At the Lumiose City venue,
Ash and Pikachu had drawn first blood in the finals, defeating Alain's Tyranitar.
After Ash called Pikachu back,
both sides sent out their next Pokémon at the same time.
Alain chose Weavile to counter Ash's Kalos lineup.
Goodra, Noivern, and Hawlucha, whom Ash had used in the semifinals, were all weak to Ice-type attacks.
After all, Weavile was also known as a dragon slayer.
But Alain had not expected Ash to abandon his stubborn approach and send out his old powerhouse, Charizard!
And at that moment, Li Wei finally knew what Ash's secret weapon was.
Charizardite!
A Mega Stone was strapped to Ash's Charizard's left arm!
Cynthia said softly,
"Isn't that Charizardite?"
Steven studied the markings on the screen and nodded slightly. "A Mega Charizard Y stone."
Speaking of Evolution Stones, Li Wei had to turn toward Steven beside him. "Did you give it to him?"
When it came to people who would give away Mega Stones so casually,
Li Wei could only think of two.
Steven shook his head. "It wasn't me."
Since it was not Steven, Li Wei looked toward Professor Sycamore, who was smiling in the elevated commentary booth.
"Professor Sycamore must have given it to him."
Li Wei and Steven both had their answer.
And that was indeed the case.
A smile spread across Ash's face.
"Professor Sycamore said he wanted to see a showdown between Mega Charizard Y and Mega Charizard X!"
As it happened, Ash wanted to see that too.
So, although Ash had not originally planned to call Charizard back, he had done so at Professor Sycamore's suggestion.
This was also his reward for helping Professor Sycamore research Mega Greninja and Ash-Greninja.
Alain said calmly,
"He really knows how to make things difficult for me."
Despite his tough