flamethrower and Fire Spin were now far stronger than normal.
---
Condition Three: Accumulation and Breakthrough
The third condition was experience accumulation and mastery.
A Pokémon had to not only battle but also understand its abilities at a deeper level. It needed to grasp the essence of its own type attributes and battle instincts in order to truly maximize its combat effectiveness.
This was the stage Red was focusing on right now.
Since Charmeleon had automatically met the first condition (due to its high IVs), Red was working hard on the second and third conditions to prepare Charmeleon for its next big leap.
Some trainers used shortcuts, like Rare Candies or forced evolution, but Red refused to take that route. He wanted Charmeleon to develop naturally, through real battles and earned experience.
Besides, Charmeleon wasn't even in its final evolved form yet. The true challenge would come once it evolved into Charizard.
---
Condition Four: The Elite Aura
The final condition was aura mastery—a Pokémon had to develop a special Elite-level battle aura.
This aura was known as the "Heart of a King" or the "Indomitable Will".
Pokémon that broke through to the Elite level possessed a strong fighting spirit, an aura that enhanced their presence on the battlefield.
There were only two ways for a Pokémon to develop this aura:
1. Meditation and self-discovery – Some Pokémon achieved this through deep reflection and controlled training.
2. Experiencing intense battles – The most common way was to awaken the aura in the heat of combat, pushing past their limits.
Red's Charmeleon was currently on the brink of discovering this aura.
---
Returning to the Battle
The flames surrounding Blaziken slowly began to fade as Charmeleon closed its mouth, cutting off the energy supply to the vortex.
Blaziken remained on one knee, panting heavily. The burn marks on its body were clear—it had suffered more damage than Robert had anticipated.
"Blaziken, are you okay?" Robert called out.
"Chamo!" Blaziken grunted, standing up with difficulty. The battle had taken a toll, but it refused to surrender.
Even though it was exhausted, Blaziken's fighting spirit burned just as fiercely as ever.
Robert felt a lump form in his throat. Seeing his partner struggle yet refuse to back down filled him with emotion. He quickly wiped the tears forming at the corners of his eyes.
"Blaziken, even if we lose today, you'll always be the strongest in my heart. Now, show them your true determination!"
Blaziken straightened its back and let out a powerful battle cry.
"Chamo!"
Red clenched his fists. "Did you see that, Charmeleon? That's the kind of spirit we need! Let's give Blaziken the respect it deserves and finish this fight with everything we've got!"
Charmeleon responded by pounding its chest with its claw.
"Roooaaar!"
Even though this battle had been tough, it was exactly the kind of challenge Charmeleon needed. For the first time, it felt the thrill of a truly intense battle.
This was the moment it had been waiting for.
It was time to decide the victor.
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End of Chapter 70.
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