The comeback ability

Neither trainer had said a word, but the two Pokémon looked ready to fight to the bitter end.

The flame on Chimchar's rear surged higher again. Across from him, Charmander refused to back down, doubling the size of the flame on his tail!

They kept going back and forth until the flames gradually engulfed both Pokémon.

The spectators below didn't know whether to laugh or cry. They all worried that the two stubborn little creatures would exhaust themselves if this went on...

Pokémon: Charmander (Level 9)

Potential: C-

Status: Healthy

Gender: Male

Type: Fire

Ability: Blaze (Greatly increases the power of Fire-type moves when injuries reach a certain severity)

Held item: None

Egg moves: Dragon Pulse, Air Slash, Dragon Dance

Basic moves: Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen

Tutored moves: None

TMs: None

Notes: The flame on Charmander's tail burns from the moment he is born. When that flame goes out, his life ends.

The corners of Ye Qing's mouth rose. He actually inherited Dragon Dance. Too bad you had to run into me.

"Begin!"

Young Master Zhang Qiang sneered. "Dragon Dance!"

"Fake Out."

Ye Qing and Young Master Zhang Qiang spoke at the same time.

Charmander let out a roar, but just as he was about to use his move, something blurred before his eyes. Then Chimchar sent him flying with a slap.

Seeing Charmander's move interrupted, Young Master Zhang Qiang cried out in disbelief, "What? He actually knows a broken move like Fake Out!"

Fake Out was an incredibly unfair move. It activated almost instantly and ranked among the fastest of all moves. Fortunately, it had a restriction: it couldn't be used repeatedly within a short period.

With that in mind, Young Master Zhang Qiang gritted his teeth and shouted, "Use Smokescreen."

Upon receiving the order, Charmander immediately scrambled up and opened his mouth, spewing out thick clouds of black smoke.

"Smokescreen, huh?"

Ye Qing frowned slightly. Since his opponent dared to use that move, he must have specifically trained Charmander to locate enemies by sound.

Fortunately, Young Master Zhang Qiang hadn't ordered a close-range move. Otherwise, Chimchar had Quick Guard waiting for him.

Ye Qing had also deliberately looked into that move. It worked differently in reality than in the games: Quick Guard could only block close-range moves, and even that defense had its limits. It would fail if the gap in strength was too great.

"Now, use Dragon Dance!"

With smoke covering most of the arena, Young Master Zhang Qiang shouted his command.

"Nice try. Use Ember on the smoke in every direction," Ye Qing said coldly.

That might not accomplish anything in a game, but this was reality. The smoke Charmander produced was flammable.

Their textbooks had covered this move, too. Few Pokémon knew Smokescreen, and Water-type Pokémon produced white mist made up of water molecules.

Fire-type Pokémon produced thick, black, flammable smoke. Only a few Pokémon, such as Horsea, used substances like ink produced inside their own bodies for this move.

After all, the energy a Pokémon generated was related to its type. Greninja's Smokescreen, for example, couldn't produce black smoke, since he couldn't generate that sort of substance within his body.

"Are you insane?"

Young Master Zhang Qiang naturally knew that Charmander's Smokescreen was flammable. But Chimchar was inside it too. If he used Ember now, both Pokémon would take damage!

Searing embers sprayed from Chimchar's mouth in every direction. The thick smoke instantly ignited upon contact with the flames, and a moment later, boom!

All the spectators saw was an enormous fireball exploding, followed by both Pokémon being blasted out of it!

"Come on, Chimchar! Charge in!"

"Waah!"

Chimchar endured the pain and got up, racing on all fours toward Charmander, who had just climbed to his feet. As he ran, however, Chimchar repeatedly seemed to want to curl his body up and roll straight over.

Flame Wheel?

Ye Qing keenly noticed that detail. He was just about to have Chimchar try it when he realized Chimchar had already reached Charmander.

"Use Scratch!"

"Encore!"

The two commands rang out simultaneously, but Young Master Zhang Qiang panicked the moment he heard the name of that move!

Encore was an incredibly unfair move. For the next few seconds, Charmander would only be able to use Scratch!

"We'll use Fury Swipes."

Ye Qing gave up on the more powerful Fire Punch. First, Fire-type moves would only deal half damage to Charmander. Second, Fire Punch consumed far too much stamina, making it much less efficient than Fury Swipes.

Charmander slapped a claw across Chimchar's face. Refusing to back down, Chimchar lashed out with both claws so quickly they left afterimages, scratching Charmander's face four or five times in an instant!

Under Encore's effects, Charmander had no choice but to endure the pain and keep scratching Chimchar.

Charmander's Blaze ability gave Ye Qing some hesitation, but he still ordered, "Keep using Fury Swipes!"

A comical scene unfolded in the arena. The two Pokémon grappled together, clawing wildly at each other like a pair of shrews in a catfight.

Huo Mengyao's delicate brows drew together. "If Charmander's ability is Blaze, this could get tricky."

Zhao Xinran nodded but said nothing. She believed Ye Qing must have a plan.

Wang Yao had somehow gotten hold of a bag of chips. "Ye Qing, hit him with Fire Punch! Why does this look like a catfight?"

"Principal Jiang, how do you see this?"

The dean wiped his glasses and turned to ask.

"With my eyes."

Principal Jiang smiled faintly. As things stood, Chimchar had the better chance of winning, but Blaze, an ability capable of turning the tables, couldn't be underestimated.

"Roaaar!"

Just as another round of Fury Swipes ended, the battered Charmander suddenly erupted with an astonishing aura. A wave of heat surged from his entire body, driving Chimchar back several meters!

"Blaze has activated!"

Every eye in the arena focused on Charmander. The students from Classes 1 and 3 had their hearts in their throats. After all, this battle concerned the interests of their entire classes!

Young Master Zhang Qiang's confidence immediately returned. "Well done! Use Ember at full power!"

"Chimchar, dodge."

Charmander was on his last legs now. Once Blaze wore off, he would be finished!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Empowered by Blaze, Ember's speed and power increased dramatically. Even as Chimchar darted from side to side, a small portion of the embers still struck his body.

"Keep using Ember!"

Young Master Zhang Qiang could see a chance of victory. He was confident he could take Chimchar down before Blaze ended!

"Come on, Charmander! Take him down!"

As the battle reached its decisive moment, every student in Class 3 stood up and roared!

Though Charmander was already panting heavily, he still mustered all his strength to unleash Ember again.