Chapter 349 - 347: Ash’s Charizard vs 100 Charizards – Part 1

Chapter 349: Chapter 347: Ash’s Charizard vs 100 Charizards – Part 1

The valley trembled under the weight of dozens of roaring Charizard. Wings beat the air into a storm of embers and dust as the strongest among the wild ones answered Liza’s call.

One after another they descended, landing in a loose semi-circle around Ash and his partner until twenty-five pairs of fierce eyes locked onto the outsider. Some were lean and whip-fast, others were mountains of muscle and scale, their heights ranging from a compact two-and-a-half meters to towering giants nearly four meters tall. Their tail flames burned in every shade of ordinary orange and red, none carrying the strange white core that flickered inside Ash’s Charizard.

Ash remained calm on his partner’s back. Pikachu tightened his grip on Ash’s shoulder and gave a sharp "Pika!" of encouragement.

Eevee, perched just behind, let out a determined "Vee!" and flicked her ears forward. Below, the girls formed a small knot of support.

Misty cupped her hands around her mouth. "Show them what a real partner looks like, Charizard!"

Daisy laughed, eyes sparkling. "Don’t hold back, big guy!"

Erika’s soft voice carried clearly. "We believe in you."

Melody waved both arms. "Make them remember this day!"

Giselle’s gaze never left Ash. "Master... finish this."

Sabrina simply crossed her arms, a faint smile on her lips, her psychic senses already reading the calm intensity radiating from both trainer and Pokémon.

Liza stood beside Charla, arms folded tightly. The female Charizard’s eyes never left the white-cored flame. Liza herself looked half-incredulous, half-worried. "Fifty of them," she muttered under her breath. "He’s really going to try this..."

Ash raised one hand. "Charizard. We take them twenty-five at a time. No mercy, but no wasted movement either. Let’s begin."

The first challenger a stocky, broad-shouldered male roughly the same size as Charizard launched forward with a bellow and a blast of Flamethrower. Ash’s voice cut through the roar.

"Dodge left then Dragon Claw!"

Charizard twisted in the air with effortless grace. The enemy’s flames scorched only empty rock. In the next heartbeat Charizard’s claws, wreathed in draconic energy, slammed across the wild one’s chest.

The impact sent the heavier Pokémon tumbling across the stone. Before it could rise, Ash called, "Seismic Toss."

Charizard seized the dazed opponent, soared upward in a tight spiral, and hurled it into the ground with bone-jarring force. The valley floor cracked. The wild Charizard did not get up.

A second, taller and leaner fighter immediately took its place, wings already beating for an Aerial Ace. Ash’s eyes tracked the motion.

"Meet it head-on. Flamethrower full power!"

The white-cored flame erupted. Holy Blaze turned the ordinary stream into a roaring white-and-crimson inferno that swallowed the incoming Aerial Ace and blasted the attacker backward. Charizard followed without needing further instruction, ramming a Fire Punch into the staggered opponent’s gut. The lean Charizard crumpled.

Two more charged together one massive and slow, the other smaller and quick. Ash’s commands came rapid and precise.

"Wing Attack on the big one, then spin into Dragon Rush on the fast one!"

Charizard’s wings became blue-edged blades. The heavy opponent staggered under the first strike. In the same motion Charizard twisted, body coated in draconic energy, and slammed the smaller foe into the cliff wall hard enough to leave a crater. Both wild Charizard dropped.

Liza’s mouth had fallen open. Charla shifted uneasily beside her, a low, almost respectful growl rumbling in her throat.

Misty glanced sideways at Liza with a knowing little smile. "Told you he was different."

Daisy leaned closer, voice teasing but proud. "Ash doesn’t just train Pokémon. He forges them."

Erika’s eyes stayed on the battlefield. "That flame... I’ve never seen anything like it."

Melody grinned. "And this is only the beginning."

Giselle’s gaze flicked to Liza, calm and certain. "Master promised Charizard he would become the strongest. He never breaks a promise."

Sabrina’s quiet voice carried an edge of amusement. "You’re starting to understand why we follow him."

Liza swallowed, unable to look away from the white-cored flame that now burned brighter with every victory.

The next wave came harder. A particularly tall Charizard nearly four meters tried to overwhelm with raw power, while two mid-sized ones flanked from the sides. Ash’s voice remained steady.

"Climb above the tall one. Heat Wave to clear the flanks then dive with Outrage!"

Charizard rocketed upward. A scorching wave of pure heat exploded outward, forcing the two flankers to break formation. In the same instant Charizard plummeted, eyes glowing with Outrage, claws and fangs tearing into the giant’s shoulders.

The massive Charizard roared in pain and crashed to one knee. A final point-blank Flamethrower ended the fight.

One after another they fell.

A compact, heavily armored male tried to tank a direct Flamethrower and counter with Dragon Claw. Ash simply said, "Break its guard Steel Wing into Belly Drum range, then finish with Blast Burn." Charizard’s wings hardened into gleaming blades, shattered the opponent’s defense, and the valley shook as Blast Burn erupted beneath the wild Charizard’s feet.

When the smoke cleared, only Ash’s partner still stood.

A pair of nearly identical twins attempted coordinated Aerial Ace strikes from opposite directions. "Mirror them," Ash ordered. "Then cross Dragon Claws at the center." Charizard spun between the two attacks, claws flashing in an X of pure power. Both twins dropped simultaneously.

Fifteen... sixteen... seventeen.

Pikachu pumped a tiny fist. "Pika-pika!"

Eevee bounced on Ash’s shoulder. "Vee-vee!"

The girls’ cheers grew louder with every fall.

Misty’s voice rang out above the rest. "That’s our boy!"

Daisy whooped. "Keep going!"

Even Sabrina allowed herself a rare, quiet "Impressive."

Liza finally found her voice, turning toward the harem with something close to awe.

"How... how did he train a Charizard to move like that? The ones here train every day against each other. They’re supposed to be the strongest in the world. And yet..."

Giselle met her eyes with a soft, meaningful look. "Because Ash doesn’t treat Charizard as a tool or a trophy. He treats him as a partner who shares the same dream."

Melody nodded firmly. "They’ve fought legendaries together. Rayquaza. Mewtwo. The birds. This valley is just another step."

Misty’s grin was sharp. "And Ash never lets his partners stop growing."

Erika’s gentle tone carried quiet certainty. "You’ll see. By the end of today, even this valley will understand."

Liza looked back at the battlefield just as Charizard finished the twentieth opponent a particularly vicious, scarred veteran with a perfectly timed Seismic Toss that left a new crater in the ancient stone. Charla’s wings twitched.

The female Charizard’s earlier curiosity had shifted into something deeper: respect, and perhaps a hint of challenge.

The final five of the first twenty-five came all at once, a desperate coordinated rush. Ash’s eyes narrowed.

"Charizard. No more holding back. Dragon Dance then clear the field."

Power surged through Charizard’s body as the ancient dance of dragons heightened its speed and strength. The white core of its

flame flared like a second sun. In a blur of crimson and white it became a storm:

Flamethrower sweeping left, Dragon Claw cutting right, a spinning Wing Attack that knocked two more from the air, and a final, earth-shaking Blast Burn that swallowed the last two in a column of pure destruction.

When the dust and embers settled, twenty-five wild Charizard lay scattered across the valley floor some unconscious, some struggling weakly to rise, all defeated. Not one had landed a lasting blow on Ash’s partner.

Charizard landed heavily in front of Ash, chest heaving, white-cored flame still burning proud and steady. He threw his head back and released a victory roar that rolled across the entire Charicific Valley like thunder. The remaining twenty-five wild Charizard, still circling high above, answered with uneasy growls. They had just watched the first half of their number fall in less than half an hour.

Ash rested a hand on Charizard’s neck, smiling. "Good work. Rest for a moment. The second half is coming."

Below, the girls erupted into cheers and applause. Pikachu and Eevee both leapt onto Charizard’s back, nuzzling their friend in celebration. Liza stood frozen, one hand pressed to her mouth. Charla’s eyes remained locked on the white-cored flame, a low, almost admiring rumble vibrating in her chest.

Liza finally spoke, voice quiet and shaken. "I’ve lived in this valley my entire life. I’ve watched generations of Charizard rise and fall. I’ve never... never seen anything like that." She looked at Ash, then at the girls who stood so confidently beside him, and for the first time true wonder entered her expression.

"Just what kind of trainer are you, Ash Ketchum?"

The harem exchanged glances, then turned those same meaningful looks toward Liza proud, knowing, and already certain of the answer.

Ash only smiled, eyes already lifting toward the twenty-five still waiting in the sky.

"The kind who keeps his promises," he said simply. "Charizard still has a dream to fulfill. And this valley is only the beginning."

The second half of the challenge was about to begin.